I really wish all the best to M8.. really I do.
Because with power, comes responsibility, too.
.

>>> I really wish all the best to M8.. really I do.

Who gives a fig really what you wish for. Try to find somebody who does.

>>> Because with power, comes responsibility, too.

Right. And that comes from a person who thinks that a stronger people should use their power to vanquish another people. What audacity do you have to talk about responsibility! I wouldn’t trust you to a pair of scissors.

I agree that Ex Oriente Lux’s blog is a great addition to the blogosphere. But do you know for sure that the author is male? If so, perhaps you could share whatever else you know about his identity.

If you don’t know that the author is male, why do you assume it?

Dear Helena, Prickly as ever.

What can I say – maledar – like gaydar, but for men. Perhaps it was the musk. Maybe I am wrong? Correct me. If I am right, will you take me out to dinner?

Ouch. Helena’s got you there Joshua.

QN, Helena killed me on the Babes of Hizbullah post. I am still hurting from that one.

Here is a bit of Helena’s comments:

“No, Frank, I’m not “very upset”. I just think that the phenomenon of guys passing around pictures like these with breathless comments and comparisons about “babes” etc is really demeaning to women, and childish; and I guess I’m disappointed that someone like Josh who has a position of responsibility in a “Center for Peace Studies” at a large state university would be as sexist and exclusionary as this.

….Josh still uses– in the title of the post and in the text– the term “babes”, to refer to adult women. I consider that to be every bit as demeaning as the term “boy” to refer to an adult African-American. Plus, as I understand it, use of the term “babe” is related to the tendency to judge women primarily by their sex-related physical attributes.

….we have the smutty, leering tone of most of the discussion sparked here. Yuk. Still, Josh invited it with his post.”

Read the rest and the debate at:

https://joshualandis.com/blog/?p=110&cp=all#comment-1659

Wa’el Abu Fa’our, a very close aid to Jumblat, throws cold water on QN’s theory. Wa’el declared yesterday (Apr 27) Jumblat is in March 14 BEFORE and AFTER the elections.

And that comes from a person who thinks that a stronger people should use their power to vanquish another people.

Yossi (AKA Rumyal),

I hear this statement all the time from the liberals. So, naturally, I feel the need to respond.

I’m not sure where you got the idea that Israel needs to “vanquish another people” or be a “stronger people”. Is this something you can quote from an Israeli PM or the like?

All I hear and see with my own eyes is the Israeli government’s desire for the Palestinians to govern themselves. That doesn’t seem like “vanquishing” to me.

Also, I don’t think Israel intends to be a “stronger people”; just strong enough to protect her people and her state. Certainly Egypt, Syria, Turkey, and Iran are “stronger people” just by their shear numbers.

Yossi (AKA Rumyal) is a typical “useful idiot” ..
Our enemies would like many YOSSI RUMYALS among us.
But I do forgive him for that (and for his rudeness) coz I understand
where it comes from.
There’s a defect (or a mutation) in some of the Jewish DNA.. those
who suffer from this syndrome have tendencies of self-destructionism.
Fortunately, their numbers (as shown in the 2009 elections) are in
a sharp decline.
.

AP,

I got this idea straight from “The Mouth O’ the Mule” as we say, from Mr. Amir, when he said that in his opinion what Israel is doing is a reconquista of Israel for the Jews and by the Jews from the Muslims and that he’s very happy with that.

https://joshualandis.com/blog/?p=2752#comment-227292
https://joshualandis.com/blog/?p=2752#comment-227298
https://joshualandis.com/blog/?p=2752#comment-227301
https://joshualandis.com/blog/?p=2752#comment-227309
https://joshualandis.com/blog/?p=2752#comment-227318
https://joshualandis.com/blog/?p=2776#comment-227339
https://joshualandis.com/blog/?p=2776#comment-227349

A very revealing video about Aoun – person and history – at this link:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3733250393313583537

I wonder if the US would really want to work with such maniacs. I really don’t understand how such simplistic analysis “US Will Work with Lebanon Opposition – Experts Say” can be attributed to an “Expert”.

After carefully analyzing this so-called analysis of an obscure QN, I came to the conclusion that his intended audience is not those who are commenting on his analysis here on SC or on his own blog. I chose to make my comment here on SC because I noticed almost the same commentators visit both blogs. I also do not appreciate his blog because I find it tasteless.

