United States to Israel: you have one more week to blast Hizbullah

AR182

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Bush 'gave green light' for limited attack, say Israeli and UK sources

Ewen MacAskill, Simon Tisdall and Patrick Wintour
Wednesday July 19, 2006
The Guardian



The US is giving Israel a window of a week to inflict maximum damage on Hizbullah before weighing in behind international calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon, according to British, European and Israeli sources.
The Bush administration, backed by Britain, has blocked efforts for an immediate halt to the fighting initiated at the UN security council, the G8 summit in St Petersburg and the European foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.

"It's clear the Americans have given the Israelis the green light. They [the Israeli attacks] will be allowed to go on longer, perhaps for another week," a senior European official said yesterday. Diplomatic sources said there was a clear time limit, partly dictated by fears that a prolonged conflict could spin out of control.

US strategy in allowing Israel this freedom for a limited period has several objectives, one of which is delivering a slap to Iran and Syria, who Washington claims are directing Hizbullah and Hamas militants from behind the scenes.

George Bush last night said that he suspected Syria was trying to reassert its influence in Lebanon. Speaking in Washington, he said: "It's in our interest for Syria to stay out of Lebanon and for this government in Lebanon to succeed and survive. The root cause of the problem is Hizbullah and that problem needs to be addressed."

Tony Blair yesterday swung behind the US position that Israel need not end the bombing until Hizbullah hands over captured prisoners and ends its rocket attacks. During a Commons statement, he resisted backbench demands that he call for a ceasefire.

Echoing the US position, he told MPs: "Of course we all want violence to stop and stop immediately, but we recognise the only realistic way to achieve such a ceasefire is to address the underlying reasons why this violence has broken out."

He also indicated it might take many months to agree the terms of a UN stabilisation force on the Lebanese border.

After Mr Blair spoke, British officials privately acknowledged the US had given Israel a green light to continue bombing Lebanon until it believes Hizbullah's infrastructure has been destroyed.

Washington's hands-off approach was underlined yesterday when it was confirmed that Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, is delaying a visit to the region until she has met a special UN team. She is expected in the region on Friday, according to Dan Gillerman, Israel's ambassador to the UN.

The US is publicly denying any role in setting a timeframe for Israeli strikes. When asked whether the US was holding back diplomatically, Tony Snow, the White House's press spokesman, said yesterday: "No, no; the insinuation there is that there is active military planning, collaboration or collusion, between the United States and Israel - and there isn't ... the US has been in the lead of the diplomatic efforts, issuing repeated calls for restrain,t but at the same time putting together an international consensus. You've got to remember who was responsible for this: Hizbullah ... It would be misleading to say the United States hasn't been engaged. We've been deeply engaged."

Steven Cook, a specialist in US-Middle East policy at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations, said: "It's abundantly clear [that US policy is] to give the Israelis the opportunity to strike a blow at Hizbullah ...

"They have global reach, and prior to 9/11 they killed more Americans than any other group. But the Israelis are overplaying their hand."

Israel is already laying the ground for negotiations. "We are beginning a diplomatic process alongside the military operation that will continue," said Tzipi Livni, Israel's foreign minister, yesterday. "The diplomatic process is not meant to shorten the window of time of the army's operation, but rather is meant to be an extension of it and to prevent a need for future military operations," she added.

Moshe Kaplinsky, Israel's deputy army chief, said the offensive could end within a few weeks, adding that Israel needed time to complete "clear goals". Israeli officials said fighting could begin to wind down after the weekend, if Hizbullah stops firing rockets.

A peace formula is also beginning to emerge: it includes an understanding on a future prisoner exchange, a deployment of the Lebanese army up to the Israeli border, a Hizbullah pullback, and the beefing up of an international monitoring force. For the first time, Ms Livni suggested Israel might accept such a force on a temporary basis.

There were signs of differences of emphasis between the Foreign Office and Downing Street over the conflict.

Kim Howells, a Foreign Office minister, explicitly called for the US to rein in Israel. "I very much hope the Americans will be putting pressure on the Israelis to stop as quickly as possible." he told the BBC. "We understand the pressure the Israeli government is under, but we call on them to look very carefully at the pressure ordinary people are under in southern Lebanon and other parts of Lebanon too ... We want to stop this as quickly as possible".

Israeli airstrikes killed 31 yesterday, including a family of nine in Aitaroun. More than 230 civilians in Lebanon have been killed in the past week.

An Israeli man was killed by a Hizbullah rocket in Nahariya in northern Israel, bringing the total of Israeli civilian deaths to 13. The army said 50 missiles were fired yesterday at northern Israel, injuring at least 14 people.

Flashpoints

? 31 Lebanese killed in Israeli air raids. Nine members of one family were killed and four wounded in a strike on their house in the village of Aitaroun. Five were killed in other strikes in the south and two in the Bekaa Valley. An attack on a Lebanese army barracks east of Beirut killed 11 soldiers and wounded 30. A truck carrying medical supplies was hit and its driver killed on the Beirut-Damascus highway. Hizbullah says one of its fighters was killed.

