How Bush Plans to Build an Arab "Umbrella" Against Hizballah

[AR182]

hopefully this will work.

How Bush Plans to Build an Arab "Umbrella" Against Hizballah

Posted by TIME Blogs

Although some conservatives have been fretting that Lebanese rocket fire and Israeli warplanes are making President Bush look helpless, administration officials revealed to TIME today that they have plans to harness the chaos as a "leadership moment" for Bush that could wind up helping his flagging goal of transforming the Middle East.

These officials said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will leave Sunday night for a week of diplomacy in the region and will go with the modest goal of forming an "umbrella of Arab allies" in opposition to the militant group Hizballah that incited the conflagration by kidnapping two Israeli soldiers.

"She's not going to come home with a ceasefire, but stronger ties to the Arab world," an administration official said. "It's going to allow us to say that America isn't going to put up with this and we have Arab friends that are against you terrorists. What we want is our Arab allies standing against Hizballah and against Iran, since there is no one who doesn't think Iran is behind this. We're going to say to Hizballah and the terrorist groups, 'This will not stand.' That is the way to bring real change to the Middle East. If you just have a ceasefire, then soon or later, they go back to fighting."

Rice was to announce her plans at a briefing this afternoon, officials said. Officials were using the word "umbrella" instead of "coalition" to avoid reminders of the struggling coalition the U.S. led into Iraq. Administration officials said the plans Rice will discuss include security, humanitarian relief and reconstruction in Lebanon. "We do not want Hizballah to get the opportunity to rearm and rebuild," a Bush aide said.

Another administration official told TIME this morning that the diplomacy "is going remarkably well," pointing to phone calls the President has had with Middle Eastern leaders, the journey by two envoys to the region, and frequent conversations between National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and his counterparts.

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow appeared on network morning shows to urge patience with the administration approach and to point out how active the Bush team has been. "The president never said this would be easy," Snow said on NBC's "Today" show, speaking of the wider war on terror. "Everybody who wants this kind of egg timer diplomacy, who thinks, okay, these things ought to happen quickly -- you don't understand human nature. Terrorists are not going to say, 'You know what? That's right. I'm going to pick another career.' Many times, they're going to fight to the death. We hope that is not the case in Lebanon."

 

[kosar]

Is installing a pro-Iran government in Iraq part of this 'umbrella?'

Hezbollah is an Iranian creation from 1982 and I believe the Hezbollah branch in Iran just yesterday said that they welcome WW3 and that they will shortly make the 'ground under America' shake.

All the while, some people STILL think Saddam was any threat to us whatsoever. Weird.

We're all giddy right now because Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt obliquely spoke out against Hezbollah, but that has an expiration date of about 2 weeks, at most.

 

[AR182]

Is installing a pro-Iran government in Iraq part of this 'umbrella?'

Hezbollah is an Iranian creation from 1982 and I believe the Hezbollah branch in Iran just yesterday said that they welcome WW3 and that they will shortly make the 'ground under America' shake.

All the while, some people STILL think Saddam was any threat to us whatsoever. Weird.

We're all giddy right now because Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt obliquely spoke out against Hezbollah, but that has an expiration date of about 2 weeks, at most.

'


don't you think we should wait & see if his plan works before we chalk it up as a loser ?

maybe their plan to re-take lebanon will backfire on iran & syria & they become isolated from the other countries of the middle east.

i also heard that saudi may include some of their troops into that peace keeping army that is being discussed.

we have no other choice but to wait & see what transpires.

 

[kosar]

Most of my post was about the futility in Iraq.

I fully support what Israel is doing in Lebanon, as i've posted numerous times.

Whatever the case, there is, and never will be, any 'umbrella.'

 

[THE KOD]

Is installing a pro-Iran government in Iraq part of this 'umbrella?'

Hezbollah is an Iranian creation from 1982 and I believe the Hezbollah branch in Iran just yesterday said that they welcome WW3 and that they will shortly make the 'ground under America' shake.

All the while, some people STILL think Saddam was any threat to us whatsoever. Weird.

We're all giddy right now because Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt obliquely spoke out against Hezbollah, but that has an expiration date of about 2 weeks, at most.

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If we hadnt taken Sadamm out , all of this wouldnt be exposed as to who the real terrorists are. It would be very much more dangerous not to know who is the real enemy.

Iran and Syria about take the cake.

 

[AR182]

Most of my post was about the futility in Iraq.

I fully support what Israel is doing in Lebanon, as i've posted numerous times.

Whatever the case, there is, and never will be, any 'umbrella.'

no i know what your postion is on this mess...i was commenting on your last paragraph....

as far as your iraq comment...i'm tired about going back & forth with people on this.