My take on his post is as follows. The man is enchanted with HZB ideology and he is positioning himself as an interlocutor for this ideology. The intended audience for his article is as I mentioned are not SC or QN commentators. It is meant for the Christian voter in Lebanon who may have second thoughts about an Aoun victory which may result in Lebanon losing its standing with major powers. I must admit that he has pulled enough hairs to articulate such thesis.

The fear in the M8 camp is that Aoun may end up losing few seats from his parliamentary bloc. It is possible that Aoun may lose from 6 to 10 seats that will be added to the M14 bloc. All the other districts in Lebanon are expected to vote the same as in 2005. So, a projected loss of 6 to 10 Aoun seats will result in a parliament consisting of 78 to 82 seats to M14 versus 46 to 50 seats to M8.

The important question that will arise after June 7 is will M8 get a blocking veto in the new government or not? Obviously Saad Harriri will be the next PM for he will command the biggest parliamentary bloc in addition to him being the undisputed Sunni leader of Lebanon, the sect which is allotted the PM position. He already ruled out giving a blocking veto as being undemocratic. It is not in his best interest to head his first government and not being able to govern. My guess is he will form a government without such blocking veto. The opposition may cause a political impasse as happened with the Siniora government. However, this time they will not be able to stage a coup as they did on May 7. A scenario may arise where Arab troops (50000 to 80000 but not from Syria) will arrive in Beirut and take over Greater Beirut including South Beirut, place the Lebanese army under its command and declare martial law. Its mission and the objective of the formed government would be the implementation of 1559 and 1701 in full. The Arab force will arrive under UN mandate and not an Arab League blessing. This was the scenario that was discussed in Cairo after the May 7 coup and it would have been implemented had it not been for the lobbying efforts of Hamad of Qatar. That is why HZB pulled its gangs from the streets of Beirut within couple days of invading Beirut. This time, however, Hamad will have very few receptive ears.

Shai, Yossi,

You might like this,

Syria won’t help Hizbullah or Hamas attack Israel – Assad

By Andrew Wander
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, April 29, 2009

BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar Assad pledged on Tuesday that neither Hamas nor Hizbullah would attack Israel with his country’s help, but has said that the return of the Golan Heights is a “non-negotiable” condition to relations between Damascus and Tel Aviv being normalized.

Assad told the London-based Arabic newspaper Ash-Sharq al-Awsat Syria would not allow Hamas or Hizbullah to launch attacks on Israel from Syrian territory. “They both will never attack Israel through Syria under any circumstances,” he said.

The two groups should not be linked to fledgling peace talks between Israel and Syria, Assad said, insisting that only the return of the Golan Heights would allow the negotiations to bear fruit.

Assad added that Syria and Israel were at the “closest point ever to a peace agreement.”

However, Assad rebutted Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s assertion that peace talks were now based on “peace in exchange for peace” rather than the return of occupied land.

Assad warned that there would be “no peace” if this approach was adopted. “We could sign a peace deal without returning the land, but in such a situation there will be no peace and we won’t be able to normalize the relations,” he said. “Naturally we won’t accept this under any circumstances. There is no such thing as peace for peace.”

He also accused the Israelis of derailing the peace process by launching their military offensive against the Gaza Strip at the end of last year. “They attacked Gaza and thwarted everything,” he said.

While distancing the activities of Hamas and Hizbullah from the Syrian-Israeli peace negotiations, Assad used the interview to wholeheartedly reject Cairo’s accusations that Hizbullah was planning to attack targets in Egypt.

“Hizbullah has no reason to do this and it has denied that,” he said. “They said they have nothing against Egypt or Egyptians,” Assad added.”What’s Hizbullah’s aim behind this?”

Egypt has arrested a group of 49 men whom it accuses of being members of a Hizbullah cell tasked with carrying out attacks on targets in the country. Hizbullah admits that one of the men is a member of the group, but says his mission was to arrange for the transfer of arms to Hamas in Gaza, not to launch attacks against Egypt.

Assad also said he had “no expectations” for the findings of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) tasked with investigating the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

He called for the tribunal to include authorities in Damascus in its investigations.

“There is an agreement between the STL and the Lebanese government,” he said. “A similar deal should be cut with Syria if there is anything concerning a Syrian – whether he was guilty or innocent, any Syrian without exception.”

Many in Lebanon believe Syria and its allies were behind the car bombing in Downtown Beirut that killed Hariri in 2005. Damascus has consistently denied the charges, which it says are politically motivated.

