The speaker outcast - or just di

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 22/2007

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1,1-4.4,14-21. Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

Latest News Reports from the Daily Star For 22/01/07
Hariri promotes 'any productive work as answer' to strike
Al-Jamaa al-Islamiyya says rockets confiscated by army 'belong to us and ... were being used to fight Israel'
Israeli minister advises that Nasrallah 'not try to put Israel to the test again'
March 14 Forces sweep school-teacher elections
Saadeh throws reception for departing UNIFIL chief
Officials in Akkar demand more help from Beirut
Jumblatt to flesh out allegations against Hizbullah
Rizk starts drafting new electoral law amid calls for early vote
Sfeir faults all parties in Beirut power struggle
GLC's call for work stoppage attracts support - and accusations of sabotage
Qabalan urges both sides to talk things out
Opposition frames strike as response to government's dismissal of protests
Business leaders fear strike could derail Paris III
Mass to mark assassination of Elie Hobeika
Lebanese sovereignty, Israeli obstacles -By Nizar Abdel-Kader
Latest News Reports miscellaneous sources For 22/01/07
Aoun-Franjieh Preach escalation as of Tuesday-Naharnet
Larijani Delivers Letter to Assad from Ahmadenjad-Naharnet
Sfeir Lashes out at Opposition and pro-Government factions-Naharnet
Abbas Postpones Beirut Visit-Naharnet
Geagea urges Lebanon army to foil opposition plans-Reuters
Hariri Orchestrates 'productive' protest against Opposition's Strike-Naharnet
Jordan: Lebanon's Summer War 'Just a Taste' of Worse to Come Unless Peace Process Moves Quickly-Naharnet
'Don't buy Nasrallah's claims'-Ynetnews
Lebanon Prepares for 'Confrontation Phase-3' between Opposition ...Naharnet
The General Strike-Monthly Review
Mideast Report: 'Being Christian is Difficult in Lebanon'-Christian Post
Aoun's alliance with Hezbollah divides Lebanon-Ya Libnan
Where it went wrong for Olmert-Telegraph.co.uk
He Who Gives, Owns-Asharq Alawsat
Russia urges early settlement of Lebanon crises-Ya Libnan
Selectively Terrified-Anarkismo.net
Inquiry into Lebanon war will decide the future of Olmert-The Australian
Syria Helps Save Hamas, Abbas Meeting-CBS News
Guided tour through a decimated Hezbollah stronghold-Ya Libnan
Lebanon discord unlikely to deter donors-Ya Libnan
Palestinian President Abbas postpones visit to Lebanon-International Herald Tribune
US pledges large amount for Lebanon reconstruction-Jerusalem Post

Lebanon Prepares for 'Confrontation Phase-3' between Opposition and Majority
The Hizbullah-led opposition and the March 14 majority alliance that backs Premier Fouad Saniora's government were on a collision course Sunday, heading to a major test of popularity in a couple of days. The majority is setting the stage for what its sources term "a grand day of work" on Tuesday, the day set by the March 8 and Free Patriotic Movement opposition for what it hopes to be a "general strike," or the third phase of its open-ended protest to topple the Saniora government.
Soon after the calls by the opposition and the pro-March 8 General Federation of Labor Unions (GFLU) for the Tuesday general strike, the majority responded by urging its supporters to boycott the protest and report to work, normally. However, the confrontation, that has been heating up since the opposition launched its open-ended protest to topple the Saniora government on Dec. 1, appears to be heading to some sort of a popularity test putting Christian factions of both camps at loggerheads. The Supreme Chairman of the Phalange Party, ex-President Amine Gemayel, and Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea, were fast in calling their supporters to ignore the strike call. Gemayel urged "all … to go to work on Tuesday as they usually do and to increase productivity."
Geagea, on his part, told his supporters in a televised statement that "the opposition has called for a general strike, this is their right … and it is your right too to go to work. Be scared of nothing."The charismatic Geagea stepped up his call saying: "Shops will be open. Even sick people should go to work. Let the popularity of each faction be known."Meanwhile, Christian opposition figures held a meeting late Saturday at the residence of FPM leader Gen. Michel Aoun in Rabieh to coordinate their action plan for Tuesday. The meeting was also attended by former cabinet minister Suleiman Franjieh, and parliamentary deputies Elias Skaff and Michel Murr.Aoun stressed after the meeting that there will be a general strike on Tuesday.
He did not answer questions as to whether followers of the opposition would take to the streets, block roads and force people to observe the strike.
However, the committees of merchants in Beirut and north Lebanon said they would not abide by the strike call, stressing in two separate statements that Tuesday would be a "normal working day."Committees representing bankers, the industrial sectors, teaching institutes and other aspects of life are to hold a series of meetings on Monday to decide on whether to abide by the strike call or reject it. A western diplomat told Naharnet that Tuesday will be a "test of popularity in Lebanon."
The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said "the whole world will be watching Lebanon on Tuesday to assess the popularity of each faction, the March 8 and the March 14. We will see who represents what. It would be some sort of a Lebanese style poll.""What remains to be seen is whether this whole challenge would be peaceful and democratic," the diplomat added.(AP photo shows a Lebanese woman shouting slogans against the Saniora government during a protest last week) Beirut, 21 Jan 07, 10:08

Sfeir Lashes out at Opposition and pro-Government factions
Naharnet: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Sunday criticized both the opposition and pro-government factions for lacking flexibility that would help patch up their differences. Sfeir, in his Sermon at the Maronite Church seat in Bkirki, stressed that "the time has come for Lebanese officials to think of the homeland's destiny and the fate of their citizens before thinking of their own fate.""Both the pro-government and opposition (factions) stick to their respective stands, be they right or wrong, while the nation disintegrates and melts away."Sfeir's firm stand followed calls by the opposition for a general strike set for Tuesday to escalate the ongoing protest aimed at toppling Premier Fouad Saniora's majority government.Pro-government factions, on their part, also urged followers and sympathizers to ignore the strike call and prepare for additional productivity on Tuesday. Beirut, 21 Jan 07, 18:06

Sfeir faults all parties in Beirut power struggle
By Maroun Khoury
Daily Star correspondent
Monday, January 22, 2007
BKIRKI: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir on Sunday blamed both the government and the opposition for the current political crisis, and for the sufferings of the Lebanese. Speaking during his weekly sermon in Bkirki, the prelate said it was "high time for Lebanon and its people to prosper after long years of sorrow and deprivation."Sfeir added that politicians from both camps insisted on proving that their points of view are right "at the expense of the well-being of the country."
"The Lebanese are dying out of hunger and the political, as well as the economic situations, are worsening by the day. But it seems that our politicians are growing more stubborn on their standpoints and are less willing to cooperate," Sfeir said. The patriarch said he hoped the Paris III summit, expected to be held on January 25, will help Lebanon overcome its pending social and economic problems. "This summit is being held to free Lebanon from its unremitting pains," he said.
Sfeir added that Lebanese politicians should "start considering the interests of their country, instead of focusing on their personal gains."
"Will it matter if they [politicians] reach the highest of positions while their homeland is being ripped apart?" Sfeir asked.
Following the Sunday sermon, Sfeir met with a delegation from the Lebanese Forces that included the vice president of the LF's executive committee, MP George Adwan, and Tourism Minister Joe Sarkis. Referring to the general strike the opposition has called for, Adwan said that Tuesday would be a crucial day for the Lebanese to express their points of view as "freely and democratically" as possible. "However," Adwan said, "liberty loses all of its meaning if it is used to terrorize opponents." Sarkis said the Paris III summit will help Lebanon overcome its sufferings, and that the government's reform plan will serve to benefit the country's "most underprivileged."

