Saturday, July 15, 2006

LEBANON IS HERE TO STAY

A very moving speech by Prime Minister Seniora. So moving, so moving.

The last thing he said is: Loubnan sa yabka, Loubnan sa yabka, Loubnan sa yabka! (Lebanon is here to stay!)

Yes, Lebanon is here to stay. No one has the right to destroy it, to undermine it. We have paid so much.

He reiterated that the Lebanese state needs to be strong, and is required to protect its citizens and establishments. Therefore, he declared that all parties need to cease fire, and negotiations need to start in cooperation with the international community. Second, the Lebanese Army needs to head out to the South in close cooperation with the UN. Third, a call to all friends of Lebanon to help Lebanon, a country declared as devestated, in every single way, through diplomacy, aid and so far.

He again said that the government does not endorse what Hizbullah did and was not aware of it. He also condemned strongly Israel's attacks which has led to many deaths of civilians, especially those families who were trying to flee the south. It's so disheartening. Lebanon is now facing a humanitarian crisis and also economic.

PM Seniora is a true statesman, no matter what many might say. Lebanon is here to stay, is here to stay, is here to stay!

He addressed the whole world from the heart of Beirut, not like how our President who headed to Faqra in the mountains.

Update: So an Israeli General said that the IDF did not afterall hit Syrian military posts on the Lebanon-Syrian border. They only hit inside the Lebanese territories, but next to the Syrian posts. He added that in the IDF defense strategy, it's not planned to have Syria hit, just Lebanon.

Thank you so much for letting us know. Of course it seems that Israel is hitting an easy target, Lebanon. No one can fight back, except for Hizbullah. We don't have a strong army. News even is saying that all of the Army radars positioned in Lebanon's ports have been destroyed by the IDF. So...please don't tell me Lebanon is not an easy target. It's not that the Syrian Army is equal in force to the IDF, but perhaps the IDF should hit those behind Hizbullah, not the Lebanese people.

Addendum: Peaceful World Wide Rally to Protest Ongoing attacks on LEBANON

France - le samedi 15 juillet 2006 à 15h00 Lieu La place des droits de l’homme à Trocadéro – Paris Métro Trocadéro.

USA / Los Angeles - infront of the Israeli embassy in LA. Saturday and Sunday, July 15 and 16, from 10am till 6pm.

USA / Washington - July18, 2006 (5-7pm) at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW - in front of the White House.

Bring Your Lebanese Flags!
Visit www.lebanonexpats.org for more information.

Update 11:26PM (Lebanon's time): Air raids on the city of Tripoli, in the north.

"Nobody knows how many rebellions, besides political rebellions, ferment in the masses of life which people earth."

22 comments:

Mojoski said...

I agree. The message sent from Lebanese who love Lebannon should be one of condemnation of Hezballah. If you allow this situation to somehow unite the people of Lebannon in support of Hezballah's actions, then you will be playing right into Hezballah's hands.

I hope the message coming from freedom loving, peace loving Lebanese will be one of condemnation and destruction of Hezballah.

Papa Ray said...

War is ugly, but peace has to be bought with blood.

If you and the average Lebanese want peace, here is what you need to do.

Get a weapon, go out at night, find Hizbullah, kill them. Hide your weapon until the next night and do it over and over and over. Get your friends and relatives to do the same.

If you do it long enough, guess what? They will leave or surrender (no, forget that, they are too stupid and mad with years of hate to do that).

If you want to live and to prosper, for your children and your grandchildren to have a good life, free from war, you must fight and even die to do this.

Many have discovered this simple fact, many have died for it. Americans have died for this for not only themselves but also for millions of other peoples of this earth.

When you can do that, when you care more for your children and for your grandchildren than you do for your own life...

Then you will have peace and freedom. Until you and your countrymen do, you will be nothing more than slaves and have nothing.

Papa Ray
West Texas
USA

Tsedek said...

I hope all will jump on this suggestion of Seniora for a truce - and the UN especially. I also hope the soldiers will be able to come back home with this truce.

Tse.

Anonymous said...

Lebanon should exercise its sovreignty on all of its territory, including the southern border with Israel. It is the undisturbed activity of Hizballah, ynder the Iranian and Syrian protection, that provoked the IDF into targeting specific areas in Lebanon. Israel has no dispute with the state of Lebanon, but only with those organizations based in Lebanon that wish to exterminate Israel itself.