Tags: Assad, Beirut, Damascus, Egypt, Hamas, Hariri, Hizbullah, Israel, Lebanon, Minister, Negotiation, Peace, Relations, Syria, Syrian, Tribunal, War

Majid,

I do not think that you will ever find 50 to 80 thousand troops from countries flocking to Lebanon , fighting on a forign land for them , in a country that defeated Israel ,

Who do you think will come?.

I doubt any Arab will come as usual we are good in talking and threatening but not in doing , not at least in the 1000 years.

Akbar,

I have answered your question but my comment is stuck in the spam filter (too many links I guess).

Alex,

Can you set it free?

Thanks…

Norman said, “I do not think that you will ever find 50 to 80 thousand troops from countries flocking to Lebanon , fighting on a forign land for them , in a country that defeated Israel ,

Who do you think will come?.

I doubt any Arab will come as usual we are good in talking and threatening but not in doing , not at least in the 1000 years.”

You’re not serious Norman about Lebanon (or HZB for that matter) having defeated Israel?

Why you don’t think anyone will come? Why was it discussed in the first place in Cairo after May 7? And who will implement 1701 for the next government? You don’t think Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and few other States can form 80000 troops among them? Particularly, if given the green light from the UN? Or do you think the whole world will come down on its knees asking Bashar to play blackmail? There’s not much to it and it is not a threat to anybody. In fact failing to do it would be a threat to regional peace. Morocco and Egypt at this point would be very eager to participate, not to mention Jordan.

Majid,

I am older than you are and have seen talks that never materialized,

If anybody would have done anything ,They would have done that during the Bush administration,last year.

Let us see what will happen , But i don’t think that anybody will come to Lebanon.

God willing , we will live and see and talk about it in the next 6 months.

Norman,
I do respect the wisdom that comes with age. But, it is a very likely possibility that you will see 50000 to 80000 Arab troops (and perhaps other non-Arab like Malay or Turkish but the bulk would be Arab). It is very likely if HZB and Co. insist on a blocking veto and don’t come to their senses.

Anyway, my original comment was meant to expose the actual intent of QN’s article. This scenario came out as byproduct.

By the way, did you hear about the threat that was delivered to the Iranian governmnet from two major Arab States of possible military action when some Iranian official declared Bahrain to have been the 14th Iranian province? The threat was quitely delivered behind the scenes and the Iranians got the message. So don’t think the Arabs are just sitting idle watching.

Alex,

I think comment Nr.9 above should be deleted, unless Amir can find better ways of presenting his opinion, rather than his personal dislikes of Yossi, or anyone else. I don’t expect Amir knows how to do that but maybe he can surprise us.

https://joshualandis.com/blog/?p=2837&cp=all#comment-227387

shai, i’m wiriting from my cell hence the funny looks of my comment (power outage… no not in syria…)

i appreciate your concern but i’d like to keep his comment. he really shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy deniability. google his alias and you’ll see he left his fascist ugly fingerprints in other blogs his well. the secretions of his medieval half-brain will remain his legacy on the net forever….

Shai,

“the secretions of his medieval half-brain will remain his legacy on the net forever”

: )

Hi Yossi,

Sorry, I just noticed your comments which was stuck in the spam filter.

Released… Akbar you can enjoy reading it if you still want to.

Dearest Majid,

You said: [It is possible that Aoun may lose from 6 to 10 seats that will be added to the M14 bloc. All the other districts in Lebanon are expected to vote the same as in 2005. So, a projected loss of 6 to 10 Aoun seats will result in a parliament consisting of 78 to 82 seats to M14 versus 46 to 50 seats to M8.]

I don’t know a single M14 politician who thinks that their coalition is going to win 78-82 seats. If you’d like to go through the districts and show me which ones you think Aoun will lose and which ones M14 will hold, we can have a real discussion. Otherwise, you’re just throwing numbers in the air.

Luckily, M14 is not using your calculations, because if they did, they wouldn’t be spending much effort trying desperately to hold districts that they swept in 2005. Due to the new election law (have you read it by the way?), the districts have been redrawn to the M8 Christians’ advantage. They are much more likely to gain seats than lose them, especially in places like Baabda, Zgharta, Achrafieh, etc. Meanwhile, March 14 is relying on Syrian-friendly heavyweights like Murr and Mikati to stave off another “orange tsunami”…

[Obviously Saad Harriri will be the next PM for he will command the biggest parliamentary bloc in addition to him being the undisputed Sunni leader of Lebanon, the sect which is allotted the PM position.]

