Biblical countries, in the news.

[Shammu]

Arab Leaders Fear Growing Clout Of Iran

By FAIZA SALEH AMBAH
Special to The Washington Post

July 24 2006

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- The war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon has created widespread public support for the militant Shiite group among people across the Arab world.

But leaders appear uneasy about the conflict and fear it could boost the influence of Hezbollah's patron, Iran, analysts say.

Thousands of Egyptians and Jordanians have protested the Israeli assault, now in its second week, and hundreds of Saudis have signed petitions demanding a cease-fire. Many in the region have praised Hezbollah for its willingness to fight Israel.

But analysts say the governments of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt want a weakened and disarmed Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia that sparked the Israeli assault by kidnapping two Israeli soldiers. Leaders have criticized Hezbollah, which has since fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, for its July 12 cross-border raid and blamed it for provoking the massive Israeli offensive.

Adding to the tension is the widespread concern in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan - all U.S. allies - about Iran's growing regional influence, analysts said.

"There are two things that are wrong here: Hezbollah is armed, and its allegiance is to Iran. This doesn't help stability in Lebanon; and it makes it worse that Iran is trying to put Hezbollah in its sphere of influence, which extends from Iraq to Syria to Lebanon," said Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi writer and an adviser to the Saudi Embassy in Washington.

Jordan's King Abdullah, whose country hosts more than 1 million Iraqi refugees, the majority of them Shiites, has often warned about the ascendancy of Shiite dominance in the region. Iran and Iraq are predominantly Shiite, as is Hezbollah.

Abdullah "wants to stop the spread of Shiite influence in the region. He thinks Hezbollah's decisions are made in Tehran, and that Hezbollah's actions were timed so as to distract from international pressure on Iran's nuclear program," said Riyadh Mansour, international affairs editor at Addustoor newspaper in Jordan.

While rebuking Hezbollah, most Arab governments hope the United States through Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice can persuade its ally Israel to cease hostilities, analysts say, because each day the assault continues they lose popularity and the respect of their people.

"Arab governments want Rice to come and impose a cease-fire because their citizens are watching Lebanese people being killed and injured on television every night, and Arab governments feel deep embarrassment," said Abdel-Monem Said Aly, director of the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo.

Photos of Lebanese toddlers killed by Israeli missile strikes and lying dead amid the rubble have been on the front-page of dailies across the region, and activists have circulated dozens of e-mails with graphic photos of Lebanese civilians and children killed or wounded in the strikes. Satellite stations al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya have broadcast blanket coverage of the crisis.

The crisis has exposed the weakness and powerlessness of the Arab governments, said Khalid al-Dakhil, assistant professor of political sociology at King Saud University in Riyadh. "They can't fight, and they can't bring peace. Not only can they not stand up to Israel or the United States; they're not even able to get a cease-fire."

As Israel has continued attacks on Lebanon's infrastructure, and Hezbollah has fought back, support for the Shiite militia has spiked across the region, turning its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, into an Arab hero. In demonstrations in Cairo and Amman, protesters carried giant posters of Nasrallah and burned Israeli and U.S. flags. They criticized their governments for not supporting Hezbollah.

Though the United States and Israel have designated Hezbollah and Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, as terrorist organizations, many Arabs view them as the only Arabs willing to resist and engage Israel, a widespread view shrewdly exploited by Nasrallah, who has been in hiding since the strikes began.

"A defeat in Lebanon will end the region's resistance movements, the Palestinian cause and impose Israel's conditions for a settlement," Nasrallah said in an al-Jazeera interview. "A defeat for us is a defeat for the whole Muslim nation."

Saudi lawyer Bassem Alem said Hezbollah's popularity stemmed from its "ability and willingness to strike at Israel, which has been killing Palestinians and Lebanese and grabbing Arab land for decades with impunity." The war on Lebanon has "created a clear and undeniable schism between the Arab public and the region's rulers," he said.

Arab Leaders Fear Growing Clout Of Iran

[Shammu]

Iran Wants to Boost Ties with Georgia

Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2006-07-24 21:53:25    
     

Tehran considers boosting ties with Georgia as one of its foreign policy priorities, Iran’s new Ambassador to Georgia Mojtaba Damirchi told President Saakashvili during the meeting on July 24, IRNA news agency reported.