Al-Jamaa al-Islamiyya says rockets confiscated by army 'belong to us and ... were being used to fight Israel'
By Hani M. Bathish -Special to The Daily Star
Monday, January 22, 2007
BEIRUT: Al-Jamaa al-Islamiyya confirmed on Sunday that 75 rockets seized by the Lebanese Army on Friday belonged to the group and demanded that the military "return the weapons."The Lebanese Army seized 75 Grad rockets from the home of Hussein Mohammed Zeineddine in the village of al-Biri in Rashaya on Friday evening. Zeineddine's son Bilal was already in custody for illegal weapons possession, judicial sources told The Daily Star.
Ibrahim al-Masri, deputy secretary general of Al-Jamaa al-Islamiyya, told The Daily Star on Sunday that the "confiscated rockets belong to us and they were moved from the border town of Arqoub - where they were being used to fight Israel - to Rashaya" after peacekeepers moved into the border area following the July war.
Masri said the group "will demand that the army return the rockets and release the owner of the home where the rockets were discovered."
"I do not know the man [Zeineddine]," he said, "but if he is not a member of Al-Jamaa, he is definitely a supporter. Last I heard, the men [Zeineddine and his son] were moved to Beirut. Since it's a weekend, we have not had the chance to speak to the authorities, but our brothers in the Bekaa have voluntarily contacted the army and told them that the rockets are ours." He said the rockets were "not being used for any terrorist purpose but to resist the Zionist enemy and to defend the local inhabitants." Masri said the rockets were removed from the border area to avoid any friction with peacekeepers and with the Lebanese Army.
"The army did not confiscate any weapons from the resistance, so why should they confiscate ours. They should never have been seized and should be returned to us and the file on this case should be closed," Masri said. Judicial sources said the case is currently under investigation by Army Intelligence to determine who really owns the rockets, the reason for their storage at the farm and how Zeineddine obtained them. Local daily Al-Mustaqbal reported Saturday that Zeineddine's son Bilal, who was arrested at an army checkpoint in the Bekaa, has close ties with Hizbullah and former Minister Abdel Rahim Mrad. Hizbullah declined comment on the matter. Mrad, on the other hand, vehemently denied the media claims when asked to comment on the matter. "We are used to such lies from Future TV and the Future Movement, this is just a new lie they've come up with. I have issued a correction to the media on this matter, only the Future TV did not carry it as they lack credibility and the respect of public opinion," Mrad said. He said that Al-Jamaa al-Islamiyya had clarified, in a statement issued after the raid, the ownership and purpose of the rockets. "This is an honor for them," said Mrad, "and an honor for all those who raise a gun to fight Israel as the brave resistance has done."

Israeli minister advises that Nasrallah 'not try to put Israel to the test again'
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Monday, January 22, 2007
A member of Israel's Cabinet warned Hizbullah Saturday not to "test" the Jewish state, after Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah hailed the resignation of Israel's military chief of staff in an interview on Friday. "Israel will know how to draw its conclusions about this war, and I advise Nasrallah not try to put Israel to the test again," Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer told Israel's Army Radio.
Halutz resigned last week following scathing criticism of the war in Lebanon he led last summer. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz are also under pressure to resign for their leadership of the war effort."When I heard the news, I was happy," Nasrallah said in an interview with Hizbullah's Al-Manar television station.Nasrallah predicted that Peretz would also resign his post over the war's outcome.Responding to Nasrallah, Israeli Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon said Halutz had "succeeded in restoring calm on our northern border [with Lebanon] and in allowing an international force to be deployed in Southern Lebanon."He added that "Nasrallah is hiding underground and he will continue to do so for a long time to come."For his part, Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres dismissed Nasrallah as not understanding democracy, adding that "Israel will come out of the current crisis stronger than ever."On Sunday, Olmert praised Halutz for his long years of dedicated service to Israel.At the opening of the weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday, Olmert had nothing but fond words for the army chief, who previously led the air force."Lieutenant General Halutz is one of the greatest and bravest warriors of Israel over the last 40 years. He was one of the greatest fighter pilots in air force history and led its fighters on its boldest missions," Olmert said. "We will still find the way for the government of Israel and state of Israel to thank him for his many years of service. "From here and in the name of the government I send him a warm hug and deep appreciation." Olmert said he would move quickly to appoint a successor. - With agencies

Jumblatt to flesh out allegations against Hizbullah
By Maher Zeineddine
Daily Star correspondent
Monday, January 22, 2007
CHOUF: Progressive Socialist Party Leader MP Walid Jumblatt is expected to hold a news conference next week to talk about the current political crisis. Jumblatt was also expected to tackle the controversial new issue of alleged Hizbullah attempts to buy real estate in Jezzine, Aley and Hasbaya to create a demographic change in these areas. PSP spokesperson Rami Rayes told The Daily Star on Sunday that the party has received "reliable information about wide areas in Jizzine, Souk al-Gharb, Aley and Hasbaya being bought by Hizbullah through a Lebanese company called Izdihar." He added that a Lebanese man called "Ali Tajeddine, who works for this company, was buying these lands with money from Hizbullah."Rayes said that the "PSP fears that Hizbullah wants to connect these areas to other areas under its authority and change their demographic aspect."When contacted by The Daily Star, a Hizbullah spokesperson said the party would not comment on the issue.Jumblatt met on Sunday with a delegation of retired officers from the Lebanese Army and the security forces. He also met with MP Pierre Daccash, who said afterward that talks focused on initiatives aimed to resolve the political crisis.

Rizk starts drafting new electoral law amid calls for early vote
Daily Star staff
Monday, January 22, 2007
BEIRUT: Justice Minister Charles Rizk said Saturday that he had begun drafting a new electoral law based upon a law-proposal presented by the National Commission for a New Electoral Law last May. "The Justice Ministry's initiative - along with a judicial team - to set up a new electoral law is based on the great contribution offered by the commission," he told Voice of Lebanon radio.The commission, headed by former Minister Fouad Boutros, inked an electoral law combining a simple majority system and proportional representation last year after discussing the issue with the country's main political factions.
Rizk said that in political systems in general, electoral laws are aimed at forming a governing political majority and an opposing political minority.
Rizk said Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's demand to hold early parliamentary elections would "speed up discussions over the electoral law." However, he added that there is a need to reach a consensus on a law "that reforms the country's political system."The commission's other recommendations include a 30-percent quota for women for each party's list on ballots, a ceiling on campaign expenditures, allowing expatriates to vote and establishing an independent body to monitor elections.Separately, Rizk told the radio station that "sooner or later, Lebanon will witness the formation of an international tribunal," to try suspects in the February 2005 assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri."We need a whole year to put the tribunal's draft into effect," he said, adding that the draft "will only be approved in Parliament." He also called for expanding the term of Belgian prosecutor Serge Brammertz from six months to one year. The justice minister also commented on the upcoming Paris III international donor conference, saying that it "is an important and main step toward getting Lebanon out of the current crisis." - The Daily Star