Israel and Lebann are the most progressive countries in the Muddle East. Therefore, they both have vested interst in calming down the atmosphere and exercise normal relationships - even without an official agreement.

Anonymous said...

SAVE LEBANON. DESTROY HEZBOLLAH.

It's the only path to peace in Lebanon. When Israel withdrew from south Lebanon in 2000, they scrupulously followed UN resolutions and got UN to sign off on the border. OTOH Hezbollah decided to keep firing occasional rockets. They have had many provocations, but Israel decided to ignore them until now. In January, Hezbollah made a policy to try to kidnap IDF soldiers. That is an ACT OF WAR. Now, the crossed the border and killed and kidnapped soldiers, deliberately provoking Israel at a time when Hamas in Gaza made the same provocations. These groups deny even the right of Israel to exist and foment hatred and preach genocide against Jews.

Iranian Guards are advisors to Hezbollah. They helped fire the missile that damaged Israel's ship, thay helped build Hezbollah border posts used to attack israel. It's unfortunate that Lebanon is a pawn of a Syrian-Iran pincer attack on Israel (from Gaza/Hamas and Lebanon/Hezbollah).

So what are Lebanese expecting from Israel? To do nothing while Hezbollah crosses into israel and kills IDF soldiers?!? Of course, Israel will respond to an act of war with war against Hezbollah. The problem is that now Hezbollah was let into Lebanese Govt, it's like letting a terrorist into your house - you are now prisoners of his violence and/or complicit by not stopping it sooner.

It is stunning and sad that Hezbollah forces have popular support among Lebanese Shiites, but these groups would be nothing without $100s of millions from Iran and Syria's sponsorship and support. The Shiite community has to be talked down from being used as pawns for the agressions of Iran, and the other communities -Christian, Druze, Sunni - have to make a fundamental break with Hezbollah and deman

There is no requirement to share a Government with Hezbollah, if they will not comply with UN resolution to disarm, remove them from the Govt. Force a de-escalation or force them out. The UN resolution requiring dismantling of militias must be enforced. A Lebanese Army that keeps the peace at the southern border must replace the terrorist activity of Hezbollah.

This act of war was a proxy attack from Iranian and Syrian interests. It's not Lebanon's war - it is Hezbollah's and Syria's war. Just as the PLO destroyed Lebanon's peace in the 1970s by destabilizing and sparking civil war, Hezbollah's irresponsible behavior may drag Lebanon back down again.

If this is not done, Lebanon will keep paying the price for being a base camp for terror-masters.

And if Lebanese say "No we don't have the power to do this". Well - If the Lebanese can't do it, let IDF do the dirty work, and stay safe while they do this ugly but necessary thing. I hope Lebanon is better for it in the long run.

Marc in Eugene said...

Why has Lebanon not uprooted Hizbollah in the past years? The answer is very complicated, granted, but one has to make choices: do we live with terrorists? or do we eliminate them? No amount of negotiating is going to do any good with people who believe that Israel ought to be destroyed. My prayers are with all the many non-combatant Lebanese; but I agree with the commenters supra who have remarked that when war is necessary (i.e. when the one party is incapable of negotiating and is intent on violence, even to the point of putting its forces intentionally in close proximity to non-combatants), it is better that the party of violence die, even forty thousand people, so that the millions can live in peace. Someone upthread 'didn't want to get into Hitler, the Nazis etc': that is simply not acceptable, particularly in this case.

Anonymous said...

Doha,

First and formost, congratulations on your heartfelt posts and for maintaining this forum during these difficult times.

After listening to PM siniora tonight, I can honestly say that I love the man! He is classy, elegant, smart, and most of all genuine. As much as I despise Hizbollah and would love for them to just GO THE HELL AWAY, right now we need to be united---against the unjustified Israeli aggression. Tonight, I do not despise Emile Lahoud, and I will refrain from mocking him (and for those who know me...thats a collossal sacrifice I am making). Instead, tonight, I am a Lebanese eager to stand side by side with all other Lebanese, no matter how 'Pro-Syrian' they may be. Mr. Olmert, Hassan Nasrallah was right...you are an idiot. Your miscalculation that by bombing all of Lebanon you would cause us to mobilize against Hizballah is an idiotic notion. Your inexperience is clear to me now. Israelis deserve a much wiser leader.

