LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
November 02/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 5,1-12. When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Saint Ambrose (c.340-397), Bishop of Milan and Doctor of the Church
Concerning the advantages of death/"I had a vision of a great mulititude... from every nation, race, people and tongue... standing before the throne" (Rev 7,9)
Made strong by the teachings [of Scripture] let us go forward without trembling towards our redeemer, Jesus, towards the assembly of the patriarchs; let us set out towards our father, Abraham, when that day comes. Let us go forward without trembling to the congregation of the saints, to that great concourse of the just. We will be going to our fathers: those who taught us the faith. Even if we lack works, may our faith help us; let us defend our inheritance! We will be going to that region where Abraham opens his bosom to those who are poor like Lazarus (Lk 16,19f.). There repose all those who bore the hard knocks of life in this world. Now, Father, stretch out your hands again and again to welcome these poor ones, open wide your arms, make space in your breast to receive yet more, for those who believed in God are many indeed...We are going to the paradise of joy where Adam, who formerly fell into a robbers' ambush, no longer gives thought to weeping over his wounds and where the robber himself rejoices in his share in the heavenly Kingdom (cf. Lk 10,30; 23,43). There where no cloud, no tempest, no lightening, no hurricane, no darkness, no dusk, no summer nor winter mark the uncertainty of the weather; neither cold nor hail nor rain. Our poor, feeble sun, the moon and stars no longer have any more use. God's brightness alone will shine out for God will be the light of all things, that true light who enlightens everyone will shine forth for all (Rev 22,5; Jn 1,9). We will go there where the Lord Jesus has prepared dwelling places for his insignificant servants so that where he is, we may be too (Jn 14,2-3)... «Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory» (Jn 17,24)... We are following you, Lord Jesus; but that it may be so, call us, since no one rises up without you. You are the way, the truth, the life (Jn 14,6), the possibility, the faith, the reward. Receive us; strengthen us; grant us life!

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
No compromise with Iran.By:Robert D./Israel Opinion 01/11/08
Don’t appease Iran. By:Ophir Falk /Israel Opinion 01/11/08
Livni: Syria must cut Iran, terror ties before we give it what it wants. Haaretz 01/11/08
Hezbollah Is Cheating?Atlantic Free Press 01/11/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for November 02/08
Pope Supports Lebanon's Identity -Naharnet
Report: Army Discovers Cell Working for the Mossad Since the 1980s-Naharnet
Report: Lebanon uncovers espionage ring working for Israel-Ynetnews
US justifies Syria, Pakistan raids.Reuters/Israel News
Report: Ahmadinejad calls U.S. Syria raid 'a blind and savage act'-Haaretz
Hizbullah: Roed-Larsen is Well Known for Supporting Israel-Naharnet
Syrian Deployment Stretches 335 Km on Lebanon's Eastern Front-Naharnet
Contacts Between 8 and 14 of March Movements to Prepare for the Dialogue While Suleiman Remains in the Center-Naharnet
Hariri: Hizbullah has a Will to Contain Repercussions of May 7-Naharnet
Saniora Returns to Beirut as Egypt Backs Lebanon's Stability-Naharnet
March 8 and 14 in Contact to Prepare for National Dialogue-Naharnet
Discussions at Security Council Showed 1559 is Taef's Practical Implementation-Naharnet
Olmert Hopes to Receive Answers about Syria's Willingness to Distance Itself from Hizbullah-Naharnet
Pope Discusses Plight of Christians with Suleiman-Naharnet
Hariri-Geagea Reject Expanding National Dialogue-Naharnet
Bellemare to Break the Silence Soon-Naharnet
Lebanon: 12 IAF war jets violated our airspace. Haaretz
Sleiman meets pope, extracts renewed statement of support from Vatican-(AFP)
Bolton links US election to instability in Lebanon-Daily Star
Salam sees no obstacles to dialogue agreements-Daily Star
Fadlallah: Climate of reconciliation provides hope-Daily Star
Interior minister supports lowering voting age-Daily Star
A dozen Israeli warplanes violate Lebanese airspace-(AFP)
Hariri praises Hizbullah's 'will to contain' tension, lashes out at Syrian terror-Daily Star
Ban sees 'no tangible progress' on implementing Resolution 1559-Daily Star
Lebanese readers making writing worthwhile-By Marc J. Sirois
Lebanon cracks down on jammers, repeaters-Daily Star
Beirut to halt flour subsidies by mid-November-Daily Star
Tabourian says Egyptian gas will start arriving early next year-Daily Star
'No difference' between Obama, McCain-Daily Star
Behind closed doors at Beirut's very best smoke-filled room-Daily Star
French dig exposes underside of Tyre-Daily Star
AUB fair highlights importance of fitness, wellbeing-Daily Star
Symposium to highlight Lebanon's historic impact in Mediterranean-Daily Star
Former speaker denounces 'vote buying' in Iranian Parliament-(AFP)
Imprisonment of Syrian dissidents goes unnoticed amid row over US attack on border town-Daily Star
Egypt resembles Taba to the Sebaa Farms: We did not Link Benefiting From the Sinai with that of Taba. Naharnet

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release October 30, 2008
STATEMENT BY PRESS SECRETARY DANA PERINO
The United States condemns the sentencing of 12 members of the Damascus Declaration National Council to two and a half years in prison. This judgment once again underscores the Syrian regime’s contempt for the fundamental rights and freedoms of their people.
The United States calls on the Syrian government to release immediately the 12 Damascus Declaration members, as well as all other political prisoners. Syria must live up to its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Syrian regime cannot expect to be treated as a respected member of the international community when it engages in such systematic repression of its own citizens.

Pope Supports Lebanon's Identity
Naharnet/Pope Benedict XVI gave his support Friday to Lebanon's "characteristic" identity and called for a "just and rapid" settlement of the Palestinian problem.
He made his remarks in a 25-minute audience with Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman, the Vatican press service said.
The pontiff repeated "the continued commitment of the Holy See in favor of Lebanon", a country where many faiths coexist, and "the safeguarding of its so characteristic … identity". Benedict and Suleiman also discussed "the delicate regional situation, expressing the wish that the Palestinian question finds a just and rapid solution". "The conditions of life and the problems of Christian communities in the Middle East" were also reviewed, the press service said.(AFP)

Pope Discusses Plight of Christians with Suleiman
Naharnet/Pope Benedict XVI Friday discussed the plight of Christians in the Middle East with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman.
The pontiff met with Suleiman for 25 minutes, the Vatican's press service said and expressed strong support for "the continued commitment of the Holy See in favor of Lebanon."
"The conditions of life and the problems of Christian communities in the Middle East" were also reviewed, the press service added.
Christians account for around 37 percent of Lebanon's population but their numbers have declined steadily in recent decades.
By custom, the position of president is reserved for a Maronite Christian and the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim.
The number of Christians in Iraq has also fallen by more than 200,000 since the 2003 U.S. invasion, with a string of sectarian attacks prompting a large exodus.
The 59-year-old Suleiman, a former commander-in-chief of Lebanon's army, was elected president by parliament in May after months of political paralysis, during which time the pope urged Lebanese leaders to unify as a "symbol" of peaceful coexistence between different religious communities.(AFP) Beirut, 31 Oct 08, 20:33

