Israel Justice Min says "World gave us green light" - World says "Oh no we didn't!"

[Partridge]

First report from BBC earlier today (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5221384.stm):

Israel is calling up more reservists to boost its military campaign in Lebanon, but sources say it is not about to launch a larger ground offensive. Cabinet ministers met a day after Israel suffered its biggest one-day loss of the 16-day conflict.

An Israeli minister said world powers had given Israel the green light to press on by not calling for a halt.

From The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1831570,00.html?gusrc=rss) a couple of minutes ago:

The European Union rebuked the Israeli government today after its justice minister claimed "permission from the world" to press on with its Lebanon campaign.

[...]

[T]he Finnish foreign minister, Erkki Tuomioja, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, called the interpretation "totally wrong" and said the fighting should stop immediately. "Most of the countries, including the European Union, [...] specifically want an immediate halt to the hostilities," he said.

The German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, called Mr Ramon's words "a gross misinterpretation".

[Partridge]

Lest we forget who opposes an immediate ceasefire

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/IMAGES/p1-210706_170715a.jpg

[Gold9472]

Scumbags.

[Eckolaker]

I wonder if they will try and spin this story like the UN bombing the other day.

[Partridge]

I wonder if they will try and spin this story like the UN bombing the other day.Well, last night on an Irish current affairs program, they interviewed the Israeli tourism minister. He repeated the same fiction (and wasn't challenged by the interviewer on it).

Then on the Europe-wide 24 hours news station Euronews, one of teh stories on constant rotation was to the effect that "Israel has been give the go ahead to continue its offensive".

Meanwhile. even the US its seems* is getting pissed off with its client state - From BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5223940.stm):

US 'outrage' over Israeli claims

The US state department has dismissed as "outrageous" a suggestion by Israel that it has been authorised by the world to continue bombing Lebanon.

"The US is sparing no efforts to bring a durable and lasting end to this conflict," said spokesman Adam Ereli.

Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon made the suggestion after powers meeting in Rome refrained from demanding an immediate ceasefire.

[...]
But questioned by reporters on the sidelines of a summit in Kuala Lumpur, Mr Ereli said: "Any such statement is outrageous."

The US has said a ceasefire is only worth it if it can be made to last. Mr Bush reiterated the US's rejection of a "false peace" on Thursday evening.

The BBC's world affairs correspondent, Nick Childs, points out that Mr Bush also emphasised how troubled he was by the mounting casualties, a suggestion - perhaps - that he is increasingly conscious of the price Washington is paying for its closeness to Israel.

----------------------


* The US could end this slaughter immediately if it wanted to. So why doesn't it? Instead they continue to rush new bombs to Israel to be dropped on civilians.

Hezbollah says it will accept an immediate unconditional ceasefire. Iran says it will accept this too. The US says - in the words of John Bolton - "The United States has no confidence that Hezbollah would honor an unconditional ceasefire."

Ironically, if the object of the Israeli onslaught was, as they claim, to "crush Hezbolllah once and for all" (a laughable proposition in and of itself) - it has been a miserable failure. Hezbollah, after two weeks of bombarbment, now enjoys the most widespread support it has ever had - even Lebanese Christians are reportedly chanting "victory to Hezbollah" in the streets. The Israeli invasion seems to have done what was impossible since the creation of Lebabon; it has united the Lebanese. "Hezbollah comes from the people. If they want to destroy Hezbollah, they will have to annihilate all of Lebanon" - Dr. Ghassan Fran, quoted in the NY Times.

The scariest thing is, I can quite see that happening - at least an attempt to flatten the south. Israel has dropped leaflets all over the south telling people to evacuate (sometimes when they do, they are bombed anyway - these are war crimes by the way). It is now Israel's position that "enough time" has been given and that anyone who remains in the south is de facto Hezbollah (why else would they be there huh?) - and thus anyone still in the south is now a legitimate target.

http://normanfinkelstein.com/img/photos/latuff/latuff_norm_says_2.jpg

http://normanfinkelstein.com/img/photos/latuff/latuff_norm_says_1.gif

[PhilosophyGenius]

Nice cartoon. People are so stupid. So you have to get down to there intelligence level to teach them stuff.

[Partridge]

Israel rejects UN aid truce call
BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5226996.stm)

Israel has rejected a United Nations call for a three-day truce in southern Lebanon, as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives in Israel. The UN says children, elderly and disabled are trapped and supplies are short after two weeks of fighting.

But an Israeli spokesman said there was no need for a truce as they had opened a humanitarian corridor to the area.

Ms Rice is expected to discuss proposals to deploy a multinational force in southern Lebanon.

However, the UN has warned the deaths of four of its personnel may deter countries from contributing to a future force.


The UN says some 600 people have been killed by Israeli action in Lebanon, of which about a third were children.

Fifty-one Israelis, including at least 18 civilians, have been killed, mostly by Hezbollah rockets.

The Israeli assault began after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight in a cross-border raid on 12 July.

In other developments:





A mother and her five children have been killed in a new wave of Israeli air raids on Lebanon

Israeli forces say they have pulled out of the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, which has seen heavy clashes

Lebanon has said an Israeli attack on fuel tanks at a power plant has created the biggest environmental disaster the Mediterranean region has known

Several rockets have been launched at the northern Israel town of Safid amid further fire by Hezbollah.
Israeli officials have indicated to the BBC that Israel may be willing to stop fighting as soon as a UN resolution is passed next week - and before the arrival of international peacekeepers.

But they say a ceasefire must meet certain key conditions, including a guarantee that Hezbollah will not move back into positions close to the border nor re-arm.

Meanwhile, Israeli military sources have indicated that the fighting could intensify.

The BBC's diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams says Israel would prefer a deal but they are publicly prepared to continue fighting if they do not get one.

'Think hard'

The US secretary of state is expected to talk to Israeli and Lebanese leaders about proposals to deploy a multinational force, as part of what US President George W Bush calls a viable plan for ending hostilities.

World leaders are due to discuss a deployment at a meeting at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said countries who may be in a position to contribute troops would attend the meeting on the proposal, which is due for discussion by the Security Council later next week.

Earlier, the UN deputy chief issued a warning over the peacekeeper deaths in an Israeli strike on a UN base.

Mark Malloch-Brown said they had accepted Israel's apology, but still had "serious concerns" about what happened.

UN officials said they had contacted Israel a dozen times before the bombing and asked them to stop firing, which Israel did not.

Mr Malloch-Brown said the losses posed a "very serious threat to the whole concept of neutral peacekeeping.

"Peacekeeping is a dangerous business and we depend on the support of the international community," he said.

Washington would have to "think hard" about the consequences of its failure to condemn the killings for the recruitment of an international force, he added.

The UN Security Council issued a statement voicing "shock and distress" at the deaths, after the US blocked calls for harsher criticism of Israel.