Matthew 24:6 War, and rumor of war.

[Shammu]

UN Security Council to vote on Mideast truce resolution

13 minutes ago

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN Security Council was to vote on a French-US resolution calling for an end to hostilities in the Middle East war, an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon and the deployment of a 15,000-strong UN force.

Under pressure after more than four weeks of Israeli-Hezbollah conflict, the US and French ambassadors said they expected a unanimous vote for the resolution at a meeting which starts at 2230 GMT.

Amid tense negotiations between France, the United States and the Lebanese and Israeli governments, the draft was changed even in the final hour before it was submitted.

The text calls on Lebanon and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to "deploy their forces together throughout the south" while calling on
Israel "as that deployment begins, to withdraw all of its forces from southern Lebanon in parallel."

A previous version had called for Israel to withdraw "at the earliest".

The first version submitted by Paris and Washington a week ago had not mentioned a withdrawal at all and Lebanon had objected, demanding an immediate Israeli pullout after fighting ends.

The text would also authorize "an increase in the force strength of UNIFIL to a maximum of 15,000 troops".

UNIFIL, which currently has about 1,190 troops in southern Lebanon, would monitor the cessation of hostilities and any permanent ceasefire that is negotiated.

French UN ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere said he thought the extra troops could be deployed "very swiftly" since it is the strengthening of an existing UN force.

The force would support Lebanese armed forces as they deploy across the south, a region now dominated by the Shiite militia Hezbollah but which has come under intense attack in the Israeli offensive since July 12.

UNIFIL would also help humanitarian work in Lebanon following the devastating conflict which has seen more than 1,100 Lebanese and Israelis, mostly civilians, killed.

The text gives UNIFIL the ability to "take all necessary action in areas of deployment of its forces, and as it deems within its capabilities, to ensure that its area of operations is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind."

Israel had objected to a peacekeeping role for UNIFIL, which it said had failed to prevent Hezbollah attacks in the past, and demanded that a "robust" international force in terms of size and powers to restrain Hezbollah be deployed.

A senior US State Department official insisted that the force called for under the resolution "will be able to defend itself and has a very strong mandate".

The resolution also calls for the "unconditional release" of two Israeli soldiers whose abduction by Hezbollah sparked the start of the war on July 12.

Israeli objections had cast a late doubt over prospects for a vote.

Lebanon had also raised late questions about the status of the international force and the future of a small parcel of territory, the Shebaa Farms, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

The text calls for UN Secretary General
Kofi Annan to make proposals to settle the Shebaa Farms dispute within 30 days of the vote.

The United States and France have been negotiating different texts of a draft resolution for two weeks.

To have a vote on Friday, the 15-member Security Council had to waive a rule which says votes can only be held 24 hours after a draft resolution is presented.

UN Security Council to vote on Mideast truce resolution

[Shammu]

Israeli PM has accepted cease-fire deal

By KARIN LAUB, Associated Press Writer 23 minutes ago

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has accepted an emerging Mideast cease-fire deal and informed the United States of his decision, Israeli officials said Friday.

Olmert will recommend that his government approve the deal in its meeting on Sunday, said Gideon Meir, a senior official in the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Meir said the military offensive in Lebanon would continue for the time being. It was not immediately clear if it would be halted after the U.N. Security Council vote on the cease-fire deal later Friday, or only after the Israeli Cabinet has endorsed it.

Israeli PM has accepted cease-fire deal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Folks, this isn't over by a long shot, please keep Israel, and Jerusalem in your prayers.

[LittlePilgrim]

This is NOT a good idea on the Israeli PMs part... YOU CANNOT NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS! That's all I'll say on that for now.

[Soldier4Christ]

I agree with you completely LP. They are doing this as a political move, to let people see that they are willing to work toward a peaceful solution. Hezbollah has already shown their true colors in this aspect by not accepting a cease fire agreement that they cried for. In the long run this political move will not work because Israel will still be made look like the bad guy by those that are anti-Israel no matter what they do.

[Shammu]

LP & PR, you noticed that I said, Folks, this isn't over by a long shot, please keep Israel, and Jerusalem in your prayers.

