Today, Israel is repeating the same tactics it has used without success at least five times before in Lebanon since 1968. This has included the destruction of that country's infrastructure its bridges, roads, telephone and TV transmission towers, electricity generation plants and the Beirut airport. They have similarly targeted political institutions, and attempted to assassinate militant leaders. This has also been a replication of actions undertaken against the Palestinians.

There has however been a slight difference this time round. Israeli action has not gone unchallenged. More than a month after hostilities started, despite continuous Israeli air strikes, Hezbollah rockets of all descriptions, continue to rain down on northern Israeli cities. For the first time such attacks have also targeted the Israeli port of Haifa and forced Israeli civilians to seek air raid shelters. Some Israeli civilians have also been forced to flee from their homes. This has inversely created political pressure on the newly elected Israeli government and upped the ante. It has also made Israel much more inflexible.

Such an approach by Israel has not helped matters. Observers in the region have reported that more than half a million people in Lebanon are internally displaced. Add to this another two hundred thousand in Palestine. We have also seen the steady rise in the figure for casualties. Now more than 500 are dead in Lebanon and Palestine and another 30 in Israel. The vast majority of these are civilians nearly 30 per cent being young women and children. Many thousands have also been wounded and are in desperate need for medical attention. Humanitarian disasters are being reported every day. Nearly 30,000 foreign nationals resident in Lebanon have been evacuated, mostly to Cyprus. They have been lucky ones. Nearly 200 Bangladeshis are still stranded and waiting for evacuation via Syria. Vulnerable people women, children and the elderly are suffering collective punishment under the open sky. Israel probably thinks that this pain and deprivation will turn the civilian population against Hezbollah. Their calculations might be incorrect. Instead, it might end up creating more extremist groups.

We have seen the G-8 leaders meet and disperse. We have not seen any consensus or remorse. Some have expressed alarm and anger and others have exposed their indifference by trying to only find whom to blame for this latest round of violence. President Bush has assigned culpability squarely on Hezbollah and Hamas and demanded that they should lay down their arms. His senior officials have also insisted that Syria should apply pressure on Hezbollah to end its attacks on Israel. Unfortunately, contrary to international opinion, there has not been any single reference by the US to the disproportionate use of force by Israel.

Most interestingly, the Vatican has come out in a strong way on this issue. It has slammed the 'immobilism of the United Nations' and the erosion of its latent powers because of 'clashing veto rights' in the UN Security Council. Spain, unlike many others in Europe has called on Israel to 'end hostilities and respect international law.' Well, neo-cons in Washington must have wagged their fingers at this; because the Spanish Prime Minister, in the same breath, pointed out that the war in Iraq has been a 'disaster' and had led to 'radicalisation, fanaticism, conflict and instability in the region instead of opening a horizon of peace.' Strong words indeed.

One thing, at least, is however very obvious. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (whose military career was limited to occasional stints as a reporter for the Israeli army's in-house magazine), through his recent actions has only demonstrated his lack of political and military experience. He has also shown his desperation to prove that he is as strong as the comatose Ariel Sharon.

In fact, in more ways than one, we are tempted to recall at this juncture, the Israeli response in June, 1982 to the attempted assassination of their Ambassador Shlomo Argov in London by the Palestinian group of Abu Nidal. Israel responded by bombing PLO bases in southern Lebanon and eventually, under Ariel Sharon, then Israeli defense minister, invaded Southern Lebanon. The last few days have seen a familiar pattern repeating itself. Two decades later, Israeli occupation is again underway in the battle-scarred littoral of the eastern Mediterranean. The only difference is that the PLO has been replaced by the Hezbollah as Israel's antagonist in that area.

Israel, and indirectly the USA, also appear to be viewing this latest military engagement in Lebanon, as a surrogate war not only against Syria and Iran but also militant Shiiteism. Due to misplaced analysis, they are thinking that within the next few weeks or months, they will be able to marginalise Hezbollah and restore some degree of sovereignty in southern Lebanon. I am afraid this is not going to happen.

Both Israel and the USA have a serious problem. It is their absence of diplomatic contact with the parties on the other side Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria and Iran. Rami Khouri, editor of Beirut based newspaper 'Daily Star,' writing in the July 24 edition of 'Newsweek' has significantly observed that 'the world's only global power, America, is particularly powerless in the current crisis in the Middle East, due to its own biased policies.

This deficiency has also been noted by Sandy Berger, former National Security Adviser in the Clinton Administration. In this context, he has commented that 'you don't just negotiate with your friends. Sometimes you negotiate with your enemies, or at least your adversaries. We (the USA) negotiated with the Soviet Union for 50 years.' One can only conclude that bush and the Congress hard-line support for Israel are further complicating Middle East diplomacy.

I had the opportunity of transiting through Dubai airport a few days ago on my way back from Cyprus. During the stop-over, I talked with some foreign nationals who had been evacuated from Lebanon and also some Lebanese businessmen. It was apparent from their comments that the destruction of Lebanon's modern economy and the unprecedented stresses on its government will not help create long-term stability along Israel's borders. They also pointed out another important fact. They observed that growing civilian casualties were fueling withering criticisms inside Lebanon against not just Israel, but also the USA, which is widely viewed as encouraging and enabling the Israeli onslaught. This development has negated US popularity gained after the ouster of the Syrian armed forces contingents from Lebanon.

Israel has a jagged, porous border stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to Syria in that region. It traverses mountains and valleys, rivers and in some places, lush forest. It will indeed be very difficult for Israel to ensure a totally sterile environment in that area despite its current massive strikes. Both Israel and the USA know that several UN Resolutions have called for the disarming of Hezbollah. There is also UN Resolution 1559 guaranteeing Lebanon's sovereignty. However, Hezbollah's popularity has not reduced. In fact, its opponents within Lebanon's political mosaic know that trying to force this group to disarm might lead to a civil war.

What is needed now is immediate cease-fire. Secretary Rice has to sit and sort out the insecurity complex that has affected Israel. Talking with President Mubarak and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia will not be enough. If Israel needs guarantees, let that be given by deploying armed contingents from the armed services of all the five permanent members of the Security Council to the border between Israel and Lebanon. They could then function as effective peace-keepers and make the existing UN presence that much more meaningful.

Israel should also be persuaded to halt its illegal offensive in Gaza and also withdraw from its occupied territories. I cannot condone or support the indiscriminate shooting of rockets into Israel and the killing of its civilians. Similarly, what is happening in Gaza and Lebanon is against the principles of international law and humanitarian conduct. Children dying under bombed rubble due to lack of proper rescue facilities should singe US and Israeli conscience.

Muhammad Zamir is a former Secretary and Ambassador.