-FGA

kato said...

hui, some comments are really inappropriate. these poor fellows lack quite some intellect and just follow hatred, which they have been flooded with.

also the entire campaign of israel seems totally inappropriate to me. this violence will just back the hisbollah, because it seems the only force that at least has some minor success. the leb government has no measures whatsoever, especially that the rest of the world refuses to help and find a way without all this violence. this is a paradoxon to me!

it just fuels the hate, and weakens the lebanese constition, especially due to the fact that almost everything that cud have lead to stability in the future has been bombed.

i feel sad bout the fact that the most european countries are cowards. im a german and our government still doesnt have the courage to stand up to isreal. in fact, we just play to the usa. thats pathetic!

its so sorry that there is no help from our countries, while its obvious that unjustness is being done and a whole country is being victimized, once again.

kato said...

the problem is that due to this act of violence, the hisbollah has been legitimised for a lot of people again, because i guess for these people it seemed to be the only party, which tried to defend leb. they dont see that it had no positive effect at all.

the PM wants to settle the root of all evil, namely the palestine - israel conflict, which for him his the reason that the hisbollah is still existing. i think, its more an excuse, for the fact the the leb gov has no measures to disarm the hisbollah. and i dont think that the this main reason will be solved that soon.

but bombing lebanon, and ruining the life of a whole generation is not an answer to the problems of israel either. but acutally it rather seems, that these strikes have been planned way ahead. israel just needed a reason, these were those two soldiers.

is there anything else behind this aggression against leb? i think they just pretend the soldiers being the reason for the attacks.

T. said...

Hi Ronit,

I am from Lebanon, but a friend from Tel Aviv told me about the demo. Now I realize someone else posted about it on this blog:

We'll meet at 19:00 on the corner of Frishmann and Chen Blvd.
Those who can help making signs should come as of 16:00 to "haGada haSmalit", 70 Ahad Ha'am St.
For more information: 050-7425484 / 050-6230249. Details concerning transportation from other cities will appear later on.


Gestalt therapy is great. I know a great therapist from the community in Lebanon. I hope your conference goes as well as it can under the circumstances.

Layla Tov.

kato said...

oh cmon, which risk do they take, by flying a plane over an area, which has no air defense at all. or sitting on a heavy warship, miles on the sea. i guess they feel pretty comfortable with their situation.

they military power cant be compared in any way, with the lebanese. in fact lebanese doesnt have any military power. its the hisbollah, which answers the fire and not for sake of the leb gov. u might recognise, that it splits the country. but u have to read carefully!

and dont judge me because im a german. u cant put anyone just of his origin into one box. thats pathetic.

so this act succeeded this time, and now they got there reason to answer. is it what u are saying. the past attemps from lebanese side havent been successfull enough, to get a reason to bomb lebanon. there are a lot of things which are not covered in the press, and there are a lot on israel side as well. they both have their skeletons in the closet. but israel got obviously the better press cover.

kato said...

@jay: i guess israelis, who really want to discuss this topic, dont look for a private blog, which covers the lebanese experience of this war.

@justme: yes i understand that armies have to prepare everything in advance, especially if they are in the middle of an everlasting conflict. but this plan, they are just following has more intentions than just those two soldiers. all these attacks, were not directly targetet against the threat. i just looks like they target to cut hisbollah from all their supplies.

i guess u r right that there are lot of more things behind the scenes. all we get to know bout it, is what they want us to hear.

kato said...

i dont think war is a game.

but history has shown, that leaders also victimize certain things for their greater goal.

Anonymous said...

I'm not impressed by a peace rally in Tel Aviv. Yawn, been going on for a while. btw, you'd think after Oslo, withdrawal from Gaza, initiative after initiative, and giving up much of west back and gaza, the Israeli appeasers would have lost credibility. Peace and Hamas cannot co-exist.

What WOULD be impressive if there was one in the Gaza strip. Or a protest in Beirut against Hezbollah crossing borders and kidnapping and killing foreign soldiers ... THAT would be impressive! THAT would be different!

kato said...

gute nacht :) fingers crossed for a soon and peaceful ending of this dilemma

Moon River said...

