Bravo to Michael Gawenda of the Sydney Morning Herald, who says Bush's current policy is "a huge gamble":
There is a good chance that while Israel can weaken Hezbollah, it will not be able to destroy it. But its bombing campaign - which could well be followed by a ground invasion of southern Lebanon - will destroy the Lebanese Government, the only democratically elected government in the Arab world.
The G8 statement is virtually meaningless. On the public record is a clear United Nations Security Council resolution, sponsored by France, calling on Hezbollah to disarm and for the Lebanese armed forces to take control of southern Lebanon.
It is a sign of the deep divisions over Iran and the wider Middle East that the G8 leaders could not bring themselves to say that this Security Council resolution, which they all supported, had to be implemented. Instead they opted for a statement that will do nothing to stop the violence.