This is going to explode, I feel.  Israel can't give away, what God gave to His chosen people.

Israel will still be made look like the bad guy by those that are anti-Israel no matter what they do.

Brother, the UN has it in for Israel, and you are right.  The anti-Israeli jerks will have a propaganda field-day out of this..... 

[Shammu]

Syria still transferring supply of rockets, missiles to Hezbollah
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent

Syria continues its efforts to transfer large quantities of war materiel, including rockets, to Lebanon, in an effort to assist Hezbollah in its war against Israel, a senior IDF source told Haaretz on Saturday.

According to the IDF source, the air force has succeeded in partially stemming the arms transfers, but intelligence shows that supply convoys have managed to cross into Lebanon from Syria.

Senior Syrian army and intelligence officers are involved in the arms smuggling, according to the senior IDF source, who says it is unlikely this continues without the explicit support of the regime in Damascus.

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Two specific types of weapons - anti-tank missiles and rockets used to target Israeli civilians - are of concern.

The alert levels of the Syrian army, especially on the Golan Heights, is at its highest levels since the Lebanon War in 1982. The Syrian preparedness is mostly defensive, but the IDF is not excluding the possibility that Damascus will initiate a limited ground operation during the closing stages of the war.

Such an act, from a Syrian point of view, would aim at improving its position toward the end of the current confrontation and force Israel to begin negotiations on a broader diplomatic initiative that would include the return of the Golan Heights.

Part of the IDF's defensive deployment is meant to counter such a threat, including the deployment of anti-aircraft missiles in Haifa and the Sharon to intercept possible launches of Syrian Scud surface-to-surface ballistic missiles targetting Israeli cities.

In another development, in recent fighting, IDF forces uncovered the bodies of a number of fighters who appear to belong to Iran's Revolutionary Guard. No identifying documents were discovered on the bodies but tattoos suggest they belong to the Iranian force.

According to IDF sources, Iran sent several dozen Revolutionary Guard fighters to bolster the ranks of Hezbollah.

Syria still transferring supply of rockets, missiles to Hezbollah

[Shammu]

I just voted on a poll, I voted Hezbollah and Iran.  Here are the results of that poll.

Today's Poll
The proposed U.N. resolution is the best possible deal for:
Israel and Lebanon              12%    

Hezbollah and Iran          34%

Israel but not Lebanon          20%    

Lebanon but not Israel          10%    

It's an acceptable compromise for all    24%    

Votes:    1335

[Shammu]

Hamas holding back Qassam fire from Gaza Strip
By Avi Issacharoff

Palestinian sources report that Hamas has stopped firing Qassam rockets from the Gaza Strip at Israel, in response to a request nearly two weeks ago by Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.

According to the sources, only Islamic Jihad and Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade forces, the latter acting on Hamas directives, are continuing to fire Qassams.

The sources say that Hamas briefly renewed rocket fire during the recent Israel Defense Forces operation in Rafah, but suspended it once the IDF withdrew. Last week 11 Qassams were fired at Israel, a steep decrease from previous weeks. The week before, 33 rockets were fired, three weeks ago saw 42 Qassams and 65 rockets hit Israel four weeks ago. Over the weekend, three Qassams were fired from Gaza but fell within Palestinian territory.

Haniyeh demands
Palestinian military sources attribute the drop to several causes. The IDF's aggressive operations within Gaza led Haniyeh to demand an end to the rocket fire. The IDF's bombing of private homes in Gaza, after calling residents to warn them, also contributed to the decision. Another factor in the suspension of Qassam fire was the realization by Hamas leaders that international attention was focused on Lebanon, not Gaza. There was also some public pressure, such as threats made to the families of launcher operators in the northern Gaza Strip neighborhood of Al-Nada, to stop rocket firing from in between houses.

The Palestinian sources told Haaretz that most of the Hamas military leaders were badly injured in last month's assassination attempt in Gaza's Sheikh Radwan neighborhood. Mohammed Deif is in serious condition, a quadruple amputee, as a result of the incident.

Ahmed Al-Ghandour, the commander of Hamas' armed wing, Iz al-Din al-Qassam in northern Gaza, is in serious condition after a splenectomy. Marwan Issa, who suffered pelvic injuries, is also listed in serious condition.