Ambassador Damirchi also said that there are more opportunities for deepening bilateral ties and noted gas deal between the two countries in January, 2006, when Georgia received an emergency gas supply from Iran after blasts destroyed two pipes in Russia’s North Ossetian Republic.

Iran Wants to Boost Ties with Georgia

[Shammu]

Iran not to send troops to join conflict in Lebanon: spokesman
2006-07-25 01:12:47

Special report: Israel-Lebanon Conflicts

    TEHRAN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Iran will not dispatch its forces to join a conflict between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel, and it favors "legal and diplomatic" solutions, a government spokesman said on Monday.

    While opposing aggression and oppression, Iran's foreign policy doctrines will not support sending troops in conflicts in other countries, Gholam-Hossein Elham told a weekly news briefing. Tehran favors use of "all legal and diplomatic ways" to halt Israel's military actions against Lebanon, the official IRNA news agency quoted the spokesman as saying.

    Israel's ongoing attack against innocent civilians in Lebanon "has no justification," Elham said, adding that Israel's aim was to broaden its dominance in the region with the support of "certain big powers."

    The chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, Major General Hassan Firouzabadi, has also said that Iran would not enter the current crisis in Lebanon militarily, while vowing to continue diplomatic and political supports to Lebanon, the Fars news agency reported on Saturday.

    Iranian officials have reiterated indignation at Israeli offensives in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, calling on Islami ccountries to be more active in an effort to stop the conflicts. On July 12, Israel launched a massive offensive in Lebanon in retaliation for the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah guerillas in a border clash which also killed eight others. Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel from southern Lebanon since the violence broke out, while Israeli jets and artillery have responded with massive bombardments on targets across Lebanon.

    Over the past few days, Israel has carried out ground incursions into southern Lebanon in a bid to neutralize Hezbollah and remove the group from the border area.

Iran not to send troops to join conflict in Lebanon: spokesman

[Shammu]

Hariri accuses Syria, Iran of meddling in Lebanon's internal affairs

BRUSSELS, July 24 (KUNA) -- Lebanese MP Saad Al-Hariri, head of the Lebanese Parliamentary Majority bloc, on Monday accused both Syria and Iran of meddling in Lebanon's internal affairs and stressed that this was totally rejected.

Hariri, who was speaking to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) after talks with the EU Foreign Affairs Chief Javier Solana, said the two countries were playing a "negative part in Lebanon's current ordeal with Israel." Hariri stressed, in a joint press conference with Solana, that Lebanon was a "small country" and refused to be turned into a testing field for new Israeli weapons or a stage for foreign interventions." But although he declined to blame Hezbollah for the current crisis, he said the Israeli response to the kidnapping of two soldiers was not commensurate with the punishment now unleashed against Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Solana told reporters that the EU was looking for a permanent solution to the problem "making sure that the misunderstanding between the two countries (Lebanon and Israel) would not be repeated." "International efforts are now focused on laying down a framework for an international force to be deployed in South Lebanon after concluding a ceasefire between it and Israel," Solana said.

He added that the EU supported all initiatives aimed at implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1559 aimed at disarming Hezbollah and the Palestinian armed groups in Lebanon. Rome is to host an international conference on Wednesday for the sake of finding a way out of the current dilemma. "The Lebanese government is to be represented at the conference," Hariri announced.

Hariri accuses Syria, Iran of meddling in Lebanon's internal affairs

[Shammu]

 Ahmadinejad: Iran, Turkmenistan able to do great jobs
Ashkhabad, July 24, IRNA

Iran-Turkmenistan-Ahmadinejad
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Monday that Iran and Turkmenistan are capable of doing huge works through mutual cooperation.

Speaking in a meeting with his Turkmen counterpart, Saparmurat Niyazov at the Turkmen presidential palace, Ahmadinejad said, "We (the Iranian delegation to Turkmenistan) feel at home and hope that the visit will result in further expansion of mutual cooperation." Ahmadinejad said the Iranian and Turkmen nations are not divided and will remain 'friends and brothers' for ever.

"We consider Turkmenistan's progress as our own and will be happy with the country's growth and development," added the president.

The Iranian president said there has been no restriction in expansion of relations with Turkmenistan and Tehran is ready for cooperation with Ashkhabad.