Syrian Deployment Stretches 335 Km on Lebanon's Eastern Front
Naharnet/The process of Syrian deployment on the eastern frontier of Lebanon is almost over as it comes to complete a previous Syrian deployment on the northern borders. Lebanese security sources told the daily pan Arab al-Hayat on Saturday that "the operation covers the internal border region inside Syria facing the eastern Lebanese frontier that stretches from Hermel to Rashaya." They said that this comes to complete a similar Syrian deployment in the northern frontier facing the northern province of Akkar. The sources told al-Hayat that the deployment stretches for 335 Km or the entire Lebanese-Syrian border from the north to the Bekka, or 90 Km facing Akkar and 245Km facing the Bekka.
Al-Hayat said that Damascus has via its ministry of foreign affairs informed international parties of its intent to widen the deployment of its forces from Akkar to the eastern frontier adding that this measure comes as part of its commitment to implement U.N. Security Council resolution 1701.
According to information obtained by al-Hayat, Russian ambassador to Beirut Sergei Boukin had conveyed the Syrian position to Lebanese officials he met recently. Boukin affirmed that this aims to control the borders to prevent smuggling and infiltration.
Military sources indicated on Friday that the Syrian deployment stretched from Ersal to the heights of the frontier town of Deir el-Ashayer through the wilderness east of Baalbek, adding the deployment is heavily backed by tanks and field artillery.
The operation commenced on Thursday evening with the deployment of the 4th division of the Syrian army along the border town of Al-Qaa all the way to Jabal Al-Sheikh mountain. The Lebanese army command was officially informed of this move by a telephone call on Thursday made to army commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji by his Syrian counterpart Gen. Ali Habib, detailing the field deployment of the Syrian military forces on the eastern frontier following its deployment in the north, according to a military press communiqué.
"This deployment comes in the framework of measures taken to stop border smuggling and the illegal infiltration of the borders of the two brotherly states," the army statement said. Coinciding with the Syrian deployment, United Nations Special Envoy for the Implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 Terje Roed-Larsen told the Security Council on Thursday that the U.N. Secretary-General has continued his efforts in encouraging Syria and Lebanon to conduct a joint and full border demarcation. However, he noted no progress in this regard.
Syria responded to Larsen's statement saying "there will be no border demarcation with Lebanon prior to the liberation of the Golan Heights, Shebaa Farms and the occupied part of the Ghajar village."Syria's envoy to the United Nations Bashar al-Jaafari sent a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon and to China, which currently presides over the U.N. Security Council, stating that "the real reason for the delay in border demarcation lies in the continued Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights, Shebaa Farms and the (occupied portion) of Ghajjar. Regarding the deployment of Syrian forces on the common Syrian-Lebanese border Jaaffari confirmed that the"deployment is strictly on the Syrian side of the border and that it is limited to 800 troops in implementation of a signed bilateral agreement. He went on to explain that the purpose for this deployment is to monitor the borders and prevent any smuggling and to equally protect Syrian-Lebanese security." Beirut, 01 Nov 08, 11:15

Contacts Between 8 and 14 of March Movements to Prepare for the Dialogue While Suleiman Remains in the Center
CNaharnet/ontacts between the 8 and 14 March Movements have started, in preparation of the launching of National Dialogue next Tuesday.
The daily An-Nahar on Saturday stated, "Contacts are focusing on placing the keys for discussion and dialogue, following the process of reconciliation taking place with more than one party." The paper added "this will help discuss matters in a sportsmanship spirit at the presidential palace in Baabda."
Sources monitoring the preparations told the daily pan –Arab Al-Hayat that President Michel Suleiman is adopting a position allowing him to remain at the center between the parliamentary minority calling for expanding the dialogue to include more parties, and that of the majority that is rejecting it.
"President Suleiman will present the minority's position during the dialogue without adopting it; he will also present the position of the majority." Sources said.
"Any amendment made to the list of those invited to the dialogue will have to be approved by the majority, which is not eager to adopt this position." Sources told Al-Hayat. The National Dialogue's opening session was launched last September 16 at the presidential palace under the auspices of President Suleiman including the 14 signatory parties to the Doha agreement. Beirut, 01 Nov 08, 11:56

Hariri: Hizbullah has a Will to Contain Repercussions of May 7
Naharnet/Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri on Friday accused Syria of exporting terror to neighboring states, said Hizbullah has the "will to contain" repercussions of its May attack in Beirut and rejected expanding the list of participants in the Conference on National Dialogue. Hariri, in an interview with a Russian television network, said "terror is strictly made by the Syrian regime." "I challenge them to accept an international investigation committee to expose who spreads terror to where, who spreads terror to Iraq and Lebanon and who has camps for training terrorists. "If they don't want an international investigation committee, I challenge them to accept an Arab committee," Hariri stressed.
Commenting on the recent U.S. raid on a target in Syria, Hariri said: "Let them lodge a complaint with the U.N. Security council. Why didn't they do that?"
"Israel had raided a Syrian nuclear facility, which they (Syrians) say is not as such. Why didn't they lodge a complaint with the U.N. Security Council?" Hariri added.
"Let the world know what has happened," he stressed. Hariri said his recent meeting with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was a "very good meeting marked by frankness and a revision of what happened during the past three years and a half."
The talks were also marked by "different viewpoints and principles," he said. "There is a will and attempt by Hizbullah and Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to contain what has happened. We also want to contain what has happened," he added. "I believe that what happened on May 7 was a lesson from which the opposition realized that nothing changes. May 7 signaled collapse of Lebanon's principles, dialogue … and the right to be different," according to Hariri.
"Repercussions of that day persist and would persist in the future," Hariri stressed. The forthcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for the spring of 2009, would "reflect the people's response to what has happened," he added. Asked if Mustaqbal Movement would go into an alliance with Hizbullah in the forthcoming elections, Hariri said: "Straight no." He said the March 14 alliance would go into the competition with unified tickets to defend its concept of "Lebanon first."
In answering a question about demands by Hizbullah and allies to expand the list of participants in the Conference on National Dialogue, Hariri said: "I'm against it."
Beirut, 31 Oct 08, 17:27

Saniora Returns to Beirut as Egypt Backs Lebanon's Stability
Naharnet/Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak discussed with Premier Fouad Saniora during a telephone conversation about the results of the meetings of the Higher Egyptian-Lebanese Committee and encouraged cooperation between the two countries. Mubarak also "expressed support to efforts made by President Michel Suleiman and the Lebanese government to achieve stability (in the country) and reactivate the national dialogue," Beirut media reported Saturday.
Saniora, who returned to Beirut on Friday, was expected to meet Mubarak in Cairo. But the meeting was cancelled after Mubarak got sick upon his return from Paris. Instead, Saniora met with Head of Egyptian Intelligence Gen. Omar Suleiman. The two men discussed recent Lebanese and Arab developments.
A source accompanying the prime minister told An Nahar daily that Saniora's visit to Cairo was important to reactivate the role of the Higher Egyptian-Lebanese committee after a seven-year hiatus.The source said the agreements signed between the two countries were aimed at improving ties, whose signs will emerge when Lebanon starts receiving Egyptian gas.Meanwhile, An Nahar reported Saturday that Deputy Egyptian Intelligence Chief Gen. Omar al-Qinawy's recent visit to Lebanon was only aimed at relaying a message of support to efforts aimed at bringing stability back to the country. Qinawy's talks with Lebanese politicians "did not come at the backdrop of urgent issues. He (Qinawy) came…to inform all parties in Lebanon about Egypt's support and interest in Lebanon's peace path," sources told the newspaper.About Saniora's visit to Kuwait before his trip to Egypt, the source accompanying the prime minister said Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah expressed relief about steps taken by Lebanon in the aftermath of the Doha accord. Saniora is expected to travel to Turkey on Monday for a two-day visit. Beirut, 01 Nov 08, 05:26

