"At first I got carried away. It was patriotic fervor . . ."

[bigtree]

August 10, 2006 3:33 PM

Israeli war fervor slips

Joel Greenberg
Chicago Tribune

JERUSALEM - Tami Levy has lost her taste for Israel's war in Lebanon.

The 50-year-old computer programmer said she was initially an enthusiastic supporter of the campaign when it was launched after Hezbollah guerrillas seized two soldiers and killed three others in a raid across the border July 12.

But after a month of fighting that has produced rising army casualties, relentless rocket attacks on Israeli towns and cities, and no clear sign of victory, Levy is no longer a strong backer of the offensive.

''At first I got carried away. It was patriotic fervor, not even the result of any thought,'' Levy said recently over a fast-food lunch at a Jerusalem mall. ''Now everyone's enthusiasm has faded, because it's not ending quickly. It's not a shining victory, they're hitting back, and the restoration of our deterrence capability is not happening.''

As the fighting grinds on, there is a current of unease here about the war, and the first cracks in the consensus of support for a campaign widely seen by Israelis as a justified response to an unprovoked attack by extremists bent on Israel's destruction.


http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=WORLD&ID=564785420850036836

[bahrbearian]

1. Stay the Course...

''If we stop now, what have we done?'' said Shimon Hadari, 49, retired after a career in the military. ''Soldiers and civilians have been killed; we've paid a price. If we're at the finish line, we have to get the job done. It would be a mistake to stop now.''


No mention of the Death and Carnage has dealt to Lebanon

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2. ''We are getting lost in pursuit of a victory that is not there,''

Barnea, an influential mainstream columnist for Yediot Ahronot, Israel's most widely read daily, wrote, ''There is no point in investing in a lost cause."

[orwell]

3. Nothing like the war/sports analogies...

..."the finish line," as if it were a foot race rather than a horrific bloodletting.

[Sydnie]

4. she discovered within weeks

what we are still waiting for some of our population to figure out after YEARS of our occupation of Iraq.

Bless her, and keep her safe. She is a voice for peace now.

[frylock]

5. let us know how you feel in three years when you're still bogged down..

patriotic fervor... fuck me. :eyes:

[bigtree]

6. Cracks appearing in Israeli support for war

TEL AVIV, Israel - The first cracks in Israeli support for the war in Lebanon emerged Thursday, with leading intellectuals and mainstream politicians criticizing the government’s decision to send more soldiers into Hezbollah territory.

Every Friday for a month, anti-war activists have demonstrated against Israel’s retaliation for Hezbollah’s July 12 cross-border raid, but they never drew more than a handful of people. Opinion polls showed backing for the war at about 80 percent.

But some peace activists who had remained quiet or even supported the fighting now say it has gone on long enough.

story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14290933/

[bigtree]

7. Some Israelis Criticizing War in Lebanon

Friday August 11, 2006 3:16 AM

By ARTHUR MAX

Associated Press Writer

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - The first cracks in Israeli support for the war in Lebanon emerged Thursday, with leading intellectuals and mainstream politicians criticizing the government's decision to send more soldiers into Hezbollah territory.

Every Friday for a month, anti-war activists have demonstrated against Israel's retaliation for Hezbollah's July 12 cross-border raid, but they never drew more than a handful of people. Opinion polls showed backing for the war at about 80 percent.

But some peace activists who had remained quiet or even supported the fighting now say it has gone on long enough.

Three of Israel's most successful authors and intellectuals - Amos Oz, David Grossman and A.B. Yehoshua - on Thursday urged Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to focus on diplomatic rather than military initiatives.

``We are at a crossroads between the green light given for continuing military operations and explorations for a political solution,'' Yehoshua said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6007362,00.html

[sabra]

8. Olmert's popularity plunges in Israel - poll

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L11918874.htm

Olmert's popularity plunges in Israel - poll

JERUSALEM, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Rising Israeli casualties and constant Hizbollah rocket attacks have sharply eroded public support in Israel for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his defence minister, an opinion poll showed on Friday.

The survey in the Haaretz newspaper found only 48 percent of Israelis were satisfied with Olmert's performance compared with popularity ratings of more than 75 percent in polls taken in the early stages of fighting against the Lebanese group.

Public support for Defence Minister Amir Peretz fell from 65 percent to 37 percent, the survey showed.

Commentary accompanying the survey said the continuing hostilities, which began on July 12 after Hizbollah seized two soldiers in a cross-border raid, mounting Israeli casualties and daily rocket attacks were to blame for the drops in popularity.