Posted on 08/11/2006 7:33:25 PM PDT by garbageseeker
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Friday that calls for an end to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, and authorizes the deployment of 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers to help Lebanese troops take control of south Lebanon as Israel withdraws.
The draft, which had been proposed by the United States and France, offers the best chance yet for peace after more than four weeks of significant bloodshed. It was the first significant action by the Security Council, the most powerful U.N. body, to address a war that has killed more than 800 people, destroyed Lebanon's infrastructure and inflamed tensions across the Middle East.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert endorsed the resolution late Friday, after a day of dramatic day brinksmanship including a threat to expand the ground war in Lebanon. But Israeli officials said Israel would not halt fighting until Israel's Cabinet has approved the cease-fire deal in its weekly meeting Sunday.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora also assured Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that his country backed the resolution, a U.S. official said.
Using particularly strong language in remarks before the vote, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said hundreds of millions of people around the world shared his frustration that the council had taken so long to act. That inaction has "badly shaken the world's faith in its authority and integrity," he said.
"I would be remiss if I did not tell you how profoundly disappointed I am that the council did not reach this point much, much earlier," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.myway.com ...
And this "deal" is supposed to do what, exactly? Hezbollah essentially runs Lebanon, so instead of Hezzie "irregulars" firing rockets at Israel and conducting cross-border raids into Israel under UN protection, it will be "Lebaneze" regulars firing said rockets and conducting said cross-border raids.
It did serve its purpose during the Korean War only while the Soviet Union was busy holding its breath because Red China wasn't there as a second Communist veto. I don't seem to recall the UN being much of a success in the Suez (unless you count 11 years between wars a success).
...so instead of Hezzie "irregulars" firing rockets at Israel and conducting cross-border raids into Israel under passive UN protection, it will be "Lebaneze" regulars firing said rockets and conducting said cross-border raids under active UN protection.
I guess that everybody wants peace in the Middle East, right? Everybody would be minding their own business and making tie dyed tee shirts and growing organic squash perhaps? Let’s take a moment to consider just what sets of circumstances it would take to bring about just that sort of a situation.
First of all Israel has got to go. Its presence is just intolerable to the Arabs who are the majority in the area. Beyond that all the Jew must leave, along with any Christians who object to permanent second class status in the various countries there. Now I don’t pretend to know where to send the Jews. Europe hasn’t had the best history dealing with Jews, besides the Ummah is busy adsorbing all of Europe, as certainly is their right. Such is also the case with the Americas, East Asia, Australia, and so on to include the world except perhaps Greenland and Antarctica. If the objections of the Environmentalist can be met, I am sure the Israelis will adjust to the Cold.
Of course this elimination of the Jews won’t go all the way to establishing peace in the region; there is the question of the Great Satan and the little Satan’s. They must withdraw totally from the region and turn their business enterprises over to the locals. In addition, America would need to pay reparations to just about everyone for its support of Israel, invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the exploitation of the natural resources of the region.
That would get us close to peace except for the almost 1400 year conflict between the Shia and the Sunni. One or the other has got to go and I doubt they would agree to flipping coins. The only reasonable solution here is to allow Iran to continue developing their nuclear weapons and have the Pakistanis and Iranians duel. Not a very peaceful method but more likely than other techniques to work.
This would get us pretty close to peace except for the numerous territorial claims and border conflicts. The Turks want to kill the Kurds and the Iraqis want to kill the Kuwaitis and so on. Now Iran having the bomb might just solve these conflicts in a final manner.
There we have Peace in the Middle East! The world will then have time to address the conflicts in India, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Central Asia, Georgia, the Balkans and so on.
No, really read the history of the Suez Canal crisis in the mid 50s. It's fascinating, and it's where the US used the UN to prevent a Middle East war involving Britain, France, Israel, and Egypt, at a minimum.
It's the last time we actively opposed Israel and Great Britain and it change the western world forever.
No he has not. If he had the chance, he would endorse Nasrallah and his cause.
Its all right and forgiven. I have written things while half-asleep.
