LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 01/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 8,18-22. When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side. A scribe approached and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."Another of (his) disciples said to him, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." But Jesus answered him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead."

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Iran Preparing Graves for Its Enemies’(CNSNews.com) 01/07/08
Hizbullah's strength should be the Lebanese state's, too- The Daily Star 30/06/08
U.S. escalating covert operations against Iran: report -Reuters 30/06/08
Beyond the Government.By:Walid Choucair Dar Al-Hayat 30.06.08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for June 30/08
Aoun: International Intervention Preventing Cabinet Formation -Naharnet
Jumblat Worried About Lebanon, International Tribunal -Naharnet
Hizbullah Tells Israel Ron Arad is Dead, Haaretz -Naharnet
Army Command Urges Troops to Disregard Media Agitation -Naharnet
In Lebanon, eco-tourism dream survives amid violence, crisis-France24 - Paris,France
Hamas emboldened by Israel-Hezbollah swap-The Associated Press
Syrian FM: I wish Syria had Israel's nuclear arsenal-Ha'aretz
Syria again denies bombed site was a nuclear reactor-Jerusalem Post
Saniora's Three Christian Pillars -Naharnet
Government Impasse Persists, Berri Leaves on a Private Visit, Sporadic Violence Escalates Tension -Naharnet
Tension, Exchange of Fire Persist in Tripoli despite Army Deployment -Naharnet
Report: Israel-Hizbullah Prisoner Swap in Two Weeks-Naharnet
Moussa: Mines Push Lebanon to Red Lines-Naharnet
Muallem, Kouchner to Discuss Lebanon in Paris-Naharnet
Hizbullah: Israeli Prisoner Swap Approval Victory for Shiite Group-Naharnet
Main Points of Israel-Hizbullah Prisoner Swap Deal-Naharnet
Israel Approves Prisoner Swap with Hizbulla-Naharnet
Al-Hayat: “Syria offered to interfere in North Lebanon”-iloubnan.info
Israel has long history of lopsided prisoner swaps-International Herald Tribune
Jumblat Counters Aoun's Pressure by Insisting on Communications ...Naharnet
Eco-tourism Dream in Lebanon Survives amid Violence, Crisis-Naharnet
US steps up funds for covert action against Iran - report-AFP
Iranian general says 320,000 graves being dug for invaders-AFP
A look at key events in Lebanon-Israel conflict-International Herald Tribune
'Done deal' for new Lebanese government done in by bickering-Daily Star
Syria put troops in Lebanon ahead of Israeli drill - report-Daily Star
Hizbullah denies military presence in Sannine heights-Daily Star
Deadly blast in Tripoli apartment heightens tensions-AFP
Getting to grips with Lebanon's sectarian divisions-Daily Star
World Bank gives Beirut even poorer marks-Daily Star
Beirut Stock Exchange sees drop in trading activity-Daily Star
Beirut's architectural history gives way to modern towers-AFP
Cultivating a palate for contemporary dance in Lebanon-Daily Star

Aoun: International Intervention Preventing Cabinet Formation
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun said Monday that international intervention is taking place in a bid to prevent the formation of a new government. "Some international and regional players who had left the domestic game have entered the game again through the cabinet line-up," Aoun told reporters after a meeting of his Change and Reform parliamentary bloc. While hinting it was not "so great" to take part in the new government, Aoun insisted that the cabinet must be formed "and that we participate in it." Aoun said he hoped that after the 2009 parliamentary elections, he would "gain power in a better way."
He accused the pro-government March 14 coalition of demanding more compromises from him. "Whatever compromises we offer, they ask for more," Aoun said, adding that "we demand one thing and we are given another."The FPM leader said his demands were reasonable. "We are not demanding too much," he stressed. "And who says that during negotiations one should accept everything he is offered?"He denied that differences over the shares in the new cabinet were among opposition parties, but between the Hizbullah-led opposition and Prime Minister-designate Fouad Saniora. Beirut, 30 Jun 08, 17:02

Jumblat Worried About Lebanon, International Tribunal
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat expressed concern over a possible deal being prepared at the expense of Lebanon and the international tribunal. Jumblat expressed his stand in an article to be published by the PSP's weekly magazine al-Anbaa on Tuesday. Advance copy was distributed by the state-run National News Agency on Monday. "What has happened to the International Tribunal that no one is mentioning these days although it was the only way to deter political assassination in Lebanon?" Jumblat asked. He also asked: how can Hizbullah negotiate to swap prisoners, and how can others negotiate with Israel to achieve peace and "Lebanon has no right to implement the armistice accord with Israel?" Beirut, 30 Jun 08, 15:20