Another senior leader, Raed Sayid, sustained relatively minor injuries.

Despite the judgment by Palestinian military officials that the abduction of IDF Corporal Gilad Shalit by Hamas has become a hindrance to the organization, there is still no progress pointing to his release. The head of the Hamas military wing, Ahmed al-Jabari, and his colleagues are rejecting Egypt's compromise formula, under which Shalit would be handed over to Egypt until Israel releases Palestinian prisoners it is holding.

On Thursday, significant progress was made in talks among Palestinian groupings. Hamas and Fatah agreed to suspend hostilities in the Khan Yunis area, the site of most of the armed confrontations between Hamas and the Preventative Security Forces.

Hamas holding back Qassam fire from Gaza Strip

[Shammu]

Hizbullah: Countdown has begun to end of Zionist entity

Senior Hizbullah official: If a mere organization succeeded in defeating Israel, why would Arab nations not succeed in doing so?
Roee Nahmias

Preliminary implications: As the war reaches an end, more and more worrisome voices are heard from Arab nations, asking loudly and boldly if the 'triumph' against Israel in Lebanon will advance 'the day in which Israel will disappear'.

Ahmed Barakat, a member of Hizbullah's central council, said in an interview to Qatari newspaper al-Watan that "Today Arab and Muslim society is reasonably certain that the defeat of Israel is possible and that countdown to the disappearance of the Zionist entity in the region has begun."

According to Barakat, "This is the reason that Shimon Peres said it was a life or death battle and this is why the triumph of the resistance is the beginning of the death of the Israeli enemy. For, if a mere organization succeeded in defeating Israel , why would Arab nations not succeed in doing so if they allied? Many Arabs and Muslims viewed Israel in a fictional way and the resistance has succeeded in changing this."

When asked how the resistance (aka Nasrallah) succeeded in achieving this victory, he answered: "Our fighters emerged from the Islamic traditions they read about. Moshe Dayan said 'I know that Arabs don't read' but they read very well."

"As Nasrallah likes to say: Regarding the Israeli issue, forgive me, but I don't think anyone knows about it more than us...and therefore, in terms of a deep understanding of Israeli culture, society, economy, psychology, military and media, the resistance has vast experience. This is in addition to the Islamic tradition that our fighters rely on, and which they strive towards: a general ambition – a triumph for the Ummah (Islamic nation), and a personal ambition - to be ubgone19s," he elaborated.

Barakat further stated that none of the Hizbullah leadership was hurt and that the organization retains plenty of rockets and other 'surprises' for use the day after victory. He declared that the inventory would allow the organization to operate from afar and doesn't require proximity to the Israeli border.

Hizbullah: Countdown has begun to end of Zionist entity
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't count on the huzzy, you don't know God you know satan.  As a Christian, I know who wins in the end.

[Shammu]

Neighbors Smell Blood in Israeli Cease-Fire Acceptance
16:53 Aug 13, '06 / 19 Av 5766
by Ezra HaLevi

Arabs and Muslims from Iran, Hizbullah and the PA are celebrating Israel’s acceptance of the UN ceasefire, dubbing it a "surrender" and calling on Arab states to attack the new "weak" Israel.

“After one month of war against Lebanon's resistance, Israelis are the absolute losers and Hizbullah is the absolute winner of the war,” Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamida-Reza Asefi said Sunday. “The occupiers of Jerusalem failed, despite their military, economic, intelligence and diplomatic backings.”

The Iranian official said the Islamic Republic of Iran is “very pleased” with the ceasefire, according to state-run Iranian news agency IRNA. He warned, though, that attacks on Israel would continue as long as “occupation lingers.” He declined to outline whether occupation included retaining sovereignty in regions such as the Galilee – which Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah has termed “settlements” in his wartime addresses. "Let us not forget that as long as there is occupation there is resistance," he added.

Hizbullah central council member Ahmed Barakat told Qatari newspaper al-Watan Sunday, "Today Arab and Muslim society is reasonably certain that the defeat of Israel is possible, and that countdown to the disappearance of the Zionist entity in the region has begun… If a mere organization succeeded in defeating Israel, why would Arab nations not succeed in doing so if they allied? Many Arabs and Muslims viewed Israel in a fictional way and the resistance has succeeded in changing this."

