LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
June 11/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to
Saint Matthew 5,13-16. You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its
taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be
thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on
a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a
bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the
house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good
deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
Free
Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
The global vision of the Islamic Republic of
Iran.By: Reza
Hossein Borr 10/06/08
Is Syria defecting from Iran? By:
John Loftus 10/06/08
Sarkozy's Shebaa Farms gambit has much to recommend
it-The Daily Star 10/06/08
It's either a land for peace formula or the unknown-By:
Abdel Monem Said Aly 10/06/08
Hearing echoes of the 1970s in Lebanon.
By: Rayyan al-Shawaf 10/06/08
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for June
10/08
Iran warns of
"painful" response if Israel attacks. AP
Shaker Abssi Says it's Vengeance Time-Naharnet
Suleiman: New Documents
Prove Lebanese Identity of Shabaa Farms-Naharnet
U.S. Cautious on French
Plans to Renew Ties with Syria-Naharnet
Saniora Done with
Distribution of Cabinet Posts, Awaits Response-Naharnet
Army Moves Into Central
Bekaa to Contain Hizbullah-Mustaqbal Clashes-Naharnet
Ain al-Hilweh's
Mysterious Victim-Naharnet
Three People Wounded in
Opposition-Majority Clash in Bekaa-Naharnet
Army cracks down after clashes among rival parties
in Bekaa-Daily Star
UK foreign secretary vows to support Lebanese
stability-AFP
Berri questions delay in carrying out security
recommendations-Daily Star
Abu al-Aynayn says security bolstered in Ain
al-Hilweh-Daily Star
UNIFIL's Italian contingent holds national day
celebrations-Daily Star
ISF calls off annual festivities again, holds
low-key events-Daily Star
Bill for rebuilding Nahr al-Bared to top $445
million-Daily Star
AUB mourns 'dedicated' pediatrician dead at 38-Daily
Star
Garden festival to highlight importance of green
behavior-Daily Star
USJ conference explores role of NGOs in local
development-Daily Star
Lebanese take political wrangling to Facebook-Daily
Star
Lebanon's politicians glorified to levels of stardom-By
Inter Press Service
Army Moves Into Central Beqaa To Contain Hizbullah-Mustaqbal Clashes-Naharnet
Saniora: Killers of the
Four Judges would Be Brought to Justice-Naharnet
Gemayel Concerned by
Spreading Violence-Naharnet
Iran’s Leader Tells Iraq that Americans Are the Problem-New York
Times
Would-be Lebanon bomber probably Saudi: Fatah official-AFP
Army Moves Into Central Beqaa To Contain
Hizbullah-Mustaqbal Clashes
Naharnet/Tank-led army units moved into contested regions of the Central Beqaa
Valley after overnight clashes between Hizbullah and Mustaqbal partisans wounded
four people and inflicted severe damage to property. Helmeted troops erected
checkpoints, frisked the few pedestrians who ventured out in the central Beqaa
and carried out house raids in search of gunmen involved in the clashes that
covered the pro-Mustaqbal towns of Saadnayel and Taalabaya, on the one hand, and
the Hizbullah strongholds of Taalabaya Farms, Jlala and Ommol, on the other.
Schools and businesses closed and high tension prevailed over the region at
night fall amidst efforts by the army to contain the situation and prevent
renewed outbreak of clashes. Mustaqbal Movement, in a statement, accused
Hizbullah of provoking the clash in which rocket-propelled grenade launchers and
60-mm mortars were used. A Hizbullah source, on the other hand, accused
Mustaqbal of escalating violence to hamper efforts aimed at implementing the
Doha Accord and forming a national unity cabinet. The Mustaqbal statement also
accused Hizbullah members of beating up three citizens in Beirut overnight
Sunday and smashing a shop, despite declared pledges by the party to facilitate
implementation of a security plan in the capital. A reliable source in the Beqaa,
speaking to Naharnet on condition of anonymity, said the army's deployment in
the valley's central sector is a "major test to its ability to maintain law and
order.""What happens in the Beqaa is a mere reflection of tension in Beirut. If
the army succeeds in containing the situation and preventing renewed clashes, we
would have hope in the future," the source added. He said The Beqaa Sunni Mufti,
Sheikh Khalil al-Mais, is sponsoring a meeting of the region's leaders and main
figures for Tuesday to brief them on the situation and outline future prospects.
Beirut, 09 Jun 08, 19:46
Shaker Abssi Says it's Vengeance Time
Naharnet/Fatah al-Islam leader Shaker Abssi has slammed in an audiotape
Lebanon's Sunnis and Hizbullah and criticized the Lebanese army's role in the
clashes between pro- and anti-government supporters last month. Abssi accused
Sunni leaders of being "traitors" and receiving orders from the Bush
administration. He also said Hizbullah launched a sectarian war in May when it
took over West Beirut. He hinted it was time for revenge and that Iraq's
bombings and suicide bombers would not spare "God's enemies wherever they are."
The authenticity of the audiotape could not be independently verified but was
posted on websites which issue statements by extremists. If the tape is proven
to be authentic, it would be the second since the leader of the terrorist group
escaped from the northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared last year.
Abssi is believed to have escaped from the camp during bloody gunbattles between
the Lebanese army and Fatah al-Islam fighters which led to the death of 400
people, including 137 soldiers. The more than three-month siege at the camp
destroyed large parts of the shantytown.
