First thing first, I am Jewish. I have never been to Israel and fervently hope that I can go some day. My wife's old college roommate now lives in Jerusalem and because of the above, I will always give Israel the benefit of the doubt. This does not I always agree with its official policy either.
Now... Israel has lost its mind with the Lebanon war. Hezbollah is an anti-Israel organization and has continually lauched rockets and taken other hostile actions against Israel in the six years since Israel left Lebanon. A breaking point was going to be reached at some point. However, I believe that the Hezbollah incursion was the wrong causus belli to use for an invasion.
More below....
Hezbollah DID start the war by attacking the Israeli soldiers. And they have deliberately targeted Israeli civilians by bombing Haifa without regard to military targets. However, Israel could have managed the situation much better and prevented muchg of the loss of civilian life.
What they should have done is simple:
1. Ordered the return of the soldiers within 7 days or Israel would declare war.
2. Publically recommended that civiians leave the southern part of Lebanon within seven days because of the known blending of civilian and military by Hezbollah.
3. Sought multi-national diplomacy to have the soldiers returned unharmed during the 7 days.
4. Then, and only then, launch the assualt if the soldiers were not returned.
Some of my fellow Jews believe that the IDF was right to attack without warning. Hezboolah needed to be attacked by surprise. There is merit to that argument. Hebollah was apparently surprised by the ferocity of the Israeli response. (I apologize for the lack of a link. I read it in my local paper and they don't have a link to that article) However, surprise does not matter. Hezbollah has been receiving large shipments of missles from Iran for the last six months. Hezbollah has been planing to attack Israel for a while. It is clear that they were mobilizing. I am sure that Israel knew this and was preparing for the eventual Hezbollah assault.
However, if they had given 7 days for civilians to evacuate, the civilian deaths would have been minimized. As this diary points out, far too many Lebanese civilians have been killed. (even if I disagree with the tone of that diary) Those deaths are a tragedy.
The real problem is that now Israel is stuck. If it stops now, then Hezbollah will be seen as the winner. That would result in even more attacks in the future. Israel is now stuck with a ground war that it did not really want in order to take out the Hezbollah munitions. Unfortunately, they copied the Bush game plan of shoot first and ask questions later. DUMB!!!
So what should Israel do? Here is my suggestion:
1. Quietly have Annan and Egypt arrange for a 7 day cease fire for humanitarian reasons. All civilans within the 10 mile border can leave the area without fear of an Israeli attack. Israeli drone can observe the evacuation to make sure that it is not used to move military cargo.
2. If, during the temporary cease fire, Hezbollah returns the captured soldiers unharmed, then the cease fire becomes a truce.
3. Israel would then agree to return the Hezbollah soldiers that it has captured since the incursion began.
4. If Hezbollah refuses to release the soldiers, then Israel renews the attacks in seven days and is free to destroy any target within the 10 mile area where military targets are presumed, even if in a civilian area.
By following this plan, it puts the onus back on Hezbollah. If they refuse, then future civilian casualties in the 10 mile area are on them and not the IDF.
Sadly, I doubt this approach would be adopted.