QUOTE
Israel army chief admits failures
Israeli military chief of staff Lt Gen Dan Halutz has publicly admitted to failings in the conflict with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
In a letter to troops, he said it had exposed shortcomings in the military's logistics, operations and command.
There would be a thorough and honest investigation, he promised.
Meanwhile, Finland, holder of the EU presidency, has said it hopes fresh peacekeeping troops will be deployed to Lebanon within a week.
Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja was speaking as he made whistle-stop visits to France and Germany to discuss Europe's contribution to the UN peacekeeping force.
"We would like to see the first reinforcements arrive within a week if possible," Mr Tuomioja said. "The main thrust of the force should be there within a few weeks," he said, before adding that a full deployment might take months.
Earlier, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that "in total we would hope that of the 15,000 almost a half would come from EU member states".
French President Jacques Chirac will reveal later on Thursday if his country is prepared to offer more than the 200 extra troops it has promised its former colony.
Stock portfolio
Apart from his conduct of the war, Gen Halutz has faced criticism for selling his entire stock market portfolio hours before the outbreak of fighting in Lebanon..
He has denied any wrongdoing.
COST OF CONFLICT
Lebanon deaths:
About 1,000 - mostly civilians
No precise data on Hezbollah dead
Israeli deaths:
Soldiers: 116
Civilians: 43
Lebanon displaced:
700,000 - 900,000 (UNHCR; Lebanese govt)
Israeli displaced:
500,000 (Human Rights Watch)
"We have to proceed to a meaningful examination of the successes and the errors, "Gen Halutz said in his letter.
"We have to extract professional lessons, as we are faced with more challenges... This test concerns us all, from me down to the last soldier."
The Israeli army lost 116 soldiers. Forty-three civilians were also killed by more than 4,000 Hezbollah rocket attacks.
About 1,200 Lebanese were killed in the conflict, mostly civilians in Israel's vast bombardment of the county and land invasion in the south.
The conflict was sparked by a cross-border raid by Hezbollah fighters in which they captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others.
Throughout the military campaign against Lebanon, Israel's twin aims were the return of the captured Israeli soldiers and the removal of Hezbollah's influence from southern Lebanon.
Critics and opposition figures have said that neither of these aims has been achieved.
Independent inquiry call
Israel's Defence Minister, Amir Peretz, has set up a defence ministry inquiry to investigate how the military campaign in Lebanon was conducted.
The inquiry, headed by retired Israeli army chief Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, has already started work and is expected to produce an interim report within weeks.
Opposition politicians have called for an independent commission, not one appointed by Mr Peretz.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is expected to announce in the next few days a decision on whether to hold a full state commission into the conflict.
State commissions were ordered after the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the 1982 invasion of Lebanon - both conflicts in which the Israeli military was widely perceived to have underperformed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5282548.stm
Israeli military chief of staff Lt Gen Dan Halutz has publicly admitted to failings in the conflict with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
In a letter to troops, he said it had exposed shortcomings in the military's logistics, operations and command.
There would be a thorough and honest investigation, he promised.
Meanwhile, Finland, holder of the EU presidency, has said it hopes fresh peacekeeping troops will be deployed to Lebanon within a week.
Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja was speaking as he made whistle-stop visits to France and Germany to discuss Europe's contribution to the UN peacekeeping force.
"We would like to see the first reinforcements arrive within a week if possible," Mr Tuomioja said. "The main thrust of the force should be there within a few weeks," he said, before adding that a full deployment might take months.
Earlier, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that "in total we would hope that of the 15,000 almost a half would come from EU member states".
French President Jacques Chirac will reveal later on Thursday if his country is prepared to offer more than the 200 extra troops it has promised its former colony.
Stock portfolio
Apart from his conduct of the war, Gen Halutz has faced criticism for selling his entire stock market portfolio hours before the outbreak of fighting in Lebanon..
He has denied any wrongdoing.
COST OF CONFLICT
Lebanon deaths:
About 1,000 - mostly civilians
No precise data on Hezbollah dead
Israeli deaths:
Soldiers: 116
Civilians: 43
Lebanon displaced:
700,000 - 900,000 (UNHCR; Lebanese govt)
Israeli displaced:
500,000 (Human Rights Watch)
"We have to proceed to a meaningful examination of the successes and the errors, "Gen Halutz said in his letter.
"We have to extract professional lessons, as we are faced with more challenges... This test concerns us all, from me down to the last soldier."
The Israeli army lost 116 soldiers. Forty-three civilians were also killed by more than 4,000 Hezbollah rocket attacks.
About 1,200 Lebanese were killed in the conflict, mostly civilians in Israel's vast bombardment of the county and land invasion in the south.
The conflict was sparked by a cross-border raid by Hezbollah fighters in which they captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others.
Throughout the military campaign against Lebanon, Israel's twin aims were the return of the captured Israeli soldiers and the removal of Hezbollah's influence from southern Lebanon.
Critics and opposition figures have said that neither of these aims has been achieved.
Independent inquiry call
Israel's Defence Minister, Amir Peretz, has set up a defence ministry inquiry to investigate how the military campaign in Lebanon was conducted.
The inquiry, headed by retired Israeli army chief Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, has already started work and is expected to produce an interim report within weeks.
Opposition politicians have called for an independent commission, not one appointed by Mr Peretz.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is expected to announce in the next few days a decision on whether to hold a full state commission into the conflict.
State commissions were ordered after the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the 1982 invasion of Lebanon - both conflicts in which the Israeli military was widely perceived to have underperformed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5282548.stm
Finally
LMAO 
! he killed her