Earlier this year, the fugitive leader lashed out at then army chief Gen. Michel
Suleiman and vowed his fighters would hunt down the current president's
followers whom he accused of destroying Nahr al-Bared as part of a deal to
become head of state. The al-Qaida-inspired group's leader also accused Suleiman
in his first audiotape of waging the battle at the camp for political purposes,
including appeasing the United States. In the new tape headlined "An Appeal to
Lebanon's Sunnis," Abssi criticized the army which many accused of siding with
the opposition during the May clashes and said the military "disappointed"
Sunnis who backed it during the Nahr al-Bared battles. Beirut, 10 Jun 08, 08:54
Suleiman: New Documents Prove Lebanese Identity of Shabaa Farms
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman has said Lebanon will present new documents
to the United Nations proving that the Israeli-occupied Shabaa farms area is
Lebanese, a move that could activate diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a
solution to the issue. Suleiman made the announcement to British Foreign
Secretary David Miliband who was on a visit to Lebanon on Monday. Media reports
on Tuesday said the newly-elected president also stressed to Miliband Lebanon's
right to regain its sovereignty over the Shabaa farms zone and Kfarshouba hills.
Lebanese sources told Al Hayat on Monday that the Shabaa Farms issue was also
discussed during talks between Suleiman and French President Nicolas Sarkozy
over the weekend. The sources said Suleiman saw an Israeli withdrawal from the
area "would pave the way for a defense strategy agreement among the Lebanese and
a settlement of the (Hizbullah) arms issue." An Nahar daily on Tuesday quoted
diplomatic sources as saying that the British Foreign Secretary promised
Lebanese leaders during his visit to Beirut that he will discuss the Shabaa
issue with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon in London next week. The sources said that
Miliband will talk with Ban on ways to convince Israel to withdraw from the
farms area after Suleiman revealed that Lebanon had new documents proving the
identity of Shabaa. Miliband asked Suleiman to send copies of the documents to
the British government, according to the sources. "As a member of the U.N.
Security Council, we are fully committed to play our part and to urge others to
do so in ensuring that all of Resolution 1701 is put into practice, including
the Shebaa Farms issue," Miliband said Monday. Resolution 1701 brought an end to
a devastating war between Israel and Hizbullah in the summer of 2006 and called
for the U.N. secretary general to make a proposal for the delineation of the
disputed Shebaa Farms area. Beirut, 10 Jun 08, 07:16
U.S. Cautious on French Plans to Renew Ties with Syria
Naharnet/The U.S. State Department reacted with caution on Monday
when asked about plans by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to renew ties with
Syria, saying that Washington would discuss the issue with Paris. "France and
the United States share the same wish for peace and stability in the region,"
said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. "We both want to see a Lebanon
that is peaceful, prosperous and free of foreign interference." "We look forward
to continuing discussions with France on how to best support the Lebanese people
to achieve their goals for a better future," McCormack added, saying Washington
will ask Paris for clarification. "At the same time, the United States has
serious concerns over the Syrian government's behavior including its support of
terrorism, clandestine nuclear program, facilitation of the passage of foreign
fighters into Iraq, repression of its own people, and interference in the
affairs of its neighbors, including Lebanon," McCormack said. Sarkozy plans to
send two senior envoys to Syria as ties suspended last year over Lebanon's
political crisis start to thaw, a source close to his office said on Saturday.
Sarkozy has also decided to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Paris on
July 13 for talks on the proposed Mediterranean Union.(AFP) Beirut, 10 Jun 08,
07:49
Saniora Done with Distribution of Cabinet Posts, Awaits
Response
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Fouad Saniora has proposed an approach to
distribution of cabinet portfolios and was reportedly awaiting response from the
various political leaders. In a stance that hints at changes in sovereign
portfolios without altering the distribution list adopted by Saniora, government
sources told the daily An Nahar on Tuesday that the proposed cabinet line-up was
drafted in accordance with the terms of the Doha agreement. For this reason,
Saniora divided up the cabinet such as the President appoints three ministers --
two sovereign and one minister of state without portfolio. An Nahar said Saniora
distributed the other seats as follows: Eight for the opposition, including one
sovereign post, 12 for the majority, including one sovereign post, while the
remaining seven posts – ministers of state -- would be divided up such as the
majority gets four and the opposition three. Sources told An Nahar that
Saniora's aim behind this make-up was to reach a fair cabinet distribution,
adding that the proposed list had been presented to the various sides but no one
group has responded either positively or negatively. Beirut, 10 Jun 08, 09:29
Army Moves Into Central Bekaa to Contain
Hizbullah-Mustaqbal Clashes
Naharnet/Tank-led army units moved into contested regions of the
Central Bekaa Valley after overnight clashes between Hizbullah and Mustaqbal
partisans wounded four people and inflicted severe damage to property. Helmeted
troops erected checkpoints, frisked the few pedestrians who ventured out in the
central Bekaa and carried out house raids in search of gunmen involved in the
clashes that covered the pro-Mustaqbal towns of Saadnayel and Taalabaya, on the
one hand, and the Hizbullah strongholds of Taalabaya Farms, Jlala and Ommol, on
the other. Schools and businesses closed and high tension prevailed over the
region at night fall amidst efforts by the army to contain the situation and
prevent renewed outbreak of clashes. Mustaqbal Movement, in a statement, accused
Hizbullah of provoking the clash in which rocket-propelled grenade launchers and
60-mm mortars were used. A Hizbullah source, on the other hand, accused
Mustaqbal of escalating violence to hamper efforts aimed at implementing the
Doha Accord and forming a national unity cabinet. The Mustaqbal statement also
accused Hizbullah members of beating up three citizens in Beirut overnight
Sunday and smashing a shop, despite declared pledges by the party to facilitate
implementation of a security plan in the capital. A reliable source in the Bekaa,
speaking to Naharnet on condition of anonymity, said the army's deployment in
the valley's central sector is a "major test to its ability to maintain law and
order." "What happens in the Bekaa is a mere reflection of tension in Beirut. If
the army succeeds in containing the situation and preventing renewed clashes, we
would have hope in the future," the source added. He said the Bekaa Sunni Mufti,
Sheikh Khalil al-Mays, is sponsoring a meeting of the region's leaders and main
figures for Tuesday to brief them on the situation and outline future prospects.