Aoun-Franjieh Preach escalation as of Tuesday
Naharnet: Free Patriotic Movement leader Michael Aoun on Sunday urged the Lebanese to observe a general strike called by the opposition to escalate its efforts aimed at toppling Premier Fouad Saniora's majority cabinet. Aoun, talking to his supporters, said: "I call on all the Lebanese, schools universities and businesses, to observe the strike." Aoun's FPM is part of the Hizbullah-led opposition that has been trying in vain since Dec. 1 to topple the Saniora government. Aoun stepped up his attack on Parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri who has called for extra productivity on Tuesday to foil the strike. The retired army commander said: "Harirism (in reference to Hariri) is a gallows rope. Cut it before you dangle from it." Aoun's rhetoric targeted the parliamentary majority leader and his slain father, ex-premier Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated by a powerful bomb blast in Beirut in February 2005.In a related development, Aoun's ally, ex-MP suleiman Franjieh also told his supporters in north Lebanon that Tuesday's strike will lead to more protests until the aim of toppling the majority government is achieved. He said the majority would "as of Tuesday witness what it hasn't experienced." He did not elaborate on the threat. Pro-government leaders, on the other hand, have urged the Lebanese to disregard the strike call and pursue normal life on Tuesday. Beirut, 21 Jan 07, 20:31

Larijani Delivers Letter to Assad from Ahmadenjad
Naharnet: Syrian President Bashar Assad on Sunday received a letter from his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadenjad related to developments in the Middle East, The government-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported. The report said the letter, delivered by Iran's nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, also covered "topics of mutual interest."The Assad-Larijani meeting, according to SANA, "stressed on the importance of continued cooperation and consultations between the two friendly states." It did not disclose further details.Iran's state-run television station reported earlier in the day that Larijani would hold talks in Damascus focusing "mainly on the situation in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories."Larijani visited Saudi Arabia last week where he discussed what the official Iranian media termed "ways of bolstering security in the region."(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 21 Jan 07, 18:21

Abbas Postpones Beirut Visit
Naharnet: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday informed Lebanese leaders that he will postpone until further notice a visit to Beirut.
The postponement was announced by both the presidential palace and the office of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora.
Abbas was due in Beirut Monday with talks with Lebanese leaders covering, among other topics, bilateral relations and developments in the Middle East.
No reason was announced for postponing Abbas' visit to Lebanon.
The Palestinian Leader, currently on a two-day visit to Syria, was to meet later in the day with the exiled leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal to discuss a compromise ending months of disputes between Palestinian factions. Beirut, 21 Jan 07, 17:46

Hariri Orchestrates 'productive' protest against Opposition's Strike
Parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri on Sunday urged the Lebanese to ignore a general strike call by the Hizbullah-led opposition that seeks to topple Premier Fouad Saniora's government. Hariri, in a statement distributed by his press office, stressed that "any productive effort is an effective response" against the general strike set by the opposition for Tuesday. Hariri's call followed similar statements by ex-President Amin Gemayel of the Phalange Party, Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea and Walid Jumblatt's Progressive socialist Party (PSP) to foil the opposition's attempt to escalate its protest against the Saniora government which has been underway since Dec. 1. Similar calls to foil the opposition attempts have also been made by merchant committees in Beirut, the northern town of Tripoli and the southern provincial capital of Sidon. The nation's Economic Committees, that represent private businesses, also said Tuesday would be "a normal work day."
Hariri stressed that pursuing normal work at "schools, factories and trade institutions" is a "national responsibility in light of the exceptional circumstances prevailing in Lebanon."The ongoing protest by the Hizbullah-led opposition has failed to achieve its declared objective of toppling the Saniora government and replacing it with a new administration in which it enjoys veto powers.
The opposition on Saturday issued its call for the general strike, one day after Hizbullah leader Sayed Hassan Nasrallah announced in a television interview that the protest would be escalated to achieve a new goal: early parliamentary elections, a demand rejected by the parliamentary majority which won control over parliament in the summer of 2005 elections, a few months after Syria withdrew its army from Lebanon, ending nearly three decades of direct military involvement in its neighbor's politics.The Syrian withdrawal came more than a couple of months after the assassination of ex-premier Rafik Hariri in a major blast that rocked his motorcade in Beirut. His son, parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri, leads the confrontation with Syria's allies in Lebanon. Beirut, 21 Jan 07, 16:55

Jordan: Lebanon's Summer War 'Just a Taste' of Worse to Come Unless Peace Process Moves Quickly
King Abdullah II of Jordan has declared that his country wants to develop its own nuclear program and said he believed that unless the peace process moved forward quickly, the summer confrontation in Lebanon "is just a taste of a lot of worse things to come." In an interview with the daily Haaretz, Abdullah said Jordan, which borders Israel and has a peace agreement with it, wanted nuclear power "for peaceful purposes" and was already discussing its plans with western countries.
"The rules governing the nuclear issue have changed in the entire region," Abdullah told Haaretz, noting that Egypt and several Gulf states have declared their desire for a nuclear program. Though Jordan would rather see a Middle East free of nuclear weapons, he said, "every desire we had on this issue has changed."
It was the first time Abdullah spoke openly about desires for a Jordanian nuclear program for peaceful purposes. On the peace process, Abdullah said: "I can say that on behalf of the U.S. president and the secretary of state, and I've talked to both, that they're very serious and very committed to moving the peace process forward, because they realize the dynamics of the region at the moment. "And this is the opportunity to reach out to the Palestinians and the Israelis and say, look, this is the golden chance and to an extent, maybe the last possibility. "We had a conflict this summer," Abdullah said in reference to the July-August war between Israel and Hizbullah in Lebanon.
"The frequency of conflict in this region is extremely alarming, and the perception, I believe, among Arabs, and partly among Israelis, is that in the summer Israel lost this round... And that creates a very difficult and a very dangerous precedence for radical thinking in the area. The stakes are getting higher and higher.
"So this is an opportunity to reach out to each other and make sure that the crisis of this summer doesn't happen again. If we don't move the peace process forward, it's only a matter of time until there is a conflict between Israel and somebody else in the region. And I think it's coming sooner rather than later.
"We all need to work together, because solving the Israeli-Palestinian problem allows us to tackle the other issues around us. All of us are looking at Iraq with concern. We don't know what's going to happen in Lebanon, although we hope that they're moving in the right direction... Whether people like it or not, the linchpin is always the Israeli-Palestinian problem." Abdullah stressed that the peace process should start with the Palestinians and then move on to the Syrian-Lebanese track. "Syria seems to be of tremendous interest in the Israeli public opinion, but I think that the priority, if you want to get the guarantees that Israel wants for a stable future, the core issue takes the priority. We have to launch the Palestinian process and then hope that things will go easier with the other players.
"You have to start with the Palestinian first and look at the other ones as a close second … and we don't know how much of a smokescreen the other tracks would be and if we don't get the right nuances for what we need on the ground for the next year, then the future for us looks extremely dismal, for all of us in the region, if we don't move the process along.
"What happened this summer is just a taste of a lot of worse things to come if we don't change the direction of this discord. "We're all on the same boat. The security and the future of Jordan is hand-in-hand with the future of the Palestinians and the Israelis. ... So, a failure for us is a failure for you, and vice versa." In response to a question on whether there is a link between the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iranian nuclear threat, Abdullah said: "Through Hamas, Iran has been able to buy itself a seat on the table in talking about the Palestinian issue. And, as a result, through Hamas it does play a role in the issue of the Palestinians, as strange as that should sound. "If we start moving the process forward, then there's less reason for engagement on the Palestinian issue. "The Egyptians are looking for a nuclear program. The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) are looking at one, and we are actually looking at nuclear power for peaceful and energy purposes. We've been discussing it with the West. "I personally believe that any country that has a nuclear program should conform to international regulations and should have international regulatory bodies that check to make sure that any nuclear program moves in the right direction."(Naharnet-AP) Beirut, 20 Jan 07, 21:36

