What is Britain's stance on the conflict?

- Tony Blair's political support for Israel's actions, refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire, and agreement for US military flights destined for Israel to stop over in Britain, are at odds with the opinions of the majority of Britons, and has caused uproar in his own Labour Party and cabinet, reportedly including Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett.

- The parliamentary chairwoman of Labour, Ann Clywd – herself a Blair loyalist – has said the "vast majority" of backbench lawmakers are critical of Israel and want an immediate ceasefire.

- Labour MP Jim Sheridan has stood down as the parliamentary private secretary to the defence minister and his deputy, in protest at the government's stance.

- Some 150 MPs have called for the lower house of parliament, currently on summer recess, to be recalled to debate the war.

- The Guardian published an ICM poll revealing that 61% think Israel has "over-reacted," while only 22% think its response is proportionate. 63% think "London is too close to Washington," with only 30% believing Blair has "the right sort of relationship" with the US.

- Tens of thousands of Britons have demonstrated against Blair's stance.

- Nevertheless Blair, who claims that "absent from so much of the coverage is any understanding of the Israeli predicament," asks people to "just for a moment put yourself in Israel's place," and in so doing, stands almost alone in the international community.

- There are more and more credible media reports (for example in the New Yorker, the Guardian, the BBC, the San Francisco Chronicle, the New Statesman and the Daily Mail), quoting various Israeli, American and British sources, that Israel planned its invasion of Lebanon more than a year before Hezbollah's capture (which served as a convenient excuse), and that the US and UK governments were aware of the plan.

http://www.arabmediawatch.com/amw/CountryBackgrounds/Lebanon/Invasion/tabid/330/Default.aspx