Beirut, 09 Jun 08, 19:46
Ain al-Hilweh's Mysterious Victim
Naharnet/An unidentified person was seriously wounded when assailants opened
fire at him in the southern Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh.
The unidentified victim was evacuated to Hammoud hospital in nearby Sidon for
treatment from nine bullet wounds in various parts of his body, a hospital
source said. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the victim did
not have any identification documents.
"He is totally unknown, and the ambulance that drove him in from the camp left
immediately after he was put on the stretcher," the source added.
"This is a very fishy case. An unknown victim, evacuated from a
densely-populated area, and no relatives, friends or family members with him,"
the source noted.
He is in a critical condition, the source said of the unidentified victim. The
attempt followed a declared agreement by Palestinian factions to get rid of
suspicious foreigners living in their camp, to avoid changing it into a second
Nahr al-Bared. Non confirmed reports identified the victim as Jalal Hassanein,
member of the Ansar League. However, a security source ridiculed the claim,
recalling that Hassanein "was killed two years ago.""This guy is someone else.
But who is he?" the source asked. Beirut, 09 Jun 08, 22:25
Three People Wounded in Opposition-Majority Clash in Bekaa
Naharnet/At least three people were wounded in a clash between opposition and
majority partisans in the Bekaa Valley village of Rawda late Monday.
Army and police units moved in to contain the deterioration and arrested at
least 14 people. Local reporters said the clash pitted followers of ex-MP Abdul
Rahim Murad and Mustaqbal partisans, in the first such confrontation among rival
Sunni factions since outbreak of violence on May 8, when Hizbullah fighters
attacked Beirut and Mount Lebanon. Murad, member of the Hizbullah-led
opposition, is a rival of Mustaqbal Movement led by MP Saad Hariri. Beirut, 09
Jun 08, 22:08
Would-be Lebanon Bomber probably Saudi
(AFP/A would-be suicide bomber who was shot dead last month outside a
Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon was "probably" a Saudi national, a
senior Palestinian official said on Monday. The incident outside Ain al-Helweh
"during which a man, probably of Saudi nationality, was killed has forced us to
take strict and urgent security measures," said Sultan Abul Aynan, who heads the
Fatah faction in Lebanon. "After the death of the suicide bomber, we arrested
another young man of Saudi nationality who had entered the camp a few days
earlier," the official told AFP. The bomber was wearing an explosive belt when
he was killed by Lebanese soldiers in late May as he tried to blow himself up at
a checkpoint outside Ain al-Helweh camp, near the southern port city of Sidon.
The army identified the would-be bomber as a 28-year-old Palestinian called
Mahmud al-Ahmad Yassin. But a senior Palestine Liberation Organisation official
in Lebanon, Munir Maqdah, said the man was carrying false identity papers marked
with the logo of the U.N. relief agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
Abul Aynan said "Fatah's military wing has formed a force of 500 armed men to
monitor security in Ain al-Helweh." "We have launched search operations to
identify people in the camp who are foreign to it," Abul Aynan said.
"The Palestinian factions in Lebanon unanimously agree on the need to prevent
people from outside the camp from residing in it, regardless of their
nationality," he said. "Ain al-Helweh will no longer be a place of refuge for
foreigners," Abul Aynan said. Members of extremist groups believed to have links
with Al-Qaida have settled in Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps in recent
years, especially in Ain al-Helweh, the largest camp. The camps are outside the
control of Lebanese authorities, with Palestinian factions in charge of
security. The failed suicide bombing came a year after the Lebanese army was
locked in deadly battles in Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon with
an Islamist militant group thought to be mostly made up of foreign Arabs. More
than 400 people were killed, including 168 soldiers, in more than three months
of fighting which ended in September.(AFP) Beirut, 09 Jun 08, 21:12
Saniora: Killers of the Four Judges would Be Brought to
Justice
Naharnet/Premier-designate Fouad Saniora said Monday the state of Lebanon is
determined to bring to justice culprits involved in the killing of four judges
at the Sidon court house nine years ago. At the ninth anniversary of the crime
that remains unresolved, Saniora told families and relatives of the victims the
operation was "the most serious attempt to torpedo the state and civic rule."
"Rest assured that justice would be served … the Lebanese People would not give
up their right to spread state authority and its justice all over Lebanon,
irrespective of hardships," Saniora said in a statement. Beirut, 09 Jun 08,
20:35
Heavy Gunbattles in Bekaa Leave 4 Wounded, Woman Injured in
Aley Region Shooting
Naharnet/Fighting with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades
and mortars raged overnight between pro- and anti-government supporters in east
Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Hospital sources said Monday four people were wounded.
