The Middle East is in crisis following the capture of three Israeli soldiers by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Lebanese Party of God (Hizbollah) in late June 2006 and early July, Israel’s comprehensive offensive throughout the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, and the daily firing of rockets deep into Israel.



Tthe crisis could reach entirely different proportions should a new threshold be crossed—a Hizbollah rocket striking a chemical plant or a heavily populated area in Tel Aviv or Haifa, an Israeli bombing raid causing massive casualties, a major ground offensive, or the expansion of the war to Syria or Iran.

A political solution to the twin crises of Lebanon and Palestine is an urgent priority for the international community. Waiting and hoping for military action to achieve its purported goals could have severe humanitarian consequences and make it harder to pick up the political pieces when the guns fall silent.