Posted on 08/14/2006 1:20:45 AM PDT by familyop
Rift over disarming Hezbollah
The guns were supposed to fall silent in Israel and Lebanon early today, ending a month of combat that has killed more than 900 people.
But troubling signs emerged yesterday as to how Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel would interpret and implement the United Nations-brokered truce, raising the possibility of a continuation of major fighting.
Amid internal feuding, the Lebanese cabinet postponed a meeting to vote on implementing the ceasefire. Although officials were reluctant to publicly describe the disagreements, a rift appeared to be developing over the disarmament of Hezbollah, which the resolution demands.
Interior Minister Ahmed Fatfat told Lebanese television that the cabinet had given itself 48 hours to discuss how it would enact the ceasefire's terms.
"We don't want to move more quickly than events," said Michel Pharaon, minister of parliamentary affairs, who represents Lebanon's small Catholic minority.
"Why should we hurry if the Israelis keep bombing us with such ferocity?
"This is a sensitive issue that will take time to work out."
Although Hezbollah is obligated to stop military operations and lay down its weapons, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the organization's leader, has warned that his fighters would continue their campaign as long as the Jewish state maintains troops in Lebanon.
Israel, in turn, contends that its right to defensive action includes preventing efforts by Hezbollah to rearm, at least until the 15,000-strong international peacekeeping force, with 15,000 Lebanese troops, are in place. Under the truce, Israeli troops would leave the south only as those forces move in, which is days or weeks away.
"There has to be a total and complete arms embargo on Hezbollah. So arms transportations for Hezbollah are a violation of the ceasefire," said Mark Regev, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry. "We will be entitled to act."
Reuters quoted an unnamed senior Israeli official as saying it could include airstrikes on convoys suspected of carrying weapons to Hezbollah anywhere in Lebanese territory.
Skirmishes are, therefore, expected to continue despite the official ceasefire. The hope is that large-scale operations would be suspended.
However, observers fear ongoing clashes could push back the arrival of the multinational force, which would fuel a cycle of more violence and delays. Optimistically, the international mediators will arrive in seven to 10 days. Countries potentially contributing to the force include, among others, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Morocco and Indonesia.
"The coming days are days of uncertainty," acknowledged Major-General Benny Gantz, the head of Israeli ground forces.
Both Israel and Hezbollah insist they will abide by the ceasefire agreement, but they used the lead-up to the truce to pound each other and cement their positions.
Israeli planes blasted Beirut and some 30,000 ground troops battled Hezbollah in south Lebanon, seeking to batter the militant Islamic group in the hours before fighting stopped.
Hezbollah hit back, firing more than 250 rockets at northern Israel, the worst daily barrage since fighting started July 12.
With Israeli troops remaining in south Lebanon for the time being, the potential for more clashes after a ceasefire was high. Israel's weekend push to the Litani River meant dozens of Hezbollah fighters were caught behind Israeli lines and some of them were almost certain to attack.
Military officials said they would not sit passively if that happened.
"If we're fired upon or if Israel's fired upon, then we'll act against the fire," said Gantz. "You can't move from black to white easily. There will be a period of grey."
Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader, said Saturday that his guerrillas would abide by the ceasefire resolution, but warned it was "our natural right" to fight any Israeli troops remaining in Lebanon.
In other developments, more than 800 Canadians departed Lebanon yesterday on a government-chartered ship despite the promise of a ceasefire.
The Princesa Marrisa had room for 1,200 people, but only 825 Canadians showed up at the port. About 35 Russian and Danish citizens also left on the ship.
It was the first evacuation organized by Ottawa since Aug. 3 and won't be the last.
A notice posted on the Foreign Affairs Department website said the government, "remains deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in Lebanon," and will send another ship to pick up evacuees tomorrow.
Close to 15,000 Canadians have been evacuated from Lebanon since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted a month ago.
Most of the people who left yesterday were Lebanese-Canadians, including Ahmed al-Akhras, who lost eight members of his Montreal-based family in the Israeli bombing of the border village of Aitaroun last month.
His wife, son, daughter-in-law, four grandchildren and another relative died.
The latest evacuees were bound for the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, where they were to be flown home on government-chartered planes.
Up to 40,000 Canadian citizens were believed to be in Lebanon when the strife began. About 14,000 were evacuated between July 19 and Aug. 3, when a daily schedule of ship departures ended.
Since then, concern about shortages of food and other vital goods and services in the country has led Ottawa to renew its effort.
Foreign Affairs hasn't said how much the evacuation has cost to date, but it's been suggested the eventual tab will run into the millions of dollars.
A "rift", huh?
LOL, Israel is reloading, getting tanned and rested and just waiting for the terrorists to screw up, which they inevitably will. Everybody knows it. This "cease-fire" is a masterstroke of PR by Israel. Major combat should resume within 48 hours. Or 8 hours?
Duh...b/c you are being bombed with such feroctiy? It would seem as good a reason as any to hurry things along.
Believe me, the IDF will be watching for cease-fire violations very closely.
If you want a war, just call in the U.N. "peacekeepers".
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.