Lebanese paper: Don't buy Nasrallah's claims
Al-Mustaqbal newspaper criticizes Hizbullah leader's victory statements following IDF Chief Halutz's resignation; crisis in Lebanon deepens, with general strike on the way
Roee Nahmias Published: 01.20.07, 23:28 -Ynet
Immediately following the announcement of Israel Defense Force Chief of Staff Dan Halutz's resignation , the Hizbullah organization stated that this was clear proof of its victory over Israel. Fireworks were seen flying over Beirut's skies and the very next day Hizbullah's Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah gave a three-hour interview on his organization's television network al-Manar, in which he claimed the resignation was a victory for Hizbullah.
Address
Nasrallah: Halutz’ resignation filled me with joy / Roee Nahmias
Hizbullah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah responds to IDF chief’s resignation in interview with al-Manar network. ‘Amir Peretz will follow, then Ehud Olmert. Anyone who doesn’t resign will be dismissed,’ Nasrallah declares
Full Story
Nonetheless, not everyone in Lebanon has bought Nasrallah's statements. On Saturday, political observer Fares Khashan published his response to Nasrallah's claims of victory in the Lebanese newspaper Al-Mustaqbal. "Hizbullah cannot sell the Lebanese people Dan Halutz's head, especially since his resignation came more than five months after the destructive war that he led against Lebanon. These are political claims that no one is buying, and not just because it won't bring back the dead, the bridges, the work, the economic growth and the faith that was lost in the country, but also because the Israelis didn’t get rid of Halutz just to replace him, but to bring a military personality who is more determined and active in regards to Lebanon, in case the war comes knocking again," Khashan wrote.
"Halutz's resignation does not help Hizbullah, but puts Lebanon in serious danger yet again, since the Israeli army, that pushed Halutz to resign, has emphasized its slogan of being 'unbeatable'. The Israelis demanded that whoever could not lead the war give up his post to someone who could get a decisive victory on Lebanese soil. Meaning Israel did not admit that its army's failure was a result of Hizbullah's force, but that it was a result of Israeli mistakes."
These harsh criticisms should be taken with caution. Since the Al-Mustaqbal newspaper is owned by the Hariri family – Nasrallah's most stubborn political rival - it does not necessarily represent general opinions throughout the country. Still, this publication brings up many interesting points in a very popular and influential Lebanese newspaper. 'We didn't win in '82, and we didn't win now' During his interview, Nasrallah admitted that "despite the enemy's many faults, it has some virtues, like the ability to resign or terminate anyone who has not properly fulfilled their role."
Nasrallah said this referring to the democracy in Israel, and used this statement to sting Siniora's government which has not been "fulfilling the people's will." The writer Khashan however, used Nasrallah's own words against him, stating that: "If the Lebanese were given the right to question Hizbullah's leadership, according to the same criteria customary in Israel, this leadership would have to pay a heavy price." Nasrallah also quoted Israeli media, and criticized Lebanese media affiliated with Siniora's government in his interview. Khashan responded to this saying "the Israeli media took a great part in criticizing the military performance and political leadership such that Hizbullah began talking about its achievements 'in the Hebrew language.' However, the Lebanese media placed its head in the guillotine of treason for trying to support Hizbullah's military performance." Khashan ended his article with a firm assertion saying that it is clear that the Lebanese people should not be thanking Hizbullah for getting rid of Halutz, since Israel is able to get rid of poor war commanders and 'cleanse' itself of failures, while Lebanon on the other hand has been unable to do so, and bounces from one disaster to another.
"In 1982 the 'Palestinian revolution' in Lebanon was not maintained when Ariel Sharon was dismissed from his role as defense minister, and in 2007, you cannot say that Hizbullah has triumphed and made Lebanon safe just because Halutz resigned."
Opposition to paralyze Lebanon
The criticism being voiced in Lebanon is based on a deteriorating political crisis in the country. Lebanon's opposition, lead by the Hizbullah party, announced that it will call a comprehensive general strike on Tuesday. An opposition source said "complete paralysis will afflict the country including the main, essential, public facilities, among them the port and the airport." The timing of the strike is no coincidence, but will come two days before an international donor conference in Paris which Western-backed Prime Minister Fouad Siniora hopes will bring billions of dollars of aid to an economy reeling from Hizbullah's July-August war with Israel.
The planned strike is not the only indication of deterioration in the country. Lebanese newspaper Annahar reported that the government's ministers were advised to take extreme safety precautions for fear of assassinations.
Things have not been quiet on the religious scene either. Lebanese Mufti Muhammad Ali Al-Jozo, a well known critic of Hizbullah, said: "We will avenge Lebanon's dead and settle the score with all those involved for what they have done to this homeland," referring of course not to Israel, but to Hizbullah.
The Druze leader in Lebanon, Walid Junblat reiterated his warning against selling land to Hizbullah this week, for fear of "Shiite settlements" being formed, that would alter the demographic balance in Lebanon.

Mideast Report: 'Being Christian is Difficult in Lebanon'
By Michelle Vu
Christian Post Reporter
Instability, insecurity, persecution and economic hardships are only some of the many factors prompting Christians to flee the region.
“We are tired…Our young people are leaving…Being Christian is difficult in Lebanon,” said leaders of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (the Presbyterian Synod) to the PC (USA) delegation.
“We want our children to live like any other children and pray that they may have time to dream,” shared local Christian leaders.
The diminishing population of Mideast Christians and its potential effect on the region is a topic troubling not only the church delegation, but also religious freedom experts and human rights activists in Washington.
A Middle East scholar during visits to the nation’s capital last year warned that the lost of religious minorities in the region would adversely affect Islamic moderation.
Dr. Habib Malik, professor of history and cultural studies at the Presbyterian-founded Lebanese American University in Beirut, said that Christians provide a “dimension of universality – openness towards other culture” that help Muslims in the region become more accepting of others different from themselves.
For example, Christian beliefs such as respect for women’s rights, acceptance of religious pluralism, rejection of suicide bombings and religious domination can facilitate Islamic moderation when the two groups co-exist in the region.
“There is a new breed of Muslims that emerges after this interaction with a generally relax, secure, and stable non-Muslim, indigenous community,” said Malik in a conference last November.
Preserving a Mideast Christian population is also important for mediating western ideas into the region and maintaining a population that the international community can ask for reciprocal equal treatment as Muslims receive in their country.
“The very presence of vibrant Christian witness is at stake,” said the PC (USA) delegation in the letter.
Delegation members, however, concluded with a message of hope inspired by the local Christian leaders who “maintain hope where there is so much despair.”
The delegation will next visit Israel and meet with Israeli Jewish and Christian church leaders there.

