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10/05/08 Recommended reading: The End of the New Middle East by Nir Rosen: “When Israel was bombing Lebanon in 2006, killing its civilians and destroying its infrastructure, Condoleeza Rice celebrated this as the "birth pangs of the new Middle East," a phrase that lives in infamy in Lebanon. The events of the last 24 hours in Lebanon were the death throes of the Bush plan for the new Middle East.” |
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10/05/08 You know things are hot in Lebanon when it features on Information Clearinghouse again:
11 die in Beirut gun battles:
Shiite opposition gunmen seized control of several Beirut neighbourhoods from Sunni foes loyal to the U.S.-backed government on Friday, in street battles that left 11 dead, security officials said.
Hezbollah in control of west Beirut :
The army has largely avoided getting involved in the street battles amid fears of being dragged into the conflict.
One More War Crime: Blindsided, Hezbollah Mulls Its Response: .
Conspiracy theories, taunts, threats and provocations continue, the stone throwing on some streets, as commentators offer myriad analyses of "the implementation of suspicious schemes" as Beirut's An Narar noted.
Lebanon unrest: Insiders' views:
Al Jazeera asked four experts on Lebanon whether they thought the new unrest in the country following a government crackdown on Hezbollah, which the Shia group's called "a declaration of war", was the beginning of a showdown or whether it can be contained or resolved. Here are their responses:
US cautions Syria if Hezbollah''s challenge to Lebanese gov''t continues:
US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on Thursday wanrned that he would engage his colleagues in the Security Council to take steps against Syria, including sanctions, if Hezbollah's challenge to the Lebanese Government continues.
Syria Won't End Ties With Iran, Hezbollah:
Syrian President Bashar Assad says his country won't not sever ties with Iran and militant group Hezbollah, despite Israel's demands to do so.
Lebanon: Increasing Violence Raising U.S. Concerns Over Iran:
Several times this year, the United States has sought to rally its allies in the Arab world against what it calls Iran's continued meddling in the region. |
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13/05/08 Information Clearinghouse:
Hizbollah Rules West Beirut In Iran's Proxy War With US By Robert Fisk Another American humiliation.
Lebanon's Hezbollah withdraws armed presence after army froze cabinet decisions : A Lebanese opposition statement said it will withdraw its gunmen from Beirut and end all armed presence and turn the city to the army so that "the capital will be in the hands of the army."
Hezbollah claims victory as Lebanon gov't U-turns : Clashes leave 37 dead; EU diplomats: U.S. halted arms supply to Lebanon army due to Israeli pressure.
Lebanese army chiefs refuse to take on Hizbollah: The Lebanese army has defied the country's government and bowed to demands by pro-Iranian Hizbollah militants who brought the country to the brink of civil war.
Al-Qaeda 'declares war on Hezbollah': Al-Qaeda has reportedly called on its operatives to go to Lebanon and defend what it called the Sunni community of the country. |
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13/05/08 Detain This cautions: “Sectarian”? Uh, no. (May 10, 2008) If you’ve been reading the latest quotes from U.S. war hawks in news out of Lebanon, then you might think that Hizballah is committing aggressive war and “killing innocent civilians,” in another chapter of its “international terror campaign.” News editors flood their reports with phrases like ”coup” and “sectarian clashes.” Bulloney. It’s another chapter of the people’s resistance to corrupt quisling government. It’s the People v. the State—not Sunni vs. Shiite. Don’t be fooled by the “Clash of Civilizations” crowd’s phony war-fomenting rhetoric. Hizballah’s “takeover” of Beirut is supported across many demographics. Read what actual journalists who are actually following the action on-site are relating: The Chess Match: Nasrallah opens with a Knight & Lebanon on the Brink: Blindsided Hezbollah mulls its response, by Franklin Lamb | Gun battles as Hizbollah claims Lebanon is at war, by Robert Fisk |
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13/05/08 From the Electronic Intifada:
Hizballah, in opposition, takes charge BEIRUT, 10 May (IPS) - At least 11 people are dead and 30 injured during ferocious gun battles pitting opposition Shia Amal and Hizballah fighters against members of the Sunni Future Movement, which is part of the majority March 14 alliance in government. As the opposition's militia men clamped down on government headquarters, the balance of power seems to have been shifted permanently in the Land of the Cedars.
