Biblical countries, in the news.

[Shammu]

MK Shalom Says Cease Fire Pact 'Full of Holes'
00:52 Aug 20, '06 / 26 Av 5766

(IsraelNN.com) Likud Knesset Member Silvan Shalom, former Foreign Minister, said Saturday that the United Nations Security Council ceasefire resolution is "full of holes" that allow for expected violations.

He noted that Israel has been accused of violating the resolution by trying to intercept Syrian arms supplies Saturday morning although the military operation "was a reaction to the violations by Syria, Lebanon and Hizbullah."

MK Shalom Says Cease Fire Pact 'Full of Holes'

[Shammu]

Son of Number Two Hizbullah Leader Killed in Battle
08:25 Aug 22, '06 / 28 Av 5766

(IsraelNN.com) Naim Kassam, deputy to Hizbullah terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah, told the Arab Al Jazeera television station that his son was killed in clashes with the IDF in Lebanon. Israel estimates that it killed more than 500 Hizbullah terrorist guerillas.

Nasrallah's son also fought against Israel but was not wounded. In previous clashes, another one of his sons was killed.

Son of Number Two Hizbullah Leader Killed in Battle

[Shammu]

 Hizbullah Barged Through UNIFIL Forces
07:28 Aug 22, '06 / 28 Av 5766

(IsraelNN.com) Hizbullah terrorists have shown their strength against UNIFIL guards at a funeral parade in Lebanon, where they dragged away U.N. barriers and opened gates. They had been told they could bury three terrorists at a cemetery outside the town of Nagoura, inside a UNIFIL compound, on condition that they did not wave political slogans or Hizbullah flags.

During the procession, several hundred chanting Hizbullah supporters overcame the French guards, who said, "They will eat us alive." The mob then waved Hizbullah flags and carried portraits of terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah.
‏
There were no signs of the Lebanese army in the area.

Hizbullah Barged Through UNIFIL Forces

[Shammu]

 Antitank Missile Fired at IDF Forces in Sajaya
09:43 Aug 22, '06 / 28 Av 5766

(IsraelNN.com) An antitank missile and a mortar were fired today at IDF forces in Sajaya. Fortunately there were no injuries. The forces also identified an armed terrorist and shot at him, but the terrorist was not injured. IDF operations in the area are continuing.

Antitank Missile Fired at IDF Forces in Sajaya

[Shammu]

Olmert nixes talks with Syria
Herb Keinon, THE JERUSALEM POST    Aug. 21, 2006

The easiest part of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's visit to Katyusha-traumatized Kiryat Shmona on Monday was ruling out negotiations with Syria, an idea backed earlier in the day by Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter.

The most difficult part was hearing complaints about how his government managed the war by residents embittered by the month-long ordeal.

"I am the last person who will say I want to negotiate with Syria," Olmert said in a meeting with Kiryat Shmona city councilmen, in response to Dichter's comments on Army Radio Monday morning. Dichter said he would be willing to withdraw from the Golan Heights in return for real peace with Syria.

Olmert said Syria "is the single most aggressive member of the axis of evil," adding that the rockets that hit Kiryat Shmona over the past month came from Syria.

"When Syria stops supporting terrorism, when it stops giving missiles to terror organizations, then we will be happy to negotiate with them," he said.

Israel is, however, sending signals to the Lebanese government via intermediaries that it is interested in opening peace talks, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

Dichter, the former head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), said, "Any diplomatic initiative is preferred over war, whether in Syria or Lebanon."

"With regard to Lebanon, conditions are even more welcoming than they are with Syria," he said. "Lebanon can today begin talks with Israel without the Syrians."

Dichter said negotiations with Syria were "legitimate," adding: "If there is someone to talk to on the other side, we should talk. Israel can initiate this or turn to a third party."

"We have paid similar territorial concessions in the past when we signed peace treaties with Jordan and Egypt," he said.