Aoun's alliance with Hezbollah divides Lebanon
Saturday, 20 January, 2007 @ 6:39 PM
Beirut- In this land of divisive politics and sectarian tension, few have embraced controversy quite the way the Christian leader Gen. Michel Aoun has.
Currently, General Aoun is one of the leaders of the opposition demonstrations that have overtaken Beirut and have threatened to bring down the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. But this gambit is just the latest in a decades-long series of political surprises and controversies that have made him a political wild card here, breaking all the rules of Lebanese politics while charging the country’s political debate.
To his supporters, he is a Lebanese de Gaulle seeking to unite a fractious country and rebuild trust in its institutions. To his critics, he is a divisive megalomaniac willing to stop at nothing to become Lebanon’s president.
Some accuse him, a Christian, of splitting Christians in Lebanon into rival camps, further weakening them, while others blame him for abetting Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shiite militia. But most of all, many say, General Aoun has embraced a populist agenda for personal gain.
General Aoun, as always, is unfazed by the critics. “You could say I brought Lebanese politics back to life,” General Aoun, 71, said in his home atop the hills overlooking Beirut. “Until now, politics here has been moribund.”
General Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah and a handful of smaller groups began their protests on Dec. 1, accusing Mr. Siniora of corruption that has left the country tens of billions in debt, and saying that the current government is not representative of Lebanon’s new realities.
The opposition wants Mr. Siniora either to step down or to broaden his cabinet to allow them greater say and even a veto power, but Mr. Siniora has rebuffed the demands, and insists he will not step down. Government officials accuse the opposition of pursuing an Iranian-Syrian agenda.
The irony of General Aoun, who has spent much of his life fighting Syrian domination of Lebanon, joining hands with Hezbollah, with its close ties to Syria, is not lost on his opponents, nor on followers in protests against the government. But such about-faces are nothing new to him.
Two decades ago General Aoun rose to prominence as the head of the Christian-led Lebanese Army, taking on the Christian militias and the Syrians. He was appointed Lebanon’s interim prime minister in a caretaker government and waged a fierce revolt against Syrian forces, before being bombed out of the presidential palace and into exile in France in 1990.
Keeping to his word, he did not return to Lebanon until the last Syrian soldier had left the country.
General Aoun defends his ties to Hezbollah, saying the alliance will ward off Syria rather than allow it to return to Lebanon. He adds that he had always pledged that he would seek friendly relations with Syria once it ceased to be an occupier. But many accuse him of trying to ride the wave of Hezbollah’s popularity after the war last summer in order to win the presidency when the pro-Syrian President Émile Lahoud’s term ends later this year. The 34-day war was widely seen here as a victory for Hezbollah.
General Aoun makes no secret of his hope to become president, a role reserved for Christians in Lebanon’s complex sectarian political system. But many doubt whether he would make the best compromise candidate, one who would effectively smooth over tensions once the latest crisis of sit-ins and boycotts ends.
“Of course, I want to be president,” he said. “At first I was not that interested, but because there was so much stubbornness against me and because things got difficult, I am now intent on becoming president. I have the backing and popularity to do it.” He has drawn his supporter base from the Christian middle class, which sees itself losing ground to Lebanon’s other sects.
Unlike many in Lebanon’s political stratum, General Aoun comes from humble origins, having been born into a poor Maronite family in Haret Hreik, which became a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs in the 1980s. His supporters play up that background, saying that it equips him to tackle issues like corruption, gerrymandering and inclusion in Lebanese politics.
“For us, he represents sovereignty and dignity,” said Gebran Bassil, a longtime member of General Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement who is also married to the general’s daughter. “The general is not part of the corrupt system here, which is why the politicians are so much against him.”
Nayla Mouawad, Lebanon’s minister of social affairs, said she was struck by General Aoun’s ability to distill politics into slogans when she first met him in the mid-1980s, but long ago caught on to his oversize ambition. “He clearly wanted to be president,” she said, noting that she once warned her husband, René, who was assassinated in 1989, to be wary of General Aoun’s intentions. “I told my husband that when he gets it into his head to be president, be careful.”
FEW, however, expected the alliance with Hezbollah, a group that, on the surface, appears diametrically opposed to the Free Patriotic Movement’s goals.
Backed by Iran, Hezbollah is the sole remaining armed militia in Lebanon; General Aoun is the champion of a strong state and an opponent of militias. General Aoun rails against foreign interference in Lebanon, but Hezbollah is almost completely financed by Iran.
General Aoun notes that the alliance should not be treated any differently than one between Hezbollah and the governing coalition that helped them garner numerous seats in the 2005 elections. Still, the alliance surprised General Aoun’s supporters as much as his opponents.
“Remember, Hezbollah was the devil a year and a half ago as far as we were concerned,” Mr. Bassil said. “We were the only side that had had no dialogue with them.”Last year, General Aoun approached Hezbollah’s leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, and said he still intended to strip Hezbollah of its weapons, but only after the group’s main complaints with Israel and with the government were answered.
“It’s not like I love Hezbollah,” General Aoun said in an interview. “I am not trying to defend Hezbollah as much as I am trying to find a solution with them, because a clash with them would ruin us.”
That honesty, Hezbollah officials say, engendered trust in General Aoun. “It created a sense of trust between Shiites and Christians,” said Ghaleb Abu Zeinab, a member of Hezbollah’s politburo. “We don’t want to establish an Islamic republic, we want diplomatic and normal relations with Syria, and we want a consensual democracy and so does the Free Patriotic Movement.”
Some analysts credit the alliance with helping stabilize conditions in Lebanon after the war, as well as helping to change Hezbollah’s focus from regional issues to local ones.“It helped show Hezbollah’s real position and its understanding of Lebanon,” Mr. Abu Zeinab said. “It helped the party appear as a more Lebanese party than it used to before.”After years of playing third seat to Sunnis and Christians, Lebanon’s Shiites have increasingly demanded a greater say in government, one proportional to their numbers. General Aoun had seized on that change, analysts agree.
Still, even his supporters are often uncomfortable with the alliance, and with the lack of progress of the demonstrations so far.
“If I was in their place I might not feel comfortable with how things are going either,” General Aoun said. “But I have infrared — even infragreen. I can see what is ahead of me tomorrow, and I will eventually clarify things for them.”
By HASSAN M. FATTAH- The New York Times