Barakat boasted that none of Hizbullah’s leadership were injured, and that the group still possesses thousands of rockets and other “surprises” for use in the days following the implementation of the UN ceasefire. He added that the remaining missiles and weapons allow Hizbullah to strike Israel from afar and do not require the group to be near Israel’s border.

Photos of Hizbullah-leader Hassan Nasrallah “hang everywhere in Ramallah,” according to Al-Jazeera, “covering the walls and shop fronts and plastered across T-shirts and demonstration banners.” The number-one song in Ramallah this summer, “blaring [repeatedly] out of shops and streets stalls,” is "The Eagle of Lebanon," referring to the Hizbullah chief.

“Secularists, Christians and Muslims alike refer to the Hizbullah leader as Palestine's newest and truest hero,” the Al-Jazeera report states. “Back at Manara square in Ramallah, Waleed Ayyoub is still selling the Nasrallah images to ‘all people of all ages - even little children.’ He is especially proud of a sale made to an Arab-Israeli woman from Haifa, fleeing the Katyusha attacks on her city.”

Neighbors Smell Blood in Israeli Cease-Fire Acceptance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't count on Israel being weak. Those countries that follow satan, are in for a rude awaking.

[Shammu]

Iran Poised to Be 'Mother of All World Threats'

Dave Eberhart, NewsMax
Friday, Aug. 11, 2006

WASHINGTON – For anyone who still thinks the Israeli-Lebanon war is just a border scuffle, one Middle East expert shouts a dire warning:

"As soon as a cease-fire occurs, the 'Hezbollah Blitzkrieg' will crumble the 'Lebanese Republic of Weimar' and install its own 'Khumeinist Republic' on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. The consequences of such a development are far beyond imagination for the region and the world. Hezbollah would have paved the way for Iran to create the mother of all world threats since Hitler."

So cautions Professor Walid Phares, author of "Future Jihad," a visiting fellow with the European Foundation for Democracy in Brussels and a senior fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington, D.C.

In an exclusive interview with NewsMax, the Lebanese-born Phares likens the current Hezbollah offensive in Lebanon to a "putsch" – with the convoluted aims of re-establishing a pro-Syrian-Iranian regime in Lebanon, reconstructing a third wing to the Tehran-Damascus axis, re-animating the Arab-Israeli conflict, rejuvenating Syrian dominance, isolating Jordan, reaching out to Hamas, crumbling Iraq, and unleashing Iran's nuclear programs.

The author also sees half-measures and premature truces as catalysts to even bloodier future conflicts:

"If Israel takes 40 kilometers [into the southern belly of Lebanon] and sits, Hezbollah and its allies will take the rest of the country and eliminate the Cedars Revolution [the Lebanese democracy movement]. That is a certainty. Then the two camps will clash in a wider war in few more months."

As a corollary, however, the expert advises that if Israel gets even more aggressive and moves instead through the Bekaa (a fertile valley in Lebanon and Syria, located about 19 miles east of Beirut), it would shut down the Syrian-Lebanese borders (a major supply line for war materials flowing to Hezbollah).

But such a definitive move, says the author, would bring Syria into the conflict, and Israel would then have to engage the Assad regime (Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria).

Meanwhile, Phares suggests, under the scenario outlined above, Iran would not sit still but would intervene in a more covert way than has been seen thus far.

However, he advises, Iran doesn't have a land passage to Syria, so it would strike back by igniting an "intifada" in Iraq.

"But this will put Iran on the path of the U.S. coalition, leading the region to global confrontations," Phares predicts. "Israel could also reach the Syrian borders, but instead of a war with Damascus, Assad would accept a MNF [Multi-National Force] at this time to save his regime, which sounds the most realistic."

Phares then projects that a MNF in control of the borders would isolate Hezbollah from Syria and Iran – enabling a new Lebanese army to slowly take back control of the country, leading Israel to withdraw behind the borders.

