An article reprinted in today's Guardian from the Israeli paper Ha'aretz seems to me worth reading, and provides a interesting analysis of how the current situation appears to an Israeli who supported the initial military response to the precipitating incident on July 12th - How Israel's gung-ho leaders turned victory into calamity

"There was one moment during the war when we had the upper hand. It was the moment when Israel had succeeded in striking Hizbullah with strong and surprising force, Haifa was peaceful and the number of casualties was small. That was the right moment to stop the war, declare victory and move on to the diplomatic track.

This opportunity came when the G8 convened in St Petersburg on July 14, two days after the fighting broke out. The G8 formulated a four-point plan, and nothing could have been better for Israel...