I've been paying attention to all this and even with everything I've learned over the past five years, I find I still don't know anything about that Mideast.
They live so differently from Americans. And frankly I think that's 90% of the communication problems from this administration. We're left out here to figure it out for ourselves and sometimes it's confusing.
Two months ago all I knew about Hezbollah was that they were a terrorist group on America's terror list. All of a sudden what is essentially a gang is topic of the day across the air waves and blogosphere. Two months ago I thought Lebanon was already a democracy what with that Cedar revolution and everything.
I'm also being told that Syria and Iran are behind Hezbollah from such fine pundits as Chris Matthews et al, and I ponder, well if everyone knows this did our people at the CIA, FBI, alphabet, alphabet, know this?
Seems like the only people that didn't know this was the American people. See, Americans don't have gangs from Canada coming down to run states like, say, Delaware.
I've watched, mesmerized, as Anderson Cooper shows a map of southern Lebanon with icons of some sort for known Hezbollah posts in some town near that river the Israelis want to get to. He also shows another icon for known UNIFIL locales. It's so baffling for one such as I, so infused with an abundance of common sense, to comprehend a town where there are U.N. jerks sitting around doing nothing, houses with missiles inside and this gang of Crypts waging wars and picking up the trash.
See, Americans just don't live like this. Yet Anderson Cooper and the local Blogger all have maps of where Hezbollah is and all manner of logistical stuff that darn, you'd think I'd only have to look up "Hezbollah Missile Sites" on Google.
Frankly, from what Mr. Cooper showed me, I considered the capture of that town to be near impossible. Ground forces would have to go in and search house by house. The schools even have missiles under them I understand. Again, preaching to the Free Republic choir, Americans do not live like this.
What HAS to be done, and know now I am about the fartherest thing from a military strategist as anyone on the planet, is Israel, OR this oddball U.N. force, has to go in, evacuate every living soul from that town, set them up in a refugee camp or something, then go in and purge that town of the weaponry.
I don't see any other way but I'm a woman here and women don't normally fight wars.
So Israel, hey, Israel just cannot, it CANNOT, do this by itself. What with that vaunted world public opinion it would be a disaster for the state of Israel to do this. And their little army would take entirely too many casualties in such an operation.
I think the four weeks this war has been waged has allowed the IDF to get in southern Lebanon, get a feel for things, learn the terrain, stroke intelligence sources. Israel told America what was needed and I forthwith continue.
I think this U.N. force is going to consist of a lot of American troops. I think the U.N. was given an ultimatum...this is your chance to redeem yourself. Under the guise of a U.N. force, southern Lebanon and Hezbollah is going to be dismantled.
At least this is how I hope the manly men leading this country decided to go about it. If not, well they should have consulted me.
It's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Ramifications (physicaly/spirtualy):
Understand that because of both Israel's and the United States complicity in this 'peace' deal - They both will be hit with heavy attacks in the very near future.
In a way; this acts as the true catalyst (Major attacks) that will facilitate the need for Israel, U.S., or both to respond with fierce military retaliation not seen since WW II
The futility in the way both Israel and America have been fighting wars as of late and with the this current peace deal; will cement the notion that both countries are weak and unable to wage war to the point of victory. Thus many of our enemies will seek to destroy us in the coming years...I truly believe this
Political ramifications:
Olmert and his party are now history...there will be a new party elected along with a new Prime Minister (Most likely Netanyahu)
We are on the doorsteps of the a large Middle East War that will bring new meaning to shock and awe.
You baited me. I'm going to read about it. Hey, I even vaguely remember it though I was entirely too young, ahem, to make any sense of it.
My thoughts exactly...but then again with French peacekeepers is Israel really worried? The biggest problem may be what to do with all the white flags.
Nope. Not possible.
Yes, they had better watch out. If they do it again, Israel will engage in four weeks of intense but ineffective action at great cost in lives and then give up.
I tried to google the acronym with no luck, I'm guessing this is a Freeper term...
If your mesmerized by Anderson Cooper there is something wrong with you
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