Is Israel About to Attack Hizballah?

[Moon Monkey]

Civil war or war with Israel seem to be the options.

If the international community hadn't gone all wishy-washy last summer there might have been the chance of a fresh start for the peace loving section of Lebanonese society. I see UNIFIL are spending their entire budget on protecting themselves in their bases (and partying in Israel at the weekends) rather than doing what they were mandated to do and of course the Lebanese army did nothing but did anyone seriously expect them to ?

The place is an accident waiting to happen that could have been avoided if the world had just backed Israel in its 'war on terror'. Before anyone says "but you will never defeat Hezbollah", they said that about the PLO in Lebanon in the early 80's. Then again if Hezbollah are what the people of Lebanon want they know what to expect so lets not pretend the inevitable outcome is a surprise when it happens, whether it be this winter, next summer or the year after.

[Never Here]

Lebanese tensions rise amid power vacuum By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer

1 hour, 2 minutes ago

BEIRUT, Lebanon - President Emile Lahoud said Friday that Lebanon is in a "state of emergency" and ordered the army to take over security powers, hours before he was stepping down without a successor and leaving a political vacuum in the divided country. The pro-Western government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora rejected the move, raising tensions.

The announcement by the pro-Syrian president immediately raised further confusion amid Lebanon's political turmoil, which many fear could explode into violence between supporters of the government and the opposition.

The president cannot declare a state of emergency without approval from the government, but Lahoud's spokesman said Saniora's government is considered unconstitutional.

"The president of the republic declares that because a state of emergency exists all over the land as of Nov. 24, 2007, the army is instructed to preserve security all over the Lebanese territory and places all the armed forces at its disposal," presidential spokesman Rafik Shalala said.

The statement instructed the army "to submit the measures it takes to the Cabinet once there is one that is constitutional," he said.

Saniora's government rejected the announcement.

"It has no value and is unconstitutional and consequently it is considered as if it was not issued," said a government spokesman, who asked not to be identified because an official announcement has not yet been made by the prime minister.

The spokesman said the constitution stipulates that the Cabinet — not the president — has the authority to declare a state or emergency and to give the army the authority to take over security.

"Any decision not issued by the Cabinet has no constitutional value," the spokesman told The Associated Press.

The army command refused to comment on the developments.

The military had already been on alert for several days, deploying hundreds of troops in tanks, armored personnel carriers and jeeps along intersections leading to Beirut and around the downtown area where the parliament building is located. The city was normal throughout the day, but traffic was lighter than usual, and most schools were closed.

Lahoud was still expected to step down when his term ends at midnight Friday. Both sides had been counting on the military to ensure calm in the political chaos, and it was unclear if Lahoud's announcement would give the military any powers beyond security measures.

But his talk of a "state of emergency" raised already high tempers as both sides enter a new phase of trying to find a new president for the country.

Parliament made a final attempt Friday afternoon to convene to vote on a president before Lahoud leaves office. But the opposition, led by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, boycotted the session, preventing it from reaching the necessary two-thirds quorum.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who is aligned with the opposition, scheduled another session for Nov. 30 to give the factions more time to try to find a compromise candidate — which they have failed to do in weeks of talks mediated by France's foreign minister and other international officials.

Leaders from each side were pledging not to take steps to provoke the other — though Lahoud's announcement raises the heat.

"We have no choice but to have a consensus," Saad Hariri, leader of the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority, said after the failed session. "It is not in Lebanon's interest that the (presidential) palace is left empty."

The presidency is the latest front in the power struggle between the anti-Syrian coalition that holds a slim majority in parliament and the opposition, led by Syria and Iran's ally, Hezbollah. The anti-Syrians have tried to put one of their own in the presidency to replace Lahoud, a staunch ally of Damascus, but have been blocked by opposition boycotts of the legislature.

"Discussions should continue aimed at electing, as quickly as possible and according to the constitution and to democratic principles, a new Lebanese president who will stand for Lebanon's independence and sovereignty and uphold international resolutions," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

"The United States and its allies will not waver in our support for the people of Lebanon as they defend their freedom against all attempts at foreign interference and intimidation," he said.

Much of what happens next in Lebanon — a battleground between the West and the Syria-Iran axis — may depend in part on Tuesday's U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference. Syria has not formally decided whether to go to Annapolis, Md., but it likely will.

