Today is the first day of the ceasefire in Lebanon. From the BBC monitoring service:

LI XUEJIANG IN CHINA'S RENMIN WANG:
The UN Security Council actually could not secure any achievements because of US obstruction... So were there really no winners? Not exactly - US arms dealers certainly made ill-gotten gains.

Good to see something positive in these dark times

From Haaretz, this uplifting quote from Israel:

"If our fighters deep in Lebanese territory are left without food our water, I believe they can break into local Lebanese stores to solve that problem," Brigadier General Avi Mizrahi, the head of the Israel Defense Forces logistics branch, said Monday.

I guess not enough US tax dollars are being sent for rations. Quite right that the Lebanese civilians should pay for the Israeli destruction occupation of their country.

Interesting though is the last sentence of this article:

According to Mizrahi, the logistics branch is prepared for the possibility that combat soldiers will have to remain in Lebanon during the winter.

No doubt, if Israel is still occupying Lebanon in Januarry Condy/Bush will be "surprised"...

This reminds me of another Condi fragent from July 21:

I think we are beginning to see the outlines of a political framework that might allow the cessation of violence in a more sustainable way tied to 1559, tied to -- what is there in the G-8 statement. The elements are becoming quite clear. But I have no interest in diplomacy for the sake of returning Lebanon and Israel to the status quo ante. I think it would be a mistake.
What we're seeing here, in a sense, is the growing -- the birth pangs of a new Middle East and whatever we do we have to be certain that we're pushing forward to the new Middle East not going back to the old one.

Note that she want a cessation of violence for "1559", not to stop the killing and destruction. I'm sure in her reading 1559 ias all about dissarming Hezbollah...

And a final observation. I have not heard much mention of an important paragraph in the new UN resolution:

18. Stresses the importance of, and the need to achieve, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on all its relevant resolutions including its resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973;

Resolution 242 is the one calling for "Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict".
I find it positive that there is official recognition that the latest Lebanon war is linked to the 1967 war and resultant occupations.