Israel isolates Tyre with threat to bomb all traffic
The Guardian 8/9/2006
No exemptions for humanitarian convoys says military -- Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets over Tyre yesterday morning, warning people not to use vehicles south of the Litani river, heightening the city's sense of isolation. All roads north and south of the port city have been cut by bombing in the last few days and Israeli authorities have refused permission for any ships to dock. The travel ban had no time limit and mentioned no exceptions, even for ambulances and humanitarian convoys. Addressed to "Lebanese civilians south of the Litani River", it said: "Read this carefully and follow its instructions. The Israeli Defence Forces will escalate their operations and will strike with force against terrorist elements who are using you as human shields and firing rockets from inside your homes against Israel... "

Israeli airforce bombs Lebanese funeral five times, killing 13
International Middle East Media Center 8/9/2006
Thirteen people were killed Tuesday evening in Al Ghazziya, Lebanon, while attending the mass funeral of the fifteen Lebanese people killed just the day before. Local sources reported that 1500 people were attending the funeral procession, praying and mourning, accompanying the fifteen coffins in a procession to the town's cemetery, when the missiles hit. The first missile dropped by Israeli warplanes hit a building quite near the procession, then, about thirty minutes later, four more missiles were dropped among the mourners, killing 13 and wounding 18, according to local hospitals and Mayor Mohammed Ghaddar. An Associated Press report said that Ghaziyeh has been targeted by Israeli forces several times, but the attacks Monday and Tuesday were the heaviest...

Lebanese dead going unburied
AlJazeera 8/8/2006
Mortuaries are struggling to cope with all the corpses -- The bodies of scores of people killed in southern Lebanon are going unburied amid fears of fresh attacks by Israeli warplanes. Many relatives of those who have died have either fled the region or are too scared to conduct funeral services in the middle of the ongoing offensive by Israeli forces. More than 70 bodies, recovered from various southern villages and brought to the Lebanese government hospital in Tyre, are still waiting to be laid to rest. They include victims who died in air strikes on the southern village of Srifa, which has been repeatedly pounded by Israeli warplanes since uly 19. At least 30 people have died in the village and more than 15 buildings levelled.

Arab Ministers Argue Lebanese Case at U.N.
Inter Press Service 8/8/2006
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 8 (IPS) - Following a meeting of 17 Arab foreign ministers Monday in Beirut, a delegation from the 22-member League of Arab States arrived at the United Nations Tuesday to meet with Secretary-General Kofi Annan and address the U. N. Security Council on the ongoing conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah. Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the League of Arab States, Sheik Hamed Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, foreign minister of Qatar, and Sheikh Abdullah Ben Zayed Al Nahyan, foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, attempted to mobilise support for the Lebanese position here today. "What makes me less pessimistic now is that the views of my government have been heard by the members of the Security Council," said Tarek Mitri, acting foreign minister of Lebanon...

As Israeli death rises over 100, PM wavers over ground ops
Ha'aretz 8/9/2006
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is still debating whether to approve the proposed expansion of the Israel Defense Forces' ground operation in south Lebanon. The proposal will be brought to the diplomatic-security cabinet Wednesday morning for approval. Olmert fears that the plan presented by the defense establishment will result in hundreds of casualties, and therefore, wants to subject it to a careful cost-benefit analysis. In Tuesday's fighting in Lebanon, five soldiers were killed and 23 others wounded, two of them seriously. According to a government source, Olmert has also asked the army to present him with several different options for a ground operation. While most of the cabinet is expected to back whatever Olmert decides, sources in the Prime Minister's Office said that three to four ministers are likely to oppose...

Children Begin to Unlearn Some Lessons
Inter Press Service 8/5/2006
BEIRUT, Aug 5 (IPS) - "Rockets landed on our house and destroyed it totally, so many people were injured," says nine-year-old Issara. Her two brothers, four-year-old Hussein and five-year-old Mahmoud, listen carefully. So does Ola Attaya, 31, a psychologist heading a pilot project to help traumatised children. In a bit Ola gets up and gives Issara a hug. "It is okay, it is okay, you don't have to be afraid now. You're safe. "The two little boys have been mostly quiet since their family fled Ramieh, close to the border between Israel and Lebanon. "As you can see, some of these children are not able to speak or communicate," Ola told IPS at the centre for refugees at the Beirut American University. "We feel that we can help them by giving them a chance to play, and speak to us whenever they want. "

Security fears force UN to suspend aid
The Independent 8/9/2006
The United Nations was forced to halt all attempts to deliver humanitarian aid to the thousands of civilians stranded in southern Lebanon last night, despite repeated Israeli assurances of secure corridors. The move, echoed by major aid agencies, followed Israeli threats to destroy any vehicle operating south of the Litani river. Jack Redden, from the UN refugee agency UNHCR, said: "In many places, particularly in the far south, it is completely impossible to get anything into that area. "The head of Médecins Sans Frontières' (MSF) mission in Lebanon, Chris topher Stokes, described Israeli assurances of protected aid corridors as delusional. "For many days, the concept of humanitarian corridors has been used to mask the reality," he said. "It is impossible to get safe access to the villages in the south. "

South lacks medication for chronic diseases
Electronic Intifada/IRIN 8/8/2006
TYRE - Aid agencies and doctors in south Lebanon say there is a growing shortage of medication for chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer and AIDS. Unless Israeli-imposed travel restrictions ease, thousands of people receiving treatment will suffer. "Many people remain in the villages near the border, who have been taking treatments for years and now suddenly their supply is cut," said Hakim Khalji, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) coordinator in the port city of Tyre. MSF is providing medical supplies to people in and around Tyre but is not making deliveries of chronic disease medication to outlying villages because of dangerous conditions created by the conflict. International agencies have to get permission from Israeli authorities to assure safe passage of their vehicles, but this is often not granted for security reasons.

Road Corridor from Syria Disrupted
Electronic Intifada/OCHA 8/8/2006
The following information appeared in the report entitled: "Lebanon response OCHA situation report No. 12", from 4 August 2006. -- Key developments... Overnight Israeli strikes on the highway and bridges on the route from Aarida to Beirut has currently halted the overland delivery of essential UN humanitarian goods and emergency personnel. The highway is considered a primary humanitarian access route. In order to re-start the flow of relief supplies, the UN is already working to shift the focus of transportation of humanitarian supplies from land to sea. As such, the humanitarian hub in Cyprus will key with regards to receiving humanitarian assistance from abroad and dispatching it to the ports of Beirut, Tyre and Tripoli. However, these arrangements will take a few days to regularize and make fully operational.

Civilian Resistance: Call for action and solidarity with Lebanon
Electronic Intifada 8/8/2006
On August 12, at 7:00 am, Lebanese from throughout the country and international supporters who have come to Lebanon to express solidarity will gather in Martyr's Square in Beirut to form a civilian convoy to the south of Lebanon. Hundreds of Lebanese and international civilians will express their solidarity with the inhabitants of the heavily destroyed south who have been bravely withstanding the assault of the Israeli military. This campaign is endorsed by more than 200 Lebanese and international organizations. This growing coalition of national and international non-governmental organizations hereby launches a campaign of civil resistance for the purpose of challenging the cruel and ruthless use of massive military force by Israel, the regional superpower, upon the people of Lebanon.