Tell me, why wasn’t he PM in 2005? He held the biggest parliamentary bloc and was the undisputed Sunni leader of Lebanon, wasn’t he? And how undisputed is his leadership now if he is having to give up seats in Tripoli to other non-Mustaqbal Sunnis like Mikati and Safadi? He may well be the next PM, but I actually think that a few other names are more likely.

[It is not in his best interest to head his first government and not being able to govern. My guess is he will form a government without such blocking veto.]

I actually don’t disagree that the veto is problematic, constitutionally speaking. But I’m not so sure that he will form a government without it. Depending on how far along the Syrian-Saudi reconciliation efforts are, he may be forced to accept it.

[A scenario may arise where Arab troops (50000 to 80000 but not from Syria) will arrive in Beirut and take over Greater Beirut including South Beirut, place the Lebanese army under its command and declare martial law.]

Where do you get this stuff?

Brilliant piece by Stephen Walt.

http://tr.im/jZYl

Yossi/Rumyal,

OK, I may have misinterpreted your comment. Apparently you were just referring to just “Amir in Tel Aviv”, and not the whole GOI.

Sliha…

The Double Life of an Israeli Liberal

Shai, Yossi,

Will you be “sitting shiva” today or celebrating?

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3708135,00.html

Thank you YOSSI for your gallant approach; I didn’t say you were
an Idiot. I said you’re “Useful Idiot”..[ copyright: Vladimir Lenin ].

Self-guilt, doubt, identifying with the enemy [OR] identifying with the
victim… all those are so typical Jewish condition, that we have to
be real careful, and always ask ourselves: is it the Syndrome thinking
through us? or is it reality?

From Nathan Alterman poem “Then Said the Devil” :

“אז אמר השטן: הנצור הזה

איך אוכל לו.

אתו האומץ וכשרון המעשה

וכלי מלחמה ותושיה עצה לו.

ויאמר:לא אטל כוחו

ולא רסן אשים ומתג

ולא מרך לב אביא בתוכו

ולא ידיו ארפה כמקדם,

רק זאת אעשה:אכהה מחו

ושכח שאיתו הצדק.

כך דבר השטן וכמו

חורו השמים מאימה

בראותם אותו בקומו

לבצע את המזימה.”

נתן אלתרמן, מן העזבון, שירים אחרונים.

Notice the line: “This I’ll do; bedim their clear judgment, and make
them forget that they are right…”.

Happy independence day !!!
.

In what some may regard as a symbolic move, the UN tribunal judge Daniel Fransen secured the release of the four Lebanese generals detained since 2005. While they can be recalled at a later date, this decision is significant. The detention decision was challenged by this judge who demanded more evidence. The prosecution handed this evidence on monday. The judge ruled against this detention and for their release. The prosecution will not even appeal. This is a major blow to March 14th.

Judge Daniel Bellemare stated that “he had no credible evidence on which to hold the men”, said the the judge (Fransen).

The release of the four generals,in Lebanon,comes as a surprise, it means that Bellemere and Mehlis has different views,this could mean a long and undecisive tribunal,it is ominous sign for Saad Harriri,and a good sign for Bashar Assad, we might as well, save the money that this tribunal will cost.
After 4 years of extensive investigations,Bellemere has to accuse someone.Those generals may disappear.

Palestinians commemorate Nakba Day May 2008:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2008/may/15/israelandthepalestinians.photography?picture=334155195

Shai, Yossi,

This is for you , You might be right ,

I think Netanyahu can do a lot of good if stops Building the wall to satisfy his own vision of one state or the Palestinian needs for easy mobility,

w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m

——————————————————————————–

Last update – 01:49 30/04/2009
Ben-Eliezer: Netanyahu will surprise us with ‘serious’ Syria talks
By Yossi Verter, Haaretz Correspondent

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to conduct “serious negotiations” with the Palestinians and the Syrians, Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) told Haaretz. The full interview will appear Friday in Week’s End.

“Netanyahu is going to surprise us all,” said Ben-Eliezer, who is industry, trade and employment minister, after several tete-a-tetes with the prime minister over the past month.

He said Netanyahu had assured him, both before and after he set up the government, that he would continue negotiating with the Syrians.

Regarding the Palestinians, Netanyahu’s plan will be based on a two-state solution, said Ben-Eliezer.

“It’s not the same Bibi,” Ben-Eliezer said. “He’s much more open, patient and relaxed. He’s not alarmed or dogmatic. Something happened to him. He realizes that he cannot afford another crash like the one in his previous term.