Olmert, who only Sunday asked his cabinet ministers to refrain from talking about either war or peace with Syria because the comments might be misunderstood by the other side, said, "I recommend not getting carried away with any false hopes. We are not going into any adventure when the other side sponsors terror."

Olmert said Israel would not enter talks with Syria "until basic steps are taken which can be the basis for any negotiations."

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni also dismissed the idea of negotiations with Syria during talks she held with visiting UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen. According to her office, Livni told Roed-Larsen that she feared the Syrians might misinterpret statements like Diskin's as a sign of weakness instead of strength.

The Syrians, she said, needed to comply with the decisions of the international community, and the international community needed to continue demanding that Damascus stop supporting terrorism. She conveyed a similar message to visiting Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Rudolf Bot.

But it was less Syria, and more the way the war was handled, that was on the minds of the Kiryat Shmona Municipal Council members who met with Olmert.

"It is an understatement to say the residents here are very angry," said Yigal Buzaglo, a councilman. "People here were abandoned. I ask you, Mr. Prime Minister, where were you? Why didn't you worry about us?"

Another councilman, Yona Fartok, said he had never witnessed such poverty and humiliation.

"It looked just like New Orleans," he said. "Suddenly you see how weak the city is. Stop showing us disrespect. Why are army bases moving to the South and not to the North? Where are you leading us?"

Michel Ben-Shimon said it was "inconceivable that people were not evacuated during the whole war because there wasn't money."

The councilmen demanded the establishment of a state commission of inquiry.

Hermon Regional Council head Benny Ben-Muvhar said that if it were not for the external help he received, the situation in his regional council would have been much worse.

"The fire fighting unit in our council was active only because of donations we received," he said.

Olmert listened and then defended his government, saying it had only been in power for two months when the war broke out. The fighting "was a wake-up call that allows us to defend ourselves better," he said.

Regarding calls for a commission of inquiry, Olmert said Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz would soon recommend the nature of the committee to be established.

"I would rather focus on the future than the past," he said. "This is why I came here today. I promise you that a commission will be established and we will know how to learn the necessary lessons."

Olmert said he would not take part in a ritual of "self-flagellation or turning the IDF into a punching bag."

"Who is the IDF?" he asked. "They are our children and our people. Who are the officers if not our best sons, headed by the chief of General Staff. What shall we do with them, put them in a line and slap them so they can't prepare for the future, but so we can come to them again in the future with complaints?"

Olmert pinned some of the blame for Israel's war with Hizbullah on his predecessors, saying they had not responded in time to the dangers Hizbullah posed.

"We knew for years that there was a great danger, but for some reason we didn't translate that understanding into action, like we just did," he said. "We knew what Iran was doing, what Syria was doing, in arming Hizbullah, but we acted as if we didn't know."

Olmert nixes talks with Syria

[Shammu]

Europe To Send 8,000 Soldiers to UNIFIL
09:53 Aug 22, '06 / 28 Av 5766

(IsraelNN.com) Europe is to contribute between 6,000 to 8,000 soldiers to UNIFIL forces in Lebanon. These will include 2,000 to 3,000 Italian soldiers, the highest number from one EU state. Soldiers will also be sent by Spain, Holland, and Belgium.

Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema confirmed this information in an interview with the newspaper La Republica this morning. “In the end, our forces will comprise about a third of the total, including the soldiers that will be sent from Europe – between 2,000 to 3,000,” stated D’Alema.

Europe To Send 8,000 Soldiers to UNIFIL

[Shammu]

Italy says ready to command UN force in south Lebanon
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Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said Monday that Italy was ready to assume command of an expanded UN peacekeeping force in south Lebanon to help secure a week-long fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

"I confirmed that Italy was available to command the UN mission" in a phone conversation with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Prodi told reporters in the central Italian city of Grosseto.

He said Annan will make a final decision on the command of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) this weekend following "a very broad consultation."

The prime minister urged the international community to specify the task, regulations, command and deployment of the peacekeeping force so that UN Security Council Resolution 1701 will be better implemented.