Five soldiers killed in battles in south Lebanon
Ha'aretz 8/9/2006
Two IDF paratroopers were killed Tuesday in battles in the south Lebanon village of Bint Jbail, the Israel Defense Forces announced early Wednesday. Earlier Tuesday, three soldiers were killed and at least 14 wounded in southern Lebanon, where heavy battles between IDF troops and Hezbollah militants have been raging since late Monday. One of the paratroopers was treated by medics at the scene, but he could not be extricated due to heavy gunfire from Hezbollah militants. During the rescue attempt, a soldier from the paratroopers' search and rescue force was also killed. The slain paratroopers, both of whom belonged to a reconnaissance battalion, were identified as Staff Sergeant Oren Lifschitz, 21, of Kibbutz Gazit and Staff Sergeant Moran Cohen, 21, of Kibbutz Ashdot Yaakov.

Two wounded when Hezbollah fires at least 160 rockets at north
Ha'aretz 8/9/2006
At least 160 Katyusha rockets fired by Hezbollah gunners in Lebanon slammed into northern Israel on Tuesday. Two people were wounded, one moderately and one lightly, when a rocket hit a home in the Western Galilee town of Fasouta on Tuesday afternoon. Most of the rockets landed in the northern cities of Acre, Nahariya, Safed and Tiberias. Four rockets landed late Tuesday in Kiryat Shmona and Nahariya. There were no injuries reported in either incident. At least 20 rockets slammed into the hard-hit Upper Galilee town of Kiryat Shmona earlier Tuesday, causing damages to structures and starting a number of fires. Also on Tuesday, four rockets landed in open fields in the northern region of the Golan Heights. No casualties were reported as a result of the rocket fire.

Israeli gunboats hit Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon; one reported dead
Ha'aretz 8/9/2006
Israel Navy gunboats shelled Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp early Wednesday, killing at least one person and wounding three others, Lebanese and Palestinian officials said. The shelling was the first time Israel attacked the camp since the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began more than four weeks ago. The Israeli gunboats fired two shells. One landed in the Ein el-Hilweh camp, located on the outskirts of the southern port city of Sidon, and the other slammed into the city's amusement park, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Israel Air Force strikes hit a south Lebanese village twice on Tueday, killing at least six people.

Hezbollah ballbearing rockets maximise injuries
Electronic Intifada/IRIN 8/8/2006
HAIFA - Doctors are concerned that Hezbollah's use of ballbearings in many of the rockets fired into northern Israel is increasing the number of casualties: 36 civilians have been killed so far, according to Israeli authorities. "These bullets [ballbearings] cause damaging penetrative injuries," said Dr Eran Tal-or, the attending physician at the trauma unit in Haifa's Rambam Hospital. "If the bullet is lodged in the brain, for example, we wouldn't even try to get it out because we would cause even more damage. And if it cuts a major artery, then you will be dead in no time. "Israel began its military offensive against Lebanon on 12 July after the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party with a military wing. In response, Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets into northern Israel. -- See also: Israeli Cluster Munitions Hit Civilians in Lebanon

Bombing Stalls Cleanup of Massive Oil Spill
Inter Press Service 8/8/2006
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 8 (IPS) - As Israeli bombs continue to fall from the skies across Lebanon, destroying homes, parks, roads, bridges, forests, hospitals and power stations, scientists say the enormous amount of toxic waste unleashed by the attack will continue to affect human lives and the environment long after the fighting is over. "The destruction is so huge that it may take a decade to recover," Zia Mian, a researcher with the Programme on Science and Global Security at Princeton University, told IPS. "The consequences of environmental destruction will be felt for a long time, especially the problem of unexploded bombs and munitions. "In recent days, United Nations officials and environmental groups based in Lebanon have made similar observations...

Fuel shortages threaten hospital services
Electronic Intifada/IRIN 8/8/2006
BEIRUT - Lebanese officials have said that hospitals are threatened with closure as a result of severe fuel shortages nationwide. "Hospitals are currently functioning properly, but their fuel reserve can [only] last for one week," Lebanese Health Minister Mohammed Khalife told IRIN. Lebanon is tapping into its fuel reserves to supply some hospitals, but the real issue is the difficulty in transporting the fuel around the country, Khalife said. Bombed roads and bridges are making access to some areas of Lebanon almost impossible. Israel launched its military offensive in Lebanon and imposed an air, land and sea blockade after the capture on 12 July of two Israeli soldiers by the armed wing of Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party.

Reporter: Israel deliberately not destroying launchers
YNet News 8/8/2006
Top Washington Post military reporter Tom Ricks severely criticized -- WASHINGTON - Tom Ricks, military reporter for the Washington Post, accused Israel Tuesday of intentionally failing to destroy a number of rocket launchers in south Lebanon, to maintain a moral defense to its striking civilian of targets in Lebanon. Ricks, who was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in journalism and recently published his new book "Fiasco" on the failure of the American war in Iraq, made the comments during an interview on CNN... "... One of the things that is going on, according to some US military analysts, is that Israel purposely has left pockets of Hizbullah rockets in Lebanon, because as long as they're being rocketed, they can continue to have a sort of moral equivalency in their operations in Lebanon. "

Hizbullah equipment surprises IDF
YNet News 8/8/2006
Troops discover cutting-edge cameras, gas masks in Lebanon; IDF official: There's no doubt Hizbullah was prepared -- Sophisticated enemy: IDF officials say they were surprised by advanced Hizbullah military equipment recovered by troops in Lebanon that presents Israeli forces with difficult challenges as the fighting continues to rage. After the outbreak of hostilities, IDF officers realized all assessments regarding Hizbullah arms were accurate, while some findings even exceeded predictions. Equipment recovered by Israeli troops includes night-vision equipment, gas masks, cutting-edge radio equipment, dozens of rifles, various types of handguns, silencers, helmets, and protective vests. Soldiers also found computer parts attesting to the fact Hizbullah was acting in an orderly manner and documenting its operations.

U.S. says doesn't consider Lebanese deployment proposal a setback
Ha'aretz 8/9/2006
U.S. says Lebanese army needs help to keep peace in the south -- CRAWFORD, Texas - The United States is willing to consider a Lebanese proposal to move armed forces into Hezbollah-controlled areas but is convinced that Lebanon is not equipped to handle the job on its own, the White House said Tuesday. The issue of who will patrol southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah militants have been operating in their fight against Israel, has become the dominant sticking point in UN cease-fire negotiations. Israel Defense Forces ground troops currently are in the area, and Lebanon and other Arab nations are insisting they must leave before an agreement can be reached. President George W. Bush said Monday that he wants an international force to replace the IDF soldiers, but that could take weeks.

