Theme: The deployment in Lebanon of a large multinational force
under United Nations authority to maintain the cessation of
hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah has led to a
significant European military involvement in the dangerous
Middle Eastern scenario. This mission raises many questions
about how it will be implemented, the risks to be faced and the
consequences it can have on the stabilisation of one of the
world’s most conflict-ridden regions. Summary: On 12 July 2006,
a group of Hezbollah militiamen infiltrated Israeli territory,
captured two Israeli soldiers and killed two others. Israel’s
reaction led to a battle which, in thirty-three days, caused the
deaths of 1,140 Lebanese civilians (of whom nearly a third were
children under thirteen years of age) and wounded more than
4,000. More than 900,000 people were displaced and 15,000 homes
were destroyed, as well as a large part of the country’s
infrastructure. The cost of repairing this damage is estimated
at between US$7-10 billion. In Israel, 63