Hizbullah Tells Israel Ron Arad is Dead, Haaretz
Naharnet/Hizbullah has informed Israel through U.N. hostage negotiator Gerhard Konrad that missing Israeli navigator Ron Arad is dead, the Israeli daily Haaretz said Monday. Haaretz reported that as part of the second stage of the prisoner swap agreement approved by the Israeli cabinet on Sunday, Hizbullah will hand over a report which is said to detail the organization's efforts to obtain information on Arad. In exchange, Haaretz said, Israel will offer Hizbullah a report on the fate of four Iranian diplomats kidnapped and murdered during the Lebanon war in the 1980s.
Israel has previously said it does not know what happened to the diplomats, who were arrested in east Beirut in 1982 and are believed to have been subsequently executed and buried at a site where construction later obliterated their graves. Haaretz said that according to the outlines of the Hizbullah report, Arad ejected from his plane in 1986 and was taken captive by the AMAL Movement of Speaker Nabih Berri. It added that Konrad, who has seen the outline of the report but not the report itself, said his impression was that Hizbullah wanted to show it made a serious effort to find out what happened to Arad.
The report is said to contain numerous details on efforts Hizbullah made to ascertain Arad's fate, including the questioning of various individuals, Haaretz said.
But Israel also wants the report to explain how Hizbullah concluded that Arad was dead and why it cannot provide proof of what happened to him or locate his remains, the daily reported. Beirut, 30 Jun 08, 20:12

Army Command Urges Troops to Disregard Media Agitation
Naharnet/The army command on Monday urged troops to safeguard their unity by disregarding media agitation.
The command, in a release to troops, said some factions harmed by the atmosphere of reconciliation and entente that followed recent violence, especially in the Bekaa and the north, seek to disturb security. Some media outlets, the release said, also hype up reports which "misguide citizens and agitate feeling."
Politicians and news analysts, the release added, also contribute "erroneous information and make suggestions that cast doubt on the army's role."
The release also said units should "cooperate with citizens, especially in tense areas, by encouraging them to relay information about developments in their neighborhoods."The command reiterated that it would save no effort to safeguard the people's security and safety. Beirut, 30 Jun 08, 14:34

A look at key events in Lebanon-Israel conflict
The Associated PressPublished: June 29, 2008
_ 1978: Israeli forces invade south Lebanon to attack Palestinian guerrillas who took over areas near the border, retaliating for an attack on an Israeli bus that killed more than 35 people near Tel Aviv. U.N. Security Council calls for Israeli withdrawal and an international peacekeeping force for south Lebanon.
_ 1979: A team of Lebanese militants, including Samir Kantar, land on the beach in the Israeli city of Nahariya and kill a young father and his 4-year-old daughter. The man's wife accidentally smothers their 2-year-old daughter in a frantic attempt to keep her quiet so they won't be found. Two policemen are also killed.
_ 1982: Israel invades again, this time reaching as far as Beirut. Israeli attacks leave up to 14,000 Lebanese and Palestinian civilians dead. Shiite Muslims form the militant group Hezbollah, which becomes the main opposition to the Israeli occupation.
_ 1982: In September, the Israeli army moves into Beirut a day after Lebanese president-elect Bashir Gemayel is killed in a bomb explosion. Israeli-allied Christian militiamen massacre hundreds of Palestinians in Beirut's Sabra and Chatila refugee camps.
_ 1985: Israel retreats south, but sets up a border buffer zone in south Lebanon. Israel trades three Israeli soldiers captured by Palestinian forces in 1982 for 1,150 Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners.
_ 1986: An Israeli warplane is shot down in south Lebanon, and navigator Ron Arad is captured by Shiite guerrillas. His fate remains officially unclear, but he is presumed dead.
_ 1989: Israel abducts Hezbollah cleric Sheik Abdel Karim Obeid, hoping to trade him for information about Arad.
_ 1992: Israeli airstrike kills Hezbollah leader Sheik Abbas Mussawi. The group chooses its current leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah.
_ 1994: Israeli troops abduct Lebanese guerrilla leader Mustafa Dirani, hoping to use him to get information about Arad. Israeli aircraft strike a Hezbollah base, killing about 50 guerrillas.
_ 1996: Israel launches an operation in a bid to end guerrilla attacks. Israeli jets also strike Lebanese power stations. Israeli artillery kills more than 100 Lebanese civilians sheltering at a U.N. base in Qana, south Lebanon.
_ 1997: Twelve Israeli soldiers are killed in a commando raid on south Lebanon.
_ 2000: Israeli troops withdraw from buffer zone, ending 18 years of occupation. In a cross-border attack in October, Hezbollah captures three Israeli soldiers, later disclosed to be dead. In a separate incident, the group kidnaps an Israeli businessman.
_ 2004: Hezbollah swaps the Israeli businessman and the remains of the three Israeli soldiers for 436 Arab prisoners, including Dirani and Obeid, and the bodies of 59 Lebanese fighters.
_ 2006: On July 12, Hezbollah kidnaps two Israeli soldiers in cross-border raid, sparking 34-day war that kills 159 Israelis, including 40 civilians, and more than 1,000 Lebanese, most of them civilians. War ends with a U.N.-brokered cease-fire, bringing thousands of international peacekeeping troops to police Israeli-Lebanese border.
_ 2008: Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declares two captive soldiers dead, Cabinet approves deal to exchange Kantar for bodies of the bodies of the two soldiers and information on Arad.

