Posted on 08/13/2006 9:54:30 PM PDT by garbageseeker
Lebanon's ambassador to the UN said that his government would not use force to ensure the dismantling of Hizbullah, sources said early Sunday morning. He claimed that Hizbullah would independently be responsible for leaving south Lebanon.
"We could have completed a cease-fire by Sunday morning, but Israel insisted on destroying the essence of Lebanon," the ambassador commented while being interviewed by CNN.
If Israel commits itself to "wipe those terrorist vermin off the face of the earth", they would have to be willing to kill civilians, also. It wouldn't be the first time in history.
Establishing peace in the WHOLE Middle East is something we'd all like to see, but what inkling of hope have we gotten so far that this is achievable?
Everyone agreed, then Hezbollah backed out, then Lebanon backed out, and it's Israel's fault. Right.
Israel should unilaterally declare Hezbollah to be its own country, declare war on it, and annex it. And when Lebanon complains, Israel can point to Lebanon's own voluntary surrender of its sovereignty over those areas.
This would seem to place Israel in a strong position.
They have moved their forward line to the Litani. The cease fire requires Hezbollah to cease firing rockets into Israel. However Israel is within the letter of the agreement if they consolidate their position behind forward lines because they are only constrained from taking offensive action. This allows them to liquidate Hezbollah south of the Litani with impunity as far as the resolution is concerned.
If Lebanon refuses to move in the 15,000 troops, Israel can either sit on its markers with Hezbollah largely removed and unable to fire rockets at Israel (unless they flagrantly break the agreement) or claim a violation by Lebanon and resume operations at will.
All this is a result of the assymetry in the language of the agreement (Israel to cease offensive operations, Hezbollah to cease fire), and the proviso that Israel did not have to withdraw until the replacement troops arrived.
It seems to me to be rather ingenious unless you are Hezbollah, which may explain why they are balking at compliance already.
>He claimed that Hizbullah would independently be responsible for leaving south Lebanon.
Yeay, sure. They're all going on a 8 day / 7 night cruise to the Bahamas!
Israel will do nothing. The "kick me" sign is now going to adorn the Israeli national attire. All in the mistaken effort to prove how responsible and fair Israel can be.
Then he's effectively surrendering his country to a militia.
Will Israel tighten the circle like rounding up cattle?
I have no idea what Israel will do, especially after the last month. But it seems they have the opportunity, within the terms of the cease fire, to continue operations against Hez south of the Litani. If the cease fire holds, then they can do so without the considerable distraction of rockets raining down on Israel.
I'm not familiar with the details of the deployment so I don't know if it would act like a noose, or just digging out intact bunkers scattered across the landscape.
.
Hizbullah refuses to disarm in south
A Lebanese cabinet minister said on Monday that the Lebanese army would not deploy in southen Lebanon if Hizbullah retains its weapons.
"The army will not deploy in the south unless there are no arms in the south except those of a legitimate military force and UNIFIL," the minister said.
Hizbullah, however, has resisted calls to disarm and its refusal to follow through this time threatened the deal.
A critical Lebanese Cabinet meeting set for Sunday to discuss implementation of the cease-fire between Israel and Hizbullah was postponed, a move that was likely to delay the dispatch of the Lebanese army to the south and an end of the fighting.
A top aide to Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said the meeting had been indefinitely postponed but would give no reason. Published reports said the Cabinet, which approved the cease-fire unanimously Saturday night, had been sharply divided over demands in the cease-fire agreement that Hizbullah surrender its weapons in south Lebanon.
That disagreement was believed to have led to the cancellation of Sunday's meeting.
The deployment of the Lebanese army along Israel's border, along with an equal number of UN forces, was a cornerstone of the resolution passed Friday by the UN Security Council to end the monthlong war/ The forces were to create a Hizbullah-free zone, from the Israel-Lebanon border to Lebanon's Litani River, some 30 kilometers (18 miles from the border).
Lebanon's Cabinet unanimously accepted the UN cease-fire plan to halt fighting between Israel and Hizbullah fighters late Saturday, moving the deal a step closer to implementation, the prime minister said.
"It was a unanimous decision, with some reservations," Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said in announcing Lebanon's acceptance of the resolution after a four-hour Cabinet meeting.
Cease-fire analysis: Not so bad in theory
Hizbullah's Mohammed Fneish, minister of hydraulic resources, said the two Hizbullah members expressed reservations, particularly over an article in the resolution that "gives the impression that it exonerates Israel of responsibility for the crimes" and blames Hizbullah for the month-long war.
"We will deal with the requirements of the resolution with realism in a way that serves the national interest."
Hours before the vote, Lebanon's prime minister said the plan to end fighting between Israel and Hizbullah served his country's interests.
Fuad Saniora signaled that his Cabinet would approve the plan when it met later Saturday.
"This resolution shows that the whole world stood by Lebanon," he told reporters.
The UN resolution, unanimously adopted in the Security Council, calls deployment of 15,000 Lebanese soldiers along the Israeli border with an equal number of UN peacekeepers. That force would stand between Israeli forces and Hizbullah as Israel withdraws completely from the south of the country and Hizbullah ceases all military activity.
Praising Hizbullah guerrillas, the prime minister said, "The steadfastness of the resistance fighters in the field was very important, as was the steadfastness and unity of the people," he said.
The Cabinet was to meet at 5 p.m. to vote on accepting the UN plan, which was written by the United States and France.
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1154525857974&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Or smoking something.
It seems that way.
I agree that this gives Israel to continue the fight. I heard the Lebanese government has put off the meeting to end the fighting.
I agree.
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