Referring to his private talks with Niyazov, the Iranian president said important issues were taken into consideration in the meeting and the two sides stressed promotion of ties within the framework of national interests.

For his part, Niyazov said that Iran and Turkmenistan have had no problem and misunderstanding neither in the past nor present.

He stressed that the two countries' officials are relentlessly trying for expansion of the two-way ties.

Several cooperation agreements have been drafted and are ready for signing, said Niyazov, adding that bilateral transactions rose to dlrs 1.2 billion last year and to dlrs 600 million in the first half of 2006.

The Turkmen president said there are still abundant facilities for mutual cooperation and further attempts should be made to promote two-way ties.

To the end, Niyazov thanked the Iranian president, government and nation for their support, solidarity and cooperation with Turkmenistan.

Ahmadinejad: Iran, Turkmenistan able to do great jobs

[Shammu]

 Minister criticizes lack of cooperation among Islamic states
Tehran, July 24, IRNA

Iran-Cooperation-Bangladesh
Minister of Housing and Urban Development Mohammad Saeedi-Kia here Monday said that due to lack of necessary cooperation among Islamic states, the enemies of Islam have become united in recent years to undermine Muslims.

He made the remark at the 4th meeting of Iran-Bangladesh Economic Commission, which opened at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

The minister said that the bloodshed of defenseless Muslim people, including women and children, has been witnessed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon.

Saeedi-Kia said that such a situation is against the benefits of Islamic nations and to the interest of their enemies.

"The 3rd joint economic commission meeting was held in Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka eight years ago. Thus the two countries have so far lost many opportunities for cooperation in various economic and technical fields, in particular construction," he added.

Putting the trade exchange between the two sides in 2005 at 70 million dollars, he said that given the capabilities and population of Iran and Bangladesh, the figure is negligible.

For his part, Bangladeshi Minister of Finance and Planning Mohammad Saifur Rahman, speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the meeting, said that Israel's current crimes in Lebanon is considered as oppression against all Muslims.

He said that Islamic states are expected not to keep silent in the face of the present situation and should take necessary measures.

He put the economic growth rate of his country in 2005 at 6.5 percent and said that a seven percent target has been set for the current year, adding that to materialize it a 30-35 percent investment in the gross national product is required.

Turning to the recent economic liberalization in Bangladesh, he said that his country needs Iran's support in this respect.

Rahman, heading a delegation, arrived in Tehran on Sunday.

During its three-day visit, the minister and his entourage are scheduled to meet high-ranking Iranian officials.

Trade, economic issues, agriculture and fishery are among the issues to be discussed by the two sides.

Besides, implementation of infrastructural projects by Iranian enterprises in Bangladesh are also on the agenda of talks.

Minister criticizes lack of cooperation among Islamic states

[Shammu]

 Iranian Jews condemn Israel's crimes in Lebanon, Palestine
Shiraz, Fars prov, July 24, IRNA

Iran-Jews-Israel
The Association of Jews in Iran's southern city of Shiraz on Monday condemned Zionists' crimes in attacking the defenseless Lebanese and Palestinian civilians.

In a statement, a copy of which was made available to IRNA on Monday, the Jews said, "We Iranian Jews, like our compatriots voice hatred and resentment against the crimes committed in the region, southern Lebanon and the Palestinian occupied lands, condemning such actions."
The Jews hoped for an end to all wars, bloodshed and invasions in the world and for the restoration of peace and calm instead.

Iranian Jews condemn Israel's crimes in Lebanon, Palestine

[Shammu]

 Speaker deplores Muslim, Arab states' silence against Israeli aggression
Tehran, July 24, IRNA

Iran-Israel-Haddad-Adel
Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel on Monday deplored certain regional Arab and Muslim states' silence against the crimes committed by the Israeli regimes.

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting in Lebanon's embassy here, Haddad-Adel said Iran will do all it can to support the Lebanese nation, considering it as its Islamic and humane duty.

Haddad-Adel said Israel and the US have since long ago -- as the US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice admitted -- been thinking on ways to implement the Greater Middle East Initiative, but Hamas, inside the occupied Palestine, and the Lebanese Islamic Resistance Movement, outside Palestine, have been obstructing US wishes. Due to the same reasons they have been planning to remove Lebanese Hizbollah (from the scene), he added.