Voice of Lebanon radio station on Monday said at least 50 RPGs and mortar shells
fell on Saadnayel and Taalbaya in central Bekaa overnight. It said fighting
subsided at dawn Monday after army troops, backed by tanks and armored personnel
carriers, deployed in the two embattled towns. Occasional crackle of machine
gunfire and rockets, however, still echoed in Saadnayel and Taalbaya early
Monday. Press reports said the clashes were the result of an "individual
incident" after sunset Sunday between residents of Saadnayel and an opposition
supporter who fired automatic rifle in the air. They said Saadnayel residents
promptly responded with heavy shooting. The situation was soon brought under
army control when troops stepped in and dispersed the feuding sides, only to
explode overnight for no clear reason. "Everybody's wondering what the motive is
behind the desire to explode the security situation in central Bekaa," said
Voice of Lebanon. Meanwhile, a verbal quarrel in the mountainous village of
Majdel Baana in the Aley region overnight between pro- and anti-government
supporters developed into a shooting. It was not known what touched off
the argument between Mahmoud Zuheir Abdel Khaleq from Walid Jumblat's
Progressive Socialist Party and Jad Nazem Abdel Khaleq from Wiam Wahhab's
pro-opposition Tawheed Movement. News reports on Monday said opposition members
from the Syrian Socialist National Party intervened by opening fire on the house
of Mahmoud's father, wounding a woman who was identified as Sally Zuheir Abdel
Khaleq. Security forces swiftly stepped in and contained the incident.
Meanwhile, Majdel Baana residents staged a sit-in demanding that suspects are
handed over to authorities. "Troops raided hideouts of suspects involved in the
Majdel Baana shooting and arrested several of them," an army communiqué said. It
said troops also "confiscated arms and ammunition that have been found in their
possession." They were referred to the judiciary, the statement added. It said
army troops have also launched a manhunt for the suspects involved in the
"unrest" in Saadnayel and Taalbaya. In a separate incident, Hizbullah members
encircled a police unit from the Internal Security Forces in Kfarshima late
Sunday to protest the confiscation of a vehicle for traffic violation. Beirut,
09 Jun 08, 07:07
Sarkozy's Shebaa Farms gambit
has much to recommend it
By The Daily Star
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Editorial
New comments from French President Nicolas Sarkozy offer hope for a resolution
of one of the most complicated issues facing Lebanon today, that of Israel's
continuing occupation of the Shebaa Farms. The implications of a solution are
nothing less than startling. First and foremost, the matter of Hizbullah's arms
would take on a whole new light, presumably making it easier to integrate them
and the men who have wielded them into the arsenal of the state - which would
then become far more formidable. In addition, such a development would also make
it possible at last to demarcate the entirety of Lebanon's border with Syria, a
key sticking point in efforts to establish diplomatic relations between Beirut
and Damascus.
Perhaps the best part of Sarkozy's approach is that it has resurrected one of
slain Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's tenets, namely that Shebaa should not be
decoupled from other regional issues. He had his critics for holding that view,
of course. Some Lebanese were (and are) too enamored of defeatism and/or of
denigrating Hizbullah to acknowledge it, but the farms are Lebanese - a fact
confirmed most clearly several years ago by an Israeli academic named Asher
Kaufman. There was (and is) no talking to them. Others have taken a more subtle
view, arguing that Hariri's approach risked tethering Shebaa to the adjacent
Golan Heights, also occupied by Israel, and therefore preventing Lebanon from
ever achieving a separate peace.
There are many problems with the latter argument, but two stand out. First,
there is every reason to expect that a small country like Lebanon would get the
wrong end of the stick if it were ever to negotiate a bilateral peace with
Israel; that is how things work in conflict resolution, especially when the
Israelis are involved. Second, Israel has had plenty of time to carry out a
withdrawal from Shebaa or seek negotiations, and it has done neither. In fact,
it was just a few years ago that US President George W. Bush promised to raise
the issue with the Israelis and the response that came back was, basically,
"what's in it for us?"
Actually, they might have avoided a war with Lebanon in which Hizbullah exposed
their much-ballyhooed military as having little stomach for a fight with people
who are neither women nor children. A similar option is still available for
Israel, one that both would help it save face and grease the wheels of its own
indirect negotiations with Syria. As a first step, progress on Shebaa would
almost have to include Damascus' officially communicating to the United Nations
what it has already effectively conceded, namely that the farms are Lebanese and
not Syrian. The formula most commonly bandied about would then see Shebaa fall
under UN supervision until the Golan was evacuated. Instead of several
interlocking issues preventing movement on any of them, then, a phased and
internationalized transfer of Shebaa might allow leverage to start working the
other way.
What's in it for Lebanon? Sarkozy's having picked up this particular ball means
this country has an opportunity to simultaneously regain occupied land and
defuse internal tensions. These advantages mean a great deal to average Lebanese
who live in fear of how the next crisis - foreign or domestic - will affect
their livelihoods, endanger their children and interrupt their education. Any
Lebanese government, of any composition, that fails to see - and avidly pursue -
the value in this will hear about it
Hearing echoes of the 1970s in
Lebanon
By Rayyan al-Shawaf
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Lebanon's current reprieve from its ongoing struggle with Hizbullah has allowed
for the belated election of a president and the forging of an agreement between
the majority and the opposition regarding a national unity cabinet. These are
welcome developments and have naturally focused everyone's attention on the
country's immediate political future.
Simply put, Lebanon's stability in the long term remains dependent on its
ability to resolve the problem of "the resistance." Worryingly, the country's
struggle with Hizbullah is looking increasingly like the bitter conflict that
took place between Lebanese groups and the Palestine Liberation Organization in
the 1960s and 1970s. In both cases, an armed extra-governmental group believed
that it had the right to operate largely on its own terms, and to make decisions
that could - and often did - plunge the country into chaos.
Nevertheless, there are a few important differences between Hizbullah and the
PLO. The main reason for the PLO's overwhelming presence in Lebanon during the
1970s was the organization's desire to maintain its independence. Following its
expulsion from Jordan in 1970-1971, the PLO officially made Damascus its
headquarters but in practice moved most of its leadership and personnel to
Beirut, where they could operate more freely. Indeed, the history of Fatah, the
largest group within the PLO, has been a continuous attempt to remain free of
Egyptian, Jordanian, and Syrian control.
