US and UK sticking with Israel
The United States and the United Kingdom both fell short of calling for an immediatel cease fire today in the aftermath of the civilian deaths in Israel's attack on the Qana-based Kassam launchers.Lebanon asked US Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice not to come to Beirut today, and so she has remained in Jerusalem.
Rice said Sunday that she was "deeply saddened by the terrible loss of innocent life" in an attack on a village (Qana) in southern Lebanon, but she did not call for an immediate cease-fire in the fighting between Israel and Hizbullah.
"We want a cease-fire as soon as possible," she said.
According to Rice, "We are also pushing for an urgent end to the current hostilities, but the views of the parties on how to achieve this are different."
"We all recognize this kind of warfare is extremely difficult," said Rice regarding the recent IDF attack on Qana, noting it comes in areas where civilians live. "It unfortunately has awful consequences sometimes."
"In the wake of the tragedy that the people and the government of Lebanon are dealing with today, I have decided to postpone my discussion in Beirut," Rice said. "In any case, my work today is here."
She also said it is time for a cease fire. "I am here in pretty difficult and dicey circumstances because I do believe that it is better to try and address these issues face to face with the parties."
But she repeated that a cease-fire could not mean a return to the position before the 19-day war, which was triggered by Hezbollah's abduction of two Israel soldiers on July 12.
"We have to try and do our work well so that there will not be more and more and more incidents over many, many more years," Rice said.
Britain's foreign secretary described the event as a 'tragedy', and a 'setback for any peace deal.'
"We need to go back and pick up the pieces," Britain's Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett told Sky News in an interview Sunday, promising to continue working with all players in finding a solution to end the violence.
Beckett, however, stopped short of calling for a cease-fire.
"We have repeatedly called on the Israelis to act proportionately," Beckett said.
Yesterday, Beckett's predecessor, Jack Straw, called Israel's actions "disproportionate." Thank God he is no longer the British Foreign Secretary.
I guess it kind of goes without saying that the rest of the world condemned us, and that Hezbullah and Hamas have both vowed revenge. Come to think of it, I have not heard from Australia yet. They may not be so quick to condemn us either.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:45 PM
10 Comments:
Well, I'm rooting for you guys. That may sound a litle hollow as I'm here in Copenhagen and not in the line of fire, however I support you and so do a lot of people here in Denmark. The leftiste here are as vociferous as they are in other places but even the anti-israel protest in Copenhagen yesterday only attracted about 500 people, mainly muslims. I think you have more support than the MSM will publish.
Shalom.
Hi Carl:
Thought you should see this.
Synopsis: Hezbullah terrorists are laying seige to towns in Lebanon that do not let them attack Israel.
Whatta nice buncha people they are. I hope that Olmert and comrade Peretz start inflicting the level of pain that is needed to impose Israel's will on the terrorists. They must be destroyed, at all costs. They are dangerous to the people of Lebanon, not just because they incite hot shooting wars, but because they light off sectarian violence.
"Residents
who have recently escaped from Mari tell of a dramatic, desperate situation in the village. The Druse residents, who have no affinity at
all for Hizbullah, resisted hizbullah's attempts to enter the village. The IAF apparently and unwittingly assisted in their resistance by bombing the roads leading into the village, cutting off the militia's ability to enter the town, at least temporarily. Hizbullah responded by cutting off the town's electricity and water supply, essentially laying seige to a town on its own side of the border, hoping that its residents would pack up and leave. Many of them have done so. My sources say that Hizbullah has been desperate to enter the village but has as of yet been unable to do so in large numbers. Residents also describe a growing humanitarian crisis in the village due to the lack of fresh water.
"
Carl - please set up a link to this documentary film...it's an eye-opener.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6162397493278181614&q=Obsession%3A+What+The+War+on+Terror+Is+Really+About&hl=en
As they persist in mingling, on purpose, among women and children, and keep their weapons in these villages, etc., they must bear the responsibility for what happened. Could anyone picture the Israelis doing this? How many Israelis die throwing themselves over a child or a female to save them? Families in Israel are living in bomb shelters and have been displaced from the north due to the missile attacks. Saving lives is a duty. But the MSM plays up arab casualties,the large majority of which could be prevented if they would give their women and children the same love and caring the Jews and Christians do, and pays scant attention to Israel's suffering.
Their crocodile tears do not impress me. As a Jew, they offend and sicken me, and there is no place in Israel for them. Enough!
The world had better wake up to their evil, and Condi really should leave, She is a useless tool, and no friend to Israel and the Jews.
Condi, for your information, has been running interference. It is not her fault that the Olmert Government has decided on a campaign of half-measures. The IDF wanted an expansive campaign; unfortunately, instead of Churchill, Israel has a Chamberlain for a Prime Minister.
What Israel needs is a vote of No Confidence for this wretched, indecisive Government. Bring on Netanyahu!
Would Bibi be any better?
ajay,
Links posted in the comments section get cut off unless you use html tags. No, I don't really know how to do that either. What I do is to open a new blogger message, put the link in the message and then cut and past the html code into the comment on the blog.
Anyway, please re-post that in html code or email me the link (address in profile).
Kranky,
If Sharon were Prime Minister, I would have my doubts if Bibi would be better because although Sharon gave away the store, with him that was a matter of political expediency (albeit a more personal political expediency than Bibi's at Wye in 1998).
But Bibi would definitely be an improvement over Olmert. Olmert's wife and kids have made him a true believer in concessions that would leave us all living in North Tel Aviv.
Israel needs to hurry up and start with the ground war.
Links posted in the comments section get cut off
They actually don't get cut off, you just can't see the entire link until you highlight it all the way to the right side.
Condi is no friend of the Jews nor of Israel. She was a regular on the arab dinner circuit, along with Colin Powell, before they became Secretaries of State. She is just another State Department wonk. State is and always has been the center of Jew hate, at least since before WWII, and they have not changed, no matter which party is in power.
There are a number of articles available about it. I am simply stating a fact.
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