War and diplomacy: The U.N. votes for cease-fire as Israel expands offensive in Lebanon

Diplomacy has succeeded... for the moment:

The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Friday that calls for a halt to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and authorizes the deployment of 15,000 foreign troops to help the Lebanese army take control of southern Lebanon.

The resolution calls on Israel to begin withdrawing all its forces from Lebanon "in parallel" with the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers and 15,000 additional Lebanese troops. It gives the international force the mandate to use firepower but no explicit role in disarming Hezbollah, leaving the fate of the Lebanese militia to a future political settlement.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to accept the terms of the U.N. cease-fire, according to U.S. and U.N. diplomats. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will ask his cabinet to approve the resolution when it meets Sunday, according to Israeli officials. The Lebanese cabinet is scheduled to vote on it Saturday.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the cease-fire will not go into effect immediately. She said U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan will consult with Israel and Lebanon in the coming days to set a date for the cessation of hostilities.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. There is still Hezbollah to consider. Not to mention Israel itself, which forges ahead with its offensive:

Ehud Olmert's office said late Friday that the expanded incursion into Lebanon would continue "for the time being," despite agreeing to a cease-fire resolution drafted by the United Nations Security Council.

Israel will press ahead with its military offensive in south Lebanon until Israel's Cabinet approves an emerging Mideast cease-fire deal...

Senior Israel Defense Forces officers said that the IDF is "continuing forward at full power," and that all forces slated to take part in the expanded incursion have already assumed forward positions in the field.

Olmert will ask his cabinet on Sunday to accept the resolution, but will press the military offensive against Hezbollah until then, a political source said.

Diplomacy seems to be working. The U.S. and France, after all, are on the same side for once, and the unanimity on the U.N. Security Council is promising. Peace is so near and yet so far. We should know something definitive by Sunday. But even if all goes well, even if Israel and Lebanon accept the resolution, what kind of peace will there be?

I remain cautiously optimistic, even if the Hobbesian in me threatens to rebel.

The text of the U.N. draft resolution is here.