Sunday, July 16, 2006
Israel couldn't break off this war if it wanted to
For all the bleating on the left about Israel's excess, the Jewish state couldn't end this war if it wanted to. As Stratfor wrote yesterday, Hezbollah is displaying an "appetite for combat." It started this war quite consciously, and would not stop shooting at Israelis even if the Omert government declared "bygones." The Palestinian Arabs know this and are thrilled, at least if the press coverage is remotely accurate (admittedly, a pretty big "if"). Hezbollah has made it official, declaring that it will fight on:
Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah acted Sunday like the man holding Lebanon's reins, though he looked tired and stressed as he vowed that his group had only begun to fight.
"We are in our full strength and power," he said on the group's Al-Manar TV. "Hezbollah is not fighting a battle for Hezbollah or even for Lebanon. We are now fighting a battle for the (Islamic) nation."
Hezbollah started this war on purpose, and is going to find a reason to fight it regardless of the ferocity with which Israel prosecutes its counterattack. The Palestinian Arabs, who have always chosen polarization instead of peace, are happy that this war is on, because it brings outsiders into the fight on their behalf, something that just a few weeks ago no longer seemed possible. The battleground is Lebanon, the government of which has not established its legitimacy by securing a monopoly on the use of force in the country. It was unable to prevent Hezbollah, an armed political party, from starting a war with a foreign country. The only way to save Lebanon is for the government, perhaps with the help of some external force, to intervene to disarm Hezbollah. Unfortunately for Lebanon, Israel, and the genuinely innocent caught in the middle, that is not going to happen.
MORE: As always, the best round-up of news and blog links is at Pajamas Media.
2 Comments:
By 
Final Historian, at
Sun Jul 16, 09:59:00 PM:
"The only way to save Lebanon is for the government, perhaps with the help of some external force, to intervene to disarm Hezbollah. Unfortunately for Lebanon, Israel, and the genuinely innocent caught in the middle, that is not going to happen."
That is the real tragedy of this all. I wish I knew how much blame was on the US for not doing enough, and how much is on other actors for styming the US.
By Purple Avenger, at
Sun Jul 16, 11:03:00 PM:
The Palestinian Arabs, who have always chosen polarization instead of peace, are happy that this war is on, because it brings outsiders into the fight on their behalf
So far, all they're getting is lip service. I suspect this is about all their going to get from the rest of the arabs or Iran.
As the bulk of the arab world has slowly migrated away from direct confrontation with Israel and towards accomodation, trade, and even tentative diplomatic relations, the value of the Pali's as surrogates had declined. Realistically, they're on their own right now, and the Hizb don't give a damn about them either -- other than as cannon fodder for a 2nd southern front.
In a way there's here to the 74' war. Egypt was willing to fight to the last Syrian (until they smartened up and quit) just like the Hizb seem willing to fight to the last Hama.