Discussions at Security Council Showed 1559 is Taef's Practical Implementation
Naharnet/The latest discussions at the U.N. Security Council were "calm" and proved that Resolution 1559 is the "practical implementation of the Taef Agreement in terms of the pullout of foreign forces from Lebanon and disarmament of all militias," diplomatic sources told An Nahar daily. "Resolution 1701 did not cancel Resolution 1559, whose clauses stem from the Taef Accord which was later consolidated by the Doha Agreement," the sources said in remarks published Saturday.
On Thursday, U.N. envoy Terje Roed-Larsen briefed the Security Council on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's eighth report on resolution 1559 which was adopted in 2004. Roed-Larsen is Ban's envoy dealing with implementation of the resolution that included demands for pullout of Syrian forces from Lebanon, the disarmament of all militias and the extension of government authority throughout the country. Beirut, 01 Nov 08, 08:27

Report: Army Discovers Cell Working for the Mossad Since the 1980s
Naharnet/The Lebanese army has reportedly discovered a cell working for the Israeli Mossad spy agency and arrested the network's leader and his relative.
As Safir daily on Saturday, quoting judicial and security sources, said the two men confessed to the army's intelligence service that they were collaborating with the Mossad. It said the army arrested the cell's leader in the Western Bekaa valley after closely watching his moves in Lebanon and between Lebanon and Syria during security developments in the Bekaa which led many to believe that the suspect was kidnapped.
But later it was revealed that the man was in the custody of the army's intelligence. While the judicial and security sources refused to give details, citizens of the town in which the arrest took place told As Safir that security forces raided his home and confiscated his four-wheel Mitsubishi Pajero which had a camera capable of taking clear pictures of faces and license plates. The eyewitnesses told As Safir that the man is the head of the network. They said he didn't have any particular job and he used to sometimes park his vehicle on the international highway between the Bekaa town of Chtaura and the Masnaa border crossing.
Sources close to the investigation said the suspect was recruited by the Mossad in the 1980s. He has also recruited several people and documents seized from his house and vehicle proved his use of high-tech equipment to monitor or contact the Israelis. The same sources said security forces have also arrested the man's relative who confessed to monitoring the moves of personalities, convoys and observing sensitive sites particularly in the central Bekaa.
The newspaper said the network has been entrusted in the past 20 years with monitoring several security spots, including Lebanese and Syrian army outposts and Palestinian bases in the Bekaa. However, the cell has in the past few years concentrated on observing Hizbullah posts, members and convoys.
Investigation also revealed that the cell has been monitoring sensitive security areas in Damascus, including the area of Kfar Sousa where Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh was killed in a car bombing last February. Investigators are reportedly trying to find a link between the network and the assassination of Mughniyeh and other personalities whether in Lebanon or Syria. The ongoing probe is also focusing on the role the network played during the Israeli offensive on the country in July-August 2006. Many people have previously been arrested in Lebanon on suspicion of spying for Israel.
In June 2006, the Lebanese army captured Mahmoud Rafeh, a 59-year-old Lebanese citizen and retired police officer, for a car bombing that killed Mahmoud Majzoub, a senior Islamic Jihad official, and his brother in front of their home in the southern city of Sidon. The army had said that Rafeh was a member of a terrorist network allegedly working for the Israeli Mossad. He later confessed to his role in killing the Majzoub brothers, and to other operations -- including bombings that killed two Hizbullah officials in 1999 and 2003 and the 2002 killing of Jihad Jibril, the son of Ahmed Jibril, leader of the radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC). Rafeh's associate, Hussein Khattab, was able to escape and it was said that the Mossad helped him enter into the Palestinian territories during the July war. In 2004, a Tunisian woman of Palestinian origin and four accomplices were indicted on charges of plotting with Israel to assassinate Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Beirut, 01 Nov 08, 06:46

Egypt resembles Taba to the Sebaa Farms: We did not Link Benefiting From the Sinai with that of Taba.
Naharnet/Egyptian officials stress in front of their visiting Lebanese officials, party leaders and media, that Cairo is not against Lebanon in regaining its occupied territories at Shebaa Farms, Kfar Shuba Hills and the village of Ghajjar, adding that Egypt cannot accept for others what it does not accept for herself when it comes to Israeli occupied Arab lands. However, the Egyptian leadership sees that it is wrong holding up any political, security, economic and development benefits of liberated territories while awaiting the liberation of relatively small and narrow territories that could be subject to border disputes requiring border demarcation or international arbitration to establish its ownership and sovereignty rights.
In this regard Egyptian leaders refer to the example of Taba, following the return of the Sinai Peninsula from Israel. They compare the status of Taba at that time with that of the Shebaa Farms today. They point that Egypt did not link benefiting from the return of the Sinai Peninsula with that of Taba. However, at the same time it did not give up its rights. Egypt moved to the end with international legal procedures, which allowed her to fully regain all of its territories.
Egyptian officials believe that Lebanon can benefit from the Egyptian experience, according to the seven point plan made by the Lebanese cabinet in the summer of 2006 in terms of placing the Shebaa Farms under the auspices of the United Nations and its Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) following an Israeli withdrawal.
The ownership of the Farms is to be decided following a border demarcation process, which will ultimately deliver it to its rightful owners.
It is wrong to keep all of Lebanon with its economy, policy and stability subject to a state of war and confrontation with Israel, with all of the negative implications on its society and institutions that would highly exceed the implications of Israeli occupation of a small portion of territory that could be regained through diplomatic means and international law. Egyptian officials say. Egypt places this comparison regarding the Shebaa Farms with all of the Lebanese parties it receives. Naturally it does not seek to press the Lebanese to adopt this Egyptian model as a solution.
On the other hand Egypt cannot remain silent and be a false witness to the unequal and high costs paid by Lebanon and the Lebanese resulting from a policy that could substituted by another less costly and more beneficial in regaining the Shebaa Farms. Beirut, 01 Nov 08, 12:51

Hizbullah: Roed-Larsen is Well Known for Supporting Israel
The head of Hizbullah's International Relations Department Nawaf Mousawi accused Terje Roed-Larsen, U.N. Special Representative for the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559, of working to please the Israeli side. He accused Roed-Larsen of carrying Israeli demands and presenting them as though they were requests urged by the international community. Roed-Larsen's "background and goals are well known, that he works to please the Israeli side by carrying their demands and presenting them as though they were requests urged by the international community," Mousawi said in comments published by several Beirut dailies on Saturday. "This employee (Roed-Larsen) ignores the Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty," Mousawi added. "It seems that he forgets that Hizbullah is a basic component of the Lebanese government, whose cabinet statement has clearly stated the legitimacy of the resistance away from any unjust description of a militia," he said. "It is the Israeli aggression that has destroyed the authority of successive Lebanese governments. What has restored state authority is the presence of a powerful and effective resistance capable of thwarting Israeli aggression and it goals," Mousawi said. He said Roed-Larsen never stopped referring to the Taef accord. "However, we know very well that he did not read its articles and provisions. This accord confirmed a Lebanese consensus for confronting and removing the Israeli aggression by all means on top of which is the resistance." He said Roed-Larsen's "obsession in directing his criticism to Hizbullah harms the ongoing cooperation with the United Nations. It is time to rein in his destructive quarrelsome role, especially when his role has been gravely unsuccessful for the past three years." Beirut, 01 Nov 08, 09:53