Before Italy made the commitment, both Israel and Lebanon explicitly expressed the hope that Italy would play a crucial role in the UN force.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, unanimously adopted last week, authorizes an expansion of UNIFIL from its current 1,990-strong force to 15,000 troops in order to police the shaky truce between the Shiite militia Hezbollah and Israel following their month-long fighting.

The United Nations has pledged to move 3,500 extra troops into south Lebanon by Sept. 2 but has received few firm troops offers.

France had been expected to lead the mission but dismayed the United Nations by offering only 200 troops to the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, a former French colony.

Italy offered 2,000 troops, the biggest commitment any country has made so far. On Friday, both the Italian parliament and Prodi's cabinet approved the decision to send soldiers.

Israeli soldiers are manning strategic posts in south Lebanon and are expected to pull out only when extra UN troops arrive.

The 34-day fighting between Israeli troops and Hezbollah guerillas killed nearly 1,300 people in Lebanon, most of them civilians, and killed 160 people in Israel, mostly soldiers.

Italy says ready to command UN force in south Lebanon

[Shammu]

Palestinian drowns trying to save Israeli teenagers

Mon Aug 21, 10:15 AM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - A 24-year-old Palestinian man died over the weekend trying to save four Israeli teenagers from drowning in waters just off a beach south of Tel Aviv, an Israeli newspaper has reported.
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Southwest LMDA, August

Ahed Tamimi, from Israeli-occupied east Jerusalem, was on the Rishon Le Tzion beach with his relatives when he heard four teenagers in the water cry for help,the Maariv daily reported Monday.

"He heard our cries for help and he dove into the water without hesitation," of the teenagers, Denis Mihayev, 15, told the newspaper.

"He swam towards me, grabbed my hand and pulled me forcefully back to shore," he said.

Tamimi then returned to the water to try and help the three others, but was caught up in a strong current and disappeared from view.

"He dove in to help my friends. I saw him battle against the current and in a few minutes, he disappeared," he said.

The three other teenagers managed to safely get back to shore.

"He didn't think twice about it, even though he wasn't a good swimmer." Ashraf Tamimi, Ahed's uncle, told the newspaper. "He came to their help and he paid for it with his life.

Palestinian drowns trying to save Israeli teenagers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lord I pray that Ahed Tamimi, knew you Lord.  His death saving your children, is a testement, to you Lord that any thing is possible.

[Shammu]

Why Assad, why now?

Government officials say it is better to have Bashar Assad on Israel’s side than to continue current diplomatic stalemate and allow him to arm himself for possible war in future. ‘Assad may be a bastard, but it is entirely possible that it would be better to have him in our camp,’ one official says

Roee Nahmias
Published:    08.21.06, 14:01

Government officials told Ynet that it is better to have Syrian President Bashar Assad on Israel’s side than continue the current diplomatic stalemate and allow him to arm himself for a possible war in the future.

“Assad may be a bastard, but it is entirely possible that it would be better to have him in our camp,” one official said in response to Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter’s statement that “In exchange for peace with Syria, Israel can leave the Golan Heights.”

“We should at least consider this option, and we are already hearing similar opinions from the US State Department,” the official said, adding that “We must also take into account what can happen in case a war with Syria breaks out – either we will get a slap in the face or we will respond with a stronger blow that will topple Assad. And then what will we have in the northern border? The Muslim Brotherhood at best, or an extreme model of Iraq or even Somalia at worst.”

Syria, for its part, is not oblivious to the statements emanating from Jerusalem: Arab media outlets Al-Jazeera and London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat featured Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni’s appointment of a project manager to map out the different issues between Syria and Israel as their top story.

However, Israeli government officials said Livni’s move was blown way out of proportion and the State Department said that in no way does the appointment point to Israel’s intentions regarding Syria.

Syrian parliament member Faisal Kulthum said in response to Livni’s appointment “After what happened during the sixth war waged by Israel against Lebanon – the rules of the game have changed.”

“Israel must understand that it cannot continue to forcefully conquer territories,” he said.

