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ISRAEL-LEBANON ESCALATION NOW MAJOR INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC CRISIS
HEZBOLLAH REINFORCEMENTS FROM IRAN, SYRIA COMPLICATE NEGOTIATIONS, AS DO US ARMS SHIPMENTS TO ISRAEL, PEACE PROCESS SEEMS IN TATTERS 24 July 2006 Diplomacy will play a vital role in any resolution to the Israel-Lebanon conflict, but will involve tough choices for any parties joining the negotiations. While having expressed visceral opposition to contact with Damascus, the White House is likely to have to cobble together an improbable coalition of rivals to achieve a functional ceasefire on the Israel-Lebanon border territories. Israel has openly said it will not halt its offensive until Hezbollah ceases firing rockets into northern Israel. Late last week, Israel was organizing troops, artillery, and calling up reserves, in preparation for a ground invasion of Lebanon. It was not clear how long Israel intended to maintain the ground presence, or whether it would take up positions inside Lebanon. The intensifying bombardment has led to the mass evacuation of foreigners from Lebanon. The UK has sent naval vessels, and several nations have taken on the citizens of other nations in an effort to get foreign civilians to safety. The US State Dept. faced a political uproar when it announced it intended to charge commercial rates for rescuing Americans trapped in the areas being bombed, even as it planned to send bombs to Israel to replenish its arsenal. So many foreign nationals residing in Lebanon, or visiting, had been moved to Cyprus that the EU island state was struggling to deal with the influx. Cyprus formally requested cooperation from other European Union member states, to assist with housing, supplies, refugee transit and eventual repatriation processes, as it was then the only nation providing transit facilities for evacuation vessels. Though backing Israel and planning to send weapons to aid its close ally, the White House began calling for a significant multinational peacekeeping force along the Israel-Lebanon border, with a new mandate, to allow it to take action against Hezbollah, and arms monitoring capabilities designed to help stop the flow of military support from neighboring Syria. Admitting difficulty of full ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, UN Sec. Gen. Kofi Annan last week called for "an immediate cessation of hostilities, and a far greater and more credible effort by Israel to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure while the conditions for such a cessation are urgently developed". His presentation to the UN was described as uniquely "angry" and indignant, less diplomatic than chastising, as serious pressure had begun to mount due to the hundreds of civilians killed in just the first week of bombardment. Israel has reportedly issued warnings by pamphlet and by radio to residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate in anticipation of attacks, hoping this way to minimize the number of civilian casualties, but in several instances civilians fleeing were hit by missile strikes, unaware that certain types of vehicles were being treated by the Israeli air force as likely military transports for Hezbollah weapons and fighters. Last Monday, 17 July, there were reports, including at Sentido.tv, that Israel was planning to ease the conditions it was placing on any ceasefire negotiations, saying it wanted only for Hezbollah to move back from the border and for its two soldiers to be freed unconditionally. But then, Israeli officials changed course, saying they will only stop when the offensive has neutralized, distanced or destroyed Hezbollah. By Tuesday, Lebanon's social affairs minister had publicy blaimed Iran and Syria for the abduction of Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah guerrillas, the action which triggered this attack on Lebanese targets. As western allies of Israel have struggled to find a common position on the bombing campaign, with even staunch critics admitting the right of Israel to "defend herself", the international community has struggled to come to an understanding of precisely what the goals of the parties are. Yesterday, the UN emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland toured sections of a devastated Beirut, leading to a declaration that levelling of entire civilian sections of the city violates international humanitarian law. He said the destruction is "horrific" and expressed shock that "block after block" of structures had been totally destroyed. Egeland said humanitarian aid would soon arrive but "So far Israel is not giving us access". Israel had announced over the weekend it would open a "humanitarian corridor" for air and sea transport of food and medical aid to civilians in Lebanon. But the US is now said to be "rushing" delivery of precision guided bombs to Israel, to replenish supply depleted by intense bombardment of Lebanon; move raises ire of regional gov'ts concerned it will provoke more intense efforts by Hezbollah backers to escalate violence. Sec. Rice and Pres. Bush were to meet with Saudi officials in Washington to discuss the conflict and to solicit the support of the Saudi government. There was speculation that Saudi Arabia had come around to a position of full support for the campaign against Hezbollah, but Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal has said in his meeting with US officials, he called for an immediate cessation of all hostilities, in order to lay the groundwork for a lasting ceasefire. Al-Faisal also delivered a letter from Saudi King Abdullah calling for the start of a prisoner exchange between Hezbollah and Israel, and a delay in disarming Hezbollah. The news seemed to indicate tough compromises on the horizon for the US in negotiating an end to the bombardment. Israel's foreign minister has said the bombardment is not a response to the kidnapping, but to the lasting threat from Hezbollah, and its attacks on civilian centers. Speculation is now spreading that Syria may be needed to