Israel set war plan more than a year ago

From the San Francisco Chronicle courtesy of AlterNet:

Israel's military response by air, land and sea to what it considered a provocation last week by Hezbollah militants is unfolding according to a plan finalized more than a year ago.

In the years since Israel ended its military occupation of southern Lebanon, it watched warily as Hezbollah built up its military presence in the region. When Hezbollah militants kidnapped two Israeli soldiers last week, the Israeli military was ready to react almost instantly.

"Of all of Israel's wars since 1948, this was the one for which Israel was most prepared," said Gerald Steinberg, professor of political science at Bar-Ilan University. "In a sense, the preparation began in May 2000, immediately after the Israeli withdrawal, when it became clear the international community was not going to prevent Hezbollah from stockpiling missiles and attacking Israel. By 2004, the military campaign scheduled to last about three weeks that we're seeing now had already been blocked out and, in the last year or two, it's been simulated and rehearsed across the board."

More than a year ago, a senior Israeli army officer began giving PowerPoint presentations, on an off-the-record basis, to U.S. and other diplomats, journalists and think tanks, setting out the plan for the current operation in revealing detail. Under the ground rules of the briefings, the officer could not be identified.

Click here for the rest.

Okay, let's count the lies. First, Israel is not trying to get back it's two captured soldiers; rather, it had been waiting for a year for the right moment and pretense to launch an aggressive invasion of Lebanon. Second, the US does not support Israel's "right to defend herself;" rather, the US supports Israel's war of aggression against Lebanon--the Bush administration knows what's going on. Third, the mainstream US press is committing a lie of omission: they're aware of this report just as I am, yet they refuse to mention it, thereby keeping up the myth that Israel is simply "defending herself."

This shit makes me sick.

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