Repeating history: The continuation of war in the Middle East
Earlier today -- see here -- I wrote about the ongoing efforts at the U.N. to resolve the conflict in Lebanon diplomatically. I also suggested, rather optimistically, that this is a window of opportunity to break the status quo and to establish a lasting peace in the region.
Reaction begets counter-reaction. Optimism begets pessimism:
Indeed, "Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora expressed concerns to Secretary General Kofi Annan about whether he could persuade Hezbollah to accept the draft resolution, according to U.N. officials".
Does Hezbollah even want peace? If so, peace on what terms? If Hezbollah says no to the resolution, that's it. An international force isn't about to replace Israel in southern Lebanon and carry on the war.
Meanwhile, the Israeli air campaign continues with Beirut as a target: "Israeli aircraft fired missiles at a radio tower in downtown Beirut on Thursday and dropped leaflets warning residents of the Lebanese capital that more extensive bombing, whose 'painful and severe results will not be limited' to Hezbollah fighters, is on the way."
I am confident that Israel wants peace. On its own terms, of course, and with Hezbollah weakened as much as possible. Israel is pushing hard before a possible cease-fire, a favourable peace. But it may be pushing too hard.
Diplomacy may fail. A cease-fire, if there is one, may not hold. Any peace may be temporary. War may continue. The eternal recurrence of the same.
Damn history.
Reaction begets counter-reaction. Optimism begets pessimism:
Lebanon on Thursday raised objections to a U.S.- and French-backed draft resolution aimed at ending the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel because it does not call for an immediate cease-fire and because the proposed new international force would have a broad mandate to use military firepower.
Indeed, "Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora expressed concerns to Secretary General Kofi Annan about whether he could persuade Hezbollah to accept the draft resolution, according to U.N. officials".
Does Hezbollah even want peace? If so, peace on what terms? If Hezbollah says no to the resolution, that's it. An international force isn't about to replace Israel in southern Lebanon and carry on the war.
Meanwhile, the Israeli air campaign continues with Beirut as a target: "Israeli aircraft fired missiles at a radio tower in downtown Beirut on Thursday and dropped leaflets warning residents of the Lebanese capital that more extensive bombing, whose 'painful and severe results will not be limited' to Hezbollah fighters, is on the way."
I am confident that Israel wants peace. On its own terms, of course, and with Hezbollah weakened as much as possible. Israel is pushing hard before a possible cease-fire, a favourable peace. But it may be pushing too hard.
Diplomacy may fail. A cease-fire, if there is one, may not hold. Any peace may be temporary. War may continue. The eternal recurrence of the same.
Damn history.
posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at
8:26 AM
1 Comments:
The tower in question is/was an historic colonial-era structure housing a Lebanese state radio transmitter. I thought that Israel was not attacking the Lebanese government? If Israel wants peace, it is certainly not going about it the right way. The atrocities that is is committing will haunt it for generations. While visiting a friend in the hospital here yesterday, I saw clear evidence that Israel is using phosphorous in its bombs: some sort of incendiary agent, anyway, is burning the flesh off civilian victims. And there are a lot of them. Either Israel's attacks are pinpoint accurate, and it is targeting innocents on purpose, or it is not able to aim accurately and cannot in all conscience launch attacks near civilians. It cannot have it both ways... I am an American who lives and works in Beirut but have *never* taken sides in Arab-Israeli disputes. The past month has made it clear to me that Hezbollah and Israel are equally despicable and guilty of war crimes. The U.S. has simply made it easier for Israel to commit more of them.
By
Anonymous, at 5:14 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home