Russia: UN resolution won't work without regard for Lebanon
Ha'aretz 8/9/2006
Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Dan Gillerman said any Security Council resolution must not create a void in south Lebanon that Hezbollah could fill. He also sought a robust international force to back Lebanese troops in the area. "We want a cease-fire, but a cease-fire that sows the seeds of future peace, not a future conflict," said Gillerman. An Arab League delegation accused the Security Council on Tuesday of standing by idly while weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah sew "the seeds of hatred and extremism" in the Middle East. ... Russia urged the UN Security Council on Tuesday to adopt an interim resolution calling for "humanitarian cessation of fire" in Lebanon, if it fails quickly to overcome differences over a wider document.

Angry MPs demand recall of parliament
The Guardian 8/9/2006
Discontent over UK's Lebanon policy -- Up to 100 MPs, most of them Labour, are to demand an immediate recall of parliament to debate the crisis in Lebanon because of growing fears about the government's strategy. The call is expected to come in the next 48 hours and its organisers have been in discussion with the Liberal Democrat and Scottish Nationalist parties. Negotiations are also under way with campaign groups backing the call for an immediate ceasefire that attracted the support of 200 MPs. Jon Trickett, chairman of the Compass group of 50 leftwing MPs and a force behind the appeal, said: "In this crisis, parliament needs to speak for the nation. We are living in a 24/7 society, yet our parliament seems so ossified that it goes into recess for 11 weeks and there seems no way for backbenchers to bring MPs back. "

ADL blasts Annan as 'blatantly one-sided,' 'anti-Israel'
Ha'aretz 8/9/2006
NEW YORK - The National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Abraham Foxman, yesterday accused United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan of demonstrating "blatant one-sidedness" in his comments about Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. "I am stunned that the UN secretary general cannot find his tongue except to criticize and denounce Israel, and is unable to raise his voice to denounce Hezbollah's daily firing of hundreds of rockets that are specifically intended to hurt civilians," Foxman said yesterday in an exclusive interview with Haaretz. "In addition, [Annan] has not bothered to mention the loss of life in Israel as a result of the rocket attacks," Foxman continued. "When will the UN secretary general begin to give Jewish lives the same respect he extends to other human beings," the ADL head asked.

Olmert: Lebanon decision to deploy 'interesting,' needs studying
Ha'aretz 8/8/2006
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday that the Lebanese government's decision to deploy its army in the south of the country is "interesting" and worthy of further consideration, but said such a move must go hand-in-hand with the disarming of Hezbollah. The Lebanese cabinet agreed Monday night to deploy troops in the south after an Israel Defense Forces' withdrawal from the area, in a decision supported by all the ministers present, including the five Shi'ite ministers who represent Hezbollah and Amal. "I heard about the Lebanese government decision yesterday to deploy 15,000 Lebanese Army soldiers," Olmert told a news conference. "This decision is an interesting step which we have to study and examine and look at all the implications... "

Venezuela: We support Lebanon, Palestine
YNet News 8/8/2006
Further deepening diplomatic crisis between Israel and Venezuela: President Chavez visits Damascus, meets with Palestinian faction leaders to 'identify with strong stance of Palestinian, Lebanese peoples. ' Chavez slams Israeli aggressions and their support by US -- A delegation from the Venezuelan parliament met Tuesday with heads of the Palestinian factions in Damascus, "to show solidarity with the strong stance of the Palestinian and Lebanese people. " Deputy Speaker of the Venezuelan parliament and head of the Damascus delegation, Desiree Santos Amaral, told news agencies, "we came to express our support and identification as parliament members with the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples. "

'We are ready to fight, we are ready to die'
The Guardian 8/9/2006
Eleven-year-old Zahra sits on a desk in a crowded corridor of a west Beirut school and explains eloquently why she believes in the need for resistance. "All children now want to grow up to fight Israel. It's shameful how we are being treated. What have we as children ever done to them? Nobody cares what happens to us, nobody will do anything if we don't defend ourselves. "Her friend Howra, also 11 and also a refugee from southern Lebanon now living in the school in Zarif, joins in. "Even if a thousand of our fighters are killed we will remain strong. Even with the Israeli technology, we are not afraid of them; we have the strongest fighters in the world. " Estimates of the number of Hizbullah fighters active in the field range from 1,000 to 10,000, with a potential reserve force as high as 200,000.

Turkey cancels USD 500 million deal with aircraft industry
YNet News 8/8/2006
Turkey scraps deal with Israel Aircraft Industries to upgrade aircraft in protest at Lebanon offensive -- The war deals a severe blow to Israel Aircraft Industries: The Turkish government has canceled a deal to upgrade fighter jets worth USD 500 million because of the war in Lebanon. The Israel Aircraft Industries fears that more deals could be canceled. In 1997 Turkey signed an agreement with Israel for the upgrading of 54 Phantom aircraft at the cost of USD 1 billion. The deal was concluded in 2003 and Turkey showed interest in upgrading another 50 Phantom jets for USD 500 million. Turkey is weighing the purchase of new F-16 jets from the United States instead of upgrading its old fleet. "They are old costumers, and the cancellation of the deal is a very bad sign," a senior military official said Monday. --See also: Export Institute: War won't damage exports to Arab world

Israel's Military Invincibility Dented by Hezbollah
Inter Press Service 8/8/2006
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 8 (IPS) - Israel's phenomenal victories against collective Arab armies in 1967 and later against Egypt in 1973 firmly established the Jewish state's legendary military superiority in the Middle East. The 1967 war -- called the Six Day War -- was so swift it ended in less than a week, with Egypt losing 264 aircraft and 700 battle tanks; Jordan 22 aircraft and 125 tanks, and Syria 58 aircraft and 105 tanks. The only equipment losses suffered by Israel in the 1967 war were 40 aircraft and 100 battle tanks, according to Dilip Hiro, a Middle East analyst based in London. The war ended with Israel capturing East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, the Golan Heights and Sharm al-Shaikh -- some of which are still under occupation despite U. N. Security Council resolutions seeking Israeli withdrawal.

ANALYSIS: There appears to be a command problem in the north
Ha'aretz 8/9/2006
It's a mistake to think that the decision to appoint Israel Defense Forces Deputy Chief of Staff Moshe Kaplinsky over the head of Major General Udi Adam was hastily made. First it was introduced to Defense Minister Amir Peretz, and was also presented to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Adam was not taken by surprise. At a certain point, the GOC Northern Command raised the possibility of leaving his post, but that was ultimately resolved. It looks like if there is a command problem in the North, it is not merely localized, but rather at another senior layer. Clearly, the change in the command leadership is not good for Adam personally, but it also sends a negative signal to the IDF and the public at large. Some have noticed that in the past few days, chief of staff Dan Halutz has not made his usual appearances in interviews and briefings.

