Israel moved a step closer to withdrawing its forces from south Lebanon yesterday, when the army's chief-of-staff declared, for the first time, that he would not oppose a unilateral pullout, David Horovitz writes from Jerusalem.
"Reality has changed," said Gen Shaul Mofaz. "The army will never constitute an obstacle to a pullout."
Israel's Prime Minister, Mr Ehud Barak, has pledged to withdraw the Israeli army from its self-declared "security zone" in Lebanon by next July.
The chief-of-staff explained that his new attitude stemmed from the army's improved performance in the ongoing war with Hizbullah.
