US delivers 130 armored vehicles to Lebanese Army

The top commander of US forces in the Middle East met with Lebanese officials Wednesday as his government reassured Beirut of support for the Lebanese Army’s fight against al-Qaeda-inspired militants in northern Lebanon. “I observed with admiration the courage, perseverance and commitment displayed by the Lebanese Army soldiers in its fight against terrorism,” Head of the US Central Command, Admiral William Fallon said following a meeting with Defense Minister Elias Murr.

Hezbollah to sue Israel for Lebanon war reparations

Beirut- Hezbollah is organizing lawsuits
against Israel seeking reparations for damage caused during the summer
2006 Lebanon conflict.

Hezbollah legal affairs director Ibrahim Awada told Syrian media
last week that Hezbollah will pay legal fees to facilitate lawsuits
filed by Lebanese citizens with multiple-citizenships in third-party
states. Hezbollah says the move was necessary because Lebanese
officials were reluctant to pursue claims against Israel .

In July, Amnesty International condemned both Israel and Hezbollah
for failing to investigate alleged war crimes that occurred during the
conflict. AI also criticized the UN Security Council for its inaction
and faulted the UN Human Rights Council for conducting a one-sided
inquiry focusing only on alleged violations by Israel. In November, the
UN rights body characterized the Israeli use of force in Lebanon as
“excessive, indiscriminate, and disproportionate” and in “flagrant
violation” of international law.

The Lebanese government began mulling lawsuits against Israel
immediately after the war ended last summer, but was stymied by the
fact that United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended
the war, blamed Hezbollah, rather than Israel, for its outbreak. The
government therefore set up a legal committee to explore more limited
options, such as suits specifically over Israel’s use of cluster bombs
and destruction of infrastructure.

Picture: War destruction. Lebanese PM Siniora said about Israel ” It
killed nearly 1,200 Lebanese and injured thousands more and 72 hours
after UN Resolution 1701 was adopted, it dropped 3.5 million cluster
bombs in the south of the country.”

Sources: Jurist, Ya Libnan

Via: Yalibnan

AIPAC congratulates itself

I found something on Counterpunch.org that I found very interesting I don’t know if many of you saw this, but I think it is a good idea for all to read here is a little sample.

AIPAC
Congratulates Itself on the Slaughter in Lebanon

By JOHN WALSH

“My fellow American,” Howard Friedman,
President of AIPAC, begins his letter of July 30 to friends and
supporters of AIPAC, “Look what you’ve done”! After
warning that “Israel is fighting a pivotal war for its life,”
by which he means Israel’s wanton slaughter and all-out destruction
in Lebanon, Freiedman condemns “the expected chorus of international
condemnation of Israel’s actions” and Europe’s call for
“a cease-fire immediately.” Then he exults: “only
ONE nation in the world came out and flatly declared: Let Israel
finish the job. . That nation is the United States of America–and
the reason it had such a clear, unambiguous view of the situation
is YOU and the rest of America Jewry.” (All emphases in
the original here and below.) Here I must take issue with President
Friedman since I bet that most Jewish Americans, in contrast
to the AIPAC crowd, were horrified by the slaughter in Lebanon.
In fact if anyone other than President Friedman wrote this,
he would be accused of fabricating a Jewish plot and labeled
a nutty conspiracy theorist and scurrilous anti-semite.)

Read the rest

I find it very disturbing that AIPAC meets with every candidate running for Congress, and these candidates receive in-depth briefings to help them completely understand the complexities of Israel’s predicament.  The candidates are then ask to write a position paper.

Revistiting the summer war

Revisiting the summer war

Jonathan Cook, Electronic Lebanon, Aug 16, 2007

Hizballah supporters hold a rally in south Beirut one year after Israel’s “Second Lebanon War.” Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah addressed the crowd of thousands from a remote location, 14 August 2007. (Matthew Cassel)

This week marks a year since the end of hostilities now officially
called the Second Lebanon War by Israelis. A month of fighting –
mostly Israeli aerial bombardment of Lebanon, and rocket attacks from
the Shia militia Hizballah on northern Israel in response — ended with
more than 1,000 Lebanese civilians and a small but unknown number of
Hizballah fighters dead, as well as 119 Israeli soldiers and 43
civilians.

Did the UN Cave to Israel

Lebanon’s
Shebaa Farms

By FRANKLIN LAMB

Across the Blue Line from
Shebaa Farms, Lebanon.

On July 18, 2001, nearly six years ago
to the day, and under intense US pressure, the UN Security Council
affixed its imprimatur to the proposition that Israel, after
refusing for more than 22 years, finally complied with the provisions
of UNSCR 425, and ended its illegal and brutal occupation of
Lebanon.