IDF officials: Maj. Gen. Adam must quit post after war
YNet News 8/9/2006
Army chief's decision to assign his deputy to Northern Command perceived as a slap in face of Northern Command Chief Udi Adam. Official: Halutz can't dismiss officer during wartime, so he 'moved him over'. ' Top army officials say Adam can start countdown to his dismissal -- What began as a "technical procedure" of appointing Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Major-General Moshe Kaplinksy to the Northern Command, on Wednesday turned into a true shake-up in the upper rungs of the Israel Defense Forces. As things currently stand, it appears that Northern Command Chief Major-General Udi Adam will not be able to continue in his post for much longer. A senior IDF official told Ynet that "at the end of the war Udi Adam will no longer have a choice, and he will have to leave his post.

Cabinet set to approve ground push
Jerusalem Post 8/8/2006
With the French reportedly weighing changes to the UN cease-fire resolution that would tilt it in Lebanon's favor and a "war of the generals" taking place in the Northern Command, the security cabinet is expected Wednesday morning to approve an expanded ground operation up to the Litani River, and perhaps beyond. Government sources said that the 12-person security cabinet, which Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday had so far okayed all plans the IDF had brought for approval, would not likely reject plans for a wider operation, especially amid growing public impatience with the pace of the war. Diplomatic officials said that Israel had not come under any US pressure to shelve plans for an expanded operation as various drafts of a US-French cease-fire resolution were being considered in the UN.

Israeli children and teenagers have developed fears following war
Ma'an News 8/8/2006
Bethlehem -- Despite the preoccupation with the tears of the Lebanese presidents, Israeli newspapers said today that it was an unsuccessful attempt to manipulate the world's compassion so that they would not bring an international force to south Lebanon. The newspapers also said that the phenomenon of involuntary urination among children in Israeli settlements and the use of drugs by adolescents are indication sof the fear and stress caused by Katyusha rockets. In the municipality of Kiryat Shmona, there is a fear that the community would need rehabilation after the end of the war, not only to the destroyed houses but also to children. According to the Israeli newspaper, Yediot Aharonot, most Israeli children refuse to leave the shelters even when the army allows them to do so.

Toll of a war that shames the world
The Independent 8/8/2006
It is 28 days since Hizbollah captured two Israeli soldiers, "prompting" a ground and air assault on Lebanon by the Israeli army. In that time, 932 people have been killed in Lebanon, with 75 missing, presumed dead. 29 Lebanese Army soldiers have been killed. 3,293 Lebanese have been wounded. 45 per cent of the casualties have been children. 913,000 Lebanese have been displaced (300,000 of whom are children). 94 Israelis have been killed and 1,867 wounded. 10,000 Israeli soldiers are currently fighting Hizbollah in southern Lebanon. 3,000 rockets have been fired at Israel by Hizbollah. The average number of rockets fired daily by Hizbollah in the first week of the conflict was 90. Over the past five days, it has been 169. Israel has flown 8,700 bombing sorties, destroying 146 bridges and 72 roads.

IDF broadcasts Hizbullah's dead on al-Manar
YNet News 8/8/2006
VIDEO) Israeli army takes over terror group's TV station airwaves twice daily to show propaganda films presenting Nasrallah as liar, showing Hizbullah operatives fleeing from battle -- VIDEO - While Israel Defense Forces soldiers are fighting brutal battles in the villages of southern Lebanon , the army is also fighting a fierce PR war against Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The IDF took over the airwaves of Hizbullah's al-Manar television network as it showed Nasrallah's last speech and replaced the broadcast with propaganda footage. The video showed the bodies of Hizbullah operatives and asserted that fighters were fleeing from the battlegrounds. Since the beginning of fighting in Lebanon the IDF has briefly taken control of the airwaves of al-Manar, Radio Nour, and Radio Sawt Al-Shab...

Taking the battlefield to New York
The Guardian 8/9/2006
All too often over the past few weeks, an absurd psychological gulf has seemed to yawn between the war in Lebanon and the pace of events at the UN building on the Manhattan riverfront. But for a few minutes last night, the anger and fear on both sides of the conflict erupted into the heart of the diplomatic world at an extraordinary meeting of the UN security council. Lebanese and Israeli representatives had been invited to attend, and they sat at each extremity of the council's horseshoe-shaped meeting table, so that they were separated by nothing but a few feet of nondescript carpet.... "Twenty-seven days ago, we asked for an immediate ceasefire," began the Lebanese envoy, Tarek Mitri, his voice urgent with emotion. "More than 900 lives ago, we asked for an immediate ceasefire.. "

Families of 3 abducted soldiers meet with MKs
Ha'aretz 8/9/2006
The families of the three Israeli soldiers in captivity met at the Knesset Tuesday with 20 MKs from all parties (excluding Arab factions. )The chair of the National Religious Party faction, Zevulun Orlev, organized the meeting to give the families the feeling that MKs across the political spectrum support their struggle for their sons' release and are ready to help. The families called on the MKs to take concerted action to ensure that any cease-fire agreement in Lebanon include the release of the captive soldiers. Noam Shalit, father of Corporal Gilad Shalit who was kidnapped in Israel near the Gaza Strip, said that 45 days had elapsed with no sign of life from his son. "Every day that goes by is an eternity for us," Shalit said, and called on lawmakers to use their influence to get the government to make good on its word...

VIDEO - Galloway: 'The Violence Will Go On'
Sky News 8/8/2006
Video - George Galloway has spoken out in support of Lebanon, saying he believes Hizbollah is justified in attacking Israel. The Respect MP also lambasted media coverage of the war and said the UN resolution means nothing.

'You have seven seconds to change the world'
Jerusalem Post 8/8/2006
Some 100 refugees from the North learned new ways to improve the country's image Monday, in a meeting at Tel Aviv's Sheraton Moriah Hotel designed to help them better tell their personal stories to journalists. The event was organized by media experts who are dissatisfied with the way Israel is being depicted abroad, both in print and on screen. "My seven seconds with the media is to show that my life is being hurt," said an girl in a Scout uniform when asked how she'd fill a sound bite. "I'm 18 years old, I'm about to start my [military] service, and this is not how I want to spend my summer vacation. "... one of the meeting's organizers suggested.. the young woman present herself to the media as someone whose life goals were being "crushed" by the war.