Government Impasse Persists, Berri Leaves on a Private Visit, Sporadic Violence Escalates Tension
Naharnet/A tentative deadline set by President Michel Suleiman to form the new cabinet expires on Tuesday amidst a stall in contacts to facilitate the mission and sporadic acts of violence that escalate tension in several regions. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a key figure in cabinet line-up contacts, has left on a "several-day private visit," which indicates that the government impasse would persist, according to the leading daily An Nahar. However, it said a major political move could take place at the Republican Palace of Baabda Monday, which could be a meeting between Suleiman and a delegation from the Hizbullah-led opposition.
Such a cautiously predicted development could not be officially confirmed, but it followed reports about a meeting by key opposition figures overnight at Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun's residence in Rabiyeh grouping former MP Suleiman Franjieh and Hizbullah representatives.
Topics of the discussion were not disclosed. Meanwhile, limited clashes were reported in north and east Lebanon between supporters of the opposition and majority partisans, escalating tension, but inflicting no casualties.
Army units prevented a squad of pro-opposition gunmen from erecting barricades in Tripoli's Mankoubeen district and arrested several gunmen.In east Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, a limited clash was reported between Hizbullah and Mustaqbal Movement partisans in the Saadnayel-Taalabaya region. Army units also intervened and contained the deterioration. In the Bekaa valley town of Zahleh, three gunmen kidnapped a young man from a restaurant to an unknown location. Rumors had it that the hostage is a Mustaqbal Movement member and the kidnappers are Hizbullah operatives. The thuds of 12 explosions also echoed across the Bekaa overnight, raising tension in the volatile region. Witnesses said the blasts were reported at bases manned by the Syrian-Backed Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC).Nature of the blasts could not be determined. Beirut, 30 Jun 08, 08:37

Saniora's Three Christian Pillars
Naharnet/An aide to Premier-designate Fouad Saniora said representation in the new cabinet should be nationally "balanced."Mohammed Shatah, in a radio interview, said the cabinet formation also should have three Christian "pillars."Such pillars, according to Shatah, are the group represented by Change and Reform Bloc leader Michel Aoun, the group represented by the March 14 majority and President Michel Suleiman's share in the cabinet.He denied rumors that Saniora has received any new offer from the Hizbullah-led opposition regarding the cabinet formation. Beirut, 30 Jun 08, 10:02