Olmert Hopes to Receive Answers about Syria's Willingness to Distance Itself from Hizbullah
Naharnet/Israel's prime minister is expecting Turkey to arrange another round of talks with Syria soon, hoping to receive answers about Damascus' willingness to distance itself from Hizbullah, An official in Ehud Olmert's office has said.
Olmert is aware of the restrictions of his caretaker role and is not planning to reach agreements with the Syrians, the official told The Associated Press on Friday.
Instead, Olmert hopes to receive answers about Syria's willingness to distance itself from its allies in Iran and Hizbullah, a key Israeli demand. In turn, the Syrians were expected to raise the subject of final borders, the official said on condition of anonymity because the information was not officially made public.
Israel and Syria have been holding indirect talks through Turkish mediators, but the contacts have been suspended for months because of political upheaval in Israel.
Olmert, who announced he would step down to face corruption allegations, remains the caretaker leader of a temporary government until after national elections on Feb. 10. His opponents say he should freeze negotiations with Syria and the Palestinians in the meantime, but Olmert says he will press ahead.
Olmert "sees importance in the continuation of the dialogue and the continuation of the talks," said the Israeli premier's spokesman, Mark Regev.
Syria hopes to win back the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau it lost to Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel later annexed the territory, a move that has not been recognized internationally. An earlier round of peace talks in the late 1990s foundered over disagreements about the extent of an Israeli withdrawal.
The Syrians have indicated they might not agree to resume talks with an Israeli prime minister who has little clout.
"This process cannot be resumed before the political crisis in Israel is solved," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told a news conference in London on Monday, following talks with his British counterpart.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 01 Nov 08, 04:30

French dig exposes underside of Tyre
By Mohammed Zaatari /Daily Star staff
Saturday, November 01, 2008
TYRE: A French excavations team from the Universite de Lyon has wrapped up phase I of works in the southern port city of Tyre, the head of the Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA) in the South told The Daily Star on Friday. "Excavations are centered in two main sites inside Tyre's Al-Mina ancient ruins area," Ali Badawi said. He added that archaeologists were working on uncovering the tomb of Frederic Archbishop of Tyre, which is said to be buried under an ancient cathedral dating back to the times of the Crusaders in the coastal city. "A German excavating team came to the area in search of Frederic's tomb in the 19th century but didn't find anything," Badawi said. Badawi said the French team was also following the traces of a Roman amphitheatre in the area.
The head of the French excavations team, Pierre-Louis Gatier, said archaeologists were able to find a wall, "which might be one of the cathedral's walls."
French archaeologists are also working on tracing the history of earthenware they found at the site. Gatier said his team is expected to end its mission "in the next few days, but we will be back again next year." The 14-member excavation team arrived in Tyre around three weeks ago; their mission is part of a plan put forth by DGA to determine which historical periods the site dates from. - The Daily Star

Sleiman meets pope, extracts renewed statement of support from Vatican
Berlusconi chimes in with backing for national dialogue
By Agence France Presse (AFP) /Compiled by Daily Star staff
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Pope Benedict XVI discussed the plight of Christians in the Middle East in a meeting with President Michel Sleiman on Friday. The pope voiced his support for Lebanon's pluralistic identity and called for a "just and rapid" settlement of the Palestinian problem. He made his remarks during a 25-minute audience with Sleiman, the Vatican press service said. The pontiff also repeated "the continued commitment of the Holy See in favor of Lebanon," a country where many faiths coexist, and "the safeguarding of its ... identity."Benedict and Sleiman also discussed "the delicate regional situation, expressing the wish that the Palestinian question finds a just and rapid solution." "The conditions of life and the problems of Christian communities in the Middle East" were also reviewed, the press service said.
Christians account for around 37 percent of war-torn Lebanon's population but their numbers have declined steadily in recent decades.
The number of Christians in Iraq has also fallen by more than 200,000 since the 2003 US-led invasion, with a string of recent sectarian attacks prompting a renewed exodus. The 59-year-old Sleiman, a former commander-in-chief of Lebanon's army, was elected president by Parliament in May after months of political paralysis, during which time the pope urged Lebanese leaders to unify as a "symbol" of peaceful coexistence between different religious communities. The president also met with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, who had extended his own stay in the Vatican after having attended a religious conference in October. Before heading to the Vatican, Sleiman discussed Lebanese-Italian bilateral ties in a meeting with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Rome. Sleiman was quoted by Lebanon's National News Agency as saying that this country was fully committed to the implementation of international resolutions that "call for respecting its sovereignty and independence, and urge Israel to withdraw from all its territories."Sleiman reiterated Lebanon's commitment to reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the "Middle East problem" in accordance with international resolutions, the Madrid Conference of 1991, and the Arab Peace Initiative (API) of 2002.
The Madrid Conference set the ground for achieving peace settlements between Israel and a number of Arab states.
The API was launched during an Arab League summit in Beirut, offering Israel normal ties with all Arab countries in return for its complete withdrawal from all occupied land and fair resolution of the refugees' plight. Sleiman told Berlusconi that Italy and the European Union could play an effective role in speeding up efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East. For his part, Berlusconi reiterated his country's commitment to support stability in Lebanon.
"We also encourage the course of dialogue and reconciliation which started under the auspices of President Sleiman," the prime minister said.
Also Friday, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora discussed with a number of officials the measures to be taken to control Lebanon's eastern border with Syria.
The meeting came in the aftermath of reports about a Syrian military deployment along the eastern border. Local TV station LBC, which sent a correspondent to inspect the situation on the border, said Friday that no unusual measures were observed. The commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), General Jean Kahwaji also said Friday that the LAF was continuously cooperating with the Syrian Army to prevent smuggling.
Siniora ended a visit to Cairo on Friday after meeting Egypt's intelligence chief, General Omar Suleiman. A scheduled meeting between Siniora and President Hosni Mubarak did not take place as the latter was indisposed after returning from Paris. However, Mubarak contacted Siniora and encouraged continued cooperation between Beirut and Cairo. Also Friday, Future Movement leader Saad Hariri said that his recent meeting with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah would not lead to an alliance between the two leaders. Hariri described his meeting with Nasrallah as "positive," adding that the two parties have agreed on containing tensions following last May's events. Hizbullah-led fighters clashed with pro-government gunmen in May, briefly taking over large swathes of predominantly Sunni western Beirut. Hariri, who was speaking to Russia Today television, said that he would visit Moscow in November to enhance bilateral ties and stress Lebanon's ability to become an "economic bridge" that connects Russia to other Arab countries.
The Future leader also met with Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, who visited him at his residence in Qoreitem. A Lebanese Forces source told the Central News Agency on Friday that the meeting touched on next year's parliamentary elections. The source added that both leaders agreed on rejecting calls by Hizbullah and its allies to expand the list of participants in the national dialogue process, the next session of which is scheduled for Wednesday.
The conference's first session was held in mid-September at Baabda Palace, grouping the 14 politicians who signed the Doha Accord that ended last May's clashes.
Also Friday, news reports said that Nasrallah had told Hariri during their recent meeting that he had no reservations about meeting Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader MP Walid Jumblatt. The PSP chief was the first to kick off reconciliation efforts with Hizbullah as senior officials from his party have held a number of meetings with Hizbullah representatives under the auspices of Youth and Sports Minister Talal Arslan. In a separate development, Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun was quoted on Friday as saying that "only a nuclear bomb" would undo his alliance with Hizbullah. Local daily As-Safir said Aoun also told a gathering of FPM members that he would visit Syria before the end of the year. - AFP, with The Daily Star

