Lebanese Prime Minister calls for/uncalls for disarmament of Hizbollah

[DemFromMem]

STATE OF DENIAL:

On Thursday morning, the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora had told an interviewer that "The entire world must help us disarm Hezbollah." Pretty clear, it seems to me (and, by the way, recorded by the Milan-based daily). That's what most of Lebanon's friends in the world had also been saying. It's the essence of U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1559 (September 2, 2004) and 1680 (May 17, 2006), as well.

But between Thursday a.m. and Thursday p.m. Siniora had second thoughts. He conjured up a territorial dispute between Israel and Lebanon of two inches by four inches over Sheba farms as an explanation for Hezbollah stockpiling and deploying its massive supply of weapons. (No one thinks this really tiny patch of land belongs to Lebanon, no one. It actually belongs to Syria, and its disposition awaits the arrival of the Messiah or peace talks between Jerusalem and Damascus, whichever comes first.)

In any case, the upshot of all this is that Siniora denied that he had called for the disarmament of Hezbollah. The fact is that, if Hezbollah is not palpably and persuasively disarmed by Lebanon (with the participation of the oxymoronic "international community") and moved away from its easy reach into Israel, Israel will not relent in doing the disarming--by destroying the weapons--by itself. And the moving, too. Hezbollah is an instrument of Syrian and Iranian design and of Syrian and Iranian will. Syria, for God's sakes, has never, never recognized the independence of Lebanon and has never exchanged diplomatic representation with Lebanon.

Anyway, Siniora seems to have changed his mind about Hezbollah. Or is he simply speaking with the forked tongue that defines the political culture from which he has emerged?

--Martin Peretz

http://www.tnr.com/blog/theplank?pid=26028

[McCamy Taylor]

1. Forked tongue? OK, one vote for Lebanon is Satan's tool and has it coming.

Please correct me if I am reading your post wrong.

[DemFromMem]

3. I didn't read it the same way

I think he got scared. He spoke the truth at first and then he got nervous about crossing Hizbollah and backtracked. I just wanted DUers to know that both Israel AND Lebanon are interested in disarming Hizbollah and that Americans should support the introduction of an international force to help make sure this happens. I can see now a lot of griping at DU when the UN asks America to participate in this.

[Igel]

2. Forked tongue.

He wants things to be like they were before, but perfect, Camelot-like. He sees no way of getting there, but nonetheless has perfection as the minimum requirement for everybody else to meet. He has little problem with Hezbollah picking a fight with Israel; Israel must not respond.

He, of course, and the non-Hezbollite Lebanese, can in no way be held responsible for making any effort to get there. Others must provide money for the airport, roads, bridges ... replacement for the stuff others built for his government. Others must deal with Israel, give him the postage-stamp-sized patch of ground, and guarantee his country's sovereignty. And provide fresh, hot falafels for lunch every day, delivered, for free. Shawarma on Thursdays.

And the maps to the landmines in Lebanese territory, quondam Israeli-occupied et futurus.