Jumblat Counters Aoun's Pressure by Insisting on Telecommunications Portfolio
Naharnet/Democratic Gathering leader Walid Jumblat has reportedly threatened to reconsider his tentative approval of giving up the telecommunications portfolio in the forthcoming cabinet. The pan-Arab daily al-Hayat said Jumblat has relayed his stand to Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri upon the latter's return from Saudi Arabia on Sunday. Jumblat's decision also was relayed to other allies in the March 14 majority alliance and to Speaker Nabih Berri.
The move apparently aims at countering pressure exerted by Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun to control a sovereign portfolio and basic "services ministries" in the forthcoming cabinet, which has led stalling efforts to end the cabinet impasse.
Meanwhile, a tentative deadline set by President Michel Suleiman to form the new cabinet expires on Tuesday amidst a stall in contacts to facilitate the mission and sporadic acts of violence that escalate tension in several regions. Berri, a key figure in cabinet line-up contacts, has left on a "several-day private visit," which indicates that the government impasse would persist, according to the leading daily An Nahar.
However, it said a major political move could take place at the Republican Palace of Baabda Monday, which could be a meeting between Suleiman and a delegation from the Hizbullah-led opposition. Such a cautiously predicted development could not be officially confirmed, but it followed reports about a meeting by key opposition figures overnight at Aoun's residence in Rabiyeh grouping former MP Suleiman Franjieh and Hizbullah representatives.
Topics of the discussion were not disclosed.
Meanwhile, limited clashes were reported in north and east Lebanon between supporters of the opposition and majority partisans, escalating tension, but inflicting no casualties. Army units prevented a squad of pro-opposition gunmen from erecting barricades in Tripoli's Mankoubeen district and arrested several gunmen.
In east Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, a limited clash was reported between Hizbullah and Mustaqbal Movement partisans in the Saadnayel-Taalabaya region. Army units also intervened and contained the deterioration. In the Bekaa valley town of Zahleh, three gunmen kidnapped a young man from a restaurant to an unknown location. Rumors had it that the kidnappers are Hizbullah members. The thuds of 12 explosions also echoed across the Bekaa overnight, raising tension in the volatile region. Witnesses said the blasts were reported at bases manned by the Syrian-Backed Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC).Nature of the blasts could not be determined. Beirut, 30 Jun 08, 09:36

Tension, Exchange of Fire Persist in Tripoli despite Army Deployment
Naharnet/Tension was running high in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli on Sunday, where a shop was torched and gunmen exchanged fire even as troops were out in force on the streets. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the clashes, which erupted as dusk fell a day after a man died in a blast of unknown cause in an apartment block in the city. Nine people were killed in sectarian clashes in the mainly Sunni city last week, adding to tensions in a deeply divided country where rival factions are still squabbling over the makeup of a new national unity government.
A security official told AFP that a tobacco shop run by an Alawite was set ablaze in the mainly Sunni district of Bab al-Tabbaneh, the scene of Saturday's blast in which 20 people were also wounded and several homes damaged.
Civil defense workers put out the fire before it could spread to other businesses, the official said, declining to be named. The latest incidents took place despite the deployment over the past week of army and interior ministry forces in the port city since the deadly clashes between Sunnis and members of the Alawite community, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. Armored vehicles were posted at entrances to Bab al-Tabbaneh and two other densely populated districts, Jabal Mohsen and Al-Qobbe, where the nine people were killed and 45 wounded in sectarian clashes on June 22 and 23. It was still not publicly known on Sunday what caused Saturday's explosion, which killed a local resident with no known political affiliation. Almost 500 people went to the victim's funeral which was also attended by dozens of armed militants, some wearing black headbands and chanting Koranic verses in praise of martyrdom.
Lebanon's Sunni mufti, Mohammed Rashid Qabbani, condemned the explosion as a "criminal act aimed at spreading sedition," and urged all politicians to help Prime Minister Fouad Saniora in his protracted efforts to form a new government. Residents of Bab al-Tabbaneh who support the Western-backed majority in parliament have clashed repeatedly with Alawites in the nearby Jabal Mohsen district who back the Hizbullah-led opposition.
Also on Saturday, three grenades exploded in Bab al-Tabbaneh over a half-hour period but no one was injured and no buildings were damaged, security officials said. And two men were wounded on Friday night in Tripoli when a grenade went off, an army spokesman said, adding that one lost a leg in the blast.
The Tripoli clashes have raised fears of a nationwide security breakdown amid protracted efforts by Saniora to form a national unity cabinet since a Qatari-brokered deal in May to end an 18-month political crisis.(AFP) Beirut, 30 Jun 08, 10:

Report: Israel-Hizbullah Prisoner Swap in Two Weeks
Naharnet/A prisoner exchange between Israel and Hizbullah will take at least two weeks to carry out, according to Israeli defense officials cited by the country's public radio station on Monday. The Israeli cabinet gave the green light on Sunday to the deal under which the remains of two soldiers are to be handed over in exchange for five Lebanese "fighters" and an undetermined number of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. The two week delay is necessary for genetic tests to ensure the remains are of those of the two soldiers, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, the defense officials told Israeli public radio. Regev and Goldwasser were captured by Hizbullah in a deadly cross-border raid on July 12, 2006 that sparked a 34-day war in Lebanon. During the next two weeks Israel also expects to receive information from Hizbullah on what it knows about the fate of Israeli airman Ron Arad, who was captured by Shiite militiamen in 1982 but has been missing since 1986. In January 2006, Nasrallah said the airman was probably dead although he had no proof. In exchange Israel is to hand over information it has on four Iranian diplomats who went missing in Lebanon in 1982, the officials said.(AFP) Beirut, 30 Jun 08, 10:44