He said the westerners have been delaying issuance of any statement at the UN Security Council, in the belief that all things will be done in a matter of one or two days.

Fortunately, the resistance of Lebanese combatants, which stems from their Islamic spirit and faith, has so far prevented the US-Israeli plan to be enforced thus upsetting the balance, he added.

He noted that among other false expectations of westerners had been pitting Lebanese people and resistance against each other but to no avail.

He said he was at the Lebanese Embassy in Tehran to express strong sympathy with the oppressed Lebanese nation and condemn the dastardly crimes of Israel against Lebanon and their international supporters.

Speaker deplores Muslim, Arab states' silence against Israeli aggression

[Shammu]

EU blames US for collapse of world trade talks
Brussels, July 24, IRNA

EU-US-WTO
The European Union expressed Monday " profound disappointment and sadness" that the Doha round of global trade talks have collapsed and pointed the finger at the US for the failure.

"The United States was unwilling to accept, or indeed to acknowledge, the flexibility being shown by others in the room and, as a result, felt unable to show any flexibility on the issue of farm subsidies," EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said in a statement.

The marathon 14-hour of talks Sunday collapsed after the US and Europe failed to agree over farm subsidies and tariffs.

"In deciding to withhold any indication of future flexibility, the US has judged that it would be better for the process of negotiation to be discontinued at this stage. This is not in keeping with the spirit of the St Petersburg summit. Actions have consequences and this action has led to the Round being suspended," said the EU's top trade official.

Mandelson warned that the cost is even greater.

"We risk weakening the WTO and the multilateral trading system at a time when we urgently need to top up international confidence not further damage it," he said.

EU blames US for collapse of world trade talks

[Shammu]

Senior MP: Russia Armed Rebel Militias

Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2006-07-24 21:37:29    
     

An influential MP Givi Targamadze, who chairs parliamentary committee for defense and security, said that Kodori-based defiant warlord Emzar Kvitsiani has “a well-equipped” paramilitary group which was armed by Russia.

He told Rustavi 2 television that that “relevant structures” are currently working to solve the issue “and I am sure that the Kvitsiani problem will be solved very soon and effectively.”

Emzar Kvitsiani who announced defiance is a chief of the Monadire paramilitary group based in Kodori gorge in breakaway Abkhazia.

Until 2004 Kvitsiani held a position of the Georgian President’s representative to the gorge, which is the only territory of the breakaway region not controlled by the secessionist Abkhaz authorities.

MP Givi Targamadze admitted that it is the government’s mistake that it did not tackle the problem of Monadire paramilitary group and failed to disarm it earlier.

Kvitsiani announced defiance towards the country’s central authorities on July 22, under the pretext that the Defense Ministry was planning “attack on gorge” to disarm his militiamen.

But officials in Tbilisi say that Kvitsiani’s actions are Russian-orchestrated provocations, which aims at stirring tensions in Georgia.

President Saakashvili ruled out on July 24 to hold talks with rebel warlord and vowed to curb attempts against the country’s unity and statehood.

Senior MP: Russia Armed Rebel Militias

[Shammu]

Nasrallah: I Told Lebanese Political Leaders We Would Abduct Israeli Soldiers
Special Dispatch - Lebanon/Jihad & Terrorism Studies Project
July 25, 2006
No. 1211

Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah: I Told Lebanese Political
Leaders We Would Abduct Israeli Soldiers

On July 24, 2006, Al-Jazeera TV aired an interview with Hizbullah
Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

The following are excerpts from the interview:(1)

We Did Not Expect the Arab Regimes "To Participate in Spilling the Blood of
the Victim, and to Provide Cover for the Crimes of the Hangman"

Hassan Nasrallah: "The international community has never been with us, for
us to claim that 'today it is not with us, it is besieging us, abandoning
us, and neglecting us.' It has never been with us. On the contrary, it has
been against us in the things that matter. For example, we have been on the
American terrorism list since... since they began the terrorism list. We
were among the first to be included in the terrorism list. Some European
countries also include us in their terrorism lists. The position of the
international community is clear, and therefore, we are not surprised by the
international community, and we have never pinned our hopes on it."