Bolton links US election to instability in Lebanon
Daily Star staff/Saturday, November 01, 2008
BEIRUT: Former acting US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton on Friday linked his country's phase of transition to instability in Lebanon. In an interview with the Al-Arabiyya satellite news channel, Bolton expressed fears for "stability and democracy in Lebanon" and "the government of Prime Minister [Fouad] Siniora." These fears were rooted in the role Syria and Hizbullah may jointly play in Lebanon, he said. "This transitional period in the United States and Israel may have been difficult on the Lebanese state," Bolton told Al-Arabiyya. - The Daily Star

Salam sees no obstacles to dialogue agreements
Daily Star staff/Saturday, November 01, 2008
BEIRUT: Culture Minister Tamam Salam said in comments published on Friday that nothing was blocking the agreements reached on the national dialogue, which he said would proceed in a similar manner to the previous round of dialogue in 2006. In an interview with Egypt's Al-Akhbar al-Youm newspaper, Salam said that current conditions and recent achievements in Lebanon would result in a successful dialogue. He also said the dialogue should benefit from regional and international support. Salam said he hoped that the dispute between Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and his deputy, Issam Abu Jamra, over the latter's powers would soon end, adding that there was no mention of the powers and authority of the deputy prime minister in the Taif Accord. - The Daily Star

Fadlallah: Climate of reconciliation provides hope
Daily Star staff/Saturday, November 01, 2008
BEIRUT: Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah said that the recent reconciliation atmosphere spread hope among the Lebanese after sectarian players "tried to complicate national and Islamic relations." Such sectarian groups, he said, use fear and exaggeration of facts to serve their own political calculations, "which are tied to regional or international alliances and do not serve, in any way, Lebanon's interests." During Friday prayers at the Imam Hassanayn Mosque, Fadlallah said that reconciliation should be tied to the concepts of honesty and integrity. "Reconciliation should push all parties to think about the country's welfare, especially in the coming period of regional challenges." Fadlallah said he hoped the Cabinet would be one "of true national unity rather than opposing alliances fighting each another." He called on the Cabinet to work for the independence of Lebanon and to exert "extensive efforts to offer social and health services to all Lebanese and preserve the environment." - The Daily Star

Hariri praises Hizbullah's 'will to contain' tension, lashes out at Syrian 'terror'
Daily Star staff/Saturday, November 01, 2008
BEIRUT: Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri lashed out at Syria on Friday, accusing it of exporting "terror" to neighboring countries. "Terror is strictly made by the Syrian regime," Hariri told Russia Today television channel. Hariri also said Hizbullah has the "will to contain" repercussions of the May clashes in Beirut and rejected expanding the list of participants in the national dialogue meetings. "I challenge Syria to accept an international investigation committee to expose who spreads terror in Iraq and Lebanon and who has camps for training terrorists," he said. "If they don't want an international investigation committee, I challenge them to accept an Arab committee," Hariri said. Commenting on the recent US raid on a village in Syria, Hariri said: "Let them lodge a complaint with the United Nations Security Council. Why didn't they do that?" Syria protested to the UN Security Council on Tuesday over what it called a "flagrant act of aggression," and asked the world body to "prevent any repetition of this grave violation."US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said the target of the raid was a top Al-Qaeda figure who operated a network smuggling fighters into Iraq. Syria has said the raid killed only eight civilians and no militants, and has challenged the US to prove that it targeted an extremist. "Israel had earlier raided a Syrian nuclear facility, which they [the Syrians] say is not such. Why didn't they lodge a complaint with the UN Security Council?" Hariri said. Syria also complained to the UN over that attack, and has allowed international inspections of the site.
"Let the world know what has happened," Hariri said. Hariri said his recent meeting with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was a "very good meeting marked by frankness and a revision of what happened during the past three years and a half."
The talks were also marked by "different viewpoints and perspectives," he said. "There is a will and attempt by Hizbullah and Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to contain recent tensions. We also want to contain recent tensions," he added. "I believe that what happened on May 7 was a lesson from which the opposition realized that nothing changes. May 7 signaled collapse of Lebanon's principles, dialogue ... and the right to be different," Hariri said in reference to clashes between opposition fighters and pro-government gunmen earlier this year. "Repercussions of that day persist and will persist in the future," Hariri added. Asked if the Future Movement would go into an alliance with Hizbullah in the upcoming 2009 parliamentary elections, Hariri said: "Of course not." The forthcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for the spring of 2009, would "reflect the people's response to what has happened," he added. He said the March 14 alliance would go into the competition with unified tickets to defend its concept of "Lebanon first." Asked about demands to expand the number of participants in the national dialogue, Hariri said: "I'm against such a step." - The Daily Star

Ban sees 'no tangible progress' on implementing Resolution 1559
UN chief concerned by Islamic extremism around Tripoli
By Andrew Wander /Daily Star staff
Saturday, November 01, 2008
BEIRUT: UN chief Ban Ki Moon believes that there has been "no tangible progress" over the past six months toward disarming Lebanon's "militias" as called for by UN Security Council under Resolution 1559, the Security Council heard on Thursday. UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, who is change of implementing the resolution which calls for the disarming of "militias," told the Security Council that Ban was gravely concerned at continued presence of armed groups in Lebanon.
He said the secretary general believes the presence of the groups could threaten parliamentary elections scheduled to be held in the spring.
The most significant "militia" in Lebanon, he said, was the armed wing of Hizbullah, which he described as a "massive paramilitary infrastructure that is separate from the state." He said that the secretary general supported the transformation of the Shiite resistance group - which at present has both a political and military presence in Lebanon - into a "political party proper" as soon as possible.
Fighting on the streets of Beirut in May was also a cause of great concern to the secretary general, the envoy said. The street battles, in which the Hizbullah-led opposition defeated militants who were supporting the government, "may have prompted, if not accelerated, a process of rearmament in Lebanon," he warned.
Foreign groups operating in Lebanon, particularly on the Syrian border, were another concern, the Security Council heard. Roed-Larsen warned that there had not been significant progress on the delineation of the "vulnerable" border between Lebanon and Syria.
He pointed to the presence of two groups - the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Fatah al-Intifadah - which he said had established permanent paramilitary structures along the border as symptomatic of this.
A number of member states raised concerns about the alleged flow of weapons and fighters over the border.
The secretary general is also concerned at the increasingly heated rhetoric that has been exchanged between Israel and Hizbullah in recent weeks, Roed-Larsen said. He urged both sides to desist in verbally attacking the other, saying that this created anxiety among the civilian populations in both Lebanon and Israel.
The secretary general was also concerned by the emergence and strengthening of Sunni extremists and foreign fighters around Tripoli, the envoy said, citing the recent attacks on the Lebanese military in the town and noting the "assertive action" that the army had taken recent weeks against the problem.
His report was not all bad though. He also pointed to progress on the implementation of the resolution. Lebanon has taken "major strides" on the political front in the past six months, he said, pointing to the Doha agreement and the election of the president as evidence the Lebanon had the potential to move toward a stable government with the sole right to use force on its territory.
"Achieving meaningful progress in this regard is not only urgent, but it is also possible should all sides continue to adhere by their commitments to refrain from violence to settle political differences and commit themselves to a Lebanese political process that safeguards the country's sovereignty, stability and Constitution," he said. He also commended the decision of the governments of Lebanon and Syria to establish bi-lateral relations on an ambassadorial level.
The resolution, passed in 2004, also called for an end to foreign influence over Lebanese politics, a move aimed at preventing then-President Emile Lahoud from having his mandate extended with Syrian support. Lebanon has a long tradition of constitutional amendments to alter presidential terms.

