Lebanese opposition requests Israel's help with Syrian pullout

Ha'aretz ^ | 04/03/2005

[IAF ThunderPilot]

Lebanese opposition members have asked Israel to encourage the United States to pressure Syria into withdrawing its troops from Lebanon.

In the wake of recent diplomatic activity aimed at getting Syria to withdraw its military forces from Lebanon, a top Syrian envoy headed Friday to Moscow to discuss the step with Russian officials.

Lebanese figures contacted Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz's advisor, Uri Lubrani, among other officials in Jerusalem, and indicated they were determined to keep struggling against the Syrian presence in Lebanon but need American support.

[IAF ThunderPilot]

Amazing! An Arab nation is asking Israel's help for the first time in modern history.

[lawgirl]

Let freedom ring!

[In veno, veritas]

I actually see Syria's side of this. If they pullout all troops, it leaves a major power vacuum that could harm the situation. Both Israeli and American troops would be attacked by terrorist groups, but who else can you trust to pullout once the Lebanese are self-sufficient? The UN? The French?

[ken5050]

Not really..you've got several thousand Hezbollah terrorists in the Lebanon/Israeli border area..they have thousands of those rockets, which can reach Israeli settlements...will the terrorists be allowed to leave the area and take them along?..and to where?

[IAF ThunderPilot]

Israel ping!

FRmail me to be added or removed from this Israel Defense Forces and Israel ping list. Here you will find news, articles and fascinating stories about the IDF and Israel.

[NRA2BFree]

Amazing! An Arab nation is asking Israel's help for the first time in modern history.

I'm stunned speechless. THAT is also a first. LOL

[TonyRo76]

What a cool homepage you've got! :)

[lawgirl]

What a cool homepage you've got! :)

Thanks Tonyro!

[Enterprise]

"Lebanese opposition requests Israel's help with Syrian pullout"

These people have had enough of brotherhood and solidarity. Comparison of Syrians to Israelis is a no-brainer.

[Peach]

Wow!

[Enterprise]

" I actually see Syria's side of this."

Why yes, I see your point. It's like, if we defeat Saddam Hussein, then there will be a power vacuum and American troops will be attacked. The whole Middle East will disintegrate and all kinds of wars will break out. The place won't be stable for a couple of hundred years!

[Convert from ECUSA]

Really. I know Israel assisted King Hussein of Jordan under the table many times, and vice versa, but it was never in public. It was only discussed many years after it happened. Maybe the Lebanese have had enough of experiencing "Arab brotherhood" and prefer to have the relatives that have overstayed their welcome to leave the house pronto. At any rate, it is quite a turn of events to see an Arab nation wanting Israel's help.

[thoughtomator]

Ideally the Lebanese will be calling their own shots, like they should. Really, there is no possible justification for Syrian troops on Lebanese territory.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[Alex Marko]

There is no power vacuum. The Maronite, druze and even muslim groups are all aligning in this situation. Walid Jumblatt would assume control thru an interm govt such as that of iraq. I am sure the french and the Un would send soldiers at the request of the lebanese.

[PzLdr]

Only if they want their children raped.

[Stultis]

There is no power vacuum. The Maronite, druze and even muslim groups are all aligning in this situation. Walid Jumblatt would assume control thru an interm govt such as that of iraq. I am sure the french and the Un would send soldiers at the request of the lebanese.

The problem is in the south, controlled by the Iranian/Syrian surrogate, Hezbollah. Hezbollah may be induced to attack Israel and prompt Israeli reprisals, giving Syria an excuse to remain in Lebanon, and/or distracting attention while Syria moves to suppress or subvert the independence movement in Lebanon.

I'm not saying it will work, but I suspect this is the Syrian strategy. Israel should, for the present, stay out of the matter altogether. Don't give the Syrians any excuses or any opportunity to change the subject.

[Alex Marko]

Quick to criticize, reluctant to provide solutions.

[EQAndyBuzz]

What will wind up happening is that Hezbollah will be caught between Lebanese that do not want them there and the IDF. They will have to break out through Lebanon to Syria. They aren't going south.

[PzLdr]

Let's see. UN Peacekeepers:When they aren't busy raping kids in the Congo and other parts of Africa, they watch Hutus murder Tutsis, or hand over Muslim men to Serbs so they can be murdered. They are a JOKE, when they aren't being criminals. The French? Fine job on that little Ivory Coast job, wot? Shooting up unarmed civilians. Solution: So far, "W"'s told the Syrians to haul ass out. Since then, he's been joined in that demand by:Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Arab League, France, and the UN. If jughead Assad doesn't want to listen up, I'm sure there's some USAF ordnance, a cruise missile or a Hellfire with his name on it. Then there's that little US Army to his east. I don't think it'll take that much . There's the trade sanctions, asset freezing, the UN resolution (if you believe in those things), and the folks in Lebanon and the rest of the area Syria has to contd with. The problem, to me, is not as much the Baath as their pets, Hezbollah and to a lesser degree, Islamic Jihad. Those little social groups, plus Syrian intelligence, have to be dismantled.