So moving your Prime Minister Seniora, so moving, all his army find to do tonight is to send missile over an Israeli air plain.
not for god sake, a missile to stop the terrorist who doesn't give a damn about Lebanon sovereignty, but over an Israeli missile that is trying to eliminate the aggressors who takes control on the South of Lebanon, forming an extremist country -feed by Iranian money - a country with in a country - what they want is to create an other Iran model in the middle east, but Prime Minister Seniora, finds it's urge in showing off, god knows what and send missile on an Israeli air craft
the air craft was not harmed. lucky for us and lucky for you

Anonymous said...

"I know that the israeli lobby controls the Bush administration or portions of it."

This is a slander against the Bush administration and America. America is a friend to many democratic states facing challenges (eg India). US forced Israel to make tough concessions to help try to build peace. America is sending $50 million to Palestinians this week, and have spend billions on the Palestinian Authority, giving them more than any Arab nation is doing. And Bush supports a Palestinian state. All this to try to build peace. But its not worked until now because militants and terrorists have more influence over these communities than peacemakers. Many in the world cravenly knee-jerk to oppose Israel because of pressure from the Arab world, eg, France.

The US looks unique because the US resists following the world's double-standard against Israel; eg, does the world, does the UN, condemn Russia's actions in Chechnya, which have killed thousands upon thousands of civilians the way they berate Israel over far more restrained actions?

"maybe im thinking to much of a giant conspiracy here"
If you want to look for conspiracy look for the fact that Iran sends millions to support Hezbollah, and this happens at a time when UN security council is trying to craft a response to Iran's nuclear program.

" but I don't trust the US or israelis intentions."

Israel is defending their right to exist.
You can trust Israel completely to not attack you if you leave them alone, and to attack agressively those who try to harm Israel. If Hezbollah didnt deliberately cross the border and kill and kidnap soldiers and bomb Haifa with rockets, then the IDF would still be in Israel.

It's your choice to like or dislike Isreal based on that, but most any nation would behave the same way if they were so attacked.
We've made many excuses for terrorist groups over the years, but Europe is hit by Islamic terrorism now too, and civilized world is getting tired of the excuses. These terrorist groups need to be disarmed or dissolved. It's the only way to peace.

Los Capitales said...

The world is standing with Lebanon, few Americans are Israeli/Zionist supporters. We condem the Israeli massacre of Lebanese civilians. The IDF, the Mossad and the rest of the gangster that run Israel will reap what they saw and will pay a very heavy price for their nazi-like expansionist, militaristic and murderous agression. They will face the Hague like the Nazis when all this is over.

Long live Lebanon!

kato said...

but unfortunately it now shows, how little sovereignty lebanon actually has and how little backing from any other side than arab. that just feeds and strengthens all the parties, which are opposing the leb government.

but who would u have to attack then. if u know that iran is supporting the hisbollah, as syria is. now that u attack lebanon, it doesnt help in any way getting rid of the hisbollah, does it.

it sounds to idealistic to me that israel just wants to help to remove all the hisbollah influence from lebanon and build up a lebanon, which will be able to stand without the help of any militarisic organisation paid by syria or iran. with a broken economy, it wud be on the western world to help lebanon on the right track again, to avoid any of these militant influences.

- dont begin with this discussion, about who did what. this doesnt help at all. u cant measure every single thing that has been done. u have to overcome this mutual accusations, otherwise u will be stuck in this situation and wont find a way out.

Moon River said...

Alien Pundit you say in your profile page":
"I'm inspired by the ideals of democracy"
yet you talk and insult in a way it is a wonder and a shame USA have let you in.
people such as you can only poison the country, and your hatred - so typical to ignorant extremist - so pity to see you have not taken the advantage of really apprehending what democracy is and freedom of living and beauty of this world. you are for noting!

Anonymous said...

"Mr. Olmert, Hassan Nasrallah was right...you are an idiot. Your miscalculation that by bombing all of Lebanon you would cause us to mobilize against Hizballah is an idiotic notion."

Wait a second. Nobody miscalculated more than Nasrallah here! Hezbollah announced their policy of kidnapping IDF soldiers back in late 2005.
See:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1528479/posts
""Our experience with the Israelis shows that if you want to regain detainees or prisoners ... you have to capture Israeli soldiers," Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah told a rally in Beirut to mark the handover of the bodies."