Report: Ahmadinejad calls U.S. Syria raid 'a blind and savage act'
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
Iran's official news agency says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has condemned a recent U.S. raid inside Syria near its border with Iraq as a savage act.
IRNA says Ahmadinejad called his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, Friday to express Iranian support.
The report quotes Ahmadinejad as calling Sunday's raid a blind and savage act.
Washington has not formally acknowledged the raid but U.S. officials, speaking to the media on condition of anonymity, have said the target of the raid was Badran Turki al-Mazidih, a top al-Qaida in Iraq figure who operated a network of smuggling fighters into the war-torn country. The Iraqi national also goes by the name Abu Ghadiyah. Syria has said the raid only killed eight civilians and has challenged the U.S. to prove it targeted an extremist.
Damascus has decided to cut off its diplomatic relations with Iraq in response to the raid, Al-Arabiya reported on Thursday.
Syria has also decided to reduce its troops on the border with Iraq, according to a report from Syrian television.
The Syrian government has demanded Washington apologize for the strike of the Abu Kamal border community and earlier this weeek threatened to cut off cooperation on Iraqi border security if there are more American raids on Syria territory.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari called his Syrian counterpart late Wednesday to express Iraq's rejection of the attack and stress his government's keenness to avoid any political escalation that would damage relations between the two countries.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Syrian riot police ringed the shuttered and closed U.S. Embassy in Damascus on Thursday, as tens of thousands of Syrians converged on a central square for a government-orchestrated protest to denounce the raid.
The embassy was closed because of security concerns related to the protest, and the American school was also shut for the day. The Syrian government has ordered the closure of the school, expected within a week, and the immediate closing of the American cultural center linked to the embassy.
Though Syria has long been viewed by the U.S. as a destabilizing country in the Middle East, in recent months, Damascus has been trying to change its image and end years of global seclusion.
But American accusations that Syria wasn't doing enough to prevent foreign fighters from crossing its borders into Iraq remains a sore point in relations. Syria says it is doing all it can to safeguard its long, porous border.

Livni: Syria must cut Iran, terror ties before we give it what it wants
Last update - 17:54 31/10/2008
By Barak Ravid and Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondents
Following reports that outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert intends to resume indirect peace talks with Syria, Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni on Friday asserted that Damascus must sever its ties with Iran and Hezbollah before Israel accedes to its demands.
"Before the Syrians get from us what they want, they must show through their actions that they intend to stop arming Hezbollah, and must cut ties with Iran and terrorism," Army Radio quoted her as saying.
Livni, who will seek to bring the ruling Kadima party victory in upcoming general elections, also said Friday that the government "must determine if we are talking about continuing just the talks - or determining facts on the ground before elections, something that is not appropriate or acceptable."
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"The government needs at this time to focus on the management of the country and find solutions to the problems facing us right now, nothing more than this," Livni added. The official who reported that Olmert intends to continue talks added that talks between the Prime Minister's Bureau and the bureau of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan would be held next week to try to coordinate an agreed-on date for what would be the fifth round of indirect talks with the Syrians.
In response to the report, Likud MK Yuval Steinitz slammed Olmert as having delivered a "simultaneous blow to the principles of democracy and the crucial interests of the State of Israel," by carrying out such negotiations with Syria.
Meanwhile, Livni has called for an increase of international pressure on Syria.
Olmert's intention to resume talks has raised fury among right-wing lawmakers, especially as the government elections.
Olmert met Tuesday with Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller, who had held a two-hour meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad a few days earlier in Damascus. Assad expressed a desire to continue talks with Israel, and was "very serious," the Danish minister told Olmert.
Moeller also said Assad had told him he was willing to conduct direct negotiations with Israel while President George W. Bush is still in office, if Assad were to receive a satisfactory response from Israel to the "six-point document" he gave the Turkish prime minister in September.
According to an Israeli government source, Israel is aware of the content of the document. Haaretz has learned that the document contains three points dealing with the marking of the border of the Golan Heights and three points dealing with security issues in the framework of a peace treaty between the two countries.
Olmert reportedly told Moeller that his intentions toward the Syrians were also serious and noted that he had said as much in an interview he gave recently to Yediot Ahronoth. Olmert also reportedly told Moeller that Israel would answer the Syrians' questions at the coming meeting. The Prime Minister's Bureau declined to comment on the matter.
If a date is set for another round of talks, it will be handled by the same team as the previous rounds, including Yoram Turbovicz and and Shalom Turjeman. Turbovicz retired in August from his position as Olmert's bureau chief and recently received approval from the attorney general to head the negotiating team on a voluntary basis. The arrangement for Turbovicz was several months in the making, one of the reasons talks with the Syrians were frozen.
The six-point document was first made public at a summit in Damascus at the beginning of September, attended by the president of France, the Turkish premier and the emir of Qatar, where Assad announced that he had given the document to Ankara, and that it included Syria's demands regarding an agreement with Israel. Assad is believed to view Israeli agreement to the document, which Israel received via Turkey, as a condition for a move to direct talks.
Despite Olmert's desire to talk to the Syrians, he may find it difficult to do so because of the major tensions between Damascus and Washington following the U.S. air attack on Syrian territory on Sunday, which killed eight people. Syria took a number of steps against American institutions in Damascus, and the U.S. State Department announced that the American Embassy in Damascus would be closed until further notice.
Syria announced Thursday it would withdraw its Border Guard forces from the border with Iraq as a "punitive measure" against the United States for the bombing. A huge anti-American demonstration was also organized in Damascus to protest the attack. ABC News reported on Friday that the Bush Administration nixed a proposal by incoming head of the U.S. Central Command General David Petraeus to visit Syria shortly after he takes over the post as the top U.S. commander for the Middle East.
The last round of Turkish-mediated indirect talks between Israel and Syria ended the same day Olmert announced he was leaving office in the wake of the investigations against him. The fifth round, planned for the beginning of September, was postponed because of the political situation in Israel and Turbovicz's departure.
Olmert kept a low political profile after the Kadima primary to allow the party's new chairwoman, Livni, to conduct coalition talks without interruption. However, sources told Haaretz that following Livni's failure to form a government and the call for early elections, with Olmert now having at least three months left in office, Israel initiated the move to renew talks with the Syrians.
Renewing talks with Syria does not exceed Olmert's authority as head of a transition government; however, he could find himself the subject of criticism by Livni. Livni told the Turkish defense minister Thursday that the smuggling of weapons from Syria to Hezbollah was very serious, adding, "International pressure must be brought to bear on Syria to stop this phenomenon."
Olmert did not discuss the diplomatic talks in his speech at the opening of the Knesset's winter session Monday, but he did note that "the interests of the country do not go into deep-freeze. Olmert also said that "the feeling of a preelection freeze is misleading - there are decisions to be made and a country to run. The decisions will be made and the country will be run."
Meanwhile, a Syrian commentator living in the West, Camille Alexandre Otrakji, said he believed the proposal raised by President Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to negotiate based on the Arab peace initiative could be dangerous. In a blog on a public affairs Web site focusing on Syria, Otrakji wrote that the initiative could "...probably be another cycle of chaos, violence, war threats followed by a sequence of flipping peace tracks." Otrakji does not represent the official Syrian position, but his comments are apparently close to that position.