He Who Gives, Owns
21/01/2007
By: Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed
It seems that the phrase ‘He who gives, owns,’ is a reasonable explanation for the raging battle in Lebanon since the eruption of the summer conflict, which revolves around who is to receive financial aid and give it to the people. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora criticizes Iran because it provides financial aid to the opposition, namely, Hezbollah and he asks it to grant such aids to legitimate authorities. I once heard officials of Gulf States saying that Hezbollah demanded that the funding for rebuilding the country after the conflict be directly handed over to it, claiming that it is the best party to manage such funding to avoid any form of corruption, whilst everybody is convinced that Hezbollah does not want any other to have ties with the people of South Lebanon except itself. International forces operating in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) are exposed to criticism from some voices within Hezbollah because they give aid directly to the people of south Lebanon without going through Hezbollah. The UN forces seek to establish good relations with the people, whereas fighters want a prolonged state of war.
In Palestine, the conflict surrounding money is overt, where Hamas and Fatah are battling over the right to take control of spending government funds and foreign aid. The evidence of this is the dispute of international aid. The European Union, which had recently increased its support to the Palestinians, provides funds directly to hospitals, schools and humanitarian organizations. It believes that contributing financially to the political conflict will transform it into a devastating weapon, and as long as the objective is to assist Palestinian citizens, then it is far better that aid be given directly to hospitals or schools so as to ensure that it is wisely spent. In Palestine, the reason is apparent. Fatah, is constantly accused of administrative and financial corruption, on the other hand Hamas is charged with exploiting foreign financial aid to serve a political agenda. Centuries ago yet reflecting the current status quo, Arab poet Al Mutanabbi said, "The world grants no glory for those with little money."
Money is power, even in other parts of the world. The evidence is clear as we recall that half a century ago American President Harry Truman had a plaque on his desk that read, "The Buck Stops Here". Senator Hillary Clinton warned President George W. Bush that he would meet the same fate as Hamas, as money to be sent to him would be blocked. She stated that the Democrats would act as a thorn in his side through the Senate Finance Committee by blocking financial funding for his military activities. I believe that the correct historic interpretation of the failure of the United States in Iraq is attributed to the fact that the Pentagon was granted the right to administrate the budget for the war in Iraq. This in turn had enabled the US Department of Defense to control the country. It also eliminated the role of the US Department of State, which came to power with ideas and not with money and was already qualified to organize the new situation. Eventually the former Secretary of State Colin Powell was forced to seclude himself and ultimately resign. The US Department of Defense, and with unusual benevolence, offered over 300 billion dollars to futile political projects to prove to everybody that the dollar alone cannot rule Iraq, as it too must be accompanied by a wise mentality

Russia urges early settlement of Lebanon crises
Saturday, 20 January, 2007 @ 9:16 PM
Beirut- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has urged an early settlement of the Lebanese crisis and stressed that his country supports an independent Lebanon, the Russian foreign ministry announced. Lavrov, in a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, said Friday that Russia wants to see an early solution to the country's political crisis and reiterated its support for Lebanon's independence. "The Russian side reiterated its position in support of Lebanon's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as efforts to achieve an early settlement of internal Lebanese problems through consensus among all of the country's political forces," the foreign ministry said in a statement. It also said that Lavrov and Siniora discussed on the phone preparations for the Paris III donors' conference due to take place on January 25. Lavrov said earlier that Russia is deeply concerned over growing tensions in Lebanon, but it does not intend to mediate to solve the political impasse between the Hezbollah-led opposition and the Siniora government. Source: Naharnet, Ya Libnan

Selectively Terrified
by Mary Foster, - The Dominion, Sunday, Jan 21 2007, 12:27am
mashriq / arabia / iraq / the left / non anarchist press
How Hezbollah became a terrorist organization in Canada
Throughout much of the Arab world, Hezbollah is being celebrated as the champion that was, at long last, able to establish a victory over invincible Israel and its omnipotent western backers. In the Middle East, Hezbollah's victory has energized movements against imperialism and its system of client regimes.
In Canada, Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. It is thus illegal to "participate in or contribute to, directly or indirectly, any activity" of this Lebanese political party or even to urge anyone to act in a way that could be construed as benefiting Hezbollah.
Some explanation for the distance between these starkly different approaches to the same organization can be found in the story of how Hezbollah's political wing came to be placed on Canada's list of terrorist organizations in December 2002. Examined in detail, this brief history provides insight into how key Canadian foreign policy decisions are made.
Hezbollah's ideological roots lie in the 1970s "movement of the deprived," which advocated for the rights of Lebanon's historically marginalized Shi'a population and for all oppressed groups. In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon, killing as many as 14,000 and wounding another 20,000-the vast majority of whom were civilians-in the first two weeks alone. Hezbollah emerged out of the popular Shi'a militias resisting the Israeli occupation and participating in the civil war, formally announcing itself in an open letter to "all the oppressed in Lebanon and the world," published in 1985. The letter endorsed Khomeini and the Iranian revolution and proposed an Islamic state for Lebanon "which, alone, is capable of guaranteeing justice and liberty for all." It was stipulated that this should be achieved only through the will of all the people, however, and not by force. "Confessional privileges [the domination of one religious group over others] are one of the principal causes of the great explosion which ravaged the country," the letter noted. Since 1992, when the party first ran for national elections, Hezbollah's leadership has publicly endorsed the importance of co-existence and pluralism within a multi-religious, diverse Lebanon and the vision of an Islamic state has faded into the background.
Today, Hezbollah is at once a political party with 14 seats in the Lebanese Parliament, the main provider of social welfare throughout the poor areas of Lebanon, a social movement voicing the aspirations of the Shi'a, and a fighting force. It receives financial and logistical support from Iran and political support from Syria and, lately, Venezuela. Its ideological underpinnings blend Lebanese nationalism, Islamism, social justice and pan-Arab nationalism.
It would be a serious challenge to substantiate the claim made by Canadian Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day; that the "stated intent of Hezbollah is to annihilate Jewish people." An examination of official texts and speeches indicates, rather, that Hezbollah's opposition to Israel is based on Israel's history as a European colonial movement that occupied Arab lands, established an exclusionary state at the expense of the original inhabitants and has subsequently pursued a persistent pattern of settlement and expansion.
Hezbollah's military operations wound down in 2000 with the end of the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, but a military wing was maintained on the grounds that Israel continued to violate the "blue line" established by the UN, illegally held Lebanese prisoners in their jails and occupied a tract of what Hezbollah considered to be Lebanese land in the Golan Heights.
By 2002, Canada had arrived at a typically Canadian, middle-of-the-road position: Hezbollah's armed wing-the Hezbollah External Security Organization-was classified as a terrorist group, while its political wing was not.
A campaign to list the Hezbollah political party started in July 2002, when the government failed to include the party in an expanded list of designated terrorist organizations.
Pressure to list Hezbollah came from the Canadian Alliance Party (the precursor to today's Conservative Party), senior Liberal politicians Irwin Cotler and Art Eggleton, B'nai Brith (a Jewish human rights organization, staunchly pro-Israel in orientation), and the Canadian Jewish Congress.
A series of articles by Stewart Bell published in the National Post-replete with terms like "terror suspects," "clandestine cells" and "masterminds," and based largely on information obtained from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), dating from the 1980s-documents the campaign. The National Post at the time was owned by ardent Zionist Israel Asper. Stewart Bell himself has been questioned about his role in CSIS's practice of selectively leaking information to the media.
Denis Coderre, Minister of Immigration at the time, recently claimed to have played a role in the campaign as well. Indeed, the arrest and deportation of a supposed Hezbollah "agent" took place in October 2002, with accompanying media fanfare.
Interestingly, both Jean Chretien and Bill Graham, then Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs respectively, resisted placing Hezbollah on the terrorist list. Chretien met with Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of Hezbollah, in Beirut in October 2002. On November 28, a new set of groups was banned-and Hezbollah was still not among them. Irwin Cotler denounced the omission as "inexplicable and, given their [Hezbollah's] murderous ideology, unconscionable."
B'nai Brith responded the next day, on November 29, with a press conference in which they announced a lawsuit against the government, brought on the grounds that the government was failing to protect Canadians by refusing to ban Hezbollah.
The following day, November 30, the National Post picked up a story from the Washington Times claiming that, at a Beirut rally, Nasrallah had condoned and encouraged suicide bombing. Nasrallah was alleged to have said: "Suicide bombings should be exported outside Palestine"; and "I encourage Palestinians to take suicide bombings worldwide, don't be shy about it."
Two weeks later, after going to Beirut to investigate, CBC journalist Neil MacDonald exposed the story as a fabrication.
MacDonald traced the story to journalist Paul Martin. Martin had previously been accused of writing a false report about Palestinian militants under an alias in the same journal, the Christian-right Washington Times. MacDonald said that Martin, when challenged, "came up with three quotes [attributed to Nasrallah], one of which, to be charitable, was a gross mistranslation, and the other two were never even uttered." Martin named his source for the quotes as Lebanese ultra-nationalist and pro-Israel Walid Phares, currently a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), whose board and advisors is composed of well-known neo-con Zionists. Phares has also contributed policy briefs to the publication of Daniel Pipes's think tank, the Middle East Forum.
MacDonald reported on CBC on December 11 that, "Ottawa now knows that the Nasrallah quotes in the Washington Times about exporting suicide attacks were almost certainly never uttered."
However, the alleged comments by Nasrallah had already received enough attention to force the government's hand; a special Cabinet committee meeting was held the evening of December 10, 2002, in which it was decided to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. The Canada Gazette, official newspaper of the government, reported, "The change has been made on the basis of the close connection between the organization as a whole and the Hezbollah External Security Organization, and the recent statement by Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of Hezbollah, encouraging suicide bombings."
Curiously, the decision came the same day as the high-profile arrest of "terrorist suspect" Mohamed Harkat under a security certificate, a top news story across the country which heightened public fear about terrorism. The security certificate was signed by Immigration Minister Denis Coderre on the recommendation of CSIS. The decision to arrest Harkat at this particular time may well have been taken independently of any other considerations. However, the timing of the arrest does not appear to have been linked to any exigencies in Harkat's own case.
The political significance of labeling Hezbollah a terrorist organization is extensive: it is an act of tangible alignment with the apartheid state of Israel and its American backers, both regionally and in Lebanese internal politics; it is a stand against the right of Palestinian self-determination and the Palestinian right of return; and it is an affirmation of the double-standard under which Israel's habitual disregard for international humanitarian law is tolerated. In Canada, the designation helps obviate the possibility of meaningful discussion about the causes of oppression and war in the region-witness the media storm around the visit by three members of Parliament to Lebanon in the aftermath of the Israeli assault, and around the participation of Quebec politicians in Montreal's August rally against the attack on Lebanon. It also eviscerates the political potential of the large Lebanese diaspora community in Canada by threatening them with the terrorist label should they dare question the official line themselves.
No revision of the decision appears to have been made in light of the exposure of the Washington Times' story.
****Mary Foster is a Montreal based social justice activist, writer and member of Tadamon! Montreal. This article originally appear in The Dominion newspaper in the fall of 2006.