Main Points of Israel-Hizbullah Prisoner Swap Deal
Naharnet/The Israeli cabinet agreed on Sunday to a deal under which five Lebanese prisoners and some Palestinians will be freed in exchange for the remains of two soldiers captured by Hizbullah in 2006. The following are the main points of the deal as set out by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert:
1. The bodies of captured soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev will be returned to Israel along with the remains of soldiers killed in the 2006 Lebanon war. A report on the disappearance of Ron Arad, an airman missing in Lebanon since 1986, will also be handed over.
In exchange for the return of the remains of the captured soldiers, Israel will "release prisoners and detainees being held in its prison facilities, and will transfer bodies and information, as follows:
"A. Prisoner Samir Qantar (a Lebanese prisoner jailed for life for a deadly 1979 commando raid on northern Israel) and four illegal Lebanese fighters being held by Israel will be released to Lebanon.
"B. The bodies of dozens of infiltrators and terrorists, including eight members of Hizbullah, will be delivered to Lebanon.
"C. Information on the four missing Iranian diplomats (captured by militiamen in Christian east Beirut in 1982) will be delivered to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
"D. Following the implementation of the deal, Palestinian prisoners will be released. The number and identities of the prisoners will be determined at the sole discretion of the state of Israel.
"2. Mr. Ofer Dekel, the official responsible for the negotiations on behalf of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, will continue the process of implementing the negotiations according to the principles detailed in this decision.
"3. The government will hold an additional discussion in order to complete and implement the agreement according to the principles detailed in this decision.
"4. The government of Israel reiterates and confirms its obligation to exhaust all that is required in order to obtain credible and solid information that will shed light on the fate of Israeli air force navigator Captain Ron Arad.
"5. At the same time, the government of Israel reiterates and confirms its commitment to continue acting for the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit (held by Gaza militants since his capture in a deadly cross-border raid in June 2006).
"6. The government of Israel will not slacken in its efforts to locate and bring home the missing and those Israeli soldiers whose resting place is unknown."(AFP)
Beirut, 29 Jun 08, 19:01

PA Glorifies Child-Murderer Kuntar
By: Hana Levi Julian
Arutz Sheva
The Palestinian Authority leadership considers Lebanese arch-terrorist Samir Kuntar to be the epitome of the "ideal" PA prisoner, according to a report by the Palestinian Media Watch. Kuntar, commander of a unit that attacked Nahariya in 1979, was convicted for the murders of four Israelis, including two toddlers. He has been serving four consecutive life terms in prison.
The Lebanese Druze operative is likely to be freed from an Israeli prison within days if Hizbullah signs a prisoner swap deal for the return of the remains of IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, approved by the Cabinet on Sunday.
On one hand, said PMW, Kuntar embodies what the PA deems the "heroism" of terrorists fighting Israel. On the other hand, he is also the ultimate symbol of all terrorist prisoners who have murdered Israelis and will eventually be freed by future kidnappings or through some other means.
According to a 1979 Maariv newspaper report, Kuntar first shot Israeli civilian Danny Haran on the Nahariya beach and drowned him in front of Einat his 4-year-old daughter. Kuntar then turned his attention towards the 4-year old. He took his rifle and then swung it across the toddler's head, knocking her to the ground. He, then laid her head on a rock and beat her on the head until her skull was crushed and she was dead.
The Palestinian Authority has made a special effort through its media to champion the cause of terrorism, indoctrinating even the youngest children toward a culture of becoming heroes through death -- their own and the deaths of those they murder.
PA TV lionizes those who deliberately seek "shahada" (martyrdom), even children. An example of such an instance is shown in the above vido clip. (Can't see the video? Click here. )
Kuntar bludgeoned four-year-old Eynat Haran to death, crushing her skull with rocks and his rifle butt after first killing her father before her eyes. He was also responsible for the death of her infant sister, who was accidentally suffocated as she hid with her terrified mother in a closet during the attack in Nahariya, in which two policemen were killed as well.
PA TV, controlled by PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), has broadcast a picture in Kuntar's honor, depicting the bloodthirsty terrorist beside a map of Israel completely covered by the PA flag. The Olmert and Bush administrations consider Abbas to be a moderate. He previously has promised to halt incitement of violence against Israel.
In a recent letter to Hizbullah chief terrorist Hassan Nasrallah, Kuntar vowed to continue his path of terror after his release.
Hizbullah Celebrates 'Victory', Promises More Terror
Lebanese sources report that families and home villages of the prisoners to be released in exchange for the kidnapped soldiers are "feverishly" preparing their welcome.
One young woman was photographed in Sidon under a banner depicting the soon-to-be-freed Kuntar. The young woman declared passionately that she would "not leave the spot until Kuntar comes here himself."
Hizbullah terrorist-backed Al Manar TV has broadcast around the clock since Israel's Cabinet voted Sunday to approve the prisoner swap deal.
"Today the promise of the resistance was kept… In a few more days Kuntar will put all his years in jail behind him… Our prisoners are freed not by words and not by diplomacy or tears and kisses… Only blood liberated the land and liberates man."

