Tuesday
Aug252009
Israel and Lebanon: The Boiling Point
Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 6:41
Netanyahu in London: Will Israel Make Any Move on Settlements and Jerusalem?
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Relations between Tel Aviv and Beirut are reaching a boiling point. After weeks in a battle of words, Israeli President Shimon Peres claimed to Kuwaiti al-Rai that Hezbollah had stockpiled 80,000 weapons, three times more than its munitions before the Second Lebanon War of 2006. He continued:
Peres said Lebanon had "become the Iran of the region" rather than the "Switzerland of the Orient."
On Sunday, Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh told The Daily Star that Beirut would never negotiate with Israel over the return of captured land and that Lebanon would be the last Arab state to sign a peace treaty concerning Jerusalem. He said:
On the specific allegation, Salloukh said, “I don't know how he counted these rockets. Let them [Israel] give us a list showing who the source is and how they identify these rockets. [Peres] imagines too much.”
Although Salloukh is not speaking on behalf of Hezbollah, his words reflect a coalition position which includes the group. Indeed, the Lebanese Government may be mirroring the Israeli tactic to “create a situation on the ground that will render such a solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impossible while paying lip-service to the two-state solution.” Despite the tension, it is not only Tel Aviv that might prefer this to a settlement.
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Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis
Relations between Tel Aviv and Beirut are reaching a boiling point. After weeks in a battle of words, Israeli President Shimon Peres claimed to Kuwaiti al-Rai that Hezbollah had stockpiled 80,000 weapons, three times more than its munitions before the Second Lebanon War of 2006. He continued:Hizbullah is working for its own interests and will always find a pretext to continue its policy against Israel, even if the IDF withdraws from Sheba Farms and the Lebanese Ghajar village.
Peres said Lebanon had "become the Iran of the region" rather than the "Switzerland of the Orient."
On Sunday, Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh told The Daily Star that Beirut would never negotiate with Israel over the return of captured land and that Lebanon would be the last Arab state to sign a peace treaty concerning Jerusalem. He said:
There will be neither direct nor indirect negotiations with Israel. Israel should have withdrawn [from captured territory] from the first minute of Resolution 1701….They should implement all UN resolutions.
On the specific allegation, Salloukh said, “I don't know how he counted these rockets. Let them [Israel] give us a list showing who the source is and how they identify these rockets. [Peres] imagines too much.”
Although Salloukh is not speaking on behalf of Hezbollah, his words reflect a coalition position which includes the group. Indeed, the Lebanese Government may be mirroring the Israeli tactic to “create a situation on the ground that will render such a solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impossible while paying lip-service to the two-state solution.” Despite the tension, it is not only Tel Aviv that might prefer this to a settlement.
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