In Syria, they were glad to hear Dichter's comments. As a rule, since the enthusiastic speech of Syrian president Basher Assad last week, when he said that "Syria has another possibility other than peace – resistance," Syrian sensitivity became sharper to the Syrian-Israel axis, as seen by intensive monitoring of all diplomatic developments.

Assad's speech - war or peace?

Many in Israel were not impressed by Assad's speech, as it focused on war. The opposite is true. Assad declared that peace is a strategic choice for Syria, but at he same he said that if this does not materialize, there will from now on be another opportunity – "resistance" – a Hizbullah term.

Various sources said Israel did not internalize the content of Assad's speech and were galloping ahead with closed eyes to a terrible clash. "The window of opportunity against Assad will remain open for another two or three years," one source said. "In Israel there is a feeling that if there was calm for 32 years in the Golan, maybe there will be calm for another 32 years, and this is now how things are."

As if to prove the sources right, reports from recent days and Monday morning are hinting at another possibility – weapons, in large amounts, are making their way from Iran to Syria and from there they are supposed to be given to Hizbullah. The direction is clear – Iranian coverage for the possible war with a much higher intensity than what we have seen. "This can be a terrible war. A sea of missiles of different types will be directed at Israel," said the source. "We must consider this before galloping forward with closed eyes."

Therefore, the source said, it may be better to consider speaking with Assad and to take him away from the Iranian grasp, in which it is not at all clear that he wants to be part of, thereby dealing with one source – Iran, instead of a multi-dimensional force.

"It's certainly possible that if Assad feels the matter is serious – he would be willing to pay in hard currency in Lebanon. If he feels he is being buttered up – we won't see results. In any case, this is a matter that decision makers will have to decide," the source said.

Why Assad, why now?

[Shammu]

Olmert Slammed For Being ´Tired of Winning´
11:23 Aug 22, '06 / 28 Av 5766
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

Critics of Olmert complain he lived up to his word when he said "we are tired of winning." The government is weakened by scandals and attacks on several fronts, but there are no signs it will fall.


Reservists have complained that the government and military establishment prevented a solid victory against Hizbullah terrorists by blunders in carrying out the war. The results were in keeping with a speech by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in June 2005, when he was Vice Prime Minister to Ariel Sharon.

He told the Israel Policy Forum in June 2005, "We are tired of fighting; we are tired of being courageous; we are tired of winning; we are tired of defeating our enemies."

His words have come back to haunt him amid mounting attacks from several fronts on the government, including complaints by soldiers and even senior commanders, bitterness by northern residents who charge they were abandoned, and scandals in the government. The Olmert administration's handling of the war up north orchestrated a clear failure, in that Olmert promised there would be no ceasefire without the unconditional return of the captive IDF soldiers, but then Israel agreed to the current uncertain ceasefire, without even an operative clause mentioning their return.

Justice Minister Haim Ramon was forced to resign because of charges of sexual misconduct. Minister Tzachi HaNegbi had to resign following an announcement that he will be indicted on charges of making political appointments when he was Environment Minister. The investigation was known when he switched from the Likud party to join former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's new Kadima party, in which Olmert was the number two man.

Journalist Yoav Yitzchak has been publicizing for several months documents that suggest the Prime Minister received financial favors in a property deal.

Another scandal likely to damage the reputation of the government involves President Moshe Katzav, who is to be questioned by police on charges by 20 workers that he is guilty of sexual misbehavior. Two women have charged he slept with them, and Channel 2 television reported Monday night that the President will be forced to resign to avoid embarrassment. President Katzav's office called the report a lie.

The harsh condemnation of the government weakens its ability to take leadership but the government is not likely to fall unless enough Kadima Knesset Members, most of whom jumped ship from the Labor and Likud parties, switch again.

"I think Olmert will simply allow the anger to pass and get on with his business," Gadi Wolfsfeld, a professor of political science at Hebrew University, told the The Associated Press.

Olmert has found himself trying to snuff out one brush fire after another, but the multi-prong attacks have been increasing more rapidly than his responses.

