Choice between victory and humiliation

Yesterday, the security cabinet approved one of the most fateful decisions in the history of Israel. The choice was between victory and humiliation, and the implications will be felt far past Lebanon, further even than security issues facing northern Israel.

Hanging in the balance is nothing less than Israel's ability to survive in this region in the face of an axis of evil that sees only one alternative for Israel: destruction.

This axis of evil will not reconcile itself to Israel inside the "green line" or "blue line." It is committed to destroying Israel – men, women and children, young and old alike. To a very large extent, the results of the current fight with Hizbullah will determine the Israel's long-term outlook.

Simple reality

There are periods in which a nation finds itself facing a complicated reality. But there are also times when we must simplify matters and bring time to the place each of us occupies today, where the only question is: To be, or to cease fire?

Everyone now understands that the current war is the one in which we promised ourselves that should it occur, we would stand strong, that we wouldn't blink.

This is the joint red line we swore we would never retreat from. Clearly, after this red line there is no where to retreat to. This is the place, and now is the time, upon which countries stand or fall.

Every one of us, in his own way, believes the State of Israel and its security have been left in our hands by the Jewish people. This country is a statement of hope, bequeathed to us by our parents and grandparents. Now, we have to defend it. It's as simple as that.

Occupied territory

We must understand that Hizbullah and its rockets have successfully captured a large section of Israel. What's at stake now is no different thank crossing the Suez Canal during the Yom Kippur War, or pushing the Syrians ff the Golan Heights, or moving the war to enemy territory during the Six Day War.

South Lebanon is the object of Israel's counter-offensive, in order to loosen the stranglehold Hizbullah enjoys over northern Israel.

Israel 's civilian home front is bearing the burden of this war with a stubbornness and a unity unseen since the War of Independence. This is the moment and this is the purpose for which the state and the army were created. The army must act now to carry out any action necessary, wherever necessary, to restore our civilians' basic right to life, even if soldiers must die to restore it.

If the prime minister and defense minister still fail to understand the fatefulness of the current situation. If they retreat into hesitation and delusion, and if they choose to hide behind empty, twisted words, or even worse – behind a phony shield that the IDF is not, it will become clear that this government does not, and never did, deserve the faith of hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have born the brunt of this war so far.

MK Effie Eitam (National Union – NRP) was a commander of IDF forces in Lebanon

The Cabinet decision to expand operations in Lebanon came too late, and appears like someone is trying to cover up a month of snowballing warfare, and less like someone able to strike a decisive blow in this war.

The stated goals of the war - bringing kidnapped IDF soldiers home, quiet along the northern border, getting Hizbullah out of south Lebanon and installing an multi-national force to bolster the Lebanese army - will eventually be realized by diplomatic negotiations. There is no knockout punch to be delivered that will tip the scales in our favor, certainly not deploying all the way to the Litani.

Can't stop katyushas

The katyushas can't be stopped at the Litani. Our air force is working at full force, our planes are bombing infrastructure, bridges

A broader operation, tactically speaking, will not reduce the threat of katyushas. A significant number of these are now being fired from positions north of the river. The Galilee is being bombed by rockets from the Nabatean Mountains, further away from the Litani.

Push for negotiations

This fight need not be a politicians' fight for ratings, or for our national pride, or our deterrent ability. It is about taking calculated risks, measuring cost versus benefit, military success against casualties, and mainly: The ability to translate military gains into diplomatic processes.

The process of moving from the battle field to the negotiating table must begin immediately. We must stop harboring false hopes and look at reality with open eyes. We must build a process that will lead to Syria's exit from the cycle of violence, even if we must give up the Golan Heights.

When this happens, it will be possible to reach stability in Lebanon, too. Without Syrian partnership, it will be difficult to attain.

And Syria is a potential partner: It is a secular country, not connected to Iran's and Hizbullah's fundamentalist, messianic vision. Therefore, despite connections with Iraq- the United States and Israel have the ability to cut Lebanon off from religious fanaticism, thus cutting off Hizbullah's life source.

The more we internalize the limits of modern military power, strong as it may be, and we understand that against a guerilla organization that doesn't count casualties and is prepared to go all the way, we will understand that the solution to the current conflict is to be found in negotiation.

The sooner this happens, the better. Pushing the IDF to the Litani River will only stall the process.

MK Avshalom Vilan (Meretz-Yahad) is the head of the reserves' Knesset lobby and served in IDF Special Forces for 25 years