Americans press Bush: Talk to Syria
YNet News 8/8/2006
New York Times editorial asserts 'Bush has always seen talking, by itself, as a reward. That cold shoulder may have made Mr. Bush feel righteous, but it hasn't done anything to choke off nuclear programs in Iran or North Korea. ' Bush: We are in contact with Syria -- WASHINGTON – American politicians and media are stepping up pressures on the Bush Administration to initiate talks with Syria in order to solve the problem of Hizbullah. Just a day after US President George W. Bush clarified that "Syria knows what we think," the New York Times published an editorial entitled "Start Talking. " "Syria is also unlikely to even consider doing what Mr. Bush wants — rein in Hizbullah and help halt the killing in Lebanon and Israel — unless its leaders know what potential rewards as well as punishments await them... "

ong refugees themselves, Palestinians now play host
Christian Science Monitor 8/8/2006
Palestinians in Lebanon open their camps to fleeing families. -- RASHIDIYEH CAMP, LEBANON – Nearly six decades ago, the Lebanese gave shelter to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees who fled their homeland when the state of Israel was created. Now some of those refugees' descendants are returning the favor. Hundreds of Lebanese who have abandoned their homes have sought shelter in the Palestinian camps ringing the southern coastal town of Tyre. The hospitality has its roots in the close ties between the southern Lebanese and the inhabitants of what was Palestine before 1948. Those ties endure in the respect that many Palestinians in Lebanon have for Hizbullah, the Shiite group battling Israeli forces.

Christians Caught in Political Crossfire
Inter Press Service 8/8/2006
BEIRUT, Aug 8 (IPS) - Many Lebanese Christians say they feel caught in the middle of a war in which they have a lot to lose and little to gain. Most of the areas Israel has been targeting -- southern and eastern Lebanon and southern Beirut -- are majority Shia Muslim. Israel says it is trying to cut off supply lines to the Shia militant group Hezbollah and to stop its ability to launch rockets into northern Israel. But the fighting has also displaced many Christians, damaged their livelihoods, and challenged their hopes for stability in a country that saw the end of civil war only 16 years ago. "Really their situation is very treacherous," Elie Fawaz, a Christian and a political analyst in Beirut told IPS. "They want to live in peace, (but) if you're against war and you don't support the Hezbollah, all of a sudden you're seen as a traitor... "

Israel, North, direct action against the war in Lebanon
A-Infos 8/8/2006
Antiauthoritarian anticapitalist direct action initiative made its point to day. It was mentioned by the main radio news channel, it was also in electronic media. Pictures from Direct action against the war, Ramat David Israeli Air Forces base,8/8/06, Israel at www. flickr. com/photos/activestills - Hebrew article at and also as translated below [see following link]: PROTEST - Jonathan Polak: "This is a war of choice"... 12 activists of the left were arrested in demonstration in front of the air force base. About 25 activists stood this morning (Tuesday) in front the Ramat David base carrying placards on which was written: "stop killing of civilians", "stop the war crimes". They called for immediate cease fire and releasing all the prisoners and war prisoners. They were confronted by police and 12 were arrested.

Photos: Israelis take direct action against the war
Flickr - activestills' photos 8/8/2006
Direct action against the war, Ramat David Israeli Air Forces base, 8/8/06, Israel.

Police arrest 12 protesters blocking air force base in north
Ha'aretz 8/8/2006
Afula police on Tuesday arrested 12 left-wing activists who blocked the entrance to an Israel Air Force base in the north during a demonstration against the Israel Defense Forces operation in Lebanon and the government's policy in the offensive. Police said the activists, who were members of the group Anarchists Against the Fence, had assembled illegally at the base. Some 40 demonstrated participated in the protests, blocking the road at the entrance to the base and denouncing the "criminal policies of the Israeli government. "Police said they would ask the Nazareth Magistrate's Court to extend the remands of some of the detained protesters. According to police, the protesters denounced IAF pilots as "murderers.

An Interview with Sgt. Zohar Milchgrub
By Dimi Reider, CounterPunch 8/8/2006
Another IDF Refusenik Jailed -- In 1982, it took over half a year for Israeli officers and soldiers to begin refusing draft and orders to enter into Lebanon. In the beginning of the Al-Aqsa intifada, several months elapsed before the first letter of defiance was handed in. But in 2006, three weeks into the war, First Sergeant Zohar Milchgrub is entering imprisonment today (Sunday) for refusing to be drafted to a reserve force set to enter Lebanon. He is the second Israeli soldier in a week to become a conscientious objector to the new war. I spoke to him after the anti-war rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday. Our first question would be to which part of the army you belong? An ordinary infantry combat unit. When did you first decide to refuse the draft? I made the decision to refuse further service during my active service in the IDF.

Hezbollah Rides a New Popularity
By Dahr Jamail, Inter Press Service 8/7/2006
BEIRUT, Aug 7 (IPS) - As the war in Lebanon approaches the one-month mark, and amid the destruction of much of Lebanon, Hezbollah appears to be gaining strength within the country and around the Arab world. The Israeli aim of widespread bombing of the Lebanese infrastructure in order to create resentment against Hezbollah seems to have played into the strengths of Hezbollah. Hezbollah, known in many western countries as a "terrorist organisation", is widely seen in Lebanon as a legitimate political and social power. One reason for this, according to an official representative of Hezbollah and member of the Lebanese Parliament, is that Hezbollah has never aimed to turn Lebanon into an Islamic state. "Hezbollah is a democratic party whose principles are based on the Lebanese constitution," Tarad Hamade told IPS.

Yesha Rabbinical Council objects to ridicule of Chief IDF Rabbi
Ha'aretz 8/8/2006
The Yesha Rabbinical Council published a statement Tuesday expressing objection to the remarks made by Shoshi Greenfeld, slamming the Israel Defense Forces chief rabbi, at her brother's funeral Monday night. Sergeant Yehuda Greenfeld, from the West Bank settlement of Machmesh, was killed in a Katyusha rocket strike in Kfar Giladi on Sunday. Greenfeld called on Chief IDF Rabbi Yisrael Weiss to leave the funeral. As she eulogized her brother, she criticized Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the army, and urged soldiers to refuse orders. "Despite the fact that the Chief IDF rabbi did not listen to revered Rabbi Avraham Shapira regarding Gush Katif, he should not be ridiculed in public as was done last night at the funeral, despite the expulsion from Gush Katif," the Yesha Rabbinical Council said in a statement.

Lack of state funds keeps fire fighting planes on the ground
Ha'aretz 8/8/2006
The state has run out of money to finance the operation of fire-fighting aircraft that are being used in the north to extinguish blazes caused by Hezbollah rocket fire. The budget for the operation of the aircraft ran dry two days ago, and the planes have been working since only thanks to a special budget supplement from the Jewish National Fund. Over the past few weeks, seven aircraft from the Chim-Nir Company have been on fire-fighting duties in the north, operating well beyond their routine workload. As a result, the NIS 4 million fund for such fire-fighting operations quickly ran out. Most of the fund is budgeted by the Interior Ministry, with the remainder coming from the JNF, the Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority and the Fire Commission. The treasury added another NIS 4 million to the fund, but this too has been used up.

