JERUSALEM — Israel's government is preparing for an imminent
ceasefire with Hizbullah.
Officials said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been examining a U.S.
proposal to implement a ceasefire over the next few days. They said the
ceasefire proposal, via European allies, has been relayed to Iran, Lebanon
and Syria.
"The government has agreed in principle to a ceasefire," an official
said. "The details and timing will probably be completed over the next 48
hours."
On Sunday, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz indicated that he was
being pressured by the government to conclude the air war against Hizbullah.
The general said the air war was beginning to yield significant results that
must be exploited over the next few days.
"Don't sit on me with a stopwatch on my head," Halutz said.
[On Monday, Palestinian gunners joined Hizbullah in missile strikes.
Officials said at least 12 Kassam-class, short-range missiles landed around
the Israeli city of Sderot.]
Officials said the U.S. proposal called for a Lebanese government to
deploy its army along the Israeli border. They said the deployment would
begin after a ceasefire was implemented.
The U.S. proposal does not stipulate the near-term elimination of
Hizbullah's military wing, officials said. Instead, the United Nations
Security Council would reaffirm Resolution 1559, which calls for the
withdrawal of foreign forces from and dismantling of militias in Lebanon.
On Sunday, Lebanese officials said Olmert sent his Lebanese counterpart,
Fuad Siniora, a message that agreed to a ceasefire in exchange for the
release of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hizbullah on July 12. Another
Israeli condition was that Hizbullah withdraw to the Litani River, about 20
kilometers north of the Israeli border.
The military has recommended the establishment of a so-called security
zone in southern Lebanon that would not allow any suspected Hizbullah
operatives. Officials said Halutz wants Israel to ensure that only Lebanese
Army troops would be deployed in the south.
Officials said U.S. preparations for a ceasefire would intensify over
the next 24 hours in wake of the G8 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair and United Nations secretary-general have
called for the deployment of international troops along the Israeli-Lebanese
border.
"I think we are talking about another week or two [of the Israeli
operation]," Israeli Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, a former defense
minister, said. "It depends on the pace of the military operation."