Did anyone in the Lebanese Government or other parties condemn this or highlight its implications at the time? Did Nasrallah anticipate his kill-and-kidnap policy would create a war? Or is this exactly what Hezbollah wants, lots of Lebanese killed?

Nasrallah is hiding behind the shield of Lebanese patriotism and to this non-Lebanese it seems a transparent ploy. Just as terrorist groups often use 'human shields', Nasrallah is abusing Lebanese solidarity. Instead of crowing he should be apologizing for miscalculating and creating a conflict ... The IDF and Israel is not asking the Lebanese to mobilize against Hezbollah, the time for that has passed. That has been asked for some time, but didnt happen. Now, the IDF is doing it by force. It's a sad thing to see Lebanon suffer as a consequence of Hezbollah's misguided aggressive.

We also hear that Fouad Siniora offered to deploy the forces along the international border with Israel according to UN Resolution 1559 in a ceasefire offer. Great --- why didn't this happen BEFORE Hezbollah crossed the border and killed and kidnapped Israeli soldiers? Israel will not stop unless both Hezbollah is defanged (ie disarmed) and the soldiers are returned. So the ceasefire offer to be credible needs to at least include the immediate return of kidnapped soldiers.

Anonymous said...

Jay, I am aware of that terrible crime.
Many people are more aware of the crimes of a few US soldiers than of the compassion and heroism of many.
Have you read the story of the American soldier who was an expert in defused IEDs, called to a house where a young Iraqi boy had been wired up with a suicide bomb? That American soldier risked his life and saved the boys life. This man died in Iraq serving to help the US and Iraq. This story got no publicity because he did just what so many are doing every day. He was killed by cowards who plant bombs on roads, sometimes killing soldiers and sometimes killing Iraqi civilians. A few weeks back US soldiers saved an Iraqi baby's life, she had been left on the side of the road when her sister caring for her got scared by a pack of dogs. On a regular basis, civilian Iraqi victims of terrorist bombs are taken to US military hospitals for care.

No, you didnt hear that story, or the daily acts of heroism by US soldiers to do simple things like , you only want to spread the ugly side of things. Yes, there are crimes happening - of the Thousands of civilians being killed in Iraq each year in the violence, most are killed by the insurgents in terrorist attacks. For example today: "A suicide car bomb exploded near a police commando checkpoint in eastern Baghdad killing two police commandos and wounding four, police said." Also:

"NEAR KUT - Gunmen sprayed a minibus with machinegun fire on the outskirts of Kut, southeast of Baghdad, killing five Shi'ite pilgrims, including a woman and a child, Captain Mohammed al-Shimari of Kut police said."

Jay, you can talk about the one unusual crime, which is not a 'war crime' but an awful crime by a few individual soldiers having no sanction by US military and which will be punished severely as such by authorities. Go ahead and castigate US for faults, but dont have a double standard; make every other military and Govt live up to same standard.

And open your eyes to the real threat to Iraq's stability, the continued terrorist attacks by anti-Iraqi Govt forces. Terrorists are killing many Iraqis each day.

Many of those terrorists are Islamic Jihadists from other countries. e.g. Zarqawi, the Al Qaeda in Iraq leader, was from Jordan, the Samarra Golden Dome mosque bombers were from Tunisia, although the leader was a former member of Saddam's Secret Police.

The US promised Iraq Sovereignty and democratic Government and 3 elections in 2005 forming a Constitution and setting up elected new Government shows the commitment of the coalition to democracy in Iraq, and Iraqis want it as well. But Al Qaeda has made clear they have a goal of inciting sectarian violence, attacking Shiite mosques and civilian targets repeatedly as well as Iraqi police and army, and now Al Sadr's Mahdi Army has joined in by killing Sunnis. Al Sadr represents the Hezbollah/Iranian Regime mindset, and between them and Al Qaeda

Jay, don't be blind to real cause of violence in the middle east. Islamo-fascism in Shia and Sunni form and and the related tentacles and terrorist/militant groups is behind most of the wars happening today on planet earth.

Doubt me? Read up on the July 10 Mumbai bombing. "A series of seven explosions killed at least 174 people on crowded commuter trains and stations Tuesday evening in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai, police said."
Islamicist terror groups, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, are to blame.