ISRAELIS UNITED

Israelis United in Support of Military Offensive - Sharmila Devi
Few in Israel doubt the necessity of the war in Lebanon. There are even those normally in the peace camp who advocate a more forceful campaign. "If the army really wants to change the strategic balance, they have to go all the way with a ground offensive," said a former leading peace activist. Founders of the Four Mothers movement support the present Lebanese offensive, although they played a campaigning role in ending the 22-year Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. One of the four, Orna Shimoni, told Ha'aretz the war was vital in protecting Israel's existence. "Even when we remove hundreds of thousands of people from their homes in Lebanon, that is not only right, it is also moral because I do not want them to die in our shelling," she said. "But we have to shell. And we have to fight." (Financial Times-UK)