No one doubts that Fuad Saniora, Lebanon's Prime Minister, finds himself in a tough spot, and anyone who doesn't sympathize with his plight and that of Lebanon has a hard heart. Saniora and his fellow citizens have been victimized and held hostage by Hezbollah for three decades, and they do not have the wherewithal to free themselves, thanks to Syrian and Iranian support for the terrorist group. Now they find themselves once more to be the battleground for a proxy war, and their friends and families are caught in the crossfire, just as Hezbollah intends in order to pressure the Israelis to stop fighting back. All the Lebanese want is their freedom from Iran, Syria, and Israel, and to be left in peace.

Saniora has my sympathy, but he still sounds like a victim of the Stockholm Syndrome. His solution today reverts back to the "give them what they want and then they'll go away" strategy:

Hizbullah has created a "state within a state" in Lebanon and must be disarmed, Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said in an interview published Thursday in an Italian daily.

Saniora told Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera that the Shi'ite group has been doing the bidding of Syria and Iran, and that it can only be disarmed with the help of the international community and once a cease-fire has been achieved in the current Middle East fighting. ...

"The important thing now is to restore full Lebanese sovereignty in the south, dismantling any armed militia parallel to the national army," he said. "The Syrians are inside our home and we are still too weak to defend ourselves. The terrible memories of the civil war are still too alive and no one is ready to take up arms."

The prime minister was quoted as saying that to disarm the militia it is also necessary for Israel to help delegitimize it by releasing Lebanese prisoners and withdrawing from the Chebaa Farms, a disputed territory that Lebanon claims and Hizbullah uses as a pretext to keep attacking Israeli forces.

Uh. no. Hezbollah attacked Israel and kidnapped two of its soldiers for those very purposes. Saniora proposes that Israel essentially capitulate on all of the pretexts for Hezbollah's action, and that this capitulation will somehow "delegitimize" the terrorists. Unfortunately for Saniora, that won't work, and I suspect he knows that. Hezbollah wants much more than Shebaa Farms, which the UN recognizes as part of Israel in any case; they want the destruction of Israel.

Instead of delegitimizing Hezbollah, it will once again invigorate the organization. Once hundreds of criminals held in Israeli prisons get released for the two IDF soldiers abducted by Hezbollah, the terrorists will find new pretexts on which to attack Israel. Does Saniora expect us to believe that Iran and Syria poured millions of dollars and tons of weapons into southern Lebanon just to free Shebaa Farms? It's ludicrous on its face.

Saniora correctly states that the central government has no power to disarm Hezbollah. After all, their army and police cannot enter Hezbollah ground in its own capital, a splendid demonstration of the power that terrorists have in Lebanon. However, the call for "the world" to come into Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah amounts to little more than wishful thinking. Israel would love to see that happen -- all they want is to get Hezbollah out of Lebanon, too -- but Ehud Olmert will have little trust in the "world's" ability to get the job done. The UN has had a multinational force on the border for years, and not only have they done nothing to enforce UN Security Council resolution 1559, they have allowed Hezbollah terrorists to plant their flags next to the UN's at some of their bases.

The world has no inclination to fight Hezbollah, and the Lebanese do not have the necessary power to beat them. Unfortunately, that leaves the Israelis, who seem to be getting the job done. Perhaps we should allow them to complete the mission.

UPDATE: Fixed two errors in the third paragraph from the end, thanks to CQ reader Jim F.

UPDATE II: As M. Simon and others point out in the comments, Shebaa Farms is Syrian, not Lebanese or Israeli, as far as the UN is concerned. However, that still means that Israel cleared out of Lebanon completely six years ago, and the UN acknowledged it then and today. Thanks to all of you who sent confirmation of the status of Shebaa Farms.

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry is

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference They Won't Just Go Away If Israel Capitulates:

» First Cup 07.20.06 from bRight & Early
... [Read More]

Tracked on July 20, 2006 8:12 AM

» Lebanese PM Denies Criticism OF Hezbollah, Threatens Israel from PartisanTimes.com
According to the office of Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, the Milan-based newspaper, Corriere della Sera, twisted the primes minister's words when it quoted him as calling for the disarmament of Hezbollah. Strangely, the publication based its re... [Read More]

Tracked on July 20, 2006 7:09 PM

» Captain Gives No Quarter in Mid-East Coverage from Sneakeasy's Joint
While most bloggers, like myself, have to be content with tossing their 2 cents in ( Debating a Moonbat in the process ), on the fracas between Israel and Hezbollah, only on occasion, others are marshalling their talents, and resources, [Read More]

Tracked on July 26, 2006 2:29 AM

» Captain Gives No Quarter in Mid-East Coverage from Sneakeasy's Joint
While most bloggers, like myself, have to be content with tossing their 2 cents in ( Debating a Moonbat in the process ), on the fracas between Israel and Hezbollah, only on occasion, others are marshalling their talents, and resources, [Read More]

Tracked on July 28, 2006 12:43 PM

» Captain Gives No Quarter in Mid-East Coverage from Sneakeasy's Joint
While most bloggers, like myself, have to be content with tossing their 2 cents in ( Debating a Moonbat in the process ), on the fracas between Israel and Hezbollah, only on occasion, others are marshalling their talents, and resources, [Read More]

Tracked on July 28, 2006 12:51 PM