He weathered the crisis of IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz's selling stocks three hours after Hizbullah terrorists kidnapped two IDF soldiers, by saying that he had complete faith in the Lt. General.

However, several days later top commanders and more than a thousand soldiers came forward with evidence of army mismanagement, irresponsibility and failure to provide troops with basic needs.

The Prime Minister tried to answer the criticism by letting Defense Minister Amir Peretz set up an investigative committee, despite public questioning of how his own appointees could fairly question the minister and the government. The Defense Minister appointed his closest war advisor, former Lt. General Amnon Lipnik-Shahak, to head the panel.

Less than 48 hours later, Prime Minister Olmert ordered the committee to halt its work after the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee almost unanimously said it wants a Knesset committee to conduct the investigation. The only voices of dissent came from three Kadima party members.

Kadima leaders were able to stymie a committee decision by pointing out a technicality that the 11-3 vote was not valid because the issue was not on the agenda.

Other voices are demanding a national inquiry headed by a Supreme Court judge who would have power to summon witnesses and bring charges against them if officials are found to have violated their responsibility.

Prime Minister Olmert rejected the need for an inquiry, saying, "I won't play this game, the game of beating ourselves up." But no sooner had he blamed his predecessors for being lax and said that energies must be focused on supporting the army, than former Chief of Staff Moshe (Bogie) Ya'alon stated, "Whoever is responsible should take responsibility and not try to throw it on others."

Outgoing infantry and paratrooper commander Brigadier General Yossi Heiman said this week that the reservists were not trained properly and that senior IDF commanders are "guilty of arrogance."

On the diplomatic front, Prime Minister Olmert is saddled by a United Nations Security Council ceasefire that has become weaker in reality than in writing. Instead of 15,000 troops slated to join the international UNIFIL force in Lebanon, the U.N. is having trouble coming up with 3,500 it vowed will be deployed by the end of the month.

The northern border remains tense and Galilee residents are uncertain about their safety despite the Prime Minister's promise in his 2005 speech that the future is "more security [and] greater safety." Olmert said the destruction of Jewish communities in the Gaza and northern Samaria areas, which he and Ariel Sharon called "disengagement," would be followed by "a lot of joy for all the people that live in the Middle East.

"We are confident that this 'disengagement' will be successful and that it will then lead to the beginning of a new pattern of relations between us and the Palestinian Authority," he said.

Olmert Slammed For Being ´Tired of Winning´

[Shammu]

Italy Calls for Urgent Conference of EU Foreign Ministers
12:06 Aug 22, '06 / 28 Av 5766

(IsraelNN.com) Italy has called upon Finland, current incumbent of the presidency of the European Union, to hold an urgent conference of EU foreign ministers to assess the European role in the multinational force that will be deployed in southern Lebanon.

An Italian foreign ministry spokesman stated that the Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema is interested in convening the conference in Brussels this Friday.

Italy Calls for Urgent Conference of EU Foreign Ministers

[Shammu]

Israel buys 2 German subs
Yaakov Katz, THE JERUSALEM POST    Aug. 22, 2006

In the face of Iran's race to obtain nuclear power, Israel signed a contract with Germany last month to buy two Dolphin-class submarines that will, according to foreign reports, provide superior second-strike nuclear capabilities, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

The submarines will be assembled in Germany and provided with a propulsion system allowing them to remain underwater for far longer than the submarines currently in the Israel Navy's fleet.

According to sources close to the deal, the submarines will be operational in the near future.

The Post has also learned that the navy is considering installing a Fixed Underwater Sonar System (FUSS) off the coast to detect foreign submarines.

In 1993, Iran bought two Russian Kilo-class submarines and eight mini-submarines from North Korea, although officials said this was not the only reason the system was being considered. In 2005, Israel spotted a Western submarine snooping off its shore.

The contract signing was said to have come after a long dispute over the price and financing of the submarines. According to the details obtained by the Post, Israel will purchase the two Dolphins, manufactured by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG, for $1.27 billion, a third of which will be financed by the German government.