Fears that Terrorist-Release Deal Will Boomerang on Israel
By: Hillel Fendel
Aretz Sheva
Responses to the Cabinet's decision to release five terrorists, including Haran family murderer Samir Kuntar, in exchange for the bodies of two abducted Israeli soldiers have been fast in coming. Many of them, while expressing sympathy for the families of the captive soldiers, say the deal endangers Israel and its other soldiers.
Indor: The Lebanon War Ended Today in a Fiasco
Col. (res.) Meir Indor, head of the Almagor Terror Victims Association, said in response to the Cabinet vote, "Hizbullah and Nasrallah have defeated the government of Israel, cleverly using terrorism and mass media, as well as the families of the captives, against the ministers. This strategy brought about the total downfall of the government's standing power, and a retreat from all its past promises not to cave in to the kidnappers..."
"The government must now explain to the 117 families of the soldiers who were killed in the war in Lebanon, and the dozens of families of civilians who were killed, why we went to war altogether," Indor said, "seeing as we could have just given in to the Hizbullah demands from the very beginning, without losing any lives, if we would have just released Kuntar right away! The bottom line is that the 2nd Lebanon War ended in a total fiasco."
Bachrach: Dangerous for Gilad Shalit
Dr. Aryeh Bachrach, head of the Bereaved Parents' Forum and spokesman for Almagor, said, "This deal, this surrender to Hizbullah, represents a total collapse of the government of Israel's standing power... The idea of giving live terrorists for dead bodies is dangerous for Gilad Shalit as well. After all, it is very difficult logistically for Hamas to keep him alive; why shouldn't they just shoot him in the head, in the knowledge that Israel pays high prices for dead bodies as well?"
Others have countered that the price Israel is expected to pay for Shalit is many times higher than that paid in the Hizbullah deal.
Israel will give four Hizbullah terrorists captured alive during the Second Lebanon War, bodies of eight Hizbullah terrorists, dozens of infiltrator and terrorist corpses and body parts, maps of Israeli mines in Lebanon, information on four Iranian diplomats who went missing in Beirut during Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982, an unspecified number of Palestinian terrorist prisoners, and maps of Lebanese targets at which Israel fired cluster bombs during the last war.
In return, Israel will receive the bodies of abducted IDF reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, as well as a detailed account of Hizbullah's account of its efforts to secure information on missing Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad.
Orlev: Time to Pull Together
MK Zevulun Orlev (NRP), head of the Knesset lobby for the return of the captive soldiers, said, "Even if the government performed poorly in the way it went about this deal, and even if there were correct and significant reasons to oppose the deal, now that the decision has been made, we must all unite behind it, put aside our differences and embrace the captives' families."
Rabbi Sadan: A Totally Illogical Deal
Rabbi Eli Sadan, head of the first pre-military yeshiva academy - Bnei David in Eli - says that the release of murderers and terrorists in exchange for corpses is blatantly illegal. "This is an insane act that encourages and strengthens the enemy," Rabbi Sadan told Arutz-7's Hebrew newsmagazine. "I fail to understand why the sanctity of Jewish burial is more important than the sanctity of Jewish life."
"Anything that causes terrorists to return to the circle of murder is very grave," Rabbi Sadan said. "After many of these exchanges, many Israeli citizens paid with their lives. The question is, When exactly will someone in the State of Israel take responsibility to stop this madness?"
Mattot Arim: We Must Not Give Up
The Mattot Arim grassroots movement released this reaction: "We call on the public not to see today's government decision as the end of the story. We must continue to pressure the ministers to backtrack on their politically-correct vote, and begin to act only in accordance with the recommendation of the Mossad and Shabak (GSS) and not to carry out the terrorists-for-corpses deal. We recommend that the citizens of Israel not lose their nerve, but continue writing talkbacks on the internet against the collapse, in the best tradition of the democratic tradition of the resolute right-wing in Israel."
Ramon: Israel Forced Hizbullah to Give In
Vice Prime Minister Chaim Ramon (Kadima) said, "Until recently, I did not support the deal, because Hizbullah demanded the release of thousands, then 1,000, then 700 Palestinian prisoners. Only when they finally gave up and agreed to the formula that Israel would release Palestinian prisoners of a number and type that Israel itself would determine, did I agree to support the deal."
Steinitz: We Have Violated Two Basic Principles
MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud): "All I can say is that with this decision, the entire country has simply derailed. In the 70's, we were strong and said that we would not give into terrorists' demands - and accused the rest of the world of giving in. Now we are in a situation that we return live terrorists for bodies and body parts."
Steinitz also said that Israel cooperated with Hizbullah "for a full year in Hizbullah's deception that the captives might be alive. By doing so, we tricked ourselves and the families... In accepting this deal, we have violated two fundamental principles that will hurt our soldiers in the future. One is not to even enter into talks without having some prior information on the condition of the captives, via the Red Cross or whatever. The second principle is that we must not negotiate over corpses - as this encourages them to collect bodies from the battlefield, and certainly not to try to save or treat wounded Israeli soldiers, in the knowledge that we will pay top price even for corpses."