Government supporters have accused Syria of using its allies in Lebanon to block a deal on the presidency until it sees what it gets in the conference. Damascus wants Annapolis to address its demands for the return of the Israeli-held Golan Heights.

[Never Here]

February 19, 2008

Where the Next Mideast War May Start

By Richard Cohen

SDEROT, Israel -- Rockets launched from the nearby Gaza Strip fall here almost daily. These Qassams are crude devices that hardly ever kill people, although they have, and hardly ever wound anyone, although recently one boy lost part of his leg. They hit with unpredictable regularity, taking a roof here, a piece of a wall there and demolishing the peace of mind of every resident. Bit by bit, Sderot is going crazy.

The next Middle East war may start over Sderot. To many Israelis, the daily rain of Qassam rockets is reason enough to go back into Gaza and eradicate the rocket-makers, the rocket launchers and the entire Hamas leadership that now runs Gaza. The call for action superficially makes a certain amount of sense. But memory rebukes: Didn't Israel just pull out of Gaza?

Yes, it did. It withdrew most of its military and all of its settlements and turned the wretched area, populated by 1.2 million mostly poor Palestinian refugees, over to the moderate Palestinian Authority. Then the PA lost an election to Hamas and the militants have been in charge ever since, permitting the incessant rocketing of Sderot and its environs. The Qassams are lofted over the high border wall and whether they hit a school or a hospital or a cat basking in the sun is of no concern to Hamas.

In Europe and elsewhere where activists are just plain dizzy from their own moral virtue, Israel is denounced for inflicting suffering on Gaza. But the protesters say nothing about the Qassams raining from the sky -- sometimes as many as 40 a day. The adjectives for the Qassams are innocuous: crude, inaccurate. Yes, but they have killed 13 in the last seven years and make life here almost unbearable. The bus stops have been converted to bomb shelters and a tarpaulin of steel has been thrown over a school to protect it. Stop a resident and you will not get bluster. "I'm scared," says Anatoly Ahurov, 25, formerly of the former Soviet Union.

Behind police headquarters, the shells of hundreds of spent Qassams are stacked like cordwood before a Vermont winter. Three have landed within two hours of my hitting town. One forced me into a shelter. I was safe, protected both by a cement ceiling and by the law of averages. Still, my heart got a three-latte jolt. I would not want to live here.

Actually, almost no one wants to live here anymore. But many of the residents are poor, distant immigrants from Morocco or more recent ones from the former Soviet Union. The value of their homes has plummeted. Many want to sell. No one wants to buy. So they stay. So they wait.

The residents suffer in other ways as well. Many have psychological ailments or the physical ailments brought on by the psychological ones -- heart trouble, for instance, or hysteria or sudden fits of violence. When I mentioned this later to a resident of Haifa, he nodded his head. This veteran of a war that took his eye said that for all he had seen in combat, he has yet to recover from the rocketing of Haifa during the 2006 war with Hezbollah. When the battlefield is your house, there is no going home.

Sderot represents the metastasized insanity of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle -- rockets sent to kill anyone, it doesn't matter who. The tempting solution is to respond in kind. But this has been done. In Gaza. In Lebanon. Now the northern border is -- fingers crossed -- quiet. Some sort of deal, arrangement, accommodation, understanding has been reached with Hezbollah. Maybe nothing more than a wink. Maybe just a breathing spell.

Something like this has to be done with Hamas as well. Israel has the armed might to maul Hamas. But inevitably, the rockets will return, sooner or later reaching Ashkelon, the major port not all that far away. (Nothing in Israel is all that far away.) Gaza is a pitiless trap.

Israelis don't trust Hamas, and why should they? It wishes Israel nothing but death. But some accommodation has to be reached. There are ways. Any agreement, though, would undercut Israel's moderate Palestinian ally, Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah. Israel could do nothing, but nothing is demeaning, dangerous and, anyway, nothing is not what Israel does.