Protesters board another US plane at Prestwick
The Guardian 8/9/2006
A group of anti-war campaigners yesterday claimed to have broken through security at Prestwick airport and boarded a US plane. Last month it emerged that the airport, near Glasgow, was being used as a staging post for American planes transporting bombs to Israel. Campaign group Trident Ploughshare said five activists boarded a US Air National Guard plane just after midnight. According to the protesters, they searched through documents on the aircraft before being stopped by airport workers. Strathclyde police confirmed a number of arrests had been made. The apparent break-in came less than 24 hours after eight people were arrested after a group of protesters allegedly managed to board a cargo plane at the same airport. -- See also: Activists held after boarding US plane searching for weapons

Activists Recall Hiroshima as Nuclear Worries Grow
Inter Press Service 8/7/2006
NEW YORK, Aug 7 (IPS) - As the war between Israel and Lebanon approaches the one-month mark and the U.S. continues to pursue expansion of its nuclear arsenal, people around the world will stop to remember Aug. 7, 1945. On that day, 61 years ago, more than 240,000 people were killed or injured when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and three days later on Nagasaki, to force a Japanese surrender during World War II. While an end to the war immediately followed the bombings, many have debated whether it was necessary, given that preparations for surrender were already underway in Tokyo, and the staggering long-term effects on civilians of radiation poisoning in the destroyed city.

Saudi Hezbollah supporters detained
AlJazeera 8/6/2006
Police in Saudi Arabia have detained at least seven people after the latest in a series of pro-Hezbollah protests in the east of the kingdom, home to its Shia minority. The detentions took place on Saturday and Sunday and followed marches by hundreds of people on Friday in Qatif and the neighbouring town of Safwa. Local residents and a Shia website also reported the detentions, although interior ministry officials could not be reached for comment. Public protests are banned in Saudi Arabia, although the authorities have shown unusual leniency in tolerating some marches against Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The police did disperse a demonstration in the region on Thursday. -- See also: Saudi Shias stage pro-Hezbollah protest

Their power of endurance
By Amira Hass, Ha'aretz 8/9/2006
      Hezbollah's Al-Manar television station would dismiss as feminine and sentimental the view that peoples don't win wars. Like other Arab analysts, they regard attacking Israeli civilians and engaging the IDF in fierce battles as an Arab victory. But where's the victory for the 1,000 Lebanese the Israeli army has killed? Where's the victory in a million people fleeing homes that were bombed and destroyed? Are such losses worthwhile just to demonstrate that a guerrilla group can entangle a regular army and expose such an Israeli weakness?
     On the other hand, the non-victory of the other side is not an Israeli victory, even if Israel triples the number of Hezbollah fighters and doubles the number of Lebanese mothers that it has killed so far. Even if the Israeli Air Force wipes out a thousand villages, it would still not bring back to life the Israelis who were killed.
     The trauma and economic damages will continue to affect many people's lives. Even if the cease-fire agreement is closer to Israel's positions than to Lebanon's, it would still not be a victory. Israel's insistence to unilaterally lay down the rules in the region perpetuates and deepens its character as an alien element within it. Israel's future generations will continue to pay for this obstinacy.
     It comes as no surprise that this war has not yet been finished in one fell swoop. For six years, the Israeli army has accustomed its soldiers to regard their assaults in the occupied territories as "fighting" and "battles...

Was Israel's Aim to Clear Path for US War on Iran?
By Gareth Porter, Inter Press Service 8/8/2006
      WASHINGTON, Aug 8 (IPS) - Israel has argued that the war against Hezbollah's rocket arsenal was a defensive response to the Shiite organisation's threat to Israeli security, but the evidence points to a much more ambitious objective -- the weakening of Iran's deterrent to an attack on its nuclear sites.
     In planning for the destruction of most of Hezbollah's arsenal and prevention of any resupply from Iran, Israel appears to have hoped to eliminate a major reason the George W. Bush administration had shelved the military option for dealing with Iran's nuclear programme -- the fear that Israel would suffer massive casualties from Hezbollah's rockets in retaliation for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
     One leading expert on Israeli national defence policy issues believes the aim of the Israeli campaign against Hezbollah was to change the Bush administration's mind about attacking Iran. Edward Luttwak, senior adviser to the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, says Bush administration officials have privately dismissed the option of air strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities in the past, citing estimates that a Hezbollah rocket attack in retaliation would kill thousands of people in northern Israel.
     But Israeli officials saw a war in Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah's arsenal and prevent further resupply in the future as a way to eliminate that objection to the military option, says Luttwak.
     The risk to Israel of launching such an offensive was that it would unleash the very rain of Hezbollah rockets on Israel that it sought to avert. But Luttwak believes the Israelis calculated that they could degrade Hezbollah's rocket forces without too many casualties by striking preemptively.

The Lebanese Nakba and Israeli Ambitions
By Paul Larudee, CounterPunch 8/8/2006
      Why did Israel remain in southern Lebanon after the departure of the PLO in 1982? The publicly stated reason was to assure the security of its northern border by neutralizing the resistance forces and by maintaining a "buffer" zone. However, it is clear that the most secure period for northern Israel since 1978 and perhaps earlier has been the period from 2000 to the present, when it had no occupation forces in Lebanon except for the Shebaa farms.
     Many Lebanese and international observers suspect that the real purpose of Israel's leadership (as distinct from that of its population) was to seize and ultimately annex southern Lebanon up to the Litani river. If so, it is plausible to speculate that this may not have been the original intention, but rather evolved from the initial successes of Ariel Sharon, then commander of Israeli forces in Lebanon, in occupying the territory in question. The historical record seems to show that the Israeli leadership was divided about the wisdom of this action at the time, indicating that any possible thoughts of annexation would have to have been a later development.
     Given Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, it may appear that such ideas were abandoned. However, it is prudent to recall that Israel's first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, always argued that Israel's "natural" northern frontier should be the Litani river, and that Moshe Dayan drew up the first plans for its conquest as early as 1956.

Into the Valley of Death
By Tim Llewellyn, CounterPunch 8/8/2006
      "Israel Has Made Itself the Least Safe Place in the World for a Jew to Live"
     "I am in blood
     stepp'd in so far that,
     should I wade no more,
     returning were as tedious
     as go o'er." -- Macbeth
     Israel's capacity to shed Arab blood has remained undiminished since its creation, winning it territory but no real friends or security and promising it a violent and unrewarding existence. One main lesson of the past three weeks---the first Middle East conflict fought on Israeli rather than Arab lands---is that Israel's aggression can no longer be conducted with impunity.
     The tragedies of Jewish history may explain Israel's leaders' actions, perhaps, their endemic paranoia and inability to deal with their neighbors in any other manner than aggressive superiority. What is hard to explain is why the United States and the United Kingdom, this latter newly and firmly in the pillory as Israel's second most loyal and uncritical supporter, and their media, for the most part, fail to ask most of the correct questions about the roots and nature of the horror that has been revisited on Lebanon, and to a much lesser extent on northern Israel (no false equivalence here).
     It is not surprising the nascent UN Security Council resolution is being endlessly kicked around like a soggy medicine ball in a back alley. The Shapeless Thing will find itself added to the pile of similar failed discards that have been deployed to try to simultaneously evade, avoid and solve the Lebanese-Israel problem. One stands back in awe as at Balaclava while the French volunteer to lead this latest ride into the Valley of Death.

