War (of Words) with Syria
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Saturday, May 31, 2003
[Another story on the US pay-off of Lebanon. It's a bit convoluted. This time its about the nexus of Waterworks of Mass Desertification and guerilla warfare/terrorism. If Lebanon proceeds with plans to take water from the Wazzani River, a tributary of the Hatzbani River, which flows in to the Jordon River, then Israel may attack.
Keep in mind that Israeli military strikes against Arab water facilities occured during the period of escalation proceeding Israel's pre-emptive war in 1967, and that the Golan Heights, captured during that pre-emptive war, and since annexed by Israel, provide much of Israel's water supply.
To defuse the current cold water war, the US will pay to build a pumping station on the Litani River. But to do so means that Hizbullah, who have militia forces in southern Lebanon, must be disarmed.]
Lebanon Offered U.S. Aid to Disarm Hezbollah, Lawmaker Says
Bloomberg -- May 29
May 29 (Bloomberg) -- A U.S. lawmaker, citing Bush administration support, will propose to Lebanon that it disarm the Hezbollah militia and cancel a water project opposed by Israel in return for $500 million in American aid.
The aid, intended to help defuse tension in the region, would be used to build a water-distribution facility in southern Lebanon that would avoid the need to tap a river that flows into Israel, Representative Darrell Issa of California said.
A background story on the Wazzani ...
AP via ENN -- September 17, 2002
Hezbollah flay ban plan by Australia
Reuters via Gulf News -- May 30
Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters yesterday said that Australia's push to ban the group as a "terrorist" organisation showed it had fallen in line with a smear campaign orchestrated by Washington and Israel.
U.S. Offers To Pay For Peace
Arutz Sheva -- May 30
Syria, which still appears on the American list of terrorism-supporting countries, and Lebanon are liable to receive a half-billion dollars each from the United States. Two Congressmen - Darrell Issa (R-Ca.) and Robert Wexler (D-Fl.) - have been sent by the White House to visit the Middle East next week and offer Damascus the money in exchange for "participating" in the Middle East process. Syria will be asked to end its support for terrorist organizations such as Hizbullah and Islamic Jihad, and end the occupation of Lebanon by Syrian troops.
Lebanon, for its part - from where Rep. Issa's grandparents hail - will be asked to disarm Hizbullah, station its forces along the border with Israel instead of Hizbullah, and "express willingness" to reach a water-rights agreement with Israel.
US reportedly offering deal to neutralize Hizbullah
‘$500m on table’ if Beirut complies
The Daily Star -- May 30
Nicholas Blanford
Special to The Daily Star
The United States is reportedly making a fresh attempt to strike a behind-the-scenes
deal to neutralize Hizbullah, offering the government half a billion dollars if the resistance is dismantled and Syria pulls its troops out of Lebanon.
The offer is reportedly being conveyed by Darryl Issa, a Republican congressman for California, and Democrat Robert Wexler during a visit to Beirut Friday, the daily As-Safir said Thursday. The two congressmen will also travel to Damascus to discuss the offer with Syrian officials, the paper said.
As-Safir said the $500 million would be delivered in phases as Lebanon fulfilled a number of demands. An initial $100 million would be disbursed if Lebanon agreed to settle its water disputes with Israel, namely the allocation of water from the Hasbani River.
A further $250 million would be handed over for development projects in the border district if Hizbullah’s military wing is dismantled and the army deployed along the UN-delineated Blue Line. The remaining $150 million would be allocated to water and agricultural projects in the South.
There was no immediate official comment on the offer, but few believe that Lebanon and Syria will accept the alleged deal.
If the report is true, it would not be the first time that the US attempted to cut a deal to curb Hizbullah’s military activities. After Sept. 11, 2001, Issa reportedly delivered a message to Hizbullah’s leadership on behalf of the US administration, asking the party to withdraw from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, publicly distinguish between Islam and terrorism and share information it has on groups the US considers terrorist organizations. In return, the US administration would forgive Hizbullah’s alleged past involvement in anti-Western attacks.
The deal was rejected by Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who described it as a “political hand grenade hurled to finish us off.”
Nasrallah also said that the US attempted to buy off Hizbullah in early 2000, offering millions of dollars, a guaranteed political role in Lebanon and international recognition if it abandoned the struggle against Israel after the Israeli Army withdrew from the South.
Meanwhile, the daily Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Thursday that Iranian Revolutionary Guards have been removing weapons from the border district around Marjayoun. The newspaper also said that Iran has stopped training Hizbullah pilots, apparently hang-glider pilots trained to carry out suicide operations inside Israel.
Timur Goksel, UNIFIL’s spokesman and senior adviser, said that Indian peacekeeping troops deployed in the Marjayoun area had seen no unusual movement.
He also said no hang-gliders had been seen in south Lebanon.
“The only things flying around here bigger than a bird are Israeli jets,” Goksel said.
The only known incident of a hang-glider being used in an attack on Israel happened in November 1987.
The Third Phase of the War on Terror
BBC World News -- May 30
During a BBC report on Hizbullah and Lebanon Dr. Loren B. Thompson of the Lexington Institute had this to say ...
From the viewpoint of the United States, a country that cannont prevent its territory from being used as a base for attacks against other countries is by definition a failed state. It lacks sovereingty, and therefore external powers have the legitimacy of acting in order to prevent them becoming a threat.