Sderot is a town, real enough and in pain. But it is also a metaphor. Its residents are trapped. So is Israel. Sooner or later, if nothing is done, a rocket will hit kids on the playground or mothers strolling the street, and Israel will have to respond -- another nasty, little war. That much is clear. This too: Absolutely nothing else is.

cohenr@washpost.com

Copyright 2008, Washington Post Writers Group

[Moon Monkey]

For all intents and purposes its already started in Gaza but the big ground invasion is going to be soon now, Olmert got all the assurances he needs from his little trip last week. Unless the rockets suddenly stop its a sure thing in Gaza and, if Hezbollah do anything at all, Lebanon as well.

Edited February 20, 2008 by Moon Monkey

[ships-cat]

But what - in practice - can Israel actually DO ? I mean - sure - they can roll their Merkevah tanks in, but what will that actually acheive ?

If they know who is LAUNCHING the rockets, then they can arrest or kill them. I guess they can search for stockpiles of these weapons, but even in an area as small as Gaza, that is still a needle in a haystack.

All that HAMAS would have to do is... nothing. Blend in and keep their heads down. They might have SOME of their members arrested, but presumably the Mossad doesn't know who EVERYONE is.

And when the tanks leave, the rockets start again. This would be a blow to the morale of residents of Sderot, as well as making Israel seem ineffective in the eyes of the world - a major propaganda victory for HAMAS.

Meow Purr.

[questionmark]

But what - in practice - can Israel actually DO ? I mean - sure - they can roll their Merkevah tanks in, but what will that actually acheive ?

If they know who is LAUNCHING the rockets, then they can arrest or kill them. I guess they can search for stockpiles of these weapons, but even in an area as small as Gaza, that is still a needle in a haystack.

All that HAMAS would have to do is... nothing. Blend in and keep their heads down. They might have SOME of their members arrested, but presumably the Mossad doesn't know who EVERYONE is.

And when the tanks leave, the rockets start again. This would be a blow to the morale of residents of Sderot, as well as making Israel seem ineffective in the eyes of the world - a major propaganda victory for HAMAS.

Meow Purr.

That is the risk, unless they have enough information to arrest over 80% of Hamas and take their money with them. That would calm them down for a while.

[Never Here]

Hezbollah reject US ships off Lebanon By ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press Writer

Fri Feb 29, 11:30 PM ET

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah denounced the deployment of U.S. warships off Lebanon's coast and said Friday it won't be intimidated, while the U.S.-backed Lebanese government distanced itself from the military move.

"We did not request any warships from any party," U.S.-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said, hours after the U.S. announced it was sending ships off Lebanon to promote regional stability.

He insisted the U.S. ships would cruise off the coast, not in Lebanese territorial waters.

Saniora, who has been accused by the opposition of following U.S. policy, spoke in front of Arab diplomats at government headquarters in Beirut after his Hezbollah opponents called the U.S. deployment a threat to Lebanese sovereignty and independence.

The U.S. military said Thursday the Navy was sending at least three ships, including an amphibious assault ship, to the eastern Mediterranean Sea in a show of strength during a period of tensions with Syria and political uncertainty in Lebanon.

In Washington on Friday, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe called the move "a show of support for regional stability."

And State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the warships were an important sign of U.S. commitment to security in the region. "It should provide comfort to our friends" and, for U.S. adversaries, "a reminder that we are there," he told reporters.

But Hezbollah legislator Hassan Fadlallah denounced the move as a threat and called on Saniora's government to reject the Navy deployment.

"We are facing an American threat against Lebanon," Fadlallah said on local television. "It is clear this threat and intimidation will not affect us."

Hezbollah is leading the opposition in seeking to topple the U.S.-backed government in Beirut. The group fought Israel in the 2006 war and is believed linked to Muslim militants who attacked U.S. forces and diplomats in Lebanon in 1983-84 during the Lebanese civil war, killing about 270.

Lebanon's long political crisis is increasingly viewed as taking on a regional scope: a proxy confrontation between the United States and some of its Arab allies against Iran and Syria — both staunch opponents of America's Mideast policies.

Neighboring Syria had yet to react on Friday, a weekend in that country.

The decision appeared to be a not-too-subtle show of U.S. force as international frustration mounts over a long political deadlock in tiny, weak Lebanon. The United States blames Syria for the impasse, saying it has never given up its ambitions to control its smaller neighbor.

"If the Syrians want to take a message from it, happy to have them do so if what that means is it gets them out of the business of subverting democracy and the will of the Lebanese people," Casey said.

