Lebanon expects more Israeli breaches of UNSC resolution

Lebanese foreign minister Fauzi Salloukh has unequivocally raised doubts on Israel’s respect to the UNSC 1701 resolution ordering cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, adding that Israel has breached and is expected to breach the said resolution many times.

Salloukh’s remarks came after meeting with Arab League secretary-general Amre Mousa that preceded an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers in the Egyptian capital Cairo Sunday.

He was clearly alluding to the botched Israeli commando landing operation in the eastern Lebanese Beka’a Valley a couple of days ago in which the commando force was badly beaten and lost one of its officers with two others wounded.

“The breach means that Israel cannot live with peace, and is incapable of maintaining peace, stability, and security”, said the Lebanese minister.

Lebanon’s defense minister Elias Al-Murr threatened to halt deployment of the Lebanese army in the south if such Israeli violations were repeated without the UNSC having a firm stance regarding them.

The Arab member in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) Jamal Zahalka warned that Israel wasn’t sincere in accepting the UNSC resolution, charging that its submission to the resolution was part of Israel’s tactics to take a breath and prepare for the second round of confrontations.

Zahalka was present when Israeli premier Ehud Olemrt delivered his speech before the Knesset members last Monday where he (Olmert) asserted that the war isn’t over yet.

He accused the Israeli occupation government of appointing itself as a guardian on the UNSC resolution as he quoted Olmert as saying, “My government will follow up the implementation of the UNSC resolution, and we will reserve the right to react individually in case articles of the resolution weren’t absolutely enforced”.

Olmert earlier said that Israel will seek permission of none in chasing Hizbullah figures and killing them.

“Olmert is still refusing to concede defeat in Lebanon or accept the fact that Israel isn’t capable of uprooting Hizbullah”, said Zahalka, opining that a secret deal between the USA and Israel exists stipulating working together on the military path along with the diplomatic and political pressures.

Schools in northern settlements not ready for new school year:
Reflecting the impact left by Hizbullah missiles on Israeli settlements north of occupied Palestine, Israel’s education ministry affirmed that schools in the north aren’t ready to receive pupils in September.

The pupils according to Hebrew sources will be transferred to other schools in less affected settlements in the south.

Israel’s war minister earlier formed an investigation committee dubbed as “Shahak Committee” after the name of its head Amnon Shahak, former IOF chief of staff, to examine reasons behind the bitter defeat in Lebanon at the hands of Hizbullah fighters.

According to the Hebrew Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, the committee’s mission is confined to probing the military level and the readiness of the IOF in the external and internal fronts and whether they were ready for the war or not.

Many Israeli political figures and military reservists blamed war minister Amir Peretz and Olmert for the IOF troops’ failure in Lebanon.

Mutiny in IOF base in the south:
The paper further revealed that 12 Israeli soldiers fled their military base south of Palestine due to the “unsuitable” conditions in the base.

It added that the base that is located in the southern Eilat city (its Palestinian name is Um Al-Rashrash) witnessed a sort of military mutiny due to the lack of necessary needs, spurring those soldiers to pack up their luggage and flee the place.

Israeli observers attributed the state of disappointment the IOF servicemen were suffering to the IOF troops’ failure in subduing the Palestinian resistance since the outbreak of the Aqsa intifada six years ago, recording an increase in drug addiction and suicide cases amidst the soldiers.

Meanwhile, Israeli journalist and expert in Arab affairs Tseve Bareil urged the Israeli occupation government to immediately start negotiations with Palestinians and Lebanese captors of Israeli POWs in Gaza and Lebanon, especially that the military solution proved inability to free them.

Shlomo Avneri, the lecturer in the Hebrew University invited Olmert to seriously think resigning to pave the way for early elections.

Whether he (Olmert) likes it or not, the investigation committee that he strives to stall will be established and might force him to resign similar to what had happened with former Israeli premiers Golda Meir in the wake of the 1973 war, and Menachem Begin in the wake of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, Avneri added.

The writer revealed the overwhelming outrage amidst hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers exposed to salvos of Hizbullah missiles, and disgruntled IOF reservists and regular soldiers and officers for going to war without clear objectives.

Moreover, he charged that Olmert lacks experience and enough knowledge in security and military matters that make him vulnerable to commit mistakes that could perhaps be “fatal”, and therefore, he couldn’t lead a government.