[...]

"As for some of the Arab positions - this is, of course, something new.
True. In the past, some of the Arab regimes renounced the resistance and its
men. Today, we would accept it if the Arab regimes - I am being very
objective and realistic... We would accept it if they were neutral. That's
it. In the past, too, we accepted this from them. If you examine the
rhetoric of Hizbullah... Maybe the rhetoric of our Palestinian brothers is
different, and this is their right, because their circumstances are much
harsher than ours. They always attack, accuse, and denounce the regimes and
the rulers. This is not part of our rhetoric or writings. Why? Because we
have forgotten about them. There is no need for it. If you assume someone
exists, you can attack him, but if you feel that he does not exist, by
attacking him, you would be aggravating yourself for nothing.

"Once we used to ask the international community to denounce the hangman and
to have mercy on the victim. Then we got to the point where we said we would
accept it if they denounce the hangman and the victim alike. This has become
what we could expect from them. If a resolution denounces both the hangman
and the victim - fine. As for the Arab regimes - all we expect from them is
to be neutral. And if they do not want to be neutral - brother, let them
treat Israel and us equally. We would even accept it if they treat the
hangman and the victim equally. But for them to participate in spilling the
blood of the victim, and to provide cover for the crimes of the hangman - I
tell you that we did not expect this. This was indeed a surprise."

[...]

"I say categorically that the Israeli response to the capturing operation
could have been harsh, but limited, if not for the cover provided by the
Arabs and international community. It is not that Israel got the green light
from America, Ghassan. Israel received an American decision that said: 'Go
on and finish that business in Lebanon.'"

[...]

"In addition, some of the Arabs provided a cover, and encouraged Israel to
continue the battle. Israel was told that this is a golden and historic
opportunity to annihilate the resistance in Lebanon. They don't want to
annihilate only the resistance of Hizbullah in Lebanon. They want to
annihilate any motivation to conduct resistance in Lebanon, whether by
Hizbullah or anyone else. They want to bring the country to a situation in
which the word 'resistance' is considered derogatory. Martyr, jihad,
wounded, steadfastness, challenge, liberation, freedom, power, honor,
nobility, dignity - all these words must be removed from the vocabulary of
the Lebanese, from the press, the political writings, from the political
thinking, from the popular conscience. This is what Israel is doing. America
needs this if it wants to reorganize the region."

[...]


"I Say to the Arab Rulers... Remain Neutral"

Hassan Nasrallah: "I am convinced that even the sons, daughters, and wives
of some Arab rulers are with us. But I say to the Arab rulers: I don't want
your swords or even your hearts. All I want is for you to leave us alone, as
we say in colloquial Lebanese. In other words, remain neutral. We are fine
with that. You've said what you said - you can relax now, thank you very
much. Today there is a war that was imposed on Lebanon. Its purpose is to
eliminate anything to do with the resistance or its fighters in Lebanon, and
to punish Lebanon for defeating Israel. The truth is that the goal of the
war against Lebanon is to eliminate the Palestinian issue. Everybody knows
that the widespread Intifada in Palestine broke out following the victory in
Lebanon. What is happening in Palestine is a similar and improved version of
the Lebanese model. If today we destroy the Lebanese model, the message to
the Palestinians would be that they should despair."

[...]


"The [Lebanese] Government Statement Says That [the Armed Resistance] has
the Right to Liberate the Land and the Prisoners"

Hassan Nasrallah: "This thing you asked me about - that I didn't inform or
ask [the Lebanese government]...

"First of all, the government statement, on the basis of which we joined the
government, says that the Lebanese government adopts the resistance, and its
natural right to liberate the land and the prisoners. Okay, how is the
resistance supposed to liberate the prisoners? It should go to George Bush?
I cannot and will not go to George Bush. When you say 'the right of the
resistance,' you are not talking about the foreign ministry. You are talking
about the armed resistance, and the government statement says that it has
the right to liberate the land and the prisoners. I am a resistance
movement. I am armed. That's one thing. This is the government statement, on
the basis of which the government won the parliament's vote of confidence.