The Lebanese opposition accuses the U.S. of scuttling any attempts to settle a political crisis over the president and government that has dragged on for the last 15 months. The majority has accused the opposition of doing the bidding of Syria and Iran.

A presidential election in Lebanon has been delayed 15 times. Just this week the date was pushed back to March 11.

Tensions in Lebanon have sharpened after the assassination in Syria of top Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh, who was wanted by the United States for a plane hijacking and was suspected of attacks against American targets in Lebanon as well as Israeli and Jewish interests abroad.

Hezbollah has accused Israel, promising retaliation, and Israel has put its forces along the Lebanese border on alert.

Sheik Afif Naboulsi, a Shiite cleric close to Hezbollah, scoffed at the U.S. Navy deployment.

"We say to the Americans: We will not be afraid of your threats, and we won't hand over the country to you to use it to pressure Syria," he said at a Friday sermon in southern Lebanon.

In 1983, at the height of U.S. intervention in Lebanon, about 17 ships — two aircraft carrier battle groups and two mammoth battleships — patrolled the Lebanese coastline with a Marine contingent deployed at Beirut airport.

A suicide bombing destroyed the Marine base in October 1983, killing 241 American service personnel, and a U.S. Embassy building was destroyed by another suicide bomber during that period. U.S. warships also were involved in shelling anti-government Muslim militia positions.

The last time U.S. ships came to Lebanon was during the 34-day conflict in 2006, with warships taking part in the evacuation of Americans.

Lebanese territorial waters are now patrolled by Lebanon's navy and a United Nations Naval Task Force of 12 warships assisting Lebanese authorities under the U.N. resolution that halted the summer 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

On Friday, Germany handed over Friday the leadership of the U.N. naval mission to a European command that includes Italy, France, Spain and Portugal after leading the mission for its first 17 months, the international organization announced.

German Minister of Defense Franz Josef Jung said the mission had been a success but would not say how long the deployment might continue.

"Our aim is for Lebanon to be in a situation to take care of its security," he said, adding that he hoped that would happen "in a suitable period of time."

[Moon Monkey]

Those surface to ship missiles that hezbollah have got could make things interesting or, for a CT point of view, a USS Liberty style op ? Either would make a good excuse for US boots on the ground.

BTW Soldier, whats with the name change ?

Edited March 2, 2008 by Moon Monkey

[ships-cat]

Well, it appears to be escalating. A student was killed in Sderot on Wednesday, and the IDF have been hugely stepping up attacks in Gaza ever since. Arab Palestinian women and children have been killed, according to the BBC report here , which quotes arab palestinian sources.

Meow Purr.

[stevewinn]

whats happening with Lebanon? is that about to kick off as well, is Hezbollah waiting for the IDF to go into Gaza and then launch an attack to try and stretch the IDF forces?

seen on Al Jazeera that saudi have told their nationals in the country to leave,

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/24F...CA786434016.htm

Edited March 2, 2008 by stevewinn

[Never Here]

Those surface to ship missiles that hezbollah have got could make things interesting or, for a CT point of view, a USS Liberty style op ? Either would make a good excuse for US boots on the ground.

BTW Soldier, whats with the name change ?

Yes it could be interesting....just hope that is all.The U.S.A needs to understand they dont or shouldnt try to be so...helpfull.It's not needed,nor is it wanted.This is the major problem...too much wanting to "control" everything.Probably just wanting to help serve thier intrest or an ally in the area.As for the name change,much like a catipillar,one must evolve.And since i have,it seems apropriate.Im more of a mind that,instead of having a "warlike" name,i chose one that now fit's my whole persona much better.Perfectly,Actually.There is a MUCH BIGGER picture that is not being seen yet.But people must need to realize this,and what is at stake.There is much to be done to reverse the problem,but just giving up is not the answer.It will take the whole of the world to change,but every journey begins with a single step.

[Moon Monkey]

I noticed than a few Hezbollah fighters blew themselves up last week preparing rockets and those five terrorists killed in the mini-van in Gaza that made Hamas lose control last week were Syria and Iran trained alongside Hezbollah and about to launch something real big....it does seem to be coming to a head but you've gone all cryptic again Allegory....anything more detailed and tangible you can share ?