Neighboring Jordan will try to remain neutral – unless Iranian forces try to link up with Syria via Iraq, says Phares. Jordan, he adds, will in the end most likely side with NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

For its part, Egypt will face increasing domestic Jihadism but will refrain from cross-border activities, he predicts.

The Risk of an Explosion

The author forecasts some bad outcomes.

If the Lebanon conflict persists too long or if Hezbollah takes over, Jihadi forces in Jordan and Egypt will explode, he predicts.

"In short, if Lebanon falls to Jihadism, all Arab countries will experience similar moves. If the free-Lebanese regain control, democracy forces will move forward in the region. It is a geopolitical crossroad," Phares says.

Phares emphasizes that the old parameters of a "buffer zone" don't work anymore.

He sees as the key for everyone in the region finding security, stability, freedom, and eventually peace – the stopping of the flow of weapons and support from Iran to Hezbollah.

"Israel can establish all the security zones," Phares instructs, "the U.S. and the U.N. can issue all the resolutions, and the Lebanese army can be sent to any area – as long as the Lebanese-Syrian borders are open between the Assad regime and Nasrallah's [Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the current secretary-general of the Lebanese Islamist party Hezbollah] militia, the war will go on."

The Issue of the Lebanese Army

Along with reciting the reams of regional history necessary to understand the origins of the quagmire, Phares tells NewsMax what he sees as intriguing subplots, including a draconian one to rid Hezbollah of the Lebanese army.

The author argues that no changes were made inside the Lebanese army to bring it in harmony with the Cedars Revolution (discussed below).

"So, what you have there is an army of which 80 percent of its officer corps and about 65 percent of its ranks dislike the Baathists, Iranians and Hezbollah – but it is still chained to a pro-Syrian president and paralyzed by [Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad] Seniora's unwillingness to disarm Hezbollah."

But despite the mixed allegiances of the Lebanese army, Hezballoh still wants it out of the way.

Phares opines that Nasrallah wants to move units of the Lebanese army southbound. Hezbollah would then trigger yet more violence with Israel, leading to the latter having to take on the whole Lebanese army.

cont'd next post

[Shammu]

"Nasrallah is pushing Siniora to send the army to southern Lebanon to be slaughtered," says Phares. "He wants Israel to destroy the Lebanese army – the institution which in the long term could dismantle the deep terror roots of Hezbollah, once a multinational force deploys and all borders are secured."

Phares pauses for a moment in his analysis of what could come to pass in the near term and looks out to a distant and perhaps hopeful future:

"If democracies allow Jihadism to crush the civil societies of the region, it would take at least two generations to begin another democratic revolution in the Middle East," the author opines. "So, by the end of this century, in this case, you have two scenarios: either bloody war in the region, with greater genocide than ever – and also possibly a number of nuclear blast spots ...

"However, if the international community focuses on assisting the peoples of the region to get rid of the Jihadi-fascism and the remnants of Baathism, in one hundred years you'll be able to ski in Lebanon, enjoy pastries in Damascus, and watch the clever female prime minister of Iran discussing environment issues with her colleague in Afghanistan.

"Jihadists would be looked at as the weird small fractions in the secular multiparty parliaments of the region who are still arguing how they lost the opportunity to re-establish a caliphate in the early century ..."

Lost Horizons

But whether the international community rises to its finest hour remains to be seen, says Phares.

Look back at the Cedar Revolution, he suggests.

The so-called Cedar Revolution was the chain of demonstrations and popular civic action in Lebanon triggered by the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005.

Following the demonstrations, Syrian troops completely withdrew from Lebanon on April 27, 2005. The pro-Syrian government was also disbanded. History in the region since that time has been defined mostly by Hezbollah wanting to undo the progress toward democracy.

Since the Cedars Revolution, says Phares, no single event has shown the international community greater expression from Lebanon. And that is what Hassan Nasrallah wants to destroy, he maintains.

"His [Nasrallah's] real war waged at his own timing against Israel aims in fact at destroying the Cedar Revolution, the single most dangerous popular resistance against terrorism in the history of Lebanon and the region," argues the scholar.

Continuing, the author says: "The U.S. and Europe loved the images of youth and women chanting freedom in Beirut for many days and thought this was Eastern Europe all over again. They were right, but they missed the point.