“He understands that there’s a new administration in the United States, which is neither the Clinton Administration nor the Bush administration, and that if we don’t come up with a peace plan, someone else will call the shots for us.”

“If we find that Bibi lied to us, we’ll quit [the coalition],” said Ben-Eliezer, who is a member of the security cabinet.

He said that he and Netanyahu believe the Iranian issue should be solved diplomatically, not militarily.

Ben-Eliezer said the Labor Knesset members who objected to party chairman Ehud Barak’s decision to enter the coalition were “terrorizing” the party, and called their conduct over Barak’s dismissal of party secretary general Eitan Cabel “insanity.”

Related articles:

After Lieberman remarks, Assad repeats Syria demand for Golan

Netanyahu’s vow to Syria: Israel won’t provoke war

Ben-Eliezer: If Iran attacks Israel, we will destroy it

——————————————————————————–

/hasen/objects/pages/PrintArticleEn.jhtml?itemNo=1081987

close window

Thousands of Arabs in Palestine commemorate the day of Nakba today April 29 2009 in the town of Kifrin. Kifrin was an Arab town surrounded by 32 other Arab town all destroyed by the invaders in 1948. Over 3000 participated with signs proclaiming: Right of Return is Non-Negotiable in addition to signs bearing the names of the towns that were destroyed:

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/04/29/71689.html

Akbar,

“The Double Life of an Jewish-American Neocon”:

He’s got the chutzpah to criticize “liberals” from Israel, for doing the opposite of protecting their country, but won’t do shit to protect it himself. As an avid-Zionist, dear Akbar, why don’t you take your family, make Aliyah to Israel, join the army (and then send your kids there as well), and contribute to my country’s “survival” with a bit more than just words and guilt-money? Or is it not quite the place you’d want to raise your children in? Or raise yourself, for that matter? Are the Likudnicks not doing “enough” to make this place a better place for all Jews?

Why not come here, and do something about it? You’re awfully good at yapping about who’s right and who’s wrong in Israel, maybe you’d actually be good at lifting a finger too…

Norman,

Who knows. I’m cautiously optimistic, but not because I see anything positive developing on the ground, or even the “scoop” that dinosaur-politician Ben-Eliezer (who should have been out of politics 900,000 years ago) came up with. My hope is that Bibi loves himself too much to miss another personal opportunity. He won’t be PM a 3rd time. So it’s now or never. He wants to be written down in the History-books of Israel as THE man who brought an end to the Israel-Arab conflict. That’s the ONLY reason he’ll talk to the Syrians, the Palestinians (who exactly??? Fatah?), and the Taliban for that matter…

A nation needs to know also when to elect ultra-egotistical leaders, like Bibi. We can only benefit from that… (Unless he also decides to go on wild adventures against Iran, HA, or Hamas.)

Norman,

Barak said, in that article about “Peace within 3 years…”: “I am certain it is possible and certainly necessary to act with all our might to achieve peace even before I turn 70, which will be in three years,” said Defense Minister Ehud Barak in his first extensive interview since joining the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”

Notice the about-me approach… “before I turn 70…”? These “leaders” are not even ashamed to say it out loud. And since most in my country still suffer from sheep-like-syndrome (following any leader, anywhere), indeed maybe Barak and Netanyahu will “lead us” down that much hoped-for path to peace.

I find it terribly amusing that Ben-Elizer is already disclosing what Bibi has promised him about the Syrians. Bibi’s no fool (though his followers are), and he knows he can get nothing out of the Syrians without giving back the Golan. So what he tells Ben-Eliezer (and a few more) behind closed doors, and what he tells his Jewish-American envoys to Assad, is very different from what he tells all-of-Israel on TV, before the campaign, during, and after. It’s the same Bibi as in August 1998. I don’t know who’s delivering the message to Syria this time (is Lauder still alive?), but I’m sure it’s been sent, or is soon on the way. The Likud has never been good at going to war, and Bibi’s not interested in trying his luck… I hope.

Shai said:

Why not come here, and do something about it?

Shai,

You understandably have a right to bring up the fact that I’m American and I haven’t made “Aliyah”. Nevertheless, I feel I have the right to comment on the Arab-Israeli conflict, just like many of the Arabs here who have left the Middle East to live elsewhere.

OTOH, the fact that I have made over a dozen trips to Israel and lived there for over two years, in some small way, makes me feel connected to Israel more than, say, the average Jewish-American.

Any Israeli want to comment on this?:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3708634,00.html