Lebanon in crisis: Hizballah quits government, US-French buildup, Israel on standby
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report January 12, 2011,
With backing from Tehran, Hizballah and its Christian ally Michel Aoun abruptly quit the Lebanese unity government Wednesday, Jan. 12, in a move that could pave the way for their seizure of power in Beirut. They struck as the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s prosecutor Daniel Bellemare prepared to hand over to the pre-trial judge “within hours or days” indictments naming Hizballah officials in the case of the former premier Rafiq Hariri’s assassination in 2005.
Hizballah is committed to defying those indictments and refusing to hand over its top officials for extradition by the government.
As the Lebanese crisis raced towards it climax, President Barack Obama, Saudi King Abdullah, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri held intense consultations in Washington and New York on a united front against Iran-backed disruptions in Beirut by Hizballah and its allies.
Iran’s...
Coming to Your Town: Jihad Lee Loughner
Militant “Muslims” call openly for the violent overthrow of Civilization. It is only a matter of time until one or more deranged individuals acts on militant “Islamic” incitement to violence.
by Bill Levinson
The Left grasps at straws by attempting to blame the alleged actions of Jared Lee Loughner on the rhetoric of the Tea Party and Sarah Palin, whose Web page “targeted” certain House members for defeat in the recent election. Most (99.9999%) rational adults understand the difference between targeting somebody with ballots as opposed to bullets. The Left’s pathetic crusade to blame the alleged crime of a deranged lone actor on the Tea Party, Sarah Palin, and the Second Amendment conveniently overlooks an ORGANIZED movement that calls openly for the violent overthrow of the U.S. and other Western governments, and at least one alleged mass murderer, Nidal Malik Hassan, has already acted on these calls for violence.
Here is Sarah...
Hagee, a blessing and a curse
By Ted Belman
The speech by Rev Hagee that I linked to yesterday under the title, Rev Hagee: “Appeasement is suicide on the installment plan”, attracted enormous interest and numerous heated comments. The Jews who commented either welcomed his support and that of his organization CUFI or railed against Evangelical Christians in general and Rev Hagee specifically for missionizing in Israel.
Those in favour know little about the missionizing that goes on in Israel or don’t care. Those against know a great deal about such activities and do care. That’s the divide.
Its imperative that those that embrace Rev Hagee and CUFI get up to speed so they have informed opinions.
The best source of authoritative information is Jewish Israel. It published in December of last year, Rabbi Grossman Battles Hagee Affiliated Missionaries, in which it went into great detail to describe the various actors involved with the intensive missionizing effort in Israel, including Rev...
US Aid to Israel Not Worth the ’Real Cost,’ Researcher Says
Israel is paying through the nose for US aid and would better off without it, says a researcher for the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies (JIMS).
American aid to Israel to the tune of $3 billion a year has been maligned by many U.S. conservatives and by the Arab world, but Israel actually loses more than it receives, according to JIMS analyst Yarden Gazit.
“U.S. aid is a net loss for Israel and Israel would be better off without it,” he concluded in his report, released on Wednesday.
Gazit explained that the conditions for the military assistance are designed to help the American military-industrial complex at the expense of the Israeli defense industry.
One condition of the American aid to Israel is that three-quarters of the grant be spent in the United States. “The ‘buy US’ requirement causes Israel to buy defense products at a high price, sometimes even products Israel may not need,” Gazit wrote. He calculated the loss...
Lebanon Lays Claim to Gas Fields
Laura: Once again, the Arabs seek to steal what belongs to the Jewish state. When those gas fields were discovered it was predictable that Lebanon would falsely claim Israel was encroaching on its territory.
Hariri asks UN to put ’utmost pressure on Israel’
The Jerusalem Post
By Jpost.com Staff
Lebanese Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri on Sunday asked UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to put more pressure on Israel to cease border violations and exploitation of Lebanese oil and gas resources, Reuters reported.
The request came less than a week after Lebanese Foreign Minister Ali Shami sent a letter to Ban urging him to “prevent Israel from exploiting Lebanon’s oil and maritime wealth.” Israel denied all allegations that drilling had extended into Lebanese oil fields.
In a meeting with the UN chief, Hariri continued by insisting on a complete “implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701.” Hariri continued by requesting “the utmost...
By Ted Belman
A week ago Mubarak told Netanyahu not to invade Gaza. Now we read that he told Hamas Stop Gaza rockets or face new Israel war . That is why Hamas is restraining the factions who are firing rockets.
Evidently another Arab country, unnamed, joined in the demand.
In recent weeks, Palestinian militants have stepped up attacks along the Gaza border, drawing Israeli strikes that killed 13 Palestinians, most of them gunmen, in December.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing foreign journalists in Jerusalem on Tuesday, said militants in the Gaza Strip would be making “a terrible, terrible mistake” if they continued to “test our will to defend our people”.
Lieberman and the naked emperor
The FM enjoys role of boy who exposed sham behind the emperor’s new clothes; in contrast to naïve child in fable, Lieberman is a shrewd politician.
We are inundated with critical reports of the strident statements made by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. He is, reportedly, damaging the country’s international image. Obviously, political correctness is not one of his main concerns. It has to be acknowledged, however, that Lieberman’s not-very-diplomatic style, while uncomfortable, also involves more than a little truth-telling.
To a certain extent, Lieberman is playing domestic politics, trying to position himself as leader of the Right. Issues he has raised, such as the loyalty oath, the conversion bill and the attack on human rights NGOs, indeed smack of populism and are simplistic remedies to complex problems. And his bluntness has repeatedly forced Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, an eloquent representative of the Jewish state, to issue...
Sarah Palin’s brilliant comeback
Governor Palin: America’s Enduring Strength
Like millions of Americans I learned of the tragic events in Arizona on Saturday, and my heart broke for the innocent victims. No words can fill the hole left by the death of an innocent, but we do mourn for the victims’ families as we express our sympathy.
I agree with the sentiments shared yesterday at the beautiful Catholic mass held in honor of the victims. The mass will hopefully help begin a healing process for the families touched by this tragedy and for our country.
Our exceptional nation, so vibrant with ideas and the passionate exchange and debate of ideas, is a light to the rest of the world. Congresswoman Giffords and her constituents were exercising their right to exchange ideas that day, to celebrate our Republic’s core values and peacefully assemble to petition our government. It’s inexcusable and incomprehensible why a single evil man took the lives of peaceful citizens that day.
There is a bittersweet irony...
John Bolton on Law, “International Law,” and American Sovereignty
by John Bolton
To President Obama, the concept of international law is palpable, as his September 2009 speech to the U.N. Security Council emphasized: “e must demonstrate that international law is not an empty promise, and that treaties will be enforced.” Many in his administration are doing their utmost to subvert America’s well-deserved reputation as an adherent of the rule of law by subordinating it to the dangerous concept that international law, as defined by its high priests, overrides our domestic law, including in the judiciary.
What is or is not legally binding about international law, particularly customary international law, is wide open to dispute. Customary international law used to refer to “state practice” in international affairs, a generally sensible way of deciding such questions as navigation protocols, reflecting what seafaring states have done over the centuries. In recent decades, however, the academic Left has seized on customary law as a fertile...
Ted BelmanJerusalem, Israel
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