Hizbullah: Ron Arad Probably Dead
by Hana Levi Julian
Arutz Sheva
The Hizbullah terrorist organization has reported to the United Nations that captive Israeli Air Force navigator Ron Arad is dead. Arad has been missing in action since 1986, when his F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber was shot down over Lebanon by Amal terrorists.
The information is reportedly revealed in a document to be passed on to Israel from Hizbullah by United Nations-appointed German negotiator Gerhard Konrad as part of the prisoner exchange agreement approved Sunday.
However, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would not confirm that Arad was indeed dead. Speaking to Israel National News, Mark Regev said, "The report has not yet been received. We have to take a look at it first -- and then we'll see."
During previous negotiations with the terrorist group, carried out from 2003-2005, Hizbullah said it had failed to locate or verify the status of the Israeli captive airman.
Lebanese Druze terrorist Samir Kuntar, scheduled to be released as part of the current prisoner exchange, was being reserved by Israel for a prisoner swap with Ron Arad. But although Kuntar's freedom has been included as part of the deal approved by Israel's Cabinet on Sunday, the deal will not be signed until Israel receives the terrorist organization's information on Ron Arad.
When Arad was shot down in southern Lebanon, the pilot and aircraft commander were rescued in a daring helicopter operation by the IDF. However, Arad was captured by the Shi'ite militia before he could be rescued.
His wife, Tami, received one handwritten letter within the first year, and another, also written early in his captivity, that was handed over as part of a separate prisoner swap negotiation this past year.
In addition, this past year Lebanese media released a single, brief video clip of Ron Arad, bearded and clearly under stress, identifying himself to the camera. Experts said it was not possible to know exactly when the clip had been filmed, but that it had probably been shot within two years of Arad's capture.
The Hizbullah document reportedly details the efforts by the organization to ascertain Arad's status after it turned him over to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard headquarters in Ba'albek in 1989.
The report will also explain why the terrorists cannot provide concrete proof of Arad's death or the location of his grave.
The full document is to be passed on to Israel after Israeli government envoy Ofer Dekel signs the proposed agreement. The German negotiator Konrad will then convey the document to Beirut, where it will be signed by representatives of Hizbullah.
In exchange, Israel will also provide a report informing Hizbullah of the fate of several Iranian nationals who went missing during the first Lebanon War.
According to Israel, the Iranians, which included a number of diplomats and journalists, was captured at a Christian Lebanese Phalange militia roadblock. The Iranians were reportedly then interrogated by the Christian group, executed and then buried in a building site.