Lebanon as a Metastasis
By Danny Rubinstein, MIFTAH/Haaretz 8/8/2006
      Without the Palestinian cause, Iran and the Hezbollah would not have had anything to hang on to.
     The "Sixth War" of the Arabs against Israel - that's how the current war is referred to in the broadcasts of the popular television station Al Jazeera. The first war was in 1948, and the Arab countries and Palestinians took part in it. In the second, in 1959, Israel fought Egypt. In the third, in 1967, the Arab countries participated again, and in the fourth, in 1973, Egypt and Syria were involved. The fifth in 1982 was against the Palestine Liberation Organization. Now in the sixth, it's just the Hezbollah vs. Israel.
     This weekend in a mini-market in East Jerusalem's Beit Hanina neighborhood, one of the customers said that he considers this sixth war to be the first serious one. "For the first time an Arab leader, Hassan Nasrallah, is teaching Israel a lesson with his small organization," he said.
     No doubt. Indeed, Nasrallah is a hero among the Palestinian public today and further afield, among many Arab people as well. Even more than Gamal Abdel Nasser was in his day. Nasser held on for six days in 1967, while Nasrallah has kept a quarter of the Israeli population stuck in bomb shelters and protected rooms for almost four weeks now, say people on the Palestinian street. In a radio broadcast from Gaza, someone declared, "We are all Shi'ite now."

The Real Estate War
By Gideon Levy, MIFTAH/Haaretz 8/8/2006
      This miserable war in Lebanon, which is just getting more and more complicated for no reason at all, was born in Israel's greed for land. Not that Israel is fighting this time to conquer more land, not at all, but ending the occupation could have prevented this unnecessary war. If Israel had returned the Golan Heights and signed a peace treaty with Syria in a timely fashion, presumably this war would not have broken out.
     Peace with Syria would have guaranteed peace with Lebanon and peace with both would have prevented Hezbollah from fortifying on Israel's northern border. Peace with Syria would have also isolated Iran, Israel's true, dangerous enemy, and cut off Hezbollah from one of the two sources of its weapons and funding. It's so simple, and so removed from conventional Israeli thinking, which is subject to brainwashing.
     For years, Israel has waged war against the Palestinians with the main motive of insistence on keeping the occupied territories. If not for the settlement enterprise, Israel would have long since retreated from the occupied territories and the struggle's engine would have been significant neutralized. Not that a non-occupying Israel would have turned into the darling of the Arab world, but the destructive fire aimed at Israel would have significantly lessened, and those who continued to fight Israel would have found themselves isolated.
     The war against the Palestinians is therefore unequivocally a territorial war, a war for the settlements. In other words, in the West Bank and Gaza, people were killed and are getting killed because of our greed for land. From Golda Meir to Ehud Olmert, the lie has held that the war with the Palestinians is an existential one for survival imposed on Israel when it is actually a war for real estate, one dunam after another, that does not belong to us.

A City Lives On With Its Ill-Fated Charm
By Dahr Jamail, Inter Press Service 8/5/2006
      BEIRUT, Aug 5 (IPS) - The poster on the corniche near the American University campus in Beirut has become justly well known. It shows a Muslim woman in full black abaya walking next to a slender woman in a bikini. Together, they're the face of Beirut.
     Again this weekend Israeli jets bombed the Muslim areas of Beirut, 'Hezbollah strongholds' as Israel sees them. It also bombed a bridge in the Christian area of the city in recent days. But attacks on a Christian area are rare; Beirut is not quite one in getting shattered.
     This has been a city with two faces, Christian and Muslim. The distinction between the two has not always been that sharp. Beirut at its most charming merges the two entirely. But it is in that division that Beirut has found its troubles, and also overcome them.
     It's the conflict between Christian and Muslim groups that ripped Beirut apart over years of civil war through the seventies and eighties. It was ignited when a militant group of Christian right-wingers massacred all 27 Palestinian passengers in a bus Apr.. 13, 1975. Reprisal killings followed, setting off a spiral of violence that continued 17 years.
     Beirut was before then a city that had merged two faces, even two worlds. The West gave it the title 'Paris of the Orient'. Its white villas with those red tiled roofs sent well-heeled shoppers to the chic shopping districts downtown. It was a city on holiday.

From Israel, To Lebanon
KABOBfest
Many people have questioned our invasion tactics over the past four weeks. Sure, we’ve supposedly killed about 1,000 Lebanese civilians, but that number is inflated; really, we’ve only killed like 10 and Hizballah has been moving those same ten bodies from one bomb site to another in a refrigerated truck and parading them in front of the cameras. It’s true, we’ve destroyed Lebanon’s infrastructure, including power plants, roads, highways, and – a couple days ago – the “sole human! itarian link” into the country. But you have to understand, we don’t believe that Arabs are “humans,” so they don’t really need “humanitarian” aid. As John Bolton made clear, dead Lebanese are worth less than dead Israelis…

www.uruknet.info/?p=25567

Israel’s Conspiracy Theories
KABOBfest
Yesterday, after Hezbollah killed 12 Israeli soldiers preparing to fight in Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert met with fifty of his mouth pieces to inform them of the new talking points. In preparation for the widening of aggression against all of Lebanon, Hezbollah areas and not, they needed to get some new spin ready. “Our enemy is not Hezbollah, but Iran, which employs Hezbollah as its agent,” Olmert told his spokepersons. Israel often constructs a mythical puppeteer,! far bigger than the opponent it is fighting, to either exaggerate its victories or minimize the meaning of its defeats…

www.uruknet.info/?p=25568

The Clearing of South Lebanon
The Lebanese Nakba and Israeli Ambitions
PAUL LARUDEE
Why did Israel remain in southern Lebanon after the departure of the PLO in 1982? The publicly stated reason was to assure the security of its northern border by neutralizing the resistance forces and by maintaining a “buffer” zone. However, it is clear that the most secure period for northern Israel since 1978 and perhaps earlier has been the period from 2000 to the present, when it had no occupation forces in Lebanon ! except for the Shebaa farms. Many Lebanese and international observers suspect that the real purpose of Israel’s leadership (as distinct from that of its population) was to seize and ultimately annex southern Lebanon up to the Litani river. If so, it is plausible to speculate that this may not have been the original intention, but rather evolved from the initial successes of Ariel Sharon, then commander of Israeli forces in Lebanon, in occupying the territory in question…

www.uruknet.info/?p=25579

Behind Bush’s “truce” plan: the drive towards a wider Middle East war
Bill Van Auken
US President George W. Bush on Monday declared his full support for a US-French United Nations resolution that dictates Israel’s terms to the Lebanese people while allowing the Israeli military to indefinitely continue its occupation and devastation of Lebanon. This document, far from an agreement for peace, represents one more step in widening the war initiated by the Bush administration in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq into a ! regional conflagration that poses an immense threat to working people not only in the Middle East, but in the US and all over the world…

