A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

From this story, it seems that we have ourselves a good agreement between France and the United States:

The United States and France agreed Saturday on a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for a halt to the fighting between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, but would allow Israel to defend itself if attacked.

The draft, sent to the entire Security Council for consideration, "calls for a full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations."

Israel, backed by the U.S., has insisted it must have the right to respond if Hezbollah launches missiles against it. France and many other nations had demanded an immediate halt to the fighting without conditions as a way to push the region back toward stability.

The agreement broke weeks of deadlock as the U.N. Security Council had failed to take any significant action to stop the violence, primarily because of opposition from the United States, Israel's closest ally.

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said the agreement will aid the peace process.

"What we're trying to do is lay in the foundation so that you can finally enact the provisions of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559," said Snow, speaking from Crawford, Texas, where President Bush was vacationing on his ranch.

Resolution 1559, passed in September 2004, called for the disarming of Hezbollah and the extension of Lebanese government authority throughout southern Lebanon.

This is a fair state of affairs and reflects accurately the fact that Hezbollah was the party that breached the peace with its kidnapping of Israeli soldiers and its decision to launch rockets against Israeli cities. The story informs us further down that if the Israeli army stays in Lebanon, Hezbollah will not abide by the resolution. But if Hezbollah carries out this threat, it will make itself even more of an outcast in the international community than it already is. And if the agreement between France and the U.S. attracts the support of the Arab world in an effort to stop the violence that is raging between Israel and Hezbollah, any failure on the part of Hezbollah to abide by the agreement will risk a loss of support in the Arab world.