Iran Preparing Graves for Its Enemies'
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com International Editor
June 30, 2008
(CNSNews.com) - A senior Iranian commander on Sunday said his country would prepare 320,000 graves to accommodate its slain enemies in the event of an attack on the country. The remark was a veiled warning amid increasing tensions over Tehran's controversial nuclear activities.
The Mehr news agency quoted Gen. Mir-Faisal Bagherzadeh as saying the graves would be dug in Iran's border provinces, to provide for the burial of enemies in line with the Geneva Conventions.
"The burial of slain soldiers will be carried out decently and in little time," said Bagherzadeh, a senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) who heads a propaganda body called the Sacred Defense Foundation.
"We do not wish the families of enemy soldiers to experience what Americans had to go through in the aftermath of the Vietnam War," he added, apparently referring to the ordeal faced by families of MIAs during and after that conflict.
Although couched in humanitarian terms, Bagherzadeh's comments come as top Iranians step up belligerent rhetoric in the face of reports suggesting that Israel or the United States are planning to attack Iran, and specifically its nuclear facilities.
The head of the IRGC, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, at the weekend delivered stern warnings to Iran's enemies, telling the conservative Jam-e Jam newspaper that Israel was within easy range of Iran's missiles.
"Our missile power and capability are such that the Zionist regime -- despite all its abilities -- cannot confront it," he said.
Jafari told Iran's neighbors that they would also be held responsible if they allowed their soil to be used to launch attacks against Iran.
He warned that Iran could strike back at its foes through Hamas and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Sunni and Shi'ite terrorist groups in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon respectively.
"Revolutionary Muslims, whether Shi'ite or Sunni, see the U.S. and Israel attack against Islamic Iran as an attack on the Islamic world and thus defense will be on their mind without a doubt," Jafari was quoted as saying.
Other Iranian retaliation could come in the form of disruption to Gulf oil supplies, transported to world markets through the vulnerable Strait of Hormuz, he said.
"Naturally every country under attack by an enemy uses all its capacity and opportunities to confront the enemy. Regarding the main route for exiting energy, Iran will definitely act to impose control on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz," Jafari said, adding that the price of oil would rise dramatically in such circumstances.
Terror support
Meanwhile, Iranian media gave extensive coverage to a new report claiming that congressional leaders late last year okayed a request by President Bush to fund covert operations against Iran.
Sunday's report in The New Yorker magazine, citing current and former military, intelligence and congressional sources, said cross-border operations were being run into Iran from Iraq, and that members of the IRGC's Quds Force had been seized and taken to Iraq for interrogation.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker on Sunday "flatly" denied that U.S. forces were operating across the border in Iran. He told CNN that Iran's influence in Iraq was declining, mostly because of Iraqi security force successes against Iranian-backed militias.
U.S. military officers in Iraq have long accused the IRGC, and specifically its Quds Force unit, of supporting and supplying anti-coalition Shi'ite militias in neighboring Iraq.
The Pentagon in a report to Congress last week said it had evidence that anti-coalition insurgents in Afghanistan were getting help originating from Iran, although it said it was "unclear what role, and at what level the Iranian government plays in providing this assistance."
The Bush administration last October imposed sanctions on the IRGC, the Quds Force and other entities to punish Tehran for its support of terrorism and its nuclear activities.
Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani at the weekend reiterated Iranian denials of U.S. claims of Iranian support for militias in Iraq.
Speaking on al-Jazeera, he said the U.S. would not likely attack Iran since the repercussions "would be disastrous for the entire region." Any Israeli attack, he said, would draw "massive and fatal" retaliation.
Rafsanjani is currently chairman of the Expediency Council, a consultative body appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The former president is wanted in Argentina for alleged involvement in a deadly 1994 terrorist bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires.
'Iran must be dealt with urgently'
While claims of Iranian involvement in terrorism have added to regional tensions, the nuclear dispute is the key factor. The U.S. and its allies believe Iran is using its nuclear energy program as a cover for intensive efforts to develop a weapons capability.
Tehran has repeatedly ignored U.N. Security Council sanction-backed demands that it suspend uranium enrichment, saying it will never relinquish its inalienable right to access civilian nuclear energy. It says it is currently considering the latest offer of incentives by the UNSC permanent five members plus Germany in exchange for compliance, but has rejected previous such proposals.
A "sense of Congress" resolution before the House of Representatives and cosponsored by more than 200 bipartisan lawmakers states that "preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability, through all appropriate economic, political, and diplomatic means, is vital to the national security interests of the United States and must be dealt with urgently."
Although it does not use the word "blockade," the non-binding resolution says steps should include "prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran's nuclear program."
The resolution explicitly says that it should not be construed as authorization of the use of force against Iran.
Iran's Press TV on Saturday accused the U.S. Jewish lobby of being behind the House resolution and a companion one in the Senate, and said they were "considered a tacit declaration of war against the Islamic Republic."

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