Hizbullah, on the other hand, is an organization which identifies wholly with
the Islamic Republic of Iran and is dedicated to ensuring some form of political
compatibility between Lebanon and Iran. Lebanon's best hope for getting through
to Hizbullah may lie in prying Syria - Hizbullah's only Arab backer - away from
Iran. If Syria is brought back into the Arab fold, Iran could think twice about
confronting the entire Arab world, and Hizbullah accordingly would become more
flexible. Yet this Syria-first approach carries a major caveat; the carrots to
be offered Syria in the hope of steering it away from Iran should include
absolutely no compromise on the issue of Lebanon's sovereignty or the upcoming
Hariri tribunal.
Returning to the issue of Lebanon's historical experience, it will not escape
notice that the recent power struggle between the government and Hizbullah is
also uncannily similar to that which took place between, specifically, the
Lebanese state and the "Palestinian revolution" in the 1970s. Hizbullah's logic
regarding the need for a private telecommunications network is sound - but only
if one's departure point is that there should be such a thing as "the
resistance." Significantly, the Palestinians employed the same resistance-based
logic in the 1970s when defending their actions.
It was the Cairo Agreement of 1969 which legitimized the Palestinian armed
presence in Lebanon. Perhaps the single most important lesson to be drawn from
the disastrous aftermath of that fatuous understanding was the irreconcilability
of resistance and state. The Cairo Agreement's restrictions on various types of
Palestinian activity came to be ignored in favor of its larger legitimization of
armed resistance as such. Unsurprisingly, demands that Palestinian groups
coordinate their movements with the Lebanese Army proved untenable. For the
state to accept the existence of a separate resistance - a violation of its own
sovereignty - then to sanction that resistance's actions with its sovereign
writ, was and is profoundly contradictory.
Hizbullah's own Cairo Agreement moment lasted from 1990, when the Lebanese state
re-emerged from the ashes of the Civil War, until 2000, when Israel finally
withdrew from southern Lebanon. During that decade, Hizbullah used its
officially sanctioned resistance role to dismiss any and all attempts to bring
the party in line with the Lebanese state. Even the Israeli withdrawal in 2000
and the accompanying tentative voices calling for a complete restoration of
Lebanese sovereignty failed to have an impact. Hizbullah latched onto the Shebaa
Farms issue and Syria silenced Lebanese dissent. However, Lebanese reaction to
the assassination of the former prime minister, Rafik Hariri, in February 2005,
would prove to be too much for Syria and Hizbullah to contain. Syria was forced
into a humiliating withdrawal from Lebanon and Hizbullah was left exposed and
vulnerable.
Since 2005, Hizbullah has committed a series of blunders, the two most
spectacular being its kidnapping of Israeli soldiers in 2006, which provoked the
July-August war, and its recent invasion and occupation of western Beirut.
Watching their country lurch from one crisis to another as a result of
Hizbullah's actions, many Lebanese have come to question a number of previously
held beliefs. For example, in the past much had been made of Hizbullah's
national identity, as though by virtue of being a Lebanese organization, any
potential for future conflict with the state had somehow been preemptively
averted. Now that such bromides have lost all currency, perhaps the country is
ready to tackle the central issue of the resistance's obsolescence.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether those Lebanese at odds with Hizbullah
can radically reorient their strategy. During the 1970s the tragedy was that
many Lebanese accepted the existence of an armed resistance, and then hopelessly
attempted to keep it under the state's jurisdiction. Until recently, the
situation was much the same regarding Hizbullah.
If a debate does take place in Lebanon on whether or not "the resistance" should
continue at all, it will not be enough to argue that Israel has withdrawn from
the country. Resistance has somehow become its own justification, something
self-generating, reminding us of George Santayana's observation that a fanatic
is one who redoubles his efforts even as he forgets his aim. As a result the
Lebanese will have to address the entire "culture of resistance" that Hizbullah
has painstakingly cultivated over the decades. For Lebanon to become normal
again, "resistance" as some sort of supreme cultural value - as opposed to a
temporary phenomenon dictated by the circumstances of Israeli occupation - must
be overcome. This is the only honest way to tackle the problem, and probably the
most effective one. To call for disarming Hizbullah without challenging the cult
of resistance would be almost as hypocritical as accepting the resistance while
imposing constraints on it.
**Rayyan al-Shawaf is a freelance writer and reviewer based in Beirut. He wrote
this commentary for THE DAILY STAR.
It's either a land for peace
formula or the unknown
By Abdel Monem Said Aly
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The land for peace formula was born as legal terminology when Resolution 242 was
adopted by the United Nations Security Council in November 1967. Yet, that was
only the first step in developing an overall concept to resolve the Arab-Israel
conflict. It described a kind of "just" exchange in which the two parties to the
conflict gain something of strategic value in order to achieve goals of historic
magnitude.
In theory, the resolution was to provide Jews with a country they had fought
hard for and the Arabs with territory and hard-fought rights. Operationally, it
has had three meanings: an exchange of Arab land occupied by Israel in the June
1967 war for recognition of Israel as a sovereign country; a two-state solution
for the Palestinian question in which Israel and Palestine live side by side in
peace along the June 4, 1967, lines; and an overall relationship between Arabs
and Israelis of recognition and normalization following Israeli withdrawal from
the occupied Arab territories, in other words the Arab peace initiative.