The navy already has three Dolphin-class submarines. They are the most expensive weapon platforms in the IDF's arsenal. Germany donated the first two submarines after the first Gulf War and split the cost of the third with Israel. The three submarines currently in the navy's possession employ a diesel-electric propulsion system, which requires them to resurface frequently to recharge their batteries.

The new submarines - called the U212 - will be fitted with a new German technology in which the propulsion system combines a conventional diesel lead-acid battery system and an air-independent propulsion system used for slow, silent cruising, with a fuel cell equipped with oxygen and hydrogen storage.

The submarines will also incorporate specifications gleaned from Israeli experience. The Dolphins currently in the navy's fleet were tailor-made for Israel's needs and reportedly have considerable operational capability. They are designed for a crew of 35 and can support 10 passengers. They have a maximum speed of 20 knots, a range of 4,500 kilometers and, according to Jane's Defense Weekly, the capability to launch cruise missiles carrying nuclear warheads.

"With the new German technology," an official close to the deal said, "the new submarines will be able to remain submerged for much, much longer than the older Dolphin models."

News of the impending deal first emerged in November after Der Spiegel reported that chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's outgoing government had agreed to sell Israel two submarines at a heavily discounted price.

Prior to then, the German government had repeatedly turned down the request, supposedly because of reports the navy had outfitted the older submarines with Israeli-made, sea-launched cruise missiles.

Sensitive armament sales need approval from Berlin's Security Council. Several months ago, however, the German government, now headed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, approved the deal after, sources told the Post, no significant public opposition was voiced.

Closure of the deal followed on the heels of a warming in German-Israel ties. In 2005, the countries agreed for the first time to hold joint ground maneuvers. In June, the INS Eilat missile ship participated for the first time in a NATO exercise in the Black Sea, together with German Navy.

Israel buys 2 German subs

[Shammu]

Iran, Syria coordinate positions on Lebanon

Iranian president sends letter to Syrian counterpart concerning developments in Lebanon, region. Iranian envoy says both countries wish to bring stability to region

Dudi Cohen and AP
Published:    08.26.06, 19:17

Syrian President Bashar Assad received a letter Saturday from his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad concerning the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, Syria's official news agency reported.

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Mahammad Rida Baqeri, was visiting Syria and delivered the letter, SANA reported. Its contents were not disclosed.

Baqeri also held talks with Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa about the "repercussions of the latest Israeli aggression in Lebanon," SANA said. "The (two politicians') views were identical over the importance of maintaining coordination and consultation between Syria and Iran to bring about stability in the region," it reported.

A reporter for the Iranian news agency IRNA in Damascus reported that during the meeting between Assad and Baqeri, the Iranian official briefed the Syrian president on the latest developments in his country's nuclear program, and on Iran's response to the UN's "carrot and stick" proposal, which was delivered earlier in the week.

The meeting was held at the Syrian presidential palace in the presence of the Iranian ambassador to Damascus, Mohammad Hassan Akhtari. It was earlier reported that the Iranian delegation had visited in Egypt and delivered a letter from Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, addressed to his Cairo counterpart, Ahmed Aboul Gheit. The contents of the letter have not been disclosed as well.

Iran, Syria coordinate positions on Lebanon

[Shammu]

Syrian President Al-Assad on Deploying UNIFIL at Lebanese-Syrian Border: 'If [Lebanon] Wants to Destroy Relations Between Syria and Lebanon, It is Free to Do So – and to Bear the Responsibility'

The following are excerpts from an interview with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, which aired on Dubai TV on August 23, 2006.

"This [Lebanese] Movement Consists of Some Figures who are Known Historically for Their Relations with Israel"

Bashar Al-Assad: "This [Lebanese] movement consists of some figures who are known historically for their relations with Israel, since the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Others have begun collaborating with the Israeli position - not necessarily with Israel itself, but we do not necessarily have all the information. They did this through Resolution 1559. The Israeli officials said that they themselves had worked hard to bring about this resolution. Yet [these Lebanese figures] supported this resolution. Resolution 1680, which deals a blow to Syrian-Lebanese relations... For whose sake was this resolution adopted? For Syria? For Lebanon? It was for the sake of Israel. The recent war has exposed these positions."