"These masses were desperately calling on the international community for help. 'We showed you that we want freedom despite the threats of the most oppressive regimes (Syria and Iran) and of a terrorist organization; we've displayed all the courage of the world, alone and without weapons, responding to the calls of spreading democracy,' said the leaders of the Cedar Revolution's NGOs [non-governmental organizations]."

Poignantly, Phares says that the people of Lebanon were begging, in fact, "Now come and protect us – at least as you did for the Afghan and Iraqi voters."

Meanwhile, the author says, Hezbollah and its masters were watching the Western response: "Lots of celebrations and powerful speeches on both sides of the Atlantic. But inside Lebanon, the old wolves were back to work."

The long story short, says the expert: Syria, Iran and Hezbollah outmaneuvered the Lebanese politicians, as well as the West, by, among other things, keeping pro-Syrian Emile Jamil Lahoud, president of the Republic of Lebanon, at the helm.

"It was terrible how the Lebanese politicians lost all the opportunities provided by the Cedar Revolution," laments Phares, "but it is worse that the bureaucrats in the U.S. and Europe didn't understand what Hezbollah was doing."

Phares says he regrets that no one policy regarding the Cedar Revolution was ever put forth. Billions of dollars were spent on the War of Ideas and Iraq while requests by Lebanese NGOs, small media and civil society groups ready to resume the Cedar Revolution were left unheard, he adds.

Roots of Crisis

Phares argues that Washington and Brussels relied too much on a Lebanese Cabinet that had been penetrated by Hezbollah.

"How can you have U.S. officials sitting with the Lebanese Cabinet in the presence of Hezbollah ministers and talk about the Lebanese army disarming this organization? The naivete with which Hezbollah's offensive was dealt with is stunning."

Iran Poised to Be 'Mother of All World Threats'

[Shammu]

    Hizbullah's Victory in Lebanon Opens the Door for a Third Intifada


In his August 7, 2006 column in the Hamas semiweekly Al-Risala, under the title "Victory in Lebanon – Towards a Third Intifada," Ibrahim Abu Heija' encourages Hamas to use what he sees as Hizbullah's victory as a springboard for a third Palestinian intifada.

The following are excerpts from the article:(1)


"The Greatest Beneficiary [of the Victory in Lebanon] Will Ultimately Be the Palestinian Resistance"

"What has become evident from the ongoing battles in the proud and resistant south of Lebanon is the confirmation of Israel's failure in achieving its goals and the confirmation of the decline in its deterrence capability in comparison with what it was before it got embroiled in the Lebanese quagmire – despite the bloody slaughters that Israel committed against unarmed civilians...

"What is noteworthy here is not only the collapse of the Israeli defense doctrine in the face of a well-organized community possessed of faith and will, such as Hizbullah, but what is more important in the Israeli loss is to examine the consequences of the victory and its implications on additional levels.

"Hizbullah, which achieved the victory, will be the least of those who benefit from this victory, due to certain considerations relevant to the Lebanese arena, which is based on sectarian division. This does not mean that it will not gain greater strength and legitimacy than it had before, particularly since the Israeli aggression, as is evident, proceeds without direction and without any reckoning of consequences, and therefore gets itself entangled in guerilla warfare, in which Hizbullah is unsurpassed in its skill, and has a Syrian and Iranian backing that denies it nothing in terms of arms, money, support, and protection.

"It detracts nothing from Hizbullah's standing that it should benefit from the honor of victory and that it should be a shield protecting Syria and Lebanon from breaking apart, and should be a shield for Iran against an attack on its nuclear reactor.

"However, the greatest beneficiary will ultimately be the Palestinian resistance, because all of the Arab, regional, and international equations, whether they are at variance or in agreement, revolve around the Palestinian cause, either in order to liquidate it or to defend it."


"This is an Important Moment, That the Palestinian Resistance Must Seize"

"This is an important moment, that the Palestinian resistance must seize. It benefited from [a similar moment] at the beginning of the Al-Aqsa [Intifada], when the West Bank and Gaza spoke the Lebanese language, after they had long been immersed in American and Israeli illusions. And following [the Al-Aqsa Intifada], the incomplete [Israeli] withdrawal from the Gaza Strip was carried out.