A crucial time for saving Lebanon's fragile democracy
By John F. Kerry | January 4, 2007
EVERYWHERE I traveled throughout the Middle East this winter, the feeling was inescapable that the region could explode at any time. The threat of three simultaneous civil wars that King Abdullah of Jordan spoke of is real, and perhaps the most imminent danger -- in Lebanon -- is the least understood.
Lost in the shadows of Iraq, the struggle to save the fragile democracy born of the Cedar Revolution has reached a moment of truth. If America does not act now, this key front in the broader struggle between moderates and extremists for the future of the Arab world will be lost -- and the consequences will long be felt throughout the region. The radicals' ambitions for overthrow move from Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in Lebanon to President Mahmound Abbas in Ramallah to Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki in Iraq. They are determined to achieve a clean sweep.
Anyone who has longed for a George Washington or Thomas Jefferson to emerge and lead the fight for democracy in the Middle East should come to Beirut and meet the patriots who have made incredible sacrifices for a free and independent Lebanon.
There is the son of slain former prime minister Rafik Hariri. There is the Cabinet minister whose husband was assassinated soon after becoming president, and the minister of defense, who after 12 surgeries still bears the scars of an assassination attempt. There is the mother of recently slain 34-year-old Lebanese parliamentarian Pierre Gemayel, who said to me simply: "We pay a high price for sharing what you believe in," and ask yourself whether we are paying her the debt owed for our shared beliefs.
At the forefront of this struggle is Siniora, the prime minister of Lebanon, who has stood up to a challenge that many extremists thought would bring down his government. Weakened by this summer's war, Siniora is effectively under siege by Hezbollah, which has brought hundreds of thousands of demonstrators to the streets of Bierut and shut down the government with the mass resignation of its ministers.
To provide the support he needs, we must recognize and adapt to the new realities on the ground. We've lost 3,000 American lives and invested more than $300 billion in hopes of forcibly birthing democracy in Iraq -- while largely ignoring Lebanon, where democratic institutions already have a foothold. Success there -- and across the Middle East -- ultimately depends more on winning over civilian populations with basic goods and services than defeating armies with sophisticated weapons and technology. New York's street-wise mayor Fiorello LaGuardia proclaimed, "There is no Republican way to clean a street." This is Politics 101: If you don't deliver services, you don't get the support of the people.
Yet today, the forces of radicalism are doing a far better job than the moderates in making the most basic connections with restive populations. In Lebanon, Iran has seized the opportunity to win over the population by channeling some $500 million in reconstruction funds through Hezbollah -- over twice as much as we have. In fact, Iran is doing more in rebuilding Lebanon than Washington is doing in rebuilding New Orleans.
We must change this dynamic by dramatically increasing economic assistance -- and pressing others in the international community to do the same -- and ensuring that Lebanese see that they can count on their elected leaders. And we must redouble our efforts to strengthen the Lebanese military, which has earned the trust of the people but lacks the strength to confront Hezbollah.
The key to Lebanon's future lies in getting Syria to truly respect Lebanese sovereignty. The money and weapons that empower Hezbollah come primarily through Syria, which uses proxies like Hezbollah to advance its hegemonic designs. They must be convinced to change course, including by ensuring that UN Resolution 1701 -- which again calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah -- is fully implemented.
To test the Syrians directly, as the Baker-Hamilton Commission suggested, Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and I met with President Bashar al- Assad for more than two hours. The conversation confirmed my belief that engagement with Syria could be useful in advancing our objectives across the region. The Syrian leadership will act according to its own self-interest. The challenge is to get Syria's leaders to make a strategic decision to change direction, and shift their allegiance away from Iran.
This requires a package of incentives that will provide real benefits for playing a more constructive role and disincentives that will undermine their interests -- if not endanger their survival -- if they do not. These would be implemented incrementally, based on verified facts on the ground.
This comprehensive approach, similar to the one used with North Korea and Iran, must include the full participation of moderate Arab countries like Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia -- which, like Syria, have largely Sunni populations -- as well as Turkey. There is no guarantee that this approach will save Lebanon and turn Syria into a positive force in the region -- but the current policy only guarantees more of the same.
Lebanon teeters on the brink of disaster -- but its leaders refuse to surrender. As Amine Gemayel, the former president of Lebanon, said in explaining why he is running to replace his son in Parliament, "We keep going. We keep fighting. We keep struggling." The question is whether we will be a real partner in this struggle.
John F. Kerry is a US senator from Massachusetts.

