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To negotiate a ceasefire, just as the Saudis asked. From Reuters, with thanks to Sr. Soph:
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice flew to Beirut today to seek a "sustainable" ceasefire in Lebanon, where Hezbollah guerrillas were battling Israeli forces in the south.Ms Rice arrived by helicopter from Cyprus and Lebanese political sources said she would meet Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Shiite Muslim Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Mr Berri, head of the Shiite Amal movement, is a pro-Syrian politician allied to Hezbollah who has acted as a link between the Islamist group's leaders and Mr Siniora since the war erupted.
Al Jazeera television said two Israeli soldiers had been killed in fierce fighting after tanks pushed north from the border village of Maroun al-Ras. It said a helicopter carrying wounded Israeli soldiers had crashed near the border.
Hezbollah said its fighters downed the helicopter and hit five tanks, destroying some of them and killing and wounding several soldiers.
The Israeli army said earlier nine soldiers had been wounded in the fighting. An Israeli military source said Hezbollah did not shoot down helicopter.
Israeli tanks had driven north from the border village of Maroun al-Ras, captured in heavy fighting last week, towards the town of Bint Jbeil, about four km inside Lebanon.
The incursion was one of several forays by Israeli troops across the border in search of elusive Hezbollah fighters using well-hidden rocket-launchers to attack northern Israel.
Israeli warplanes battered southern towns and villages, killing at least three people and wounding 20. An air strike also hit a Shiite district of Beirut just after midday....
Israeli security sources and Western diplomats said Israel's army believed it had about a week to complete its campaign before an international deal is reached to stop the fighting.
The US, which blames Hezbollah and its allies in Syria and Iran for the crisis, wants any ceasefire deal to remove the threat to Israel posed by the Shiite group.
"We believe that a ceasefire is urgent," Ms Rice told reporters during her flight to the Middle East. "It is important to have conditions that will make it also sustainable."
Posted by Robert at July 24, 2006 7:49 AM
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Yes, dear Condi. Let's have an immediate cease fire. Let's work together with the EU and UN to make the world safe for barbarism.
Posted by: Eliyahu![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at July 24, 2006 8:03 AM
So, the news was not false, Condi is not on a suicide trip, that leaves us with two options.
1. The policy makers are clear plain mad.
2. The U.S. is stating that it is with hezbollah by sending Condi into war zone thereby limiting IDF's operations.
Posted by: arjun.sevak at July 24, 2006 8:10 AM
Condi, come back home. When Israel is finished, they will call you.
Posted by: freewoman at July 24, 2006 8:42 AM
No, I have it wrong. It is the good cop, bad cop routine in play. Israel is not letting up.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=amEaQwa7Yk9w&refer=home
Posted by: arjun.sevak at July 24, 2006 9:02 AM
I think that the crucial word is "sustainable". A ceasefire that leaves Hezbollah intact and in the south of Lebanon would not be sustainable. It appears to me that the public US position is scarcely distinguishable from Israel's.
That is not to say that we may not cave in anyway at some point. But at the moment, the posture seems to be "Hezbollah must disarm or be disarmed."
The Israeli posture of welcoming a robust international force on the border is an elegant one. It is eminently reasonable, it would help to fulfil the UNSC resolution to disarm Hezbollah, and Hezbollah will not go along. I just hope that the IDF is able to destroy Hezbollah. The reported 8000 fighters is the equivalent of multiple divisions of light infantry. Fighting from prepared positions, they could exact a calamitous toll on the IDF.
Posted by: Dhimmisoftheworldunite at July 24, 2006 10:03 AM
.. and Dubya had no spine to ask Saudis to recognize Israel, while we are at that. Shows how much Dubya cares for Israle, or Americans, for that matter.
Posted by: Alert at July 24, 2006 12:17 PM
Alert,
Accept Israel’s right to exist? Even if they said ok it would just be a ploy to get the Infidels off their back. And I say again, I will not drop down to the level they are on for a few hollow promises. And give GW a break, he did not sign on in 2000 as an anti islamic global domination fighter. In 2008 we will pick a Pres that is.
at July 24, 2006 4:16 PM
Israel doen't need any Arab recognition; she needs trumph over them all.
Posted by: ssa at July 24, 2006 5:07 PM
tgusa
That needs to be a campaign issue this fall. And I do hope that anti-Islamic sentiments dominate both the parties. It will have to be for different reasons, but I hope it prevails. Right now, I only see it having modest success on the Right, and next to none on the Left. The Left has the right idea on Iraq, if only they'd demand that Iran's nukes be taken out, and Syria toppled. Then it would be irrelevant whether Baynor or Pelosi become speaker.
at July 24, 2006 7:41 PM
Infidel Pride,
Now I am thoroughly depressed. Choices, choices, when will we ever have some decent choices?
at July 24, 2006 8:44 PM
tgusa,
Tom Tancredo, if he will run, will be an excellent choice, IMO. Tough on immigration, metioned something about turning Mecca into a glass parking lot...
at July 25, 2006 2:52 AM
watcher,
I am a supporter of Mr. Tancredo. J/W, can I plug him? http://tancredo.house.gov/
at July 25, 2006 2:27 PM
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