Lebanon: 12 IAF war jets violated our airspace
01/11/2008
By The Associated Press
Lebanon said 12 Israel Air Force warplanes violated its airspace on Friday by flying reconnaissance missions over the country's North and South.
The Lebanese army said in a statement carried by Lebanon's official news agency that six IAF jets flew over the border village of Alma al-Shaab and other southern towns and villages for about 30 minutes Friday.
The statement said six other IAF warplanes flew over the Mediterranean off the coastal city of Batroun and over other northern towns for about an hour.
There was no immediate statement from the Israel Defense Forces, which usually does not comment on flights over Lebanon.
IAF overflights are often aimed at intelligence gathering. The army used information gleaned from aerial photography in the 2006 Second Lebanon War, in which Israel fought the Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah.
In August, a senior IAF officer told Haaretz that if Hezbollah installs advanced anti-aircraft batteries in Lebanon, the Israel Air Force will have to alter its overflights of Lebanon significantly.
However, he added that the IAF has successfully coped with similar threats elsewhere, and could do so in Lebanon as well.

Hezbollah Is Cheating?
Written by Tom Chartier
Friday, 31 October 2008 16:49
by Tom Chartier
Israeli Defense Minster Ehud Barak is upset. He has screamed: “foul play” to the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL). What pray tell is all the hoopla about?
According to the IDF and Ehud Barak, the cross border boogey men of Hezbollah have been… and I shudder at the thought… violating a UN resolution, UN Resolution 1701 to be precise. Say it isn’t so!
Just what is UN Resolution 1701? Well, it’s that peacekeeping resolution designed in 2006 to put a stop to all the bloodletting over the handful of captured IDF soldiers. Both Israel and Hezbollah were ordered to cease-fire and withdraw back to each other’s corner while UNIFIL would hang out in the “no ruckus zone” and keep all the peace loving terrorists and freedom fighting guerillas away from each other’s throats.
So far UN Resolution 1701 seems to have worked… sort of. However, according to Defense Minister Barak, something is rotten in Shebaa Farms. You see one other stipulation in UN Resolution 1701 is that Hezbollah must disarm. But the IDF claims Hezbollah has been running guns across the Lebanese/Syrian border!
Well, now that just ain’t cricket now is it?
The fact is, we really do not know if Hezbollah has or has not been rearming. We just have Ehud Barak’s word on it. And frankly, the IDF has a history of seeing threats, making up threats, lying about threats from every corner of the falafel stand. The Israelis could simply be setting the stage to justify some payback. They’ve done that before. And the idea that the IDF and Hezbollah are ready to make nice is preposterous. Both parties are gearing up to go at each other at the first opportunity they can come up with. After all, there are people on both sides of the border still alive!
Nevertheless, I suspect there’s a degree of truth to Ehud Barak’s claim. Not that Hezbollah is a rabidly crazy group of murderous religious fanatics and terrorists. They’re not. They’re a well-regulated militia… hm… where have I heard that phrase before? Anyway, Hezbollah is a guerilla organization and the first and possibly only line of defense against another brutal IDF invasion of Lebanon, like Operation Litani in 1978 and Operation Peace For Galilee in 1982.
Don’t misunderstand me. I do not approve of the methods Hezbollah has employed, like cross border kidnappings, firing rockets into kibbutzim and suicide bombers blowing up embassies or marine barracks. These things don’t really do their cause any good.
But neither have the actions of the IDF been any less reprehensible. Ariel Sharon’s 1982 siege and destruction of West Beirut to destroy Arafat’s PLO once and for all, his support of the Sabra Chatila massacre, the repeated destruction of Southern Lebanon, the 1996 bombing of the Qana refugee camp, etc., etc., etc. Well, all of these adventures were a bit shall we say? Heavy handed?
You bet they were. If anyone is to blame for the creation of Hezbollah and their desperate tactics, it’s overly aggressive Zionists and Ariel Sharon.
So now Ehud Barak is screaming about possible Hezbollah weapons smuggling in violation of UN Res. 1701. Did anyone in Israel or the UN or Lebanon seriously expect Hezbollah to disarm? The concept is laughable. I don’t recall a UN resolution demanding that Israel disarm. And if memory serves, the month long war between the IDF and Hezbollah in 2006, caused a great deal more damage to Lebanese civilians than anybody across the border in Israel.
Considering the threat of Israel over reacting to another border skirmish, if you were a Lebanese Shi’ite would you be so eager to throw down your weapons? Americans won’t give up their guns under any circumstance.
What is even more laughable about Ehud Barak’s complaint is the hypocrisy and double standard. UN resolutions are not binding and Israel has a history of ignoring them when it serves their purpose.
Here are some highlights:
1948, UN Resolution 194 resolved that refugees displaced in Israel’s war of independence be allowed to return, compensation should be paid to those choosing not to return and free access to the holy places assured. What? Let the 700,000 – 800,000 Palestinians they were so thoroughly cleansed from the land back in? Camel dung! That would be a waste of all that effort and upset the carefully managed demographics in The Kingdom of David. This resolution has never been honored and it’s not likely it ever will be.
1967, UN Resolution 242 declares Israel’s acquisition of captured territories inadmissible and calls for Israel’s withdrawal, the right of all states in the region to live in peace within secure recognized borders and a just solution to the refugee problem. Oh humbug! Give up what they “rightfully” conquered and follow that pesky UN Res. 194? Hardy-har-har. No Way. As we all should know, Israel did give up the Gaza Strip but only to blockade it creating the world’s largest open prison. I’m not sure that was the idea of UN Res. 242.
1973, UN Resolution 338 confirms UN Resolution 242, which has so far been ignored, which also confirms UN Resolution 194. Best to ignore this one too. And that the Israelis have done.
Unfortunately for Israel, UN Resolution 242 keeps popping up as it did at the Camp David Accords and Oslo. And even the Arabs are ok with peace with Israel after all these years… as long as they recognize UN Resolution 242 and withdraw behind the pre-1967 borders! And somehow, I don’t think any Israeli hawks are too receptive.
On the subject of UN Resolution 242 and the Palestinian West Bank, Ariel Sharon so “eloquently” stated to Winston Churchill III in 1973: “We’ll make a pastrami sandwich of them. We’ll insert a strip of Jewish settlements in between the Palestinians, and then another strip of Jewish settlements right across the West Bank, so that in 25 years, neither the United Nations, nor the U.S.A, nobody, will be able to tear it apart.”
So… Just why is Israeli Defense Minister Barak whining about the violation of a quaint little UN resolution?

Report: Lebanon uncovers espionage ring working for Israel
A-Safir: Man arrested on suspicion of employing network of agents working with Israeli intelligence to map out sensitive locations in Lebanon, Syria – including Damascus neighborhood in which Hizbullah leader Mugniyah was killed
Roee Nahmias Published: 11.01.08, 11:32 / Israel News
The Lebanese army has uncovered an espionage ring operated by Israel for many years, the country's a-Safir daily news reported. The report said it was the second such ring discovered in two years. The other alleged spy network was exposed in 2006.
The daily reported that Lebanese intelligence began gathering information on the suspected spies after Did Israel Do It?
The Second Lebanon War, in an attempt to expose agents collaborating with Israeli intelligence in different areas of the country. The information led to the arrest of the main suspect in the case, A.G. The alleged spy is a resident of one of the country's western Beqaa Valley villages. Since the '80s he has been known for his political relations with various Palestinian organizations, which allowed him diplomatic freedom of movement within Lebanon. According to the allegations, he has been collaborating with Israel since that time. A.G's home was searched, and witnesses reported that security officials broke into his apartment and confiscated his vehicle. Security forces reported after searching the car that a highly advanced camera able to photograph minute details was found within.
Witnesses said the man had been in contact with a number of agents, and that his missions included driving through roadways connecting Lebanon with Syria, occasionally stopping to photograph sensitive areas.
Sources familiar with the case told the paper that one of the man's family members has also been detained, and admitted to collaborating with Israeli intelligence agents. He said he had been charged with a number of reconnaissance tasks including roadways, convoys, and military bases.
During the interrogation the main suspect admitted to have enlisted a number of agents and documents confiscated from his home testify to his involvement in the ring, as well as his use of high-tech means to keep in touch with Israeli operators, the report added.
Sources said the network has been operating for over 20 years, and was responsible for mapping out the Beqaa Valley, including Syrian military bases and Palestinian sites. Recently, a-Safir reported, the spies have been pursuing Hizbullah operatives and outposts.
The ring was said to have operated in Syria as well, where it is suspected to have mapped out areas in Damascus such as Kfar Sousa, the secure neighborhood in which Hizbullah leader Imad Mugniyah was killed in February by a car bomb.
Investigators are currently attempting to link the espionage ring to Mugniyah's murder, as well as to divine its function in the transfer of information to Israel, the report said.