"Second, during the [Lebanese national] dialogue... Some people are now
saying that I did or didn't say certain things... There are recordings. Yes,
I did tell them that we are keeping the border calm, because this was our
policy. But there are two issues in which we cannot tolerate this calm. I
raised four issues. Two issues can bear delays, procrastination,
postponement, and reminders. No problem. The first is the continued
occupation of the Shab'a Farms. Never mind, we can take our time on this.
This is a small and limited piece of land. We will not start a war over the
Shab'a Farms. I'm referring to the kind of war we have now. The second issue
was the aerial and naval violations [of sovereignty], and even violations by
ground forces. We can tolerate this. True, violations of our sovereignty are
deplorable. But are we supposed to destroy the world because of it? No. Two
issues cannot tolerate any delay. One is the issue of the prisoners, because
of the human suffering. The second
issue is any attack against civilians. I told them on more than one
occasion that we are taking the issue of the prisoners seriously, and that
abducting Israeli soldiers is the only way to resolve it. Of course, I said
this in a low-key tone. I did not declare in the dialogue: 'In July I will
abduct Israeli soldiers.' This is impossible."


"I Told Them [Lebanese Political Leaders] That We Must Resolve the Issue of
the Prisoners, and That the Only Way to Resolve it is by Abducting Israeli
Soldiers"

Interviewer: "Did you inform them that you were about to abduct Israeli
soldiers?"

cont'd next post

[Shammu]

Hassan Nasrallah: "I told them that we must resolve the issue of the
prisoners, and that the only way to resolve it is by abducting Israeli
soldiers."

Interviewer: "Did you say this clearly?"

Hassan Nasrallah: "Yes, and nobody said to me: 'No, you are not allowed to
abduct Israeli soldiers.' Even if they had told me not to... I'm not
defending myself here. I said that we would abduct Israeli soldiers, in
meetings with some of the main political leaders in the country. I don't
want to mention names now, but when the time comes to settle accounts, I
will. They asked: 'If this happens, will the issue of the prisoners be over
and done with?' I said that it was logical that it would. And I'm telling
you, our estimation was not mistaken. I'm not exaggerating. Anywhere in the
world - show me a country, show me an army, show me a war, in which two
soldiers, or even civilian hostages, were abducted, and a war was waged
against a country - and all for two soldiers. This has never happened
throughout history, and even Israel has never done such a thing."

[...]

"If 60-70 people know all the details of an abduction operation, can it
possibly be successful? No, it cannot. All the more so if I inform a
government, which has 24 ministers, the heads of the three government
branches, political forces, and coalitions. When we held the national
dialogue, we talked and discussed things, and an hour later, the protocols
of the meetings reached the embassies. Do you want me to tell the entire
world that I am about to carry out an abduction operation? It's not
logical."

[...]

"It is true that I did not inform the Lebanese government, but I did not
inform my closest allies either. Syria and Iran did not know. No Syrian or
Iranian knew. They did not know, and I did not consult any of them."

[...]


How Can the War Affect the Iranian Nuclear Dossier?

Hassan Nasrallah: "On the Iranian issue... Now there is a war in Lebanon. In
one, two, or three months it will end. How long can it possibly last? Once
the war is over, in what way will it affect the Iranian nuclear dossier?
What effect will it have on it? On the contrary, if this is in any way
connected to the Iranian nuclear dossier, the war being waged against
Lebanon does not serve its interest. The Americans and the Israelis have
always taken into account that if a confrontation breaks out with Iran,
Hizbullah might intervene in Iran's favor. So striking Hizbullah now would
weaken, rather than strengthen, Iran on the nuclear issue."

[...]


"Hizbullah has Always Placed Lebanese National Interests Above any Other
Interest"

Hassan Nasrallah: "Hizbullah has always placed Lebanese national interests
above any other interest. During the national dialogue, I said to them: You
have known us for 23-24 years. I am ready to tell each and every one of them
which battles he has fought - some of them, not all of them... I am ready to
tell some of them which battles they have fought for the sake of foreign,
rather than Lebanese, interests. Tell me when we, Hizbullah, did anything to
Lebanon, or led it into war, for the sake of foreign, rather than Lebanese,
interests. They could not give me a single example."

[...]

