Is Anyone Buying This?
The latest news on the diplomatic front of the Hezbollah-provoked war in southern Lebanon has the Europeans convincing Syria to pressure their terrorist proxies into accepting a cease-fire. According to Ynet News, Syrian dictator Bashar Assad has agreed to get Hezbollah to allow Israel to stop shooting at them:
The European Union has enlisted Syria's help to end the fighting in Lebanon as Damascus pledged support to the Lebanese government's plan for a settlement.EU envoy and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said following talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad Thursday, Damascus agreed to play a constructive role in settling the conflict by pressing Hizbullah to accept a ceasefire. ...
He said Syria backs Siniora's seven-point plan to end the conflict. "Hizbullah's present stance is unanimous with the government, and Premier Siniora represents all Lebanese parties, including Hizbullah.["]
Syria has agreed to push Hezbollah into winning the conflict by getting everything for which they started this war. The Siniora 7-point plan is:
* Immediate ceasefire
* Return of "refugees"
* Exchange of Lebanese and Israeli prisoners
* Settlement of Shebaa Farms
* Extending Lebanese control into southern Lebanon
* Disarming all militias
* Enlarging the UN force and reviving the 1949 armistice between Lebanon and Israel
All of these issues will have to get addressed at some point, so none of this sounds outrageous on its face. However, at least some of this was supposed to be done in 2000 when Israel pulled out of Lebanon. The UN Security Council demanded the disarming of all militias in UNSC resolution 1559 as well as the deployment of the Lebanese Army to secure the south. The UN force predates the original Israeli occupation and has proven useless in keeping Hezbollah from conducting terrorist activity.
These demands amount to nothing more than an Israeli capitulation under the terms offered here. Hezbollah and Lebanon are only entitled to swap for prisoners of war, not for Lebanese criminals in Israeli jails. They want Israel to endorse the very reasons Hezbollah started this war in the settlement, before Hezbollah verifiably disarms. That's not a promising development -- it's the same ploy Mussolini used to get Europe to the table in Munich, and the same nations have fallen for it again.
If anyone thinks that this represents some move towards a compromise, then they have not paid much attention to this conflict. Syria would be delighted to broker this deal, and Israel would have to have rocks in its collective head to approve it. The time for these negotiations was over when Hezbollah abducted two soldiers and killed eight more in their initial invasion.
Posted by Ed Morrissey on August 3, 2006 8:52 PM | Comments () | TrackBacks (1)
Comments
Please note that unverified Disqus users will have comments held in moderation. Please visit Disqus to register and verify your account. Comments from verified users will appear immediately.