Details Of A Disaster

What is there to say about the anniversary of the July War? Lebanon lost much of what it had to lose: its national cohesion, its economic growth, its citizens' lives. Approximately 1,200 civilians were killed, 118,000 housing units were destroyed, $2.4 billion of Lebanese economic infrastructure was destroyed, 12,000 tons of oil were spilled -- the facts go on. Politically, external actors have found it even easier to infringe on Lebanese weakened sovereignty. In the past year, Israel drones have repeatedly violated Lebanese airspace, Palestinian militants have battled the Lebanese army for almost two months around Tripoli, and Syria invaded 3 kilometers into Lebanon in the Bekaa.

And what political gains justify this destruction? The war even failed to produce a decisive victor -- it will be refought soon, with even more destruction. Olmert's statements ring as false as Nasrallah's. A year later, this is still the legacy of the July War: declarations devoid of substance, and deaths devoid of meaning.