8/1 Middle East Live Thread

Middle East Live Thread ^ | 8/1/06 | BurbankKarl

[BurbankKarl]

The wife and father of kidnapped Israeli soldier Ehud Goldwasser, Karnit, holding a wedding photograph, and Shlomo Goldwasser arrive at Heathrow Airport in London, Monday July 31, 2006. Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers on July 12, triggering an Israeli offensive against Lebanon that has killed hundreds of people, mostly civilians.

[RouxStir]

"Peres: Syrian army won't go to war
(18:42 , 08.01.06) -- How does he know this for sure?"

Israeli Special Forces sneaked into Syrian Army barracks and tied their shoelaces together.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

It was in an area that is now in Jordan. At times, it had been under Judean control. If I remember correctly, King Herod was a descendant of an Edomite family.

Interesting now because so much of Jordan is populated by the Palestinians. Gaza is basically the old Philistine lands. Palestine is a variation of Philistine, for what it is worth...

Things that are interesting in the contemplation thereof.

[CougarGA7]

That would be interesting. But then again, tomorrow is the anniversary of Saddam's invasion of Kuwait, as well as the anniversary of Hitler becomming the Fuheur.

Seems like bad things tend to happen on my birthday.

[Allegra]

My son's best friend just got back from the sandbox with lots of encouraging stories and info.

And there is a lot to be encouraged about. I've been blessed to see so much progress that the media tends to ignore. It's still going in the right direction, despite the mostly Iran-induced bumps in the road.

The good guys will win this. All in good time.

Thanks for the prayers. ;-)

[Fitzcarraldo]

I saw this speech over the internet - it was at a meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations - I think the statement was meant as a warning to Syria.

NET: Peres: Syrian army won't go to war

In a speech in Washington, the Vice Premier, Shimon Peres, said that he isn't worried about Syrian threats. "Syria won't go to war. They know their strengths and weaknesses. Their equipment is not modern and they won't go to war along."

"The current conflict won't escalate to an all-out regional war," he continued. (Itzhak Benhorin, Washington)

[Quix]

EXCEPT that losing the Congress would be beyond horrific.
=- == ==

PLEASE FOLKS, Do wise, gentle lobbying with the reasonable moderates and liberals in your social network. Use cartoons and other FREEPER DOCS.

PRAY EARNESTLY. WE CANNOT allow the above to happen.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

what? If you go, who will I discuss knitting with and drive the "no off topic discussion" people crazy? ;0)

(but I do try to compensate with keeping the news updated)

[CougarGA7]

I've actually been reading these threads in their entirity, but when I'm trying to get caught up I do just skim the posts.

[Quix]

Netanyahu is supposedly slated to lead Israel again though supposedly to be . . . personally attacked while in office.

[Quix]

I C

THANKS.

[Quix]

I think there have been a lot of wonderful things out of some of our diversity.

But, as I've watched our slide into fractionalism at the instigations and manipulations of the puppet masters setting various interest groups against one another . . .

I've gained a new respect for the Old Testament Biblical injunctions to have nothing to do with certain tribal groups and even to wipe others off the face of the earth. Some things just do not mix constructively at all. Good and evil are one such.

[Allegra]

but my future SIL is headed there this week and I am not in a good place about it at all. Maybe it's just all the focus in the news.

Nothing is drastically different here now. She should be OK. I'll keep her in my prayers.

Things are actually much better now than they were two years ago. Even one year ago.

It's just that the problems have pretty much centered on Baghdad now. (It was quite noisy today!) But action is being taken to quell that. I believe there might be a showdown with Sadr and his Mahdi thugs, but that's what needs to happen to get this place back on track.

The U.S.-Iraqi coalition will defeat Sadr and his thugs.

[Bahbah]

Has Olmert given his speech yet

I haven't seen him although I was away for awhile to finish a pointing project, but no, I don't think so.

[nuclady]

(this has me wondering exactly how badly she screwed up her assignment in the ME to be sentenced to a BOR appearance...)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think she is going on BOR because, love or hate him, he has the biggest audience on cable TV.

[CougarGA7]

Post 404 is actually more accurate.

[Quix]

PRAISE GOD.

I HOPE HIS RESOLVE IS ROCK SOLID . . .

MAY GOD ARISE and HIS enemies be scatered and obliterated.

[CougarGA7]

Karl said he's on CNN Pipeline. Anything good yet?

[InterceptPoint]

But he is going to lose his Hezbollah presence in Southern Lebanon to get that supposedly good PR that isn't turning out so good. The "Kana" story is falling off the front pages like a rock and Saudi, Jordan and Egypt may be making some statements for local consumption but they are not going to have their own strategic interests upset by some event at least partially staged by Hezbollah.

Iran's plan has gone very badly. The Israelis are ramping it up in Southern Lebanon and "World Opinion" can't seem to stop them. Only George Bush can stop them and it doesn't look like he is going to do that anytime soon.