As clear and as positive as it seems, the land for peace formula has always
encountered doubters in both the Arab and Israeli camps. In the Arab world there
were those who thought that an aggressive society like Israel should not be
granted an expanded state that went even beyond the 1947 partition resolution. A
Palestinian state extending over only 22 percent of original Palestine
represented anything but justice in a conflict mired in blood and violations of
human rights. For some Israelis, giving up the West Bank in such an exchange is
to deprive Zionism of its religious depth in addition to the strategic depth
needed in a confrontation with a deeply hostile regional environment.
As the conflict evolved over the years since 1967, there was no shortage on both
sides of references to the inevitability of returning "historic land" to its
"rightful owners," and in Israel to changing the formula to "peace for peace" or
"land for peace and security" and similar word combinations. Nor has the
experience of 40 years been very encouraging for both parties. Despite rays of
hope for peace, despair has been the norm in a region beset by the demons of
fear and the nightmares of doubt.
Yet there is no substitute for the land for peace formula to resolve the
Arab-Israel conflict. The concept has informed every step of progress in this
long and bloody confrontation. It was behind the Egyptian-Israeli and
Israeli-Jordanian peace treaties. In a way, it was the doctrine that changed an
existential Arab-Israel conflict into one about how the two sides can live with
each other and created the foundations for resolving the hard core of the
conflict within the Palestinian historical space. It was the guiding principle
behind the Oslo process, the Camp David summit in the summer of 2000, the
Clinton parameters and all negotiations that followed. It set the standard for
the exchange of territories that has paved the way to a solution to the obstacle
presented by the Israeli settlements. Finally, it was the concept that made it
possible to start negotiations under the Madrid and Annapolis umbrellas.
In fact, any attempt to revise the concept would mean the destruction of four
decades of hard work by diplomats and politicians. Starting over with a new
concept, whatever that might be, would mean embarking on a new path with no
guarantee of improved performance. Moreover, the land for peace formula is the
only game in town for the recently restarted Israeli-Syrian negotiations and the
ongoing Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and is the concept without which the
Arab peace initiative would lose all meaning. Indeed, eliminating the concept
would wipe out an entire bargaining framework and base future negotiations
strictly on the balance of power.
That the concept of land for peace guarantees the success of these peace
endeavors between Arabs and Israelis is a fanciful proposition. Never in history
has a legal, political or even moral concept proved sufficient to lead warring
states or communities to peace. Concepts can only create a framework, an initial
understanding, define the issue and probably the bargaining steps; but they
cannot substitute for the political will of the parties or the hard work of
diplomacy in translating words into substantive meaning.
**Abdel Monem Said Aly is director of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and
Strategic Studies in Cairo. This commentary first appeared at
bitterlemons-international.org, an online newsletter publishing views of Middle
Eastern and Islamic affairs.
Hezbollah: Most Powerful Political Movement in
Lebanon
Interviewee: Daniel L. Byman, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Saban Center for
Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution
Interviewer: Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor
May 29, 2008
Counterterrorism expert Daniel L. Byman, a senior fellow at the Brookings
Institution's Saban Center for Middle East Policy, describes Hezbollah as a
"cogent mix of different facets of power" and calls it "the most powerful single
political movement in Lebanon." Byman, a former CIA political analyst, estimates
Iran gives Hezbollah in excess of $100 million in aid yearly, including
anti-ship cruise missiles and rockets that can be used against Israel. And he
says in the event of any peace agreement arising from Syria-Israel talks, Syria
would be less capable of reigning in Hezbollah than it would have been in the
past.
Hezbollah was formed in the early 1980s with the active assistance of Iran. How
would you describe Hezbollah today?
Hezbollah today is a very, very cogent mix of different facets of power. It's a
very skilled terrorist group, it's a very formidable guerilla organization, it's
the most powerful single political movement in Lebanon, and it's a large social
provider. They all coexist. This is not schizophrenia. This is one big
organization that is able to do multiple things quite effectively.
In this latest crisis they had in Lebanon where the government of Prime Minister
Fouad Siniora tried to crack down on Hezbollah's internal communications system,
it came to the point where people feared another civil war. What was Hezbollah's
strategy?
Hezbollah has always tried to portray itself, especially in the last ten to
fifteen years, as a Lebanese organization as well as a broader revolutionary
kind of one. As a result they have always claimed that they've never taken up
arms against fellow Lebanese. I would quibble with that, but nevertheless that's
been a very strong propaganda theme. So, while Hezbollah wanted people to
recognize its tremendous power, it didn't want to actually have to use force to
exercise it. This time, in the crisis over the government's efforts to break up
Hezbollah's internal communications system, it felt that the government was
pushing it too far, so it fought back. The result was a very quick Hezbollah
victory. It has more street power than other rival organizations. The only group
comparable is the Lebanese army, but the army is held together tenuously and
it's certainly not going to go after Hezbollah. My view is that the army would
lose if it did. But in any event, going after Hezbollah would be unpopular among
many of the soldiers.
Hezbollah is a Shiite organization. What is the percentage of Shiites in Lebanon
now?
No one really knows. Usually we say Shiites make up a "plurality" so there's a
guess about slightly over 40 percent. But that figure is not something I can
back up. There is a reason for that uncertainty. Lebanon's political system is
based on distribution of power by community, with each community getting a
slice. It was done based on a census in 1932 that said that Christians are a
slight majority of the country and in the Muslim community Sunni Muslims are the
majority and so on. We know that census is, to put it mildly, out of date.
Christians are not even close to a majority in the country anymore and the
Shiite are certainly more numerous than Sunnis. It was debatable then and is
certainly false now. But if you had a new census it would ensure that so there
is a tremendous interest by powerful groups in not having a new census.