play key role in halting Hezbollah activity, to bring a negotiated end to Israel's bombardment. CNN International reported on Sunday that Syria's information minister has called for an immediate ceasefire and requested direct talks with US officials to work out how to halt attacks by Hezbollah and Israel. Pope Benedict XVI, speaking from a mountain retreat in Italy, has called for an immediate halt to all hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. The Pope urged "all sides" to begin negotiations immediately to build peace. Israel's foreign minister told a press gathering that "there is no conflict between Israel and Lebanon", that the offensive is designed to "help the Lebanese government" to implement UNSC resolution 1559, calling for the disarmament of Hezbollah and all non-governmental militia. And now, after meeting with Saudi officials, Pres. Bush reportedly remains opposed to any ceasefire as a means of halting the conflict. His support for Israel's actions seems to have stiffened in recent days, amid characterizations of the conflict as a "step toward lasting peace" and a necessary battle in the "struggle against militant extremism". Over the weekend, Israel struck a mosque complex in Sidon, southern Lebanon, the first strike inside a city where thousands of refugees had gathered for safety. Reports say the entire complex was "destroyed", the site having been targetted for alleged links to Hezbollah leadership. Reports also circulated saying Israeli tanks moved into southern Lebanon, after offensive against 10 villages in south Lebanon and the destruction of the Lebanese Broadcasting Corp's Beirut transmitters. The destruction of Lebanese civil society and infrastructure, primary target or not, seems to be intensifying, with little hope for a strong Lebanese government in the aftermath of the attacks, leading to widespread fears that Hezbollah could take control of the entire country and further inflame tensions in the region. In this environment the US political scene, often firmly behind Israel, a close historic ally, is alloyed in this conflict by the large Lebanese population living in the US. Thousands of protesters in Chicago call for a halt to Israel-Lebanon conflict, say peace must be negotiated. If there is to be a negotiated peace, it will require more than the most unlikely talks between Israel and Hezbollah. It will require a consensus among neighbors and allies of both factions, a new and as yet improbable realignment between Syria's government and US interests, and a multinational stabilization force palatable to both key parties to the conflict. Israel and Washington both appear to be hoping the bombardment will weaken Hezbollah to a point of near neutralization before it simply goes too far for a peace to be within reach, and Hezbollah appears to be hoping to receive as much new reinforcement from its traditional backers, before the international pressure leads to some sort of ceasefire. The first key step toward a lasting peace will be action taken specifically to secure the peace and to prevent the use of violence to further factional aims. This inevitably means either the forcible disarmament of Hezbollah and the capture of all its adherents, or its voluntary disarmament and integration into civil political society. All sides will have tough choices to make in order to reach any of these eventualities. [s]
BACKGROUND: The United States Department of State has issued a statement saying it plans to waive any fees associated with US nationals' evacuation from the now wartorn Lebanese territory. The situation had provoked anger, as evacuation teams were late in arriving, and stranded Americans complained the proposed commercial fees were making it difficult to arrange their departure. [Full Story] ISRAEL-LEBANON CONFLICT RAPIDLY ESCALATING Israel's bombardment of Lebanon is described today as "relentless", with new targets in northern Lebanon having been hit and civilian death tolls and injuries mounting. Leaders at the G8 summit have issued a joint communiqué blaming Hezbollah attacks on civilians for the violence, demanding an end to rocket attacks, but calling on Israel to cease all operations in Lebanon that could harm civilians. [Full Story] ISRAEL EASES CONDITIONS FOR CEASE-FIRE United Press International is reporting Israel has eased the conditions it requires to suspend military operations and its blockade against Lebanon. PM Ehud Olmert, in a speech to Israel's parliament expressed his determination not to yield to any group that launches missiles into Israeli cities, but signalled that moving Hezbollah away from the Israeli border could bring about a cease-fire. [Full Story] OBSERVERS WORRY MIDEAST ESCALATION COULD FLARE INTO WAR Israel's attack on Lebanon has escalated, with bombing of Beirut's international airport, the main highway between Beirut and Damascus, at least one power station, several bridges, and a mounting sea blockade. Israel says it holds Lebanon responsible for Hezbollah's abduction of two Israeli soldiers and is acting in self-defense. The US State Department, through Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, has called on all sides to refrain from using disproportionate violence and to scale back attacks, but admits the right of Israel to defend itself. Lebanese officials have criticized Israel's PM Ehud Olmert's assigning blame to Lebanon as a whole for the actions of the radical group Hezbollah, saying neither the Lebanese governmenet nor even Hezbollah's political wing have any influence over the military element of the group. [Full Story] AMNESTY REPORTS INTERNATIONAL ARMS TRADE 'OUT OF CONTROL' Amnesty International has published a new report examining the international arms trade, and its findings indicate there is little control on the expanding web of private interests seeking to profit from a proliferation of dangerous weapons. The report also illustrates the ways in which this scattering of dangerous weapons has lead to severe human rights abuses. [Full Story] |
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