 

[kosar]

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

If we hadnt taken Sadamm out , all of this wouldnt be exposed as to who the real terrorists are. It would be very much more dangerous not to know who is the real enemy.

Huh? That makes no sense.

Because we took Saddam out we knew that Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah(killed 241 Marines in 1983) were our enemies?

WTF does Saddam have to do with any of that? What does deposing Saddam have to do with any of that?

 

[kosar]

as far as your iraq comment...i'm tired about going back & forth with people on this.

Agreed. :SIB

 

[Terryray]

nope, I don't see how putting out a statement of common goals with our "Arab allies" is gonna get much done. Looks and sounds nice tho....you'd have to do something about Syria and Iran to effect any significant change.

predictable Iranian rhetoric show their thinking:



IRANIAN REACTIONS from memri.org


Iranian Leader Ali Khamenei on Iranian TV, July 16: Hizbullah Will Not Be Disarmed

On July 16, 2006, Iranian leader Ali Khamenei gave a speech, aired on Iranian TV. The following are excerpts

Khamenei: "The Zionists would like Lebanon to be meat between their teeth, so they could do to it whatever they want, whenever they want.

"Today, the strong arm of the Lebanese resistance and the Lebanese Hizbullah has prevented this nightmare of the Zionists from coming true. This is why the American president says Hizbullah must be disarmed. Yes, of course this is what you want. Of course this is what the Zionists want. But this will not happen.

"The Lebanese people value Hizbullah and the resistance, because they know it is this strong arm that has prevented the Zionists from doing whatever they want, whenever they want, to Lebanon."

Man in crowd: "Hizbullah is victorious. Israel is doomed."

Crowd: "Hizbullah is victorious. Israel is doomed?"

Khamenei: "Well, this is what I am saying too."


Kayhan Editor: The Annihilation of the Zionist Regime is Not Only a Religious and National Duty, but a Universal Human Duty; The Whole World Must Be Made Unsafe for the Zionists, [Including] Their Political and Commercial Centers. This Does Not Require the Governments' Approval

Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the conservative Iranian daily Kayhan, affiliated with Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, called today (July 17, 2006) in his editorial to "wipe Israel off the map." He said: "There are many signs and portents indicating that 'the fateful day' is coming near. It is possible that this day... has already begun...

"The Muslim peoples and many other peoples think that, in global geopolitics, there is no such thing as the state of Israel, and that the [entity] which presently bears this name is a usurping and rootless state that has imposed its parasitic presence over the region and over Palestine with the support of the arrogant powers. [This entity] invents a new crime every day. It causes men, women, and innocent children to bleed to death, or else deports them from their homeland and turns them into refugees. In light of this 'problem,' which is perfectly obvious, the annihilation of the Zionist regime is not only a religious and national duty, but also a universal human duty, from which no Muslim or free human being can be exempt.

"Comprehensive support for Hamas and Hizbullah, political, logistically, militarily, and through sending combatant forces to this front are the minimal price that the Islamic countries must pay in order to maintain their own security and independence...

"The city of Haifa lies 35 kilometers [sic] from the Lebanese border, and the distance [from the Lebanese border] to Nazareth is about 50 kilometers. Tomorrow will come the turn of Herzliya, Natanya, and Tel Aviv... The Muslim peoples must not allow this conflict to remain within the boundaries of the region. The Zionists are dispersed in many places around the world, and it is not so difficult to locate and get [our] hands on them. The entire world can and must be made unsafe for the Zionists, [including] their political and commercial centers. This does not require the governments' approval... The fateful day may have begun, and fierce revenge on the barbaric Zionists is underway, Allah willing."

........................

PS AR: still no email from you! I got some from Jack and Ctown recently. Maybe get my address from Jack would do it....

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Am curious if anyone had any inkling so many Arab countries would diss Hez on this matter? Quite significant almost same countries that have done about face vs terrorist in general since our invasion of Iraq. coincidence?--I doubt it.

P.S. I see where there is hint of Palestine asking for ceasefire?
as the say at Drudge ---developing-----

 

[shamrock]

how many countries are condemning Hezbollah? Maybe Jordan, Saudi Arabia talks out of both sides of its mouth.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

"While key Arab states such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan slammed as 'irresponsible' Hezbollah's kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers, the neighbours Lebanon and Syria stressed the legitimacy of armed resistance, a top diplomatic source said.

Hezbollah's critics, who also include Kuwait, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and the Palestinian Authority, believe that any offensive undertaken by the guerrilla movement should have been coordinated with Lebanon and that the escalation of violence wouldonly harm the interest of Arab countries, the source said.