How strong a military is Hezbollah actually? They fought Israel to a standstill
in the summer of 2006. Do they have a modern army?
They have a very formidable guerrilla force and are able to use irregular
warfare quite effectively. Could they conquer another country? If they tried to
invade say Jordan or Syria, they would not be able to carry out modern,
conventional operations effectively. But that's not what they are trying to do.
They do what they do extremely well; they are a very potent guerrilla
organization.
Since the 2006 war, there has been a United Nations operation charged with
trying to prevent infiltration of additional arms from Syria and Iran, but
everyone says that this has not succeeded. How much support does Iran supply to
Hezbollah?
It gives Hezbollah an extremely wide array of support, including significant
financial help. The figure generally talked about is $100 million a year, but my
guess is that is probably higher than that. Recently it gave more because after
the 2006 war Hezbollah needed more support. Iran has also provided massive
training. There is an Iranian military presence in Lebanon and also weapons that
were shipped through Syria. Weapons range from machine guns all the way to
anti-ship cruise missiles.
Israelis mostly concerned about the missiles I take it?
They are mostly concerned about not just anti-ship cruise missiles but the
longer-range rockets that can strike its cities.
You were recently in Israel. What is their sense of the situation vis-a-vis
Hezbollah? Do they expect new hostilities soon?
Yes and no. There is no immediate expectation of hostility but I would say that
they wouldn't be surprised if it happened tomorrow. So there is no precipitating
event that they are expecting, but there is a sense that Hezbollah is not done
with Israel.
If Israel and Syria actually get far along in their peace negotiations how will
this affect Hezbollah?
That's a huge question. If we were having this conversation ten years ago the
logic was that Syria would crack down on Hezbollah in Lebanon as part of the
deal. But since then Syrian troops have left Lebanon. Syria still has a lot of
influence there, but I refer to Syria as the landlord of Lebanon. Syria needs
Hezbollah to protect its interests in Lebanon because Syria wants to be the
dominant power and Hezbollah has street power.
To go even further, Syrian President Bashar Assad has relatively weak political
legitimacy and the most popular man in the Arab world, according to polls, is
[Hezbollah leader] Hassan Nasrallah. Bashar leans on Nasrallah for popular
support. When you're politically weak do you really want to irritate the most
popular person in the Arab world? So there is a question as to what Syria would
do as part of a deal. To me, I'm not sure that Syria could shut down Hezbollah.
What should the United States be doing about Lebanon and also with Iran and
Syria? The United States virtually has no dialogue with Syria or Iran right now.
To me a dialogue is logical even if it's as likely as not to produce much. You
want to be able to talk to them, to put pressure on them diplomatically as well.
The issue of Lebanon has been a painful one for the Syrians in particular. If
there is stability in Lebanon, that may be in the U.S. interest because that
might clear some of the debris away that will enable progress in places like
Iraq and perhaps even the peace process with Israel. This has been an irritant
in the relationship. While it's not good news that Hezbollah is doing well, if
the United States recognizes it that will remove a problem.
If the United States recognizes what, that Hezbollah has a role in governance?
Right, and a significant role, and also recognizes that Syria is going to be a
major power in Lebanon. That will make Syria more likely to make concessions on
other areas.
The Clinton administration dealt with Syria very often. In fact President
Clinton met with Hafez al-Assad, the former president of Syria. Why did the Bush
administration decide not to deal with Syria? Was this because of the
infiltration of jihadists from Syria into Iraq?
That was part of it, but also, there was a sense that Syria was still supporting
terrorism against Israel, which it is. The Bush administration has a very strong
view, which is "Don't support terrorists."
Hamas has its top leaders in exile living in safety in Syria right now. I
suppose again that in any Syria-Israel agreement, the Israelis would be very
adamant on that question, insisting that they be evicted.
That's correct. There's no question about that. From the Israeli point of view,
why have an agreement if you're not gaining at least that?
A new U.S. administration is going to come into office in January. In the
Syria-Iran-Lebanon areas, what should they give priority to?
For Iran, I would say there are two priorities, the nuclear program and Iraq. I
would put terrorism on the list but I would put it definitely third. To me,
stabilizing Iraq is tremendously important. For Syria, encourage the peace
process with Israel and you want to do that in a way that will actually help and
that might result in doing it behind the scenes.
I thought it was very interesting that the Turks have stepped in here as the
mediators between Syria and Israel. It reminds me of when the Norwegians got
involved with the Palestinians and the Israelis in 1993, leading to the Oslo
agreement.
And that was very successful.
Cdn soldier dies after falling
into Afghan well; father says 'war is stupid'
Module body
Mon Jun 9, 1:33 AM
By Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A Canadian officer who just days ago led his isolated
troops and Afghan soldiers out of a fierce Taliban crossfire died Saturday in a
strange, tragic accident during a nighttime patrol west of Kandahar. Capt.
Jonathan Snyder, a member of 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light
Infantry based in Edmonton, fell into a deep unmarked well and likely drowned.
He was on his second tour of Afghanistan and his third overseas deployment.
Snyder, 26, a native of Penticton, B.C., served as a mentor to the fledgling
Afghan National Army and during a recent operation managed to guide his combined
unit out of a three-sided militant ambush.
"Because of his heroic leadership under intense fire, there are many Canadians
and Afghans who are alive to fight tomorrow," said Maj. Robert Richie, the
commander of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team in Zhari district, where
Snyder was based. Richie did not give the date or the precise location of the
firefight, but said it took place very recently during a battalion-sized
operation where Afghan and Canadian troops were clearing militant positions in
Zhari district, a longtime hive of insurgent activity. The last major operation
in that district was Operation Rolling Thunder, which took place May 26-30, but
the army did not confirm whether the action involving Snyder took place then.
