A Significant First Step
Israel’s strategy is bearing fruit; the Lebanese PM is talking tough…against Hezbollah:
Hezbollah has created a “state within a state” in Lebanon and must be disarmed, Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said in an interview published Thursday.
Saniora told Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera that the Shiite militia has been doing the bidding of Syria and Iran and that it can only be disarmed with the help of the international community and once a cease-fire has been achieved in the current Middle East fighting.
“It’s not a mystery that Hezbollah answers to the political agendas of Tehran and Damascus,” Saniora was quoted as saying by Corriere. “The entire world must help us disarm Hezbollah. But first we need to reach a cease-fire.”
Saniora said Lebanon is still too weak to attack Hezbollah’s stranglehold in the south of the country on its own.
“The important thing now is to restore full Lebanese sovereignty in the south, dismantling any armed militia parallel to the national army,” he said. “The Syrians are inside our home and we are still too weak to defend ourselves. The terrible memories of the civil war are still too alive and no one is ready to take up arms.”
Words are one thing, action another. One aim overrides all else in the current fighting – end the influence of Syria and Iran over Lebanese affairs – and that means disarming and marginalizing Hezbollah. That the Lebanese PM recognizes this, and more importantly, is willing to say it publicly, is reason for cautious optimism…
I agree, this is a good thing. The only thing I wish is that Israel would have at least approached Lebanon in the first place to try to get them on board. You know, like, “We’re going in to root out Hezbollah, whether you want us to or not, but we’re giving you the chance to get on board, since it’s in your best interests, too.” Would have given them a bit more credibility, IMO.
I am sorry guys, but you really live in a wishful thinking world. Just like Iraq.
Seniora’s government is weak and has no power militarily or politically to disarm Hizbollah. Hizbollah has the hearts and minds of the whole Arab world except for some Arab politicians. Even if Israel succeeds in disarming Hizbollah, unless there is a comprehensive peace where the Palestinian problem are given justice, count on another group in the future to replace Hizbollah. How many times does Israel need to repeat the same mistake to realize it cant break the will of humans. Of all nations Israel should know that.
That reminds me of the definition of madness.
Yes, his government is weak, and that’s why the Israelis are currently taking military action. He will not be alone, peacekeepers are about to return to the south whenever the ceasefire eventually takes effect. Hezbollah most decidedly does not have the hearts and minds of the entire Arab world; notice how muted the criticism of Israel has been from, for example, the Saudis…
Here’s an exceprt that is relevant:
….Riyadh’s strongly worded, unambiguous condemnation of Hezbollah’s brazen across-the-border attack suggests the outrage felt by many Arab states. They realize how ominous it can be for their own economic security and political stability to allow renegade groups to usurp the Arab agenda and drag them into a potentially devastating conflict. Most of these states will shed few tears on seeing Hezbollah and Hamas clobbered and permanently marginalized in Arab politics.
Israel is not trying to break the will of humans, Hasan. It is trying to ensure it won’t be attacked from just over the border. Perhaps another group will replace Hezbollah, but for the time being, that group would not have the capacity to fire rockets from emplacements established just outside the border.
Seniora’s statement against Hizbollah has been denied by his office
http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/0/5F666610F665C201C22571B10043153E?OpenDocument
“Meanwhile, an Italian paper quoted Prime Minister Fouad Saniora on Thursday as making his strongest statement yet against Hizbullah. But Saniora’s office quickly said he was misquoted.
The Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera quoted him as saying in an interview that Hizbullah has created a “state within a state,” adding: “The entire world must help us disarm Hizbullah. But first we need to reach a cease-fire.”
But Saniora issued a statement denying the statement. He said he told the paper that the international community must help press Israel from Shabaa Farms, a small border area that Lebanon claims and Hizbullah points to as proof of the continued need for armed resistance.
Saniora told the paper that “the continued presence of Israeli occupation of Lebanese lands in the Shabaa Farms region is what contributes to the presence of Hizbullah weapons. The international community must help us in (getting) an Israeli withdrawal from Shabaa Farms so we can solve the problem of Hizbullah’s arms,” the statement said.
A day earlier, Saniora issued an urgent appeal for a ceasefire, saying Lebanon “has been torn to shreds.”
Well, the Italian paper stands by its story and says the interview was recorded:
An Italian daily Thursday said it stood by an interview with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora in which it quoted him as saying Hezbollah had created a “state within a state” and must be disarmed, even though his office said the premier had been misquoted.
If he was misquoted, that’s too bad; you’re found of quoting American principles as if they apply to Israel; here’s one: would America ever permit a militia that was the private army of, say, the Green Party, to lob rockets into Mexico?
They killed Hariri, I doubt that point has been lost on Seniora.
The impact that it has had on the people and governments of the ME is far greater than the impact of invading Iraq. The US was always seen as meddlesome. for the first time, some of the other player’s roles in the region is being noted.
(It wasn’t the Israeli or the US that killed Rafiq…but this is the event which has changed the perception of Syria(and to some extent Iran-in the ME).
Hasan is really Arafat come back to life here – same moral equivalency arguments, same lack of recognition of Israel as a democratic nation (and one that has the right to defend itself), and of course same recitation of the “Palestinian Problem” without any acknowledgement of said Palestinians screwing up their country beyond all reason. Remember, no one in the Arab world is ever responsible for their actions – the West made them do it.
“Hizbollah has the hearts and minds of the whole Arab world except for some Arab politicians.”
Rock on, little jihadi, rock on.
Two questions for you:
Was the bombing in Jordan, commited by Zarqawi, justified?
Was the assasination of Hariri justified?
If you answer yes to either one, then you support terrorism. I sincerely doubt that this is a majority view in the ME, as most arabs tend to be peaceful.
The middle east is divided along these lines, with a ton of other fissures forming. Zarqawi was targeting Shiites in Iraq. Syria killed a Sunni(Hariri). The Baathists have been removed from power in Iraq…
This meager attempt to portray the Arabs as united is a joke. Syria has offered the perfect moment for the moderate countries to have a means of expressing their dissatisfaction with the assasination.
(Interesting that Mubarak is Sadat’s veep)
Hizbollah has 100% support, if you are having a contest against the Israeli for the hearts and minds.
Btu when the actions of Hizbollah are not compared to the Israelis-the hearts and minds are gone-and Syria isolates itself further from the ME.