US justifies Syria, Pakistan raids
US security chief: We have right to attack countries that harbor terror threat
Reuters Published: 10.31.08, 19:18 / Israel News
A country should have the right to attack another if it is harboring a potential terrorist threat, the US homeland security chief said in remarks appearing to justify recent US raids in Pakistan and Syria.
Laying out what amounts to a broadened definition of self-defense, Michael Chertoff said international law should accommodate a country's need to deter a possible threat abroad even if it meant taking pre-emptive action.
His remarks, at a discussion on democracy held in the British parliament, follow recent secret raids by U.S. forces into Pakistan and Syria that were justified using a similar rationale and drew condemnation from those countries.
"International law must begin to recognize that part of the responsibility of sovereignty is the responsibility to make sure that your own country does not become a platform for attacking other countries," Chertoff told an audience on Thursday night.
"There are areas of the world that are ungoverned or ungovernable but nevertheless technically within the sovereignty of boundaries. Does that mean we simply have to allow terrorists to operate there, in kind of badlands, where they can plan, they can set up laboratories, they can experiment with chemical weapons and with biological weapons?" he said.
His remarks, challenged by some members of parliament in the audience, follow comments made by US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on Tuesday in which he said Washington would hold countries fully accountable for their actions.
Gates' remarks, made to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, included a warning that the United States should modernize its nuclear arsenal as a hedge against "rogue nations" such as Iran and North Korea

No compromise with Iran
Israel must take stand against evil instead of counting on world to curb Iran threat
Robert D. Onley Published: 10.31.08, 00:51 / Israel Opinion
Regardless of who is elected next week in the United States, Israel must adamantly defend herself against Iran – indeed she will have no other choice. Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain are likely to adequately step up to protect Israel in the event that Iran officially "goes nuclear" in the very near future. Local responsibilities preclude such adventurism.
While many Israelis hold out hope that Barack Obama will stridently defend their land, holding negotiations with the fanatic leaders of Iran only serves to approve Iran’s reckless, brash foreign policy in recent years. The sheer fact that the UN General Assembly applauded President Ahmadinejad’s vitriolic speech in September should serve as a stark, frightening reminder that Iran’s ultimate goal remains the complete destruction of Israel – and that the world ostensibly agrees.
On the global stage, any leader combining the words “Zionist regime” should be publicly ostracized and disposed of, not congratulated and praised. The world body’s duplicity is horrifying.
There exists a misguided perception globally that Iran is only playing rhetorical games to increase its regional supremacy. Indeed, rhetoric is certainly a significant part of Ahmadinejad’s posturing, but beneath his insidious speeches lays a fundamental apocalyptic vision shared by the Ayatollahs above him. Official Iranian military parades with enormous Shahab-3 missiles painted with the words “Death to Israel” are not merely provocative symbols – they are overt physical manifestations of Iran’s deadly intentions.
Thus, the Islamic nation’s ongoing disregard for the UN sanctioning process should serve as obvious proof that Iranian leaders are not simply playing mind games. Rather, Iran is pushing full-steam ahead on concrete plans to match its present rhetoric with a powerful future capability.
Israel needs unity
Perhaps a more immediate existential threat remains Iran’s obvious arming and intensive strengthening of its proxy army Hizbullah. Advanced missiles and anti-aircraft weaponry are flooding into the south of Lebanon at an alarming rate. The very fact that such "resistance" weapons are entering the state at all should be evidence enough for Israelis to call for immediate international action. Moreover, the botched 2006 war should not dissuade Israelis from undertaking further defensive military incursions.
Hizbullah's supposed missile potential to strike further south into Israel is an even more pressing concern. Add onto this Iran’s possible future ability to equip Hizbullah with a nuclear device, and the need for the absolute removal of Hizbullah from the region is plainly obvious.
What Israel needs now is unity. While this may not emerge from the currently disabled Knesset and its unstable leadership, Israelis cannot falsely place their hope with the future American president, or even more misguidedly, with the United Nations. The world has proven itself to be entirely indifferent to Israel’s plight, given its weak-kneed stance against a possible nuclear Iran.
Israel’s only true hope for security comes from its own forces, its people, and a strong, united voice against the forces of evil that are ever-faster surrounding her. The day when Israel must take its future its own hands has come. It is time for Israel to take a stand against evil.

Don’t appease Iran
Should Obama win elections, he must not repeat pre-World War II mistake
Ophir Falk Published: 10.29.08, 01:59 / Israel Opinion
Barack Obama has shown great style, as he has been able to sidestep issues and controversy throughout his very well run campaign. But does he have enough substance?
All national elections are labeled as crucial, but the upcoming elections in the United States may in fact be the "most important elections of our time." The issues on the table are almost unprecedented: A nuclear Iran, the wind up of the war in Iraq, signs of a renewed Cold War and global economic uncertainties are all issues of paramount international importance that the newly elected president will face.
Neither candidate has been able to put the public's mind at ease with their economic plan, but in terms of priorities McCain put his campaign on hold in order to help out in national crisis management, whereas Obama did not.
Iran is still the most active state sponsor of terrorism in the world, as it has been for the last quarter century. Yet, Obama, Biden and their team of advisors have endorsed negotiating with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "without any preconditions." It is therefore not surprising that the speaker of Iran's parliament, Ali Larijani, said this past week that Tehran "prefers Obama" and feels "100% certain" that he will not consider attacking Iran.
Wrong to negotiate with Holocaust denier
At Iran’s recent “World without Zionism” conference, Ahmadinejad told his audience, “We are in the process of a historical war between the ‘world of arrogance’ and the Islamic world, and this war has been going on for hundreds of years.” He elaborated by emphasizing “the annihilation of the Zionist regime will come... Israel must be wiped off the map... and God willing, with the force of God behind us, we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism."
In the run-up to World War II, it was morally and historically wrong to appease the fascist tyrants that would later conquer Europe by storm and carry out the Holocaust. Today it is wrong to negotiate with someone who denies the Holocaust ever happened and threatens to mimic (and perhaps outdo) those Advertisement
atrocities.
Iran's quest for nuclear weapons should be confronted, not appeased.
Presidential candidates often change their positions after being elected. Once they need to take real decisions and feel the weight of responsibility of their office, things often change when compared to their campaign declarations. Hopefully that will happen with Obama, should he become commander-in-chief – but then again, it might not.
*The author is a partner at Naveh, Kantor, Even-Har Law firm and a research fellow at the International Counter-Terrorism Center in Herzliya