The soldier's father, David Snyder, told The Canadian Press from his home in
Penticton late on Sunday that his son was a "sensitive, intelligent, tough young
man who loved his job and loved soldiering."
The grieving father said he supported his son and the Canadian military, but not
Canada's mission in Afghanistan. "The war is stupid. Maybe it's necessary at
times, but there's all sorts of things to consider. "I ask the members of
Parliament 'Is it worth the sacrifice of their children' " asked the father,
adding that his ultimate question is "Why are we there?" Speaking about his
family's loss, David Snyder said his son left behind a grieving father, a
brother, a broken-hearted mother and a young woman he was going to marry.
Capt. Snyder's mother, Anne Snyder, said her son was an adventurous high
achiever who had aspired to join the military since before the age of 12.
"I can remember him saying to me he had to go to french immersion because he
wouldn't get above the rank of major if he wasn't bilingual," she said from her
Halifax home. Snyder said her son felt protected, was never fearful, and
believed his actions in Afghanistan were helping to move the country forward.
"If anything ever happens mom, don't feel badly for me, I'm where I'm supposed
to be," she said, quoting her son in a recent phone conversation.
Canada's top soldier in Afghanistan described Snyder as the kind of officer
every general would want to command.
Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, head of Task Force Afghanistan, praised the affable
and energetic soldier as a "role model" and pledged that his sacrifice would not
be forgotten. Regimental Maj. Erik Liebert of PPCLI based in Edmonton echoed
Thompson's remarks about his friend.
"He was an exceptional officer - fit, intelligent, principled, a man with
excellent interpersonal skills and a great sense of humour," Liebert said.
"If mistakes would happen or something would go wrong, you could always depend
on John Snyder to give you the straight story, to stand up for his subordinates,
he never tried to point fingers elsewhere and always accepted responsibility for
his actions."
"He was an excellent role model and pretty much what we are looking for - he
could have been a recruiting poster for junior officers."
Thousand of NATO soldiers, including a handful of Afghan troops, lined the
tarmac at Kandahar Airfield late Sunday night for a ramp ceremony.
"Capt. Snyder will leave an indelible mark on this unit and I'm sure on the
Afghan National Army," said Col. Jean-Francois Riffou, who commands all of the
army's OMLTs in Kandahar.
"He was a professional. He was quiet. He was always looking out for his men. And
he was always looking out for the Afghan soldiers and taking all means available
to see that they improved."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered condolences to Snyder's family and friends
Sunday. "He will be remembered as someone who worked shoulder to shoulder with
Afghans to help bring security and stability back to their country, a key part
of Canada's focus on training Afghan forces. Captain Snyder's sacrifice will be
honoured by Canadians and Afghans alike," Harper said in a statement. A
statement from Liberal leader Stephane Dion said: "Captain Snyder's
contributions will not be forgotten." Snyder's body is being flown back to
Canada aboard a C-130 Hercules transport, where it will arrive at Canadian
Forces Base Trenton, Ont., some time in the next few days. He was on foot patrol
in a field in Zhari district when he tumbled into an open well that Afghans call
a "kariz."
The wells, which dot the countryside, can be a couple of metres wide at the
opening, but are often hard to spot among the tall grass and wheat fields.
They are often unmarked and connect to a maze of underground irrigation ditches
used to soothe the parched landscape in river valleys.
Even with night vision gear, which all troops wear, the opening would appear
only as shadows.
Thompson estimated the well Snyder was trapped in may have been as deep as 20
metres. Snyder would have been wearing at least 34 kilograms of equipment,
including a flak vest and helmet, when he fell into the well and easily have
been held under water by the weight.
The rest of his patrol tried desperately to reach him. They radioed for help and
eventually one soldier was lowered by rope to extract him.
"Medical, engineering and search-and-rescue assets were rushed to the scene, and
Jon was lifted from the well," said Thompson, who spoke with members of Snyder's
platoon on Sunday. The young soldier was rushed to the NATO military hospital at
Kandahar Airfield where he was pronounced dead.
For reasons of operational security, the army refused to say where in Zhari
district the joint patrol was operating.
Thompson wouldn't speculate on the cause of death because an autopsy has yet to
be performed, but said there will be a full investigation.
Snyder was a lieutenant, leading a platoon during his last tour. He saw action
at Sangin, in neighbouring Helmand province, as well as in the Panjwaii district
of Kandahar. It was an unpredictable time when the mission was relatively new to
Canadian soldiers, who were getting their first bloody taste of
counter-insurgency war. His exemplary service earned him a promotion to captain
just before he went home in August 2006.
As troops from the 1st Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment arrived to relieve his
unit, Snyder appealed to the humanity of the fresh troops, telling them that
ordinary Afghans were a lot like Canadians in their hopes and desires. "I say,
'Go in there with an open mind and treat people as you would back home in Canada
and go from there,"' he was quoted as saying in an interview. Snyder leaves
behind a fiancee and his parents. He is the 85th Canadian soldier to die in the
war-torn country, along with one diplomat, since the Afghan war started, and the
second to die in less than a week. Capt. Richard (Steve) Leary, a platoon
leader, died of wounds following an ambush in the restive Panjwaii district on
Tuesday. The untimely deaths of Snyder and Leary, as well as the wounding of
other junior officers, has left its mark on the Canadian combat mission, but
Thompson insisted training and organization of the army means others will now
step up to continue.
"Regardless of the rank of the soldier or officer that's injured, every one of
these hurts fairly deeply," he said. "As tragic as these are, they're no reason
to put down our tools and not carry on."