"And now, after the ceasefire [hudna] has been tried and the experience of changing the [Palestinian] Authority reached its peak, the door will be opened for a third Palestinian intifada, that will transform the resistance from the stage of reaction [to Israeli] actions to [resistance] that is carried out at our initiative."


"The Arab Regimes... Showed Solidarity With Israel... and Placed Their Bets on an Old Horse and a Losing Card"

"The intifada will be honed on [several] sides: 1) victory in southern Lebanon; 2) the necessity of developing elites and Islamic and [pan-Arab] nationalist movements, according to their service to the masses. This is especially true after the Arab regimes have lost the thin patriotic coating under which they had hidden, and openly showed solidarity with Israel and manifested their dissatisfaction with the resistance [i.e. Hizbullah] – and it did not occur to them that they had placed their bets on an old horse and a losing card.

"This will fling the door wide open for the strong elites and movements to [make] radical changes in the structures of Arab [society], and the Palestinian resistance will benefit from this, anyway you look at it.

"On the third side, the spectacle of failure in Lebanon will increase the bungling of the American administration in Iraq, and will expose its selective method of reform. This will affect America's Mediterranean plans, and will lead it either to recoil and flee, or else will lead it to measures and solutions which aim to patch together the Palestinian issue through fragile regional and international coalitions. Neither course will save the United State's standing, and will not turn back the clock.


"The Victory in Lebanon Will Weaken Those Palestinian Voices... Calling for Making Concessions... and Ceasefires"

"The fourth side is this: The victory in Lebanon will weaken those Palestinian voices that are heard from time to time, sometimes calling for making concessions, at other times calling for fortuitous ceasefires. Hamas will be given a significant margin to gain legitimacy for carrying out [armed] resistance on various fronts where [at present] the Palestinian Authority objects and the resistance desists.


"The Israeli Defeat in Lebanon Will Force Israel to Move towards Partial Withdrawals from the Shab'a Farms, the West Bank, and Perhaps the Golan Heights"

"The fifth side: The Israeli defeat in Lebanon will force Israel to move towards partial withdrawals from the Shab'a Farms, the West Bank, and perhaps the Golan Heights, in order to diminish the effects of its defeat – but this will in no way deceive the Palestinians, the Syrians, or the Lebanese. Rather, it will push them all to make yet another move towards achieving their rights.

"In general, it is important for the Palestinian resistance to exploit the effects of the victory in Lebanon for its own interests in order to achieve its rights and move forward towards its objectives, and to encourage the whole public to unite behind its program.

"The growing aggression in the Gaza Strip against children and women is the most important incentive for accomplishing the equation of the new resistance and taking it beyond the merits of the prisoners' document and the consideration of being in authority... towards a third intifada."

Hizbullah's Victory in Lebanon Opens the Door for a Third Intifada

[Shammu]

Israel says can target Hizbollah arms despite truce
13 Aug 2006 17:55:39 GMT

 By Adam Entous

JERUSALEM, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Israel believes it will be entitled to use force to prevent Hizbollah from rearming and to clear guerrilla positions out of southern Lebanon after a U.N. truce takes effect, Israeli officials said on Sunday.

Israeli officials said such operations are "defensive" in nature and therefore permissible under a U.N. Security Council resolution which calls for Israel to halt "all offensive military operations".

Western diplomats and U.N. officials said they feared Israel's broad definition of "defensive" actions could lead to a resurgence in large-scale fighting, preventing the swift deployment of international troops meant to monitor a ceasefire.

The Israeli operations could include air strikes against arms convoys travelling anywhere in Lebanese territory, a senior Israeli official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Major-General Benny Gantz, head of the ground forces branch, told reporters that the Israeli army will cease fire if Hizbollah will cease fire.

But he added: "The ceasefire is not a cessation of Israeli army activity in the Lebanon arena ... It will protect its troops and civilians."

Like Israel, Hizbollah has said it will abide by the U.N. resolution. But the guerrilla group said it will carry on confronting any Israeli soldiers on Lebanese soil.

