Friday, July 21, 2006

Ceasefire noises by the EU and UN as Israel readies major ground assault


Both the EU and Kofi Annan have been screeching `ceasefire!' in the Israel/Hezbollah war.

I wonder how loud the calls would be if the Arabs had invaded Israel and were triumphantly advancing on Jerusalem and Tel Aviv?

On second thought, I don't wonder at all.

Annan was his usual reptilian self in calling for a ceasefire in place by Israel and `an end to hostilities by both sides'.

"Both the deliberate targeting by Hezbollah of Israeli population centres with hundreds of indiscriminate weapons and Israel's disproportionate use of force and collective punishment of the Lebanese people must stop."

No mention, of course about uncoditionally releasing the two Israeli ostages..which are in captivity in the Iranian embassy in Beirut anyway, if my information is correct.

And also, no clue as to how the UN is planning to restrain Hezbollah. Even with UNFIL `peacekeepers' in the country, the UN has never done anything to enforce its own Resolution 1559 to disarm them.

The UN also called for a massive aid program to rebuild Lebanon...but said diddly about any aid to Israel to repair the extensive damage caused by Hezbollah's rockets in their aggressive war.

Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman ruled out the ceasefire proposal, saying Israel's assault "will take as long as it will take," to root out Hezbollah. So far, that view is backed by the U.S.

Gillerman showed a rare bit of undiplomatic anger and said he was "disturbed" that Annan's report never mentioned "terror," or referred to Syria and Iran the neighbours Israel accuses of being Hezbollah's sponsors.

"The first thing that must be addressed is cessation of terror before we even talk about cessation of hostilities," he said, calling Hezbollah a "cancerous growth" to be cut out of Lebanon.

"Syria knows what it needs to do and Hezbollah is the source of the problem," US Secretary of State CondiRice said today at the State Department. She's enroute to the Middle East Sunday, meeting not only with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert but also with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Rome.

Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari told CNN Hezbollah "is highly respected in the Arab world. It is part of the Lebanese government backed by the American administration."

Actually, Ja'afari is 100% correct in my view. Hezbollah IS a part of Lebanon's government, Lebanon and Israel are at war and for the UN to attempt to impose a ceasefire without addressing the root causes of that war is exactly the sort of behavior we've come to expect from them - despicable hypocrisy.

"There is real anger inside the council," said Qatar Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser. "People are very frustrated that the war is continuing, when there is strong feeling that there should be a ceasefire."

Of course, that `anger' is directed at Israel, the nation that was attacked.Talk about blaming the victim... damn those Evil Jooos for defending themselves!


On the EU front, France is leading the charge for a ceasefire. What a surprise!

Israel, for its part isn't waiting. They have massed tanks and troops on the border, called up reserves and as I reported here, have leafletted South Lebanon and warned civilians warned civilians to evacuate North of the Litani River. Israeli Army Radio warned residents of 12 border villages in southern Lebanon to leave before 2 p.m. Friday.

Obviously a major ground offensive in Lebanon has moved beyond the planning stages.

The Israelis are engaged in a major battle with Hezbollah in the mountainous areas near the Lebanon Israel border and while Hezbollah is putiing up fierce resistance, they've suffered heavy casualties and are locked in there. I would not be surprised to see Israel do an `end run' around this area, probably with a mixed force of airborne and armor, sealing off the Hezbollah positions on the border and advancing into South Beirut and the Hezbollah strongholds in the Bek'aa Valley and the north. As I reported, I 've gotten unconfirmed reports that limited Israeli ground forces are already engaged in Central and Eastern Lebanon.

The Israelis continue to seal off Lebanon from Syria.Israeli warplanes pounded the Damascus Highway again, collapsing part of Lebanon's longest bridge.

And at least 11 rockets hit Haifa, Israel's third-largest city today. Five people were wounded, with 23 treated for shock. More rockets fell elsewhere in northern Israelstrikes reported in Rosh Pina, Safed and other communities in North Galilee. Hezbollah has fired over 1,600 rockets at Israel as of today.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

what ever land the jooos run over is theirs.
if lebanon disappears from the map, so be it.
gaza should disappear.
it is israel.
numerous strategy commentors at chester have speculated on watching how israel blocks the hezz retreat, and/or if they do.
and if syria will get involved on the israeli right flank.
imo it is time to call the map makers.
things have to change.

off topic comment:
i have heard that israel is in the process of releasing many prisoners in order to obtain the release of the private kidnapped in gaza.
can you confirm this????
if this is true, with all consideration due to the private, this is wrong.

Anonymous said...

i had originally intended to make a comment about kofi annus' calls for a cease fire.
however, i started reading ff discussion about tactics and forgot what comment i was going to make regarding kofi annus.
maybe i was going to ask if when kofi annus made the referenced comments, whether kofi annus was in some 5 star hotel with his car double parked and/or in a no parking zone.
either way, i forgot what question i was going to ask about kofi annus.

Freedom Fighter said...

Hi Louie!
Trust me when I say that the Israelis do NOT want Gaza or South Lebanon, and it would only be desireable if the present inhabitants left..particularly the `Palestinians.'

What they want is to be left alone, tohave the UN Resolution disarming Hezbollah implemented and to get their hostages back, plain and simple.

This isn't a war of conquest..and it never has been.

Nazar, I'm afraid Ireally disagree with you on aid to Lebanon versus aid to Israel. Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, after all.

If you happened to run into somebody's parked Cadillac or Benz, would you expect not to have to make reparations on the grounds `they can afford it'?

Lebanon (yes, Lebanon; Hezbollah is a part of their government) is the aggressor here. If Lebanon receives humanitarian aid in the war that THEY were the aggressors in, why not Israeli civilians? Their blood not the same color or something?

Again, Nazar, would the UN be talking about a ceasefire or humanitarian aid to Israelis if the shoe was on the other foot?

I also remind you that Israel would never have gone into Lebanon if they hadn't been attacked, or if the Lebanese government had made an effort to secure the return of the two hostages. Instead, they were largely complicit. The missile attack which cost the lives of four Israeli sailors was launched from a Lebanese Army radar station...which the Israelis subsequently and quite rightly took out.

Anybody at the UN talking about disciplining Lebanon for violating Article Two of the UN Charter?

The UN is merely indulging in its usual Israel hatred.

Anonymous said...

ff said:
What they want is to be left alone, to have the UN Resolution disarming Hezbollah implemented and to get their hostages back, plain and simple.

i agree with you on the first part of the sentence.
/sarcasm on/
as for the remainder of the statement, would you mind telling me how many moons are in orbit around the planet you live on?
/sarcasm off?


This isn't a war of conquest..and it never has been.

i never stated that it was.
however, if something different does happen "this time", we will all be getting together again in 2012 to blog that conflict, that will surely occur.

Anonymous said...

i totally blew the last sentence of my previous post.

it should read:
however, if something different does not happen "this time", we will all be getting together again in 2012 to blog that conflict, that will surely occur.

Freedom Fighter said...

One thing about the Middle East..the more things change the more they stay the same.

As for disarming Hezbollah, if the Lebanese government has no control over them then they are NOT a sovereign government - Hezbollah is running things.

Do you think the USA would put up with the State of Washington attacking Vancouver?

Can't have it both ways..and as you've read here, elements of the Lebanese government connived with Hezbollah on the attacks.

Anonymous said...

if i were a debater, i would think/say you are making my point by disagreeing with what i have been saying the last couple of days.
but i don't know how to say/frame it.
louielouie rests forehead in both hands with elbows on desk.
head moves from left to right.
repeat.
repeat.
repeat.