By Maureen Clare Murphy, Live from Lebanon, 9 May 2008
Beirut is exploding all around me. After Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah made his speech this evening, during which he accused the governing coalition of declaring war on the resistance, opposition and March 14 supporters started fighting each other and making their armed presence felt all over West Beirut, including my neighborhood of Hamra. EI editor Maureen Clare Murphy writes from Beirut.
Report, Electronic Lebanon, 9 May 2008
BEIRUT, 9 May (IRIN) - Everyone kept insisting it was not a civil war, but jumping for cover as a rocket-propelled grenade slammed into the apartment block beside us, and masked gunmen fired deafening salvos across the road dividing Sunni and Shia neighborhoods of Beirut, it certainly felt like it. "It is impossible for Shia to shoot on Sunnis," insisted a military commander of Shia opposition group Amal, allied with Shia resistance group Hizballah. |
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13/05/08 FOL reader shares an article published a couple months ago—the events of which make this all the more interesting reading. Lebanon 2006: Unfinished War (Feb 2008) by Jonathan Spyer: “The Lebanon war of 2006 failed to resolve any of the issues over which it was fought. . . . . It is therefore expected that a further round of conflict is only a matter of time”. |
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17/05/08 FOL reader comments on this advert from Haaretz.com: “it is the ‘and much more’ that worries”. The Israel Challenge website explains “Israel Challenge Expeditions and Tours was founded in 2005 by American born sport enthusiasts with a passion for the great outdoors, a spirit of adventure, and an appreciation for Jewish heritage and history in Israel’s very stones and sand. We believe in the highest standards of service, staff and equipment. Professionalism, safety and courtesy are the cornerstones of Israel Challenge. We are all about being as flexible as possible and always giving the customer what they want. Israel Challenge’s goal is to encourage tourists to develop a love of Israel through every mountain they have conquered and rightfully called their own. Our guides and instructors are all friendly English speakers who use their professional training and expertise to maximize the challenge, while ensuring that the trip includes an uncompromising level of safety and security. Israel Challenge tailors its expeditions to varying activity-levels of participants from all over the globe.” It quotes the Bible’s Joshua 14:9 “Surely the land on which thy feet have trodden shall be thy inheritance”. |
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17/05/08 BBC reports: Israel at 60 Palestinians reflect As Israelis celebrate their state's 60th birthday Palestinians are marking al-Nakba, or 'The Catastrophe' with protests. Find out more about the birth of Israel and its effect on the region. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ |
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20/05/08 Israel demands UN strike 'Nakba' from its lexicon:
I thought that with Dubya's [Bush’s] performance at the Knesset we had seen it all. But no - today I found an even more mind-boggling news item. |
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20/05/08 So Just Where Does The Madness End? |
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20/05/08 Recommended read: “This ain't about Hezbollah”--published on the May 15th, by Aijaz Zaka Syed, in Khaleej Times Online. |
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20/05/08 Frank Israeli film examines 1982 Beirut massacres Israeli director Ari Folman attends a news conference for the animated film "Waltz with Bashir" at the 61st Cannes Film Festival May 15, 2008. Folman was a soldier in the Israeli army when it invaded Lebanon earlier that year [1982]. It allowed [Lebanese] Christian militiamen into the [Palestinian] refugee camps and stood by as they went on a killing spree shortly after the assassination of their [Lebanese] leader, Bashir Gemayel. |
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21/05/08 Must see video: Keith Olbermann: Bush interview unforgiveable MSNBC Commentator Olbermann tells it like it is. Will we continue to let Bush determine the fate of the Middle East?? |
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21/05/08 FOL supporter says “I found this interesting! Pepe Escobar explains clashes between US-backed government and Hezbollah-led opposition. Overall this is a very realistic description of the situation. Only problem is with the use of the term SECTARIAN at the beginning. This is not a Sunni Shia Druze Christian conflict.”
What is really happening in Lebanon? Pepe Escobar explains clashes between US-backed government and Hezbollah-led opposition May 14, 2008
Lebanon in the midst of power struggle Prof. Henri Habib discusses the conflict in Lebanon with Pepe Escobar May 18, 2008 |
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21/05/08 FOL reader shares Analysis: Doha accord swings Lebanon’s balance of power to Iran-backed Hizballah |
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24/05/08 Recommended reading: The Associate Press “reports” on Lebanon negotiations. “Finally, Lebanon will have representative government… … and The Associated Press can’t stand it!” from |