www.uruknet.info/?p=25572

Religious Zeal and the Killing of the Lebanese
Abbas Ali
When President Bush was asked (July 25) whether or not there was a contradiction in his position in allowing “Israel to kill people, and civilians, in particular, and . . . trying to aid the very people that have been suffering and killed as a result,” the President’s answer was “No, I don’t see a contradiction.” It is this firm confidence that makes it easier for the President to resist the international call for an immediate ceasefire to save lives and in! itiate genuine measures of reconciliation. The Israelis have warmly welcomed the President’ message and seem determined to annihilate the people in Southern Lebanese in the shortest possible time. This is strongly reflected in their actions and in the attitude of the Israeli army…

www.uruknet.info/?p=25566

Why the Lebanese resistance are clobbering the IDF
Lenin’s Tomb
Eventually, they would have to start asking this sort of question: why are the local European supremacists not beating the brown people? Isn’t this what we pay them for? How come they’re not doing their job? According to The Guardian this morning, 57 Israeli soldiers have died. The latest estimate for Hezbollah deaths, meanwhile, is 53. The latest estimate for civilian deaths in Lebanon, meanwhile, is 933. Yes, the Israelis have never found any espec! ial difficulty in slaughtering civilians, but why can’t they beat what they confidently assured the world was a ‘rag-tag’ army?…

www.uruknet.info/?p=25560

Israel widens targets to hit civilian sites
Abraham Rabinovich and Martin Chulov
ISRAEL plans to ramp up its offensive in Lebanon by attacking the nation’s strategic civilian infrastructure to make Beirut more amenable to ceasefire proposals acceptable to Jerusalem. Stung by increasingly deadly rocket attacks and believing an imminent ceasefire to be unlikely, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met his senior security advisers yesterday to discuss proposals to reinforce and speed up the army’s northward movement in order! to push most of Hezbollah’s rockets out of range of Israel. “We are now in a process of renewed escalation,” a senior general defence staff officer said. “We will continue hitting everything that moves in Hezbollah, but we will also hit strategic civilian infrastructure”…

www.uruknet.info/?p=25578

Israel responded to an unprovoked attack by Hizbullah, right? Wrong George Monbiot

The assault on Lebanon was premeditated – the soldiers’ capture simply provided the excuse. It was also unnecessary.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14416.htm

Crocodile tears of leaders as city burns By Robert Fisk

The ministers decided to send a delegation to the UN in New York – which will have Washington shaking in its boots – and the Saudis agreed to an Arab summit in Mecca, but one which should not be rushed because it must be carefully prepared – which sounded very like George W Bush’s equally mendacious remark that a ceasefire had to be carefully prepared. And that will have them shaking in the shoes in Tel Aviv.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14408.htm

“It’s Now Considered the American War Against the Arabs…” Democracy Now!

Calling Israel’s war in Lebanon a “catastrophe,” the former president of Morgan Stanley International talks about the democrats’ “huge mistake” in backing the Bush administration’s Israel policy.

Click here to view – listen
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14411.htm

Israeli bombs kills 14 civilians: :

Israeli air raids killed 14 people and wounded 23 in the southern village of Ghaziyeh, rescue workers and hospital officials said. The bombs fell as mourners were burying 15 people killed by a raid there the previous day.
tinyurl.com/eztjd

Three Israeli soldiers killed in heavy fighting in southern Lebanon:

Israel said that two reservist soldiers were killed early Tuesday, during fighting in the southwestern Lebanese village of Labouna. Another soldier was moderately wounded and a fourth sustained light injuries.
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/747820.html

4 Soldiers Killed in Southern Lebanon:

Four IDF soldiers were killed in action in three separate battles with Hizbullah terrorists on Monday
www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=109382

Hezbollah backs decision to deploy Lebanese army in south :

Lebanon will deploy its army in the south of the country after the Israel Defense Forces’ withdrawal from the area, the Lebanese cabinet agreed Monday night, in a decision supported by all the ministers present, including the five Shi’ite ministers who represent Hezbollah and Amal.
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/747344.html

Lebanon pleads for ceasefire as Israeli blitz kills 69:

Prime Minister Fuad Siniora made a tearful plea for an end to the four-week conflict in Lebanon as 69 people were killed in a new blitz of air raids and Israel warned of no limit to its offensive.
tinyurl.com/e5m9b

In Pictures – The Killing Continues In Lebanon

– Warning –

Images depict the reality and horror of the destruction of Lebanon. Should only be viewed by a mature audience.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14419.htm

Red Cross: Israel denying safe passage:

The Israeli military has denied permission for aid groups to move food and medicine to besieged villages in southern Lebanon for two days
www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/world/15219903.htm

IDF warns UN troops will be attacked if they repair bridges :

According to the UN, Israeli officials said the engineers would become a target if they attempted to repair the bridge.
www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1839442,00.html

Tyre ‘cut off’ by Israeli raids:

THE southern Lebanese port city of Tyre was completely cut off from the rest of the country by Israeli bombardments today, witnesses and police said to AFP.
theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20051579-1702,00.html

Qana strike fits conflict pattern: Annan:

UN secretary-general Kofi Annan says Israel’s shelling of the Lebanese village of Qana appears to fit a pattern of violations of international law marking warfare between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.
www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200608/s1709913.htm

UN to hold special session over Israel’s alleged human rights violations :

Tunisia’s ambassador Samir Labidi submitted the request, seeking a special session “to take action on the gross human rights violations by Israel in Lebanon, including the Qana massacre, country-wide targeting of innocent civilians, and destruction of vital civilian infrastructure”.
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/747774.html

Olmert to American Jews: Israel needs you :

“I believe this is a war which is fought by all the Jews,” the Israeli prime minister said in a conference call and webcast Monday.
jta.org/page_view_breaking_story.asp?intid=4060

Into the Valley of Death:

“Israel Has Made Itself the Least Safe Place in the World for a Jew to Live”
www.counterpunch.org/llewellyn08082006.html

Juan Cole: Bush, Islamic Fascism and the Christians of Jounieh :

Lebanon is a small country, with a population of only 3.8 million. A fourth of the country is homeless! That would be like a disaster that left 70 million Americans wandering around with just the shirts on their backs, living in shelters and schools, wondering where their next bite of food would come from, their homes in rubble, their lives destroyed.
www.juancole.com/2006/08/bush-islamic-fascism-and-christians-of.html

War pimp alert: Syria Transfers Deadly Russian Weapons to Hezbollah — Israeli Paper:

The majority of the Israeli Defense Force’s ground-troop casualties, both infantry and armored, were the result of Russian-made anti-tank units of Hezbollah, according to intelligence sources quoted by Haaretz daily.
mosnews.com/news/2006/08/07/russianhazard.shtml

Aiming for Iran :

What sent the Israeli Defence Force into southern Lebanon three weeks ago was not only the capture of its soldiers and the threat of Hizbullah’s rockets.
www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,,1839456,00.html