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November 22, 2006
Lebanon: A Job Half Done - And It's Back Again
Topics: Middle East News and PerspectivesJules Crittenden makes a good point:
... It will be interesting after the assassination of Pierre Gemayel in Lebanon ... not to mention last summer's hijacking of the nation by Hezbollah ... not to mention last year's assassination of Rafik Hariri ... not to mention the last 25 years of Syrian and Iranian interference in Lebanon and now in Iraq ... it will be interesting to see if anyone will still counsel talks with Syria and Iran under any terms that do not include a very real threat of force.Read it all here.... The Lebanese, cursed by geography and history, were making the best of a bad lot, some of their leaders bravely standing up for national sovereignty. But their work was undone as long as they allowed a private terrorist army to dictate their foreign policy, as Hezbollah did.
... Israel went halfway to doing Lebanon and the world a favor and destroying Hezbollah last summer. But Israel knew that to do so would require even greater destruction in Lebanon and direct attacks in Syria. World opinion in large part was already inexplicably against Israel's act of self defense, and Israelis themselves had no desire to repeat their Lebanese occupation experience, ended only six years ago. So Israel compromised, and when France offered half-heartedly to stand as a buffer force, Israel went along. That left a seemingly powerful, adult nation in a position of responsibility in southern Lebanon. To the extent the French will ever take responsibility for anything.
Memo to The Iraq Study Group, Congress, Tony Blair, Henry Kissinger, ad nauseam; are you listening?
And from a post in Persian at Freedom Zone (HT - Jules Crittenden), we learn what potentially could be some very interesting information about Gemayel's assassination (clicking through to the English translation) - The Syrian National News Agency Inquires About Pierre Gemayel's Assassination 55 mins Before it Occurs!!:
Al Seyassah daily learned from authoritative sources in Beirut, that one of the editors of the Syrian National News Agency (SANA) placed a phone call to a pro-Syrian Lebanese newspaper at 3:05 pm on Tuesday. The caller inquired about the details of the assassination of Lebanese Minister for Industry Pierre Gemayel, raising eyebrows at the Lebanese newpaper. The timing of phone call was 55 minutes before the assassination was carried out.At this point the information is hearsay, but if confirmed - along with names, it would indicate that Syrians had advance knowledge of the assasination.Ten minutes after the call was place, the Syrian editor placed another phone call in order to apologize for a misunderstanding.
Posted by Richard at November 22, 2006 8:59 AM
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