Never, it would seem, has opinion in Israel been so diametrically opposed to world opinion. Although most observers recognise that Israel lost the war, the Israeli leadership and army still claim victory, and are already pushing for a "second round".
And, while opinion around the world was almost unanimously hostile to including an unprecedented level of Jewish opposition to the war, in Israel the war attracted widespread support among Israeli Jews, and the much-vaunted "Israeli peace camp" was almost invisible.
There were, of course, protests and demonstrations; but these were much smaller than the protests against the 1982 Lebanon War and the ongoing war against the Palestinian people.
Some 5000
protesters demonstrated in Tel-Aviv against the war, representing the consistent anti-occupanon movement from the Communist Party leftwards.
Several anarchists WCIC arrested in an "antiauthoritarian anticapitalist direct action initiative against the war, the refusenik movement Yesh Gul reports that dozens of reservists refused to serve in the war, and at least six were imprisoned. Despite this, the war was very popular in Israel: a poll conducted in late July by the respected Dahaf institute found that it was supported by 82 per cent of the population, and 92 per cent of Israeli Jews.
This is not surprising, given the support of Peace Now for Olmert's government and the presence in the cabinet of Peace Now veteralls, including Defence Minister Amir Peretz.
Indeed, Peace Now supported the war to such an CALCIL that Ha'Aretz described this as "The first war run by Peace Now".
Many of the intellectuals associated with Peace Now
strongly WCIC DIU-Wal Author Amos Oz, often described as the "conscience of Israel", wrote in the LA Times:
"Many times in the past the Israeli peace movement criticized Israeli military operations.
Not this time. This time,
NOI invading Lebanon. It is defending itself... The Israeli peace movement should support Israel's attempt at set. defence".
Fellow author AB Yehoshua wrote in Ha'Aretz "At last we've got a just war, so we shouldn't gnaw at it too much till it becomes unjust". Four weeks into the war, these two, and their colleague David Grossman, called for "an immediate agreement to a mutual cease-fire", on the grounds that had achieved its "reasonable and feasible" goals.
But this was too little, and too late - three days later, Grossman's son was killed in settle the Israel-Arab dispute." Israel's last-minute rush to seize more territory before the ceasetire
Opposition to the war was notably stronger amongst