[Never Here]

I noticed than a few Hezbollah fighters blew themselves up last week preparing rockets and those five terrorists killed in the mini-van in Gaza that made Hamas lose control last week were Syria and Iran trained alongside Hezbollah and about to launch something real big....it does seem to be coming to a head but you've gone all cryptic again Allegory....anything more detailed and tangible you can share ?

Well,i know sometimes something can "seem" to be one thing,yet in reality,it is an illusion.There was not much guessing to wich "tragedy" that would occour,followed by who was the "bad guys" in four was the number of days given,yet there remains the question:It wasnt four days,it was longer than 4 weeks.UNLESS you're one week was 9 days.And the clues to the BIG picture really are in some of my post.Just not all in one spot...spread over and mixed up.If everything was just laid out,and there was no way to convince anyone,let alone everyone,what would be the point in trying to get the REAL info into the light,so to speak.If you look,you will see back in early january,i said MCcain would be the new prez.I also said that in 2008 we would see more millitary action than in all the previous years.There is,if you look in my post of when i was first a member,talk of ALOT more of whats coming.And what to do.But you tell people Everything,all at once,and they just wont be able to believe you.If you TELL them,"hey,this guy is gonna be your new prez",then he is,some might take notice.Or a tragedy that would be called before it happens...what would it take to make people stop killing eachother?Maybe if they could "see" A MIRACLE,then would they believe?What would be a good one...Hmm,ok on march 21 at 12 noon P.S.T. look to the sky.There will be a sign.That will be a begining.In the meantime,a small message: there is no winning in anger,or hate.War will not make this a better planet.Only understanding and some humanity.It's a begining.

Edited March 2, 2008 by Allegory

[Never Here]

Pilgrims mark Good Friday in Jerusalem By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writer

Fri Mar 21, 12:07 PM ET

JERUSALEM - Thousands of Christians from all over the world crowded the stone alleyways of Jerusalem's Old City to mark Good Friday, retracing the route the Bible says Jesus took to his crucifixion.

Some pilgrims carried large wooden crosses as they walked down the Via Dolorosa, or Way of Sorrows, stopping at 14 stations that commemorate events that Christians believe befell Jesus as he was led to his death.

Many pilgrims prayed in the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which tradition holds was the site of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. Some chanted hymns, while others prostrated themselves on a smooth stone slab marking the spot where Jesus' body was believed to have been placed after being removed from the cross.

Visitors in the city hailed from Brazil, the Philippines, Poland, Spain, and African nations.

The crowd in one of the Old City's streets included two dozen members of an American church group from Ohio, dressed in white. Eileen Joiner, 43, from Akron, said she was moved to be in Jerusalem.

"You see a picture and it looks impressive. You see it in person, and it's always so much more," she said.

The group's pastor, Janice Skeen, said a recent shooting attack in Jerusalem had not deterred them. "You can't escape the feeling and the presence of God here. This is his special land," she said.

The March 6 attack by a Palestinian gunman killed eight young students at a Jewish seminary in the city.

Police said thousands of security personnel were deployed around Jerusalem for Good Friday and the Jewish festival of Purim, which also falls this weekend. Jews celebrate Purim by dressing up in costumes and reading the Book of Esther, which recounts a victory by the Jews over their enemies in ancient Persia.

At a Purim celebration just outside the walls of the Old City, hundreds of Jewish children dressed up as angels, superheroes and rabbits, and were entertained by jugglers and clowns.

Police are also on high alert because of fears of a revenge attack for the February slaying of a high-ranking commander in the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Israel denied involvement, but Hezbollah threatened to avenge his death with an attack on Israeli targets. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the alert level Friday was one below the maximum.

Israel banned West Bank residents from entering Israel for fear militants might carry out attacks, but the closure also meant many Palestinian Christians couldn't make it to Jerusalem.

Samir Helou, an engineering lecturer from east Jerusalem, said there were markedly fewer local Christians in the Old City this year.

"We pray every year for a better situation, and then every year becomes worse," he said.

Anita Ekka, a Catholic nun from Madhya Pradesh, India, said she appealed for an end to conflict.

"We pray here for the peace of the world, of the heart and of the mind," she said.

[ships-cat]

Hmm,ok on march 21 at 12 noon P.S.T. look to the sky.There will be a sign.That will be a begining.

