The war peace in Lebanon keeps getting stranger. Fuad Siniora and Kofi Annan seem intent on standing themselves on their heads rhetorically to ensure that they can blame Israel when Lebanon and Hezbollah violate the terms of the cease-fire. Although Lebanon has rejected the key component of UN Security Council 1701 -- the disarming of Hezbollah -- Annan made sure that he blamed Israel for violating the agreement to which Lebanon agreed:

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan announced Saturday night that the raid in Baalbek constitutes a violation of the UN cease-fire resolution that went into effect on Monday.

A statement issued by Annan's spokesman said that the UN chief spoke with both Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and Olmert about the fighting. "The secretary-general is deeply concerned about a violation by the Israeli side of the cessation of hostilities," it said.

"All such violations of Security Council Resolution 1701 endanger the fragile calm that was reached after much negotiation," said the statement, issued by spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

That agreement died when the Siniora government and the UN itself refused to enforce the provisions of the agreement. Paragraph 3 explicitly calls for the implementation of UNSCR 1559, which demanded in 2004 the disarming of Hezbollah and all other militias. Paragraph 3 of 1559 states very clearly that the UNSC "Calls for the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias[.]" Lebanon refuses to comply, and the UN refuses to enforce it. That means that the agreement died hours after its supposed implementation.

Israel is now free to act in its own self-interest. So far they have chosen to withdraw while the Lebanese Army deploys to the south -- because that is what they wanted all along. If they determine that it is in their best interest to launch offensive operations, they will not have violated 1701 any more than Lebanon and the UN have already done. Siniora's cowardice and Annan's duplicity have done the damage already.

Lebanese defense minister Elias Murr put some of his own duplicity on display as well. In an attempt to provide cover for Hezbollah, Murr made a public case this morning for Israel firing rockets on itself in order to get an excuse to attack Lebanon again:

Lebanon's defense minister said Sunday any group breaking the cease-fire in southern Lebanon would be "decisively dealt with" and would be considered a traitor.

Defense Minister Elias Murr's comments apparently were to air concerns that factions other than Hizbullah, which he said is committed to the cease-fire, may attempt to draw Israeli retaliation by firing on the Jewish state.

"We consider that when the resistance (Hizbullah) is committed not to fire rockets, then any rocket that is fired from the Lebanese territory would be considered collaboration with Israel to provide a pretext (to Israel) to strike," he told a news conference at the Defense Ministry.

That sounds like an invitation to Hezbollah to start launching rockets at their earliest convenience. It can't be Hezbollah, Murr will claim; they promised not to do it -- and so it must be the Israelis themselves! Besides, how many other groups in Lebanon have rockets and launchers? And isn't that what the Lebanese Army is supposed to be doing in the sub-Litani region -- taking control and assuming sovereignty? Anything launched out of Lebanon and into Israel is the responsibility of the sovereign government, regardless of any pre-excuses Murr tries to establish.

The cease fire has held longer than I expected, but it sounds as if it will not last much longer than this. Hassan Nasrallah knows a gilt-edged invitation when he sees it, and the rockets will follow forthwith.

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» Fuad And Kofi: Big Fans Of Newspeak from Old War Dogs
The war peace in Lebanon keeps getting stranger. Fuad Siniora and Kofi Annan seem intent on standing themselves on their heads rhetorically to ensure that they can blame Israel when Lebanon and Hezbollah violate the terms of the cease-fire. Although [Read More]

Tracked on August 20, 2006 10:16 AM

» Blame Game Starting for Lebanon Treaty Failure from The Discerning Texan
Captain Ed points us to the duplicity of Kofi Annan and Lebanese PM Siniora in attempting to blame Israel for the abrogation of a days-old treaty which Hezbollah never intended to honor and has openly defied.... [Read More]

Tracked on August 20, 2006 11:14 AM