Condolences

Wars have a way of wounding their opponents as well as supporters, like they injure both participants and bystanders. Uri Grossman, 20, an IDF armor corp soldier, was killed today in Lebanon. Uri was the son of David Grossman, the novelist, who with A.B. Yehoshua and Amos Oz, held a press conference last Wednesday to declare opposition to the expansion of the war. My deepest condolences to David, his family and to all the families in Israel and Lebanon who have lost children, parents, siblings, friends and neighbors.

The deaths of soldiers and civilians on the eve of a cease fire seems particularly tragic and ironic. One wonders what operations or advantage gained could possibly justify their occurence. It is especially astounding to me that Foreign Minister Tsippi Livni says she was told (and apparently accepted) that IDF's expanded operations over the past two days were intended to protect the soldiers already in Lebanon. Under what logic was there a need to send in twice as many more soldiers?