I looked. It was overcast and grey, with a 30% chance of freezing rain.

Has it begun ?

Meow Purr.

[questionmark]

I looked. It was overcast and grey, with a 30% chance of freezing rain.

Has it begun ?

Meow Purr.

Dunno, last I checked my supply of Jamaica Rum and Bordeaux wine was still enough for a rainy day....

[Never Here]

Cheney says Hamas torpedoes peace By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer

2 minutes ago

JERUSALEM - Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that Hamas, with support from Syria and Iran, is trying to "torpedo" peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel.

Meeting reporters after having breakfast with the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Cheney said, "It is clearly a difficult situation, in part, because I think it's true, there's evidence that, Hamas is supported by Iran and Syria and that they're doing everything they can to torpedo the peace process."

Cheney said in his meeting Sunday with Palestinian leaders they talked about efforts under way in Yemen to encourage reconciliation between moderate and militant Palestinians.

"My conclusion after talking about this with the Palestinians is that they have established some preconditions before they would ever consider a reconciliation, including a complete reversal of the Hamas takeover of Gaza."

Asked whether the U.S. supports the Yemeni mediation effort to bridge differences between Hamas and Fatah, a senior administration official traveling with Cheney said that the United States has made it clear that it will not support working with Hamas unless there is a fundamental change in the group's current role, which the U.S. describes as terrorist.

The official commented on condition of anonymity to more freely discuss U.S. policy.

Commenting on the 4,000th American death in Iraq, Cheney said the milestone may have a psychological on the American public.

"You regret every casualty, every loss," he said. "The president is the one that has to make that decision to send young men and women into harm's way. It never gets any easier."

In recalling his talks last week with the kind of Saudi Arabia, Cheney would not say whether he had asked the Saudis to increase oil production. President Bush publicly urged the Saudis to produce more to reduce pressure on rising oil prices when he was in the region in January.

Cheney said the Bush administration met with the Saudi king and oil minister about three years ago in Texas and talked about the world oil market. He said at that time the Saudis agreed to increase their capacity to produce oil by 2.5 million barrels a day from what was then 10.5 million barrels.

"They kept their word," he said, adding that the capacity is now about 11.8 million barrels and that at the end of 2009 is expected to be 12.5 million.

The senior official expanded on the internal discussions with the Saudis, saying they are doing a lot to help the world oil market and are doing what they said they would do. The official added that it is hard for the United States to press too hard for the Saudis to increase their production capacity even more when production capacity in the United States has declined in recent years.

[Never Here]

Hezbollah leader pledges revenge

Thousands attended the rally in Beirut.

The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, has said the group will avenge the death of one of its top military commanders last month.

He was speaking at a rally in Beirut to mark the end of the 40-day mourning period for Imad Mughniyeh.

Mughniyeh was killed by a car bomb in Damascus on 12 February.

Israel has denied accusations that it was involved in the murder, but it has issued warnings to its citizens around the world to be on alert.

Acclaimed in death

Thousands of Hezbollah's supporters attended the rally at a community centre in southern Beirut, with huge pictures of Mughniyeh adorning the walls.

Since his death, Mughniyeh has been acclaimed by Hezbollah as one of the group's most important commanders.

Appearing by video link, Hassan Nasrallah said Hezbollah would avenge his death, choosing "the time, place and manner of punishment".

"The Israelis are worried, as they should be, because our blood will not be spilled in vain," he told supporters.

However, he said another war with Israel, like the one in 2006, was unlikely.

"The decision to go to war is not one the Israeli leadership can make lightly because in Lebanon there is the power of the resistance, the will of the resistance and the culture of the resistance," he said.

The BBC's Mike Sergeant in Beirut says Israel has been bracing itself against possible retaliation, which he says could be more likely now that the traditional mourning period is over.

[ships-cat]

JERUSALEM - Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that Hamas, with support from Syria and Iran, is trying to "torpedo" peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel.

Well, I guess that's not really a suprise. The HAMAS constitution explicitly states that there can be no negotiations. Palestine has to become an Islamic state, and the ONLY acceptable method of bringing this about is Jihad.

Unless they forswear that part of their constitution, then it is difficult to see how they could enter into negotiations. Something that some of the do-gooders seem to have overlooked.

Meow Purr.