Position of Lebanon in the 2006 Lebanon War

Position of Lebanon in the 2006 Lebanon War

Lebanon's position in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict has from the start been to disavow the Hezbollah shelling and raid on 12 July, while calling for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.

On 13 July, after an emergency meeting of the Lebanese government, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora stated that the government had not been aware of Hezbollah's raid before it happened "and does not take responsibility for, nor endorses what happened on the international border" [cite news|title= Siniora’s Cabinet makes clear it had nothing to do with ‘what happened’|date=2006-07-13| publisher=Daily Star (Lebanon)|url=http://dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=73930] . On the same day, Lebanon recalled its Ambassador to USA, after he had made comments on television saying that Israel should consider a prisoner exchange with Hezbollah [cite news | title = Israel steps up Lebanon offensive| date=2006-07-13| publisher=The Guardian|url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1819303,00.html] .

On 13 July, a prominent Lebanese Druze member of parliament, Walid Jumblatt, criticized Hezbollah in an interview with the French daily "Le Figaro": "Hezbollah played a very dangerous game by kidnapping these two soldiers. ... Israel has withdrawn from Lebanon. These kidnappings took place outside our country's borders. Hezbollah is raising the stakes, with the support of Iran and Syria, which in the past year has become a satellite state of Tehran. … Hezbollah will have to explain itself to the Lebanese. ... [We need to decide] who makes the decisions regarding war and peace in this country." [ [http://www.nysun.com/article/36281 Arab World Divided Over Hezbollah] ]

On 14 July, following a phone call between Siniora and President Bush, the Prime Minister’s office issued the statement that “Prime Minister Siniora called on President Bush to exert all his efforts on Israel to stop its aggression on Lebanon, reach a comprehensive ceasefire and lift its blockade.” [cite news | title = Lebanon says Bush to press Israel to limit attacks | date=2006-07-14| publisher=Reuters|url= http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-07-14T112125Z_01_L14740154_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-LEBANON-SINIORA.xml] The next day, in a televised message to the Lebanese people, and afterwards in an interview with CNN, Siniora said “We call for an immediate ceasefire backed by the United Nations.”cite news | title = Lebanese PM demands ceasefire| date=2006-07-15| publisher=ABC News|url= http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2196324]

On 16 July, the Lebanese special envoy to the UN, Nouhad Mahmoud, claimed that the United States was obstructing the Security Council's attempt to broker a ceasefire cite news|title=Lebanon blames US for UN silence |date=2006-07-16|accessdate=2006-07-16|publisher=Al Jazeera|author=Al Jazeera.net|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6C062C97-F8D0-42B9-89A1-1C4D6963D512.htm] , as the U.S. was the sole member of the 15-nation UN body to oppose any council action cite news |url=http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/17/1423239 |publisher=Democracy Now! |title=Headlines for July 17, 2006 |date=17 July 2006] . The US position was further made clear by the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who on the same day, speaking at the G8 meeting in St. Petersburg, said that the only way to deal with the problem is “to deal with the extremists, isolate the extremists, and put in place moderate democratic states”. [cite news | title=Rice tells Israel US concerned about casualties|date=2006-07-16| publisher=Reuters|url= http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-07-16T121953Z_01_N16225473_RTRUKOC_0_US-GROUP-MIDEAST-RICE.xml&archived=False]

On 17 July, Lebanese president, Émile Lahoud, said he would never betray Hezbollah and its leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5179434.stm|publisher=BBC|title='Day-by-day: Lebanon crisis - week one']

On 21 July, Lebanese defense minister Elias Murr said that the Lebanese army would fight any ground invasion by Israel. [cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/741100.html|publisher=Haaretz|title='Lebanese defense minister: Army will fight ground invasion']

On 25 July, the [http://www.democracyinlebanon.org Center for Democracy in Lebanon] , a Lebanese group which was involved in the Cedar Revolution movement, called for an immediate ceasefire and proposed a [http://www.democracyinlebanon.org/WAR/CDL-Declarations/Roadmap060725.htm Roadmap to Normalization] .

At the 26 July Rome Conference, Prime Minister Siniora put forward a seven-point peace plan that has become known as the Siniora Plan. It consisted of a mutual release of prisoners; Israeli troops withdrawing to the demarcated frontier and allowing displaced civilians to return home; Israel's withdrawal from the occupied Shebaa Farms and placing the territory under temporary UN control; extending Lebanese government authority throughout all of southern Lebanon; expanding the existing UN force in South Lebanon, including its authority to intervene; reinvigorating the 1949 Armistice Agreement; and rebuilding the south [cite news|title=One way out: the Siniora plan=Daily Star (Lebanon)|date=2006-08-03|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=74418] . The plan is backed by Hezbollah [cite news|title=Uncertainty as Hezbollah backs Lebanon PM truce plan|publisher=AFP|date=2006-07-28|url= http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2006/July/middleeast_July675.xml&section=middleeast] , the EU [cite news|title=EU backs Lebanon PM's truce plan|publisher=EU Business|date=2006-07-28|url=http://www.eubusiness.com/afp/060728160709.kyqd7ixg] , Syria [cite news|title=EU enlists Syrian help with Lebanon crisis| publisher=Ynetnews|date=2006-08-04|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3286074,00.html] and most members of the Arab League, such as Jordan [cite news|title=King Affirms Support of Plan to Defuse Lebanese Crisis|publisher=Petra (Agency)|date=2006-08-05|url=http://www.petra.gov.jo/nepras/2006/Aug/05/12000.htm] .

On 7 August, the Siniora Plan was further detailed to include 15,000 Lebanese Army troops which would fill the void in southern Lebanon after an Israeli withdrawal before the international force would be in place. This way, the Lebanese government hoped to dispel the claim that the Israeli forces had to remain in Lebanon until the international force had arrived [cite news|title=Lebanon ready to send 15,000 troops to south when Israel pulls out|publisher=TurkishPress.com|date=2006-08-07|url=http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=136698] . The number of soldiers corresponded with what Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said that the size of the international force needs to be [cite news|title=Olmert: 15,000 int'l troops needed=Jerusalem Post|date=2006-08-03|url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1154525796501&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull] .

On 22 August, the [http://www.democracyinlebanon.org Center for Democracy in Lebanon] called upon the Lebanese people and the Siniora Government to consider a rebuilding plan for a “New Beirut”. The plan calls for a "garden of angels" to commemorate the children, victims of the 2006 Israeli aggression on Lebanon; the garden will be located where the “security square” used to be in the southern suburb and will house about 400 life-size statues for children (one for each fallen child); it will be flanked by a museum of innocence commemorating the war, and a children playground. For details see [http://www.democracyinlebanon.org/Documents/CDL-Exclusives/AlChaer060822.htm ...for the children] .

External links

* [http://www.lebanonundersiege.gov.lb/english/F/Main/index.asp? The Lebanese government's Higher Relief Council's website] - linked 9 August 2006
* [http://www.democracyinlebanon.org/Documents/CDL-Exclusives/AlChaer060822.htm ...for the children - A monument of peace; an oasis of love; a garden of angels!] - The Center for Democracy in Lebanon
* [http://www.lebanon-israel.info www.lebanon-israel.info An ongoing discussion on the Lebanon-Israel conflict]

References


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