"It will be a fragile truce," said a Western diplomat involved in the deliberations.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's cabinet formally approved the resolution on Sunday. The United Nations said Israeli and Lebanese leaders had agreed a truce would take effect at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Monday.

CLEARING OUT HIZBOLLAH

The truce will mark the end of Israel's offensive operations, senior Israeli officials said.

But they said the army would press ahead with operations aimed at "clearing out" Hizbollah fighters from areas in southern Lebanon where some 30,000 Israeli troops have been deployed ahead of the truce.

A Western diplomat said the United States and other major powers would not object to such "mopping up" operations, provided they are restricted to the south.

The resolution also imposes an arms embargo in Lebanon on the delivery of weapons or military equipment to "any entity or individual" excluding the Lebanese army and U.N. troops.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said the embargo means that any "arms entering Lebanon for Hizbollah would be a violation of the resolution".

"As a result, if no one else was acting to prevent that violation, Israel would be entitled to do so," Regev said, without going into details.

Israel has attacked vehicles it said were carrying weapons to Hizbollah during the month-long war. But some convoys turned out to be carrying civilians, not weapons. An air strike on a convoy on Friday killed a Lebanese Red Cross worker and six other civilians.

A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel was very concerned that the embargo outlined in the resolution will not be enforced, putting the onus on Israel to act militarily.

"We will not allow the re-supply of rockets and ammunition to Hizbollah if they try to do it under the pretext of the cessation of hostilities," the official said.

"Violation of the embargo... is something that is clearly an offensive move against Israel. It is therefore something that we cannot accept and we have full right to take defensive measures again," the official added.

Israel says can target Hizbollah arms despite truce

[Shammu]

Arab League Criticizes U.N. Resolution

By MAGGIE MICHAEL
Associated Press Writer

 CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Arab countries criticized a U.N. Security Council resolution for not clearly labeling Israel the main aggressor in the conflict with Hezbollah, but expressed cautious hopes that an end to the monthlong conflict could be nearing.

Eyptian President Hosni Mubarak was to meet Sunday with the foreign minister of Iran - Hezbollah's top ally - to stress that the region could not bear any more tension and push for the implementation of the U.N. resolution, a state-run Egyptian newspaper reported Saturday.

The meeting comes a day before the cease-fire is to take effect at 8 a.m. Beirut time Monday (1 a.m. EDT).

The Arab League criticized the U.N. Security Council for not labeling Israel as the main aggressor, but said the peace plan was the best option to halt fighting that has claimed nearly 900 lives.
   
   

"The resolution is the best that can be achieved in the mean time under the unbalanced international equation," said Ahmed bin Heli, the league's assistant secretary-general.

Qatar, the only Arab League member on the 15-nation Security Council, voted in favor of the resolution, which passed unanimously Friday.

Jordan called the cease-fire plan a critical "first step," and Turkey suggested Saturday that it could send peacekeeping troops.

The plan calls for expanding the U.N. force in Lebanon and adding Lebanese soldiers to patrol a buffer zone between the Israeli military and Hezbollah guerrillas. Lebanon's Cabinet unanimously voted to accept the plan, and Israel was expected to do the same Sunday.

Israel, however, has said it will not withdraw its troops until a strong peacekeeping mission is in place, while Hezbollah has made clear it won't stop fighting until the Israelis leave.

"This is the first step to stop the bloodshed - which is an imperative priority," Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit said after talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. "What's happening in Lebanon is one of the repercussions of the Palestinian issue. We must revive efforts to resolve this problem."

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said his country will look "very favorably" toward sending peacekeepers to Lebanon after a full cease-fire is achieved.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit urged Israel to acknowledge the international will by calling an immediate end to the attacks and pulling out of Lebanon.

"Israel now should be committed and show total commitment by (announcing) an immediate cease-fire so that the elements of political settlement - which were reached after a big effort and after a heavy price was paid by the families and civilians - can take place," he said.

He also demanded investigations into "massacres" by Israeli forces during the war.

Arab League Criticizes U.N. Resolution
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How can they identify Israel as the main agressor when it never attacked Lebanon or Gaza until they killed and kidnapped Israeli soldiers and killed civilians for the fun of it?

They are the most delusional people, I have ever witnessed.  They need to look into their own house.