President Bush, backed by British PM Tony Blair, is granting Israel around one week to continue its attacks on Lebanon before joining the international community in calling for a stop to the bombardment, according to British, European and Israeli sources.At the UN Security Council, the G8 summit in St. Petersburg and the European foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, world leaders called for an end to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
However, the US and Britain have interfered in such efforts, allowing Israel to continue is campaign, which has already cost the lives of 254 Lebanese citizens.
The US has not publicly stated that they will play a role in placing any time limit on Israel, however a senior European official commented yesterday, "It’s clear the Americans have given the Israelis the green light. They [the Israeli attacks] will be allowed to go on longer, perhaps for another week."
British officials have privately acknowledged Bush’s stance, while support for the US president has been publicly announced by US Senator Hilary Clinton at a pro-Israel rally in Manhattan on Monday, who expressed her support for Israel at an event that drew over 5000 people.