[...]

"As is well known, they accepted the first Franco-American draft, and if the situation on the ground had not changed, this draft would have become Resolution 1701. These forces have carried out all these plots against the resistance. With regard to the resistance that concerns us as Arabs - and I'm not talking about resistance as an internal Lebanese issue, but as an issue that now concerns any Arab citizen, and you can see Hizbullah flags everywhere... They conspired with Israel in both directions."

[...]

"Loyalty to One's Country Means Rejecting Foreign Interference, Through Any Embassy"

Bashar Al-Assad: "Loyalty to one's country does not just mean [not] being a known agent of another country. Loyalty to one's country means rejecting foreign interference, through any embassy - and I am always clear on this - and through any foreign government that tries to interfere directly. I have said this very clearly to the Europeans several times. I said to them: Any person on whose behalf you interfere - we will consider him to be unpatriotic. You must stop interfering and sending messages. This matter is closed, as far as we are concerned. We are very sensitive when it comes to foreign interference. Apart from this, everybody is here. If we wanted to prevent them from talking, as some claim, they would all be in prison. This is not the case. We have taken a few steps, and we are not claiming we have achieved a lot. We have taken some steps that are reasonable, given our circumstances. Some think these steps are less than they should be, and others think they are more than they should be. Let us stay in the middle. We must act with caution. We are not operating in a normal climate. No one, Syrians or others, should doubt that there are daily attempts to interfere in Syria's domestic affairs. We cannot be naive and say: Everything is fine, everybody is patriotic. This is not a matter of good intentions."

[...]

Deploying UNIFIL "Would Violate Lebanon's Sovereignty"

Interviewer: "How do you view the deployment of UNIFIL on your border with Lebanon?"

Bashar Al-Assad: "This would mean creating hostility between Syria and Lebanon. First of all, this would violate Lebanon's sovereignty. No country in the world would accept the deployment of soldiers of other nationalities at its border passes, unless it is at war with another country, like in the Golan or South Lebanon. This is normal. First of all, this would mean taking away Lebanese sovereignty - and they are constantly talking about Lebanese sovereignty - and giving it to others. The other issue is that this would be hostile to Syria. Naturally, this would create problems between Syria and Lebanon."

Interviewer: "But Mr. President, they fear that Syria would be used as a conduit for weapons that would reach elements that they don't want these weapons to reach. People might infiltrate through this border, and help one group of Lebanese against another. This may justify their apprehensions and the presence of such a force."

Bashar Al-Assad: "If there is a Lebanese army, it should be responsible for that. Why should the Lebanese army be responsible for protecting Israel?"

If [Lebanon] Wants To Destroy Relations between Syria and Lebanon, It is Free to Do So - and to Bear the Responsibility

Interviewer: "Mr. President, are you calling upon the Lebanese government to reject the deployment of an international force along the border between Lebanon and Syria?"

Bashar Al-Assad: "I am calling upon it to bear the responsibility like any other country. It will bear the responsibility. If it wants to destroy the relations between Syria and Lebanon, it is free to do so, and to bear the responsibility. There are elements within the Lebanese government and among the majority who strive towards this."

[...]

Interviewer: "Is it possible that we will see armed resistance in the Golan?"

Bashar Al-Assad: "Like I said... Same answer... The people will decide. I reiterate: If peace does not restore the rights, this will be the natural and obvious option. Things will take this course, whether we like it or not."

Interviewer: "Mr. President, you say that the people will decide. Is the people ready... I am sure you can sense the sentiments of the people. Is the people ready now for armed resistance in the Golan?"

Bashar Al-Assad: "There are always different currents and opinions. Some people talk enthusiastically about getting into this today, while others say we must prepare ourselves. However, this war has emphasized that option."