? One man killed as he was walking to a bomb shelter in Nahariya, northern Israel. The army said Hizbullah fired 50 missiles, hitting the port and railway depot at Haifa, as well as the towns of Safed, Acre and Kiryat Shmona.

? Hundreds evacuated from Beirut in helicopters and boats. HMS Gloucester arrives to start evacuation of Britons. The Orient Queen, a cruise ship capable of carrying 750, sets out from Cyprus, escorted by a US destroyer.
 

kosar

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This article is funny. It basically implies (or pretty much says) that we have the power to stop Israel at any time. Bullshit!

'We will *give* them another week?'

That's hilarious. They will continue on their own timetable as well they should.
 

kosar

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AR182 said:
i hope your right, matt. but i tend to agree with this article.

I don't understand, Al. You hope that we have the power to stop Israel from engaging Hezbollah? And inducing a cease-fire?

I don't agree with that notion. I hope Israel crushes them, while sending a message to Iran, and definitely Syria that they could be next in line of having their country destroyed if they keep up with their support of terrorism.

Aside from all that, I stand by opinion that America cannot influence Israel as far as stopping and i'm glad for that.
 

AR182

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no, no...i hope that you're right that u.s. doesn't have any power over israel.

however, i do believe that washington has the power to call israel off. and it's been this way ever since the beginning.

unfortunately...
 

AR182

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btw..

did you see hannity & colmes tonight.

they had ex-cia boss james woosey (sp ?)..he believes that the u.s. should bomb the shit out of syria to send a message. he believes that iran & syria view the u.s. & the west as weak & this will show them that they miscalculated. he also believes that they cannot be reasoned with.
 

kosar

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AR182 said:
no, no...i hope that you're right that u.s. doesn't have any power over israel.

however, i do believe that washington has the power to call israel off. and it's been this way ever since the beginning.

unfortunately...

I read your post wrong, my man.

But this time, I don't think we can influence Israel like we have in the past. No way, IMO.
 

kosar

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AR182 said:
btw..

did you see hannity & colmes tonight.

they had ex-cia boss james woosey (sp ?)..he believes that the u.s. should bomb the shit out of syria to send a message. he believes that iran & syria view the u.s. & the west as weak & this will show them that they miscalculated. he also believes that they cannot be reasoned with.


Yes, I saw it. I don't agree with Woolsey in that we should bomb Syria.

However, if Israel did it I would have no problem with it.

They might see 'us' as weak and they certainly miscalculated, whatever the case. But I have NO problem with Israel picking up some of the slack. Some of the heavy work.

If Iran got involved and Israel needed our help(which they would if Iran got involved), then so be it, but until then let Israel deal with this.
 

djv

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Iran is involved out of lime light. Believe they stay there the shady ass holes. They know were waiting for the gift from them that lets us start with the cruse missiles. But they seem smart enough to stay behind the scenes because they are causing plenty of trouble that way. AS for Syria they are weaker then Iran and if Israel has to lay a few on them so be it. We don't have to. We can just give the material to Israel that they need.
 

DOGS THAT BARK

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I like the "we welcome world war 3" from Iran--reminds me of Hussein and UBL --chirp chirp chirp one day and hiding in spider holes and caves the next. Has recent history taught them nothing--or do they want to trade 2 buildings for 2 countries?
 

hammer1

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One question for all of you "Lets Nuke Every One Fans!

One question for all of you "Lets Nuke Every One Fans!

Israel starts a new Holocaust over 2 kidnapped Soldiers..who may or may not be alive..and proceeds to slaughter innocents who are not connected to the perpetrators.
I ask you.What response would u recommend if Israel murdered 25 American servicemen and one of them was a member of your immediate family?

Should we " Nuke" Israel ..Start Carpet bombing the country..what???...How many Israelis should we kill?
 

djv

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Every 6 to 10 years fight then cease fire. Just seems to be there way of life in that area. Every 20 years a big flare up lot's of killing. Will it be same thing this time. Problem is each time both sides get a little better equipment. Sooner or later will they just wipe each other out. Could it happen? Would the world care? Some times I wonder. Anyone watching this back and forth killing that is going on. And understand it can even get worse for both. I hope gets a bad feeling in your stomach.
 

Pujo21

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They need to resurrect The Enola Gay and fly it over IRAN posthumously.

...but first things first.

They should take a Saudi Emir and put a bullet thru his farhead. The same for the Syrian President. Then parachute drop the bodies in IRAN-Tehran.
with a note saying guess who's next.This is because the Saudis and syrians and Iranians are all scumbags.

These scumbags to be dealt with swiftly and permanantly...

AS PERMANANT AS POSSIBLE.
 
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