[Stultis]

They will have to break out through Lebanon to Syria.

Hezbollah won't move. They'll have to be disarmed, and that will be tricky. Let's assume that Syria can be driven from the rest of Lebanon. If they remain in the Bekka Valley, and Hezbollah remains armed, what gets done about that?

[conserv13]

I actually see Syria's side of this. If they pullout all troops, it leaves a major power vacuum that could harm the situation

So do I. The reason Syria went in there in the first place was to stop a brutal civil war. After the war ended they just never left.

[conserv13]

Only if they want their children raped.

There were a few isolated incidents of UN peacekeepers raping children in Africa. That does not mean that it is UN policy or that the UN as an organization promotes it or condones it.

[Soul Seeker]

Amazing is right.

Lebanon may have a high percentage of Christians but it does make quite a statement for the opposition to ask the Isreali government for help. This will shock the region as much as free people defying terrorists to vote, and free people kicking out an uninvited authoritative government.

[winner3000]

If true, this is one of the most stupid moves the opposition could have made. It will be used by Syria as propaganda to separate the Sunnis from the Christians.

Another useful piece of propaganda used by the Syrians is that this whole upheaval will be used to disarm Hizbollah. That way they try to keep the percentage of Shia represented by Hizbollah away from joining the opposition.

We should not be surprised by the propaganda coming down the pike in the next few weeks. I just hope the opposition is savvy and does not give ammunition to Syria.

[Soul Seeker]

We'll see.

[EQAndyBuzz]

"So do I. The reason Syria went in there in the first place was to stop a brutal civil war. After the war ended they just never left."

I think Syria went in there to create another front against Israel. Hezbollah being backed up by Syrian forces. Hezbollah will be eradicated.

[upcountryhorseman]

Lebanon has another first: it was the first democracy in the area, during the 1950's. For a time all religions co-
existed without violence.

[In veno, veritas]

No, it's more like after we helped Afghanistan in the 80's and we pulled out. Or what if after defeating Saddam, the American troops pulled out. You want to leave behind a force capable of maintaining basic order and policing. I'm all for Syrians leaving, but not positive if Lebanese have the forces to maintain order.

[rintense]

Whoa!

[conserv13]

Hezbollah will be eradicated

Maybe but I don't think so. Hezbollah is considered to be a legitimate political party there, however we think of them. Kind of like the IRA and Sinn Fein.

[Paul Ross]

Truly, Amazing!

[PzLdr]

From what Steve Harrigan's been reporting it's more than "a few isolated incidents". And while it may not be policy, nor promoted, it is neither prevented, nor controlled. UN peacekeepers are a joke. They failed in the Balkans, they failed in Rwanda. They're failing in Africa now. If a US military commander had units acting like this, he'd be courtmartialled, and justifiably so. The one thing the UN can be consistently counted on for is lack of command responsibility- all the way up to Kofi.

[conserv13]

I agree, the UN is a paper tiger. Who is responsible for that, though? The US, Europe, and Japan fund the UN. The Security Council - of which the US, France and Britain are 3/5 of - controls the agenda.

[PzLdr]

UN peacekeepers, and the administration of the UN are run through, and supervised by, the UN Secretariat- led by the ubiquitous Mr. Annan. The Security Council may set policy, via resolutions. It's up to, when UN assets are doing the enforcement, the Secretariat to carry out the resolution, e.g Oil for Food, peacekeeping operations. In every case I can think of, they are miserable failures.

[dervish]

"and Hezbollah remains armed, what gets done about that?"

Iran. Faster please.

[dervish]

No the non-aligned movement, General Assembly of Totalitarian Countries, and Arab/Persian oil behind the curtain controls the agenda.

Were you watching when the US got sold out over the Iraq War by China, France and Russia. Now why did that happen? Why can't the Security Council enact sanctions on Sudan?

The US controls nothing in the UN despite paying 22% of its budget. But guess what 22% of nothing is nothing.

[Toddsterpatriot]

The reason Syria went in there in the first place was to stop a brutal civil war.

Yeah that was real nice of them. They didn't have any thing to do with that civil war, did they?

[SevenofNine]

OH WOW that amazing Arab nation asking for Israel help

DO TELL

[FreeReporting]

We've been burned by Lebanon before. I doubt whether we want any such experience again.

At first they welcomed us with flowers and cheers but the welcome wore off quickly and our soldiers were killed and kidnapped. When we left they counted it as a victory over Israel.