Syrian President Al-Assad on Deploying UNIFIL at Lebanese-Syrian Border: 'If [Lebanon] Wants to Destroy Relations Between Syria and Lebanon, It is Free to Do So – and to Bear the Responsibility

[Shammu]

Iran leadership poses threat
David Horovitz, THE JERUSALEM POST    Aug. 24, 2006

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, if he ever became the supreme decision maker in his country, would "sacrifice half of Iran for the sake of eliminating Israel," Giora Eiland, Israel's former national security adviser, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

At present, Eiland stressed, the ultimate decision maker in Iran was Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 67, whom he said was "more reasonable." But, Eiland went on, "if Ahmadinejad were to succeed him - and he has a reasonable chance of doing so - then we'd be in a highly dangerous situation."

The 49-year-old Iranian president, he said, "has a religious conviction that Israel's demise is essential to the restoration of Muslim glory, that the Zionist thorn in the heart of the Islamic nations must be removed. And he will pay almost any price to right the perceived historic wrong. If he becomes the supreme leader and has a nuclear capability, that's a real threat."

In facing up to Iran's nuclear ambitions, Eiland said the United States had three possible courses of action, "all of them bad," and that a decision could not be postponed for too long, "since delay, too, is a decision of sorts."

The first option was "to give up" - to accept that Iran was going nuclear and try to make the best of it. By "making the best of it," Eiland said, he meant "isolating Iran economically, politically and internationally in the hope that this will eventually prompt an internal push for regime change."

This might also give other nations the sense that the political price of going nuclear was too high for them to contemplate, and might thus deter nations such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Algeria and others from seeking to emulate Iran and spelling the full collapse of the nuclear nonproliferation era.

Washington's second option was to launch a last-ditch effort at diplomatic action, he said. At this stage, a mixture of sanctions and bonuses would not be sufficient to deter Iran altogether, but it might seek to persuade Teheran to suspend progress for two or three years.

"In return, the US would have to open direct engagement with Teheran, with full recognition of the regime. This would boost the regime's credibility and standing at home and allow it to say it was voluntarily suspending the program for a while," he said.

The advantage for the Bush administration was that "Bush could then say, 'They didn't go nuclear on my watch, and it's up to my successors to keep things that way.'"

The third option, said Eiland, was a military operation - born of the sense that the diplomatic process would not work and that there could be no compromise with an axis-of-evil power. However, internal political realities and public opinion in the US were not conducive to this, he said, nor was international support readily available. Furthermore, said Eiland, "this would be action that would have to be taken within months.

If not, and if Iran continues enrichment, it will complete the research and development stage and have a proven ability which it can then duplicate at numerous sites. And at that point it could not be stopped by military action. Six months or 12 months from now would be too late, he said.

Tellingly, Eiland noted, it seemed to him that the difficulties facing the administration over that third course were growing.

As the crisis with Iran deepens, meanwhile, some Israeli sources believe the US has acted foolishly in spurning opportunities for international diplomatic cooperation against Iran in recent years, and that Israel mistakenly encouraged this course of action.

The US might have had more success isolating Iran two years ago, when Bush and French President Jacques Chirac were stronger, Iran was weaker and the situation in Iraq looked better, said the sources.

As recently as a few months ago, on a trip to Ukraine, which is a vital Russian sphere of influence, US Vice President Richard Cheney criticized the Putin regime's record on democracy, the sources pointed out. Against that kind of background, the US should not be surprised now, therefore, to find Russia less than willing to fully cooperate on its Iran strategy.

Israel, these sources went on, realized early the danger posed by Iran's nuclear drive but erred in supporting the US in hanging tough rather than pushing it toward cooperation.

As for Israel's military options, these sources spoke of an immense dilemma for the government. Declining to go into detail, they noted only that Israel was not as potent militarily as the US and mused about what might happen if a military action proved unsuccessful in thwarting the nuclear program. Iran might then complete its nuclear drive and, branding Israel a preemptive aggressor, claim legitimacy for a strike of its own at Israel.

Iran leadership poses threat