Earlier today, I put up a Guest Holgers Diary from Chicagodudewhotrades that detailed the activities of Hezbollah in gaining more and more military foothold in southern Lebanon and almost in unison, I stumbled across this article here from the AP that reveals that Lebanon's political factions have issued a statement that vaguely allows Hezbollah to keep all of its weapons - that my friends, is very bad news. Here's some of the report:
As it says in the article, the fact of the matter is that much of the Lebanese political parties wanted Hezbollah disarmed as they have always seen that issue as the real reason for the constant warring with Israel. But that all changed with the violent revolt of Hezbollah months ago when they seized veto power in the Lebanese government and basically hand-picked the new President of Lebanon.
By the way, in any of these articles on Lebanon, when the word "resistance" is used, that is meant to specify Hezbollah. Some of the Christian and Druze leaders in the country object to any governmental usage of the word Hezbollah in official edicts so they use that catchall phrase (as if there is any other significan resistance group in Lebanon).
Part of the United Nations' resolution to end the 2006 War between Israel and Hezbollah was that Hezbollah would disarm and would not be allowed to rearm. Well, Hezbollah has been rearming for two years now and the Lebanese government will now take a vote to officially stand behind the right of Hezbollah to have small arms, RPGs, Katayushi rockets and anti-tank munitions. So, in essence, Lebanon...the country is aligning itself with a terror organization. This has become Iran West.
If there is one positive in all of this...it is that when Hezbollah finally does pull the trigger on attacks on Israel (and it is not if, but when) the Israelis will have no issue with singling Hezbollah out from the Lebanese Army or civilians. Lebanon is signing its death warrant here - they have said that it's okay for Hezbollah to have their weapons and use them against Israel and that simply means the Lebanese government gets to reap the responsibility of that blessing.
Lebanese political factions reached a compromise on Hezbollah's arsenal, the information minister said Friday, releasing a vaguely worded draft statement that implies the militant group can keep its weapons.
The position paper must now be approved by Parliament, whose vote will decide whether to accept a unity government that includes Hezbollah. The new Cabinet was formed after Hezbollah gunmen routed armed supporters of the previous pro-Western administration earlier this year.
Hezbollah's arms have long been a point of dispute, with many legislators in the Western-backed majority in Parliament wanting to disarm the group. Hezbollah rejects the demand, and it will hold veto power in the new government.
The draft statement announced by Information Minister Tarek Mitri is deliberately vague, saying only that the committee agreed "on the right of Lebanon's people, the army and the resistance to liberate all its territories."
As it says in the article, the fact of the matter is that much of the Lebanese political parties wanted Hezbollah disarmed as they have always seen that issue as the real reason for the constant warring with Israel. But that all changed with the violent revolt of Hezbollah months ago when they seized veto power in the Lebanese government and basically hand-picked the new President of Lebanon.
By the way, in any of these articles on Lebanon, when the word "resistance" is used, that is meant to specify Hezbollah. Some of the Christian and Druze leaders in the country object to any governmental usage of the word Hezbollah in official edicts so they use that catchall phrase (as if there is any other significan resistance group in Lebanon).
Part of the United Nations' resolution to end the 2006 War between Israel and Hezbollah was that Hezbollah would disarm and would not be allowed to rearm. Well, Hezbollah has been rearming for two years now and the Lebanese government will now take a vote to officially stand behind the right of Hezbollah to have small arms, RPGs, Katayushi rockets and anti-tank munitions. So, in essence, Lebanon...the country is aligning itself with a terror organization. This has become Iran West.
If there is one positive in all of this...it is that when Hezbollah finally does pull the trigger on attacks on Israel (and it is not if, but when) the Israelis will have no issue with singling Hezbollah out from the Lebanese Army or civilians. Lebanon is signing its death warrant here - they have said that it's okay for Hezbollah to have their weapons and use them against Israel and that simply means the Lebanese government gets to reap the responsibility of that blessing.
Lebanese reach draft on Hezbollah arms
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanese political factions reached a compromise on Hezbollah's arsenal, the information minister said Friday, releasing a vaguely worded draft statement that implies the militant group can keep its weapons.
The position paper must now be approved by Parliament, whose vote will decide whether to accept a unity government that includes Hezbollah. The new Cabinet was formed after Hezbollah gunmen routed armed supporters of the previous pro-Western administration earlier this year.
Hezbollah's arms have long been a point of dispute, with many legislators in the Western-backed majority in Parliament wanting to disarm the group. Hezbollah rejects the demand, and it will hold veto power in the new government.
The draft statement announced by Information Minister Tarek Mitri is deliberately vague, saying only that the committee agreed "on the right of Lebanon's people, the army and the resistance to liberate all its territories."
"Resistance" is Lebanon's jargon for Hezbollah, which is admired by many in Lebanon for its stand against Israel. "All territories" alludes to Lebanon's territorial claim on the Chebaa Farms area that Israel captured from Syria during the 1967 Mideast war.
After Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war, militias were ordered dissolved, but Hezbollah fighters were allowed to keep their weapons because they were considered a resistance group fighting Israeli troops that occupied part of southern Lebanon until 2000.
Many officials in the pro-Western bloc had argued that statement should not include the word "resistance" and that it should make "liberating the occupied lands" solely the national army's responsibility. But Hezbollah and its allies strongly opposed those demands.
Lebanon has been rife with tensions as the pro-Western Prime Minister Fuad Saniora has struggled to form the national unity government in which Hezbollah will have veto power in all government decisions.
The Hezbollah-led opposition won the concession in May as part of an Arab-brokered deal to end months of political stalemate that had escalated into violence and raised fears Lebanon's sectarian factions could plunge into a new civil war.
Before the agreement, 81 people died and more than 200 were wounded as Hezbollah militants and their allies battled supporters of Saniora's government in Beirut and other cities. Sectarian violence since the deal has killed 29 people.
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