Israel, media coverage, more violence to come?

The reason Israel and Hezbollah (Lebanon) have been fighting is because Hezbollah entered Israel, killed Israeli soldiers and captured Israeli soldiers. That was not explicitly addressed in resolution 1701, but today Israel is saying the resolution has been violated because the solders have not been returned.

Because the kidnapped Israeli soldiers haven’t been returned yet. The resolution doesn’t require that, though: the preamble “emphasiz[es] the need for an end of violence … including by the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldiers,” but there’s no executory provision to that end in the body of the document. It’s an aspiration, not a demand. Which tells you everything you need to know about the resolution. Hot Air

The concensus seems to be that this ceasefire won't last, Hezbollah will fire more rockets, Israel will not get their soldiers back and will be forced go on the offensive again. They should have finished the job they started. Global Challenges Research has an article on Russia's part in the Middle East:

A whole set of Russia's strategic interests was reflected in the Lebanon crisis: starting from the geopolitical rivalry with America, and ending with the struggle against radical Islam in the North Caucasus. However, the participants of the conflict have ignored Moscow's peacemaking efforts. Thereon, Iran, Syria, HAMAS, and Hezbollah benefit from this ignorance... [snip] Russia takes a special place in the Great Game for the future of the Middle East, claiming the role of "a connecting link" between the Muslim world and the western civilization. This was repeatedly showed during the crisis in Lebanon, too. President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov clearly let know that Moscow was capable to become the intermediary between Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and HAMAS, on the one hand, and Israel and accordingly the United States, on the other.

Iran's President Ahmadinejad says 'the US and Britain are not competent to be members of the UN Security Council'.

“These countries have disgraced the UN Security Council through their uncalculated moves and should have no place in the council,“ he said. source

He doesn't just want Israel out of the UN security council, he wants them wiped off the map. Also "The United States intends to move in early September to impose U.N. sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend its enrichment of uranium, a senior State Department official said Thursday." I'm sure they are shaking in their boots (not).

The media coverage on the recent fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has been mixed, as far as I am concerned. I was dismayed at coverage in the United States and comments by US politicians who failed to speak out against Hezbollah. There has been some excellent commentary:

Israel

"The Reuterization of War Journalism," Michelle Malkin, Jewish World Review, August 9
"The Honest Broker, An Attitude to Lose By," Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review Online, August 10
"Why Israel Fights…And Why the US Must Let Her," William J. Bennett, National Review Online, August 11
"Armed Farces," Denis Boyles, National Review Online, August 11
"Worry About the West—Not Israel," Victor Davis Hanson, Jewish World Review, August 9
Examples of good, accurate reporting on the Israeli war to rid Lebanon of Hezbollah:
"Surreal Rules," Victor Davis Hanson, National Review Online, August 11
"Losing Ground," Adam Brodsky, New York Post, August 13
"Between Wars," New York Post, August 15
"Will Cease-Fires Never Cease?" Thomas Sowell, Jewish World Review, August 15
"Not Over Over There," Cal Thomas, Jewish World Review, August 15
"Mixed Signals," Frank J. Gaffney, Jr., Jewish World Review, August 15
"Triumphant Iran's Next Moves," Peter Brookes, New York Post, August 16
"The Mideast's Munich," Arthur Herman, New York Post, August 16

Historians will look back at this weekend's cease-fire agreement in Lebanon as a pivotal moment in the war on terror. It is pivotal in the same sense that the Munich agreement between Adolf Hitler and Neville Chamberlain was pivotal in an earlier battle against the enemies of freedom. The accord in October 1938 revealed to the world that the solidarity of the Western allies was a sham, and that the balance of power had shifted to the fascist dictators.

Resolution 1701 shows that, for the time being at least, the balance has likewise shifted to the terrorists and their state sponsors. Like Munich, it marks the triumph of the principle of putting off until tomorrow what needs to be done today. Like Munich, it will mean not peace in our time, but a bigger war in our future…

-- Jake Wakeland of The Independent Thinker

Caroline Glick warned that "If...Israel holds its fire and waits for a multinational force to deploy along the border, Israel will lose its right to self-defense...[and its] sovereignty." On Sunday, she identified the cease fire agreement as "an unmitigated disaster,"  source

Seth Godin's Blog has a new word, "awkward".  He says (among other things), "It's awkward to call a religious or political leader on their intolerant comments."  Yes Seth, but somebody's got to do it, might as well be bloggers.

Jack Bauer fact for today: If Jack Bauer smoked cigarettes, even the Surgeon General would be selling them to teenagers. via Bud's Broadcast Network

Comments

[Debbie]

OK, bloodstomper, here's your updates.

Update on cellphone purchases and terrorism

http://righttruth.typepad.com/right_truth/2006/08/update_on_cellp.html

Thanks for visiting and keeping me on my toes.

[bloodstomper]

Well, thanks for all those links about Israel or whatever.

Now, I don't see any "updates" posted here re those Michigan cellphone "terrorists" you were freaking out about a while back. How come I don't see any updates? Yeah, what happened to those guys, anyway? Have they been sentenced yet?

I know it is an urgent issue with you all, so, please, update us all on those cellphone terrorists in Michigan. Please?