But according to Arabs on the other side of the rift, including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Algerian, Sudan and Morocco, Hezbollah had only acted in line with international resolutions in a bid to pressure Israel to return to the negotiating table, the source added."

 

[shamrock]

your probably right with Egypt. Iraq, Kuwait and the UA are all Sunni, and will go against Shiite Iran & Hezbollah all the time.

 

[djv]

Yup the way the world trust Bush this should work. Look how good it's working already. I forgot where.

 

[kosar]

Am curious if anyone had any inkling so many Arab countries would diss Hez on this matter? Quite significant almost same countries that have done about face vs terrorist in general since our invasion of Iraq. coincidence?--I doubt it.

There are a handful of Arab countries that have 'dissed' Hezbollah in the most oblique way possible. Never by name, of course, but all the same.....

I have no doubt that they wouldn't have done the same if Saddam was not deposed. I agree, Wayne.

This is the problem with our occupation. Saddam was a 'balance' in that region. There is no denying that. Is there?

Saudi Arabia is a long time bitter enemy of Iran (look it up if you must) and obviously sees that the proliferation of radical Shia regimes is not in their best interests.

So while it's nice that Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have made half-ass statements against Hezbollah, in the end it means nothing.

What it means is that they are very scared that the radical Shia now dominate from Iraq to the sea. Who can blame them? And we facilitated this.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

"This is the problem with our occupation. Saddam was a 'balance' in that region. There is no denying that. Is there?"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


I would agree to large extent Matt,however I think U.S. forces in Iraq do much more to support our objectives than Saddam.

 

[kosar]

I would agree to large extent Matt,however I think U.S. forces in Iraq do much more to support our objectives than Saddam.

Sure, but we will be totally out of there when the Shia Iraqi government asks us to leave. Then it will be Irans objectives that will be supported.

 

[djv]

Iran has to just love how this great planing has let everything fall in there lap doing just about nothing. They will just become harder to deal with. I can't say our Iraq plan is working very well at all. Maybe Joe Bidden has it right. Split it into 3 areas. And arm the chit out of the Kurds weather Turkey likes it or not.

 

[Terryray]

more Arabs dissing Hezbolla (in private)

more Arabs dissing Hezbolla (in private)

Michael Young from "The Spectator" reports:

The Lebanese Prime Minister, Faoud Siniora, has said that ?the gates of hell have been opened up in Lebanon? ? and it?s difficult to disagree. But what has not been so widely reported is that while officials will blame Israel for the misery and chaos, a substantial number of Lebanese ? in some cases, ironically, the officials themselves ? have a more nuanced view. Of course the people here are angry and anxious about the possibility of a widening of the Israeli attacks, but their rage, as they see the country being taken apart, is often directed against Hezbollah.

The Lebanese people have watched as Hezbollah has built up a heavily armed state-within-a-state that has now carried the country into a devastating conflict it cannot win and many are fed up. Sunni Muslims, Christians and the Druze have no desire to pay for the martial vanity of the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Nor will they take kindly to his transforming the devastation into a political victory.

Some even welcome Israel?s intervention. As one Lebanese politician said to me in private (but would never dare say in public) Israel must not stop now. It sounds cynical, he said, but ?for things to get better in Lebanon, Nasrallah must be weakened further?.

Even some Shiites are beginning to have doubts about Nasrallah. If interviewed on television they will praise Hezbollah, but when the cameras are off, there are those who will suddenly become more critical. Many have had to flee, leaving behind their homes and possessions with no hope of recovering anything of any worth. ? Here in Beirut, Nasrallah is also blamed for the suffering in southern Lebanon which, under heavy fire from Israeli cannons, has suffered in the same way as the southern half of the city.



and Sunday London Times editorialized on Iran's aims:

Why has Tehran decided to play its Lebanese card now? Part of the answer lies in Washington?s decision last May to reverse its policy towards Iran by offering large concessions on its nuclear programme. Tehran interpreted that as a sign of weakness. Ahmadinejad believes that his strategy to drive the ?infidel? out of the Islamic heartland cannot succeed unless Arabs accept Iran?s leadership. The problem is that since the Iranian regime is Shi?ite it would not be easy to sell it to most Arabs, who are Sunni. To overcome that hurdle, it is necessary to persuade the Arabs that only Iran is sincere in its desire and capacity to wipe Israel off the map. Once that claim is sold to the Arabs, so Ahmadinejad hopes, they would rally behind his vision of the Middle East instead of the ?American vision?.