"Victory in this case does not mean that I will enter and conquer the north
of Palestine, and liberate Nahariya, Haifa, and Tiberias. This is not one of
our slogans. This is a long process, which pertains to the Palestinians and
to the nation. This is another issue. The victory that we are talking
about - If the resistance survives, this will be a victory. If its
determination is not broken, this will be a victory. If Lebanon is not
humiliated, if its honor and dignity remain intact, if Lebanon continues to
face all alone the strongest military force in the region, and if it
perseveres and refuses to accept any humiliating terms in the settlement of
this issue - this will be a victory. If we are not militarily defeated, this
will be a victory. As long as a single missile is launched from Lebanon to
target the Zionists, as long as a single fighter fires his gun, as long as
someone plants an explosive device for the Israelis, this means that the
resistance still exists."

[...]

"Today, we Shi'ites are fighting Israel. Our fighting and perseverance
ultimately serve our brothers in Palestine, who are Sunni, not Shi'ite. In
other words, we, Shi'ites and Sunnis, fight side by side against Israel,
which is supported and strengthened by America. I'm telling you that if
[Israeli Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert reaches a point at which he says to the
Americans, 'I cannot complete this,' Bush will say to him, 'You go on, and
if you encounter a problem, I will resolve it for you.' This is what I meant
when I talked about 'a battle of the nation,' and I saw [on TV] that you
commented on this. I am not fighting on behalf of the nation. But I say that
the outcome of the battle that Hizbullah is fighting in Lebanon, for better
or worse, is an outcome for the nation. Defeat in Lebanon is defeat for the
nation, and victory in Lebanon is victory for the nation, just like in
2000."

[...]

"For 23 years, we have been talking to our people, motivating them, talking
about martyrdom, the honor of martyrdom, and the place of the martyrs. Do
the Zionists, or those who encourage them, believe that I, or anyone in the
Hizbullah leadership, fears martyrdom? We love martyrdom. We take
precautions in order to prevent Israel from making any gains. But on the
personal level, and as a personal aspiration, each and every one of us hopes
to be destined to martyrdom at the hands of those people, the killers of the
prophets and the messengers, and most hostile to the believers, as it says
in the Koran."

Nasrallah: I Told Lebanese Political Leaders We Would Abduct Israeli Soldiers

[Shammu]

Israel Won't Let Hizbullah Replenish its Arsenal
20:40 Jul 24, '06 / 28 Tammuz 5766

(IsraelNN.com) Vice Premier Shimon Peres said Monday that, "Israel will not allow Hizbullah to wait at the border and to replenish its arsenal of missiles".

Peres spoke at a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Soltonov.

Soltonov said that Russia is ready to be a partner in an international effort to end the bloodshed in the region.

Israel Won't Let Hizbullah Replenish its Arsenal

[Shammu]

 Prayer Rally to Take Place Tuesday in Netivot
21:38 Jul 24, '06 / 28 Tammuz 5766

(IsraelNN.com) A mass prayer rally on behalf of the IDF and the residents of northern Israel will take place Tuesday at 6PM in the city of Netivot.

The rally will take place at the grave site of the famed kabbalist Rav Yisrael Abuchatzeirah, the Baba Sali.

Present at the rally will be Rav Baruch Abuchatzeirah, Rav Dovid Grossman of Migdal Ha'emek, members of the Knesset, and Rabbis from northern Israeli communities.

Prayer Rally to Take Place Tuesday in Netivot

[Shammu]

Advocacy group to sue US over Lebanon evacuation
Associated Press, THE JERUSALEM POST    Jul. 24, 2006

A leading Arab-American advocacy group said it planned to sue the US government, claiming it failed to protect American citizens from the fighting in Lebanon.

The lawsuit, which was to be filed Monday by the American-Arab Anti-discrimination Committee on behalf of about 30 American citizens, alleges that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld did not take all possible steps to secure the safety and well being of US citizens when fighting erupted between Israel and Hizbullah guerillas.

It also seeks to have the federal court order the Bush administration to request a cease-fire and to stop shipments of weapons or any other military support to Israel during the evacuation of Americans from Lebanon.

"We just feel the US government has put its citizens at risk by supplying missiles when many US citizens are still there," said Nabih Ayad, lawyer for committee and the citizens who were all in Lebanon. Ayad said a few included in the lawsuit are still trying to leave the country.

Advocacy group to sue US over Lebanon evacuation