Divine hole talk
Lebanon's supreme hole-dweller, Hassan Nasrallah, is angry. The residents of the open world above his nether-earth thrive in international recognition, he complained on his TV Friday night. He and his fellow hole-residents, have to wallow in smelly self-pity and permanent state of revolution. There is much stink emanating from the feeble words of the unwashed. There is expired conspiracy? the one that goes Arabs from the ocean to the gulf, they are dividing us into smaller entities? conspiracy unbecoming of our hole resident, who, need I remind you, hides in a hole under the ground, and feasts on ideologies that condemn nonconformists to small prison cells, and conformists to smaller coffins.
Alas, the divine dweller of the hole has declared himself the protector of most Arab borders. Had he been defeated? in the war, he says, the first thing that would have happened would have been a big demographic shift? The Shia of the south and the western Bekaa, he claimed, would have been prevented from returning to their homes, and the southern region would have been transformed into a different color? And had Hizbullah not defeated Israel, he added, the war would have continued and Lebanon AND Syria would have been divided into mini-states.
And who was party to this diabolic scheme? Who else but the Lebanese government, which Nasrallah accused of preventing the Shia from going back south during the war! The Shia, according to Nasrallah logic, were supposed to stay and die, or crawl under destroyed bridges and get butchered by blind bombs looking for his holy warriors.
So the Shia community hijacker is basically accusing the Lebanese government, acting in concert with the US and Israel, of trying to |dispossess the Shias by ejecting them from Lebanon and redrawing the political map of the region. Life must be terrible in Nasrallah hole. The Arab world last extant non-Palestinian anti-Israeli warrior has been reading too many books on the Palestinians. But then, making the Lebanese Shias look like the Palestinians of 1948 is his best attempt yet to beg for shrinking Arab Sunni sympathies. Nasrallah, Iran foot in Lebanon, is now trying to consolidate popular victim-based Arab history.
The road to prosperity in Iraq, our new Arab historian pontificates, is through Jihad against the occupier. In Lebanon, where he plays the role of occupier, it抯 gradual paralysis of all sources of income for non-Hizbullah citizens. It big action? a general strike on Tuesday, blocking roads, shutting down the airport梬hat Israel and Syria couldn do, Nasrallah and his buddies vow to achieve, and all in the name of keeping Lebanon united.
On top of being granted the privilege of choking the country, he demands further privileges: A government that never says no, a parliament that puts him and his fellow despots in charge, and making terror a legitimate method to defend other nations?interests, and his own.
And with much of the country languishing in destruction and impending bankruptcy caused by his war, Nasrallah found it appropriate to celebrate the departure of his enemy war general. Only divine losers see the strengthening of their enemy as victory-extended. The 1,200 Lebanese who died for his cause are now citizens of a smaller entity Nasrallah is carving up in Lebanon in ever expanding mini death state.

Lebanese sovereignty, Israeli obstacles
By Nizar Abdel-Kader -Daily Star
Commentary by
Monday, January 22, 2007
It has been argued that wars create opportunities for security and political changes. The Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 proved this saying in the negative sense. In fact, Lebanon was plunged into a period of chaos that was later exploited by Syria, which gained full control over the country for over two decades. After the Syrian withdrawal in 2005 the situation in Lebanon changed dramatically, providing hope that the country would be able to regain its sovereignty and deploy its armed forces along its international borders.
The July-August war of 2006 created a strong will among the Lebanese population and the government to replace the paradigm of violence with one of political and security dialogue, and to achieve a permanent cease-fire with Israel. Hizbullah, too, gave its consent to this.
Actually, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 offers a great opportunity for achieving a truce. But the final outcome still depends on the will of the parties to consolidate the current cease-fire into a more stable security management process. For the past six months, the Lebanese authorities and the United Nations have successfully deployed thousands of Lebanese soldiers and UN troops to the area south of the Litani River, all the way to the Shebaa Farms. The international community has also committed a naval task force to control Lebanese shores, and Lebanese Army troops have deployed all along the border with Syria to stop any potential attempts to rearm Hizbullah.
Both the Lebanese Army and UN forces have accomplished their tasks with great efficacy. Israel, on the other hand, has not been fully cooperative with the UN forces in implementing Resolution 1701; the Israeli withdrawal on the ground was slow and incomplete in the Ghajar sector, and its violations of Lebanon's airspace have not ceased.
Indeed, the Siniora government demonstrated its determination from the beginning of the summer hostilities to come forward with a plan to achieve not only a cease-fire but also permanent arrangements. These reflected its commitment to regaining full control in South Lebanon and establishing a secure zone all along the international border with Israel. The government's will was evident in Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's seven-point plan: to achieve an immediate and complete cease-fire and invite the United Nations, in cooperation with Israel, to undertake the necessary measures to revive the Armistice Agreement signed in 1949.
The seven-point plan reflected the Lebanese government's willingness to adhere to the provisions of the Armistice Agreement as well as to explore the possibility of amending it to include the new security management system provided by the deployment of the Lebanese Army and the UNIFIL forces in accordance with the provisions of Resolution 1701.
By calling for adherence to the Armistice Agreement, the Lebanese government committed itself to respond to all Israeli security needs as defined by Article III, paragraph two of the agreement, which states: "[N]o element of the land, sea or air military or paramilitary forces, including non-regular forces, shall commit any warlike or hostile act against the military or paramilitary forces of the other Party, or against civilians in territory under the control of that Party; or shall advance beyond or pass over for any purpose whatsoever the Armistice Demarcation Line set forth in Article V of this Agreement ..."
The maintenance of these provisions, in addition to the vast military deployment in the South and the establishment of the mixed Armistice Commission (Article VII of the Armistice Agreement), would provide northern Israel with security arrangements as effective as the ones provided by the separation agreement with Syria on the Golan Heights.
With respect to successful security arrangements, it is essential that Israel's government collaborate and coordinate with the UN secretary general to bring about the necessary amendment and implementation of the Armistice Agreement. Although the present arrangements with Hizbullah allow confiscation of larger and more sophisticated weapons found south of the Litani, the current tacit agreement between Hizbullah and the Lebanese authorities is unsustainable in the long term. Most importantly, the opportunity exists to deal effectively with Hizbullah and implement a systematic, phased disarmament process.
The disarmament of Hizbullah has now become a central issue in Lebanese politics and the Lebanese national debate. The current crisis between Hizbullah and the Siniora government is one aspect of the government's drive to control Hizbullah and its allies. The government will most likely succeed in containing Hizbullah's movements on the streets of Beirut, thereby enhancing the government's move to consolidate its authority and to attain a stable and peaceful future.
The Israelis, for their part, can play a constructive role by allowing the Lebanese government to exercise its sovereignty in the South and by collaborating with the international community regarding the amendment and implementation of the Armistice Agreement. Israel and the international community should not push too far or too quickly to disarm Hizbullah, as such a move would exacerbate sectarian tensions in Lebanon and would ultimately be counter-productive.
The final article of Resolution 1701 stresses the need to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Indeed, renewing the peace process would constitute a leap forward toward consolidating the achievement of peace in South Lebanon. Israel should make a concerted effort to reopen peace negotiations, not only on the Palestinian track, but also with both Lebanon and Syria. Six months after the war, it is legitimate to ask Israel to address the challenge of achieving a lasting peace.
**Nizar Abdel-Kader is a political analyst and columnist at Ad-Diyar newspaper in Beirut and a member of the board of editors of Lebanese Defense Magazine. This commentary first appeared at bitterlemons-international.org, an online newsletter.