Israel, Hizbollah holding fire UN reports. Skeptics proven wrong, for now.

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Israel, Hizbollah are holding fire, UN’s Lebanon force reports

15 August 2006 – There have been no breaches of the Security Council-mandated cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hizbollah since it came into effect on Monday morning, the United Nations Interim Force for Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported today.

“The parties have ceased firing into the territory of or at the other side, and there were no attempts to occupy any additional territory,” the Force said following “intensive patrolling” throughout its area of operation.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have maintained their presence inside Lebanese territory in different areas, with no “significant changes in position or strength,” UNIFIL said.

Under the resolution calling for the cessation of hostilities, the Security Council welcomed the Lebanese Government's plan to deploy 15,000 troops across the south of the country as Israel withdraws behind the Blue Line, and also backed the simultaneous deployment of an expanded and enhanced UNIFIL with up to 15,000 peacekeepers.

Today, UNIFIL said it continued contact with both Lebanese and Israeli military officials with a view to facilitating an early withdrawal of the Israeli side and the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces in the south.

Also today, the Force made an early assessment of the damage to the civilian infrastructure in parts of its area of operation, reporting that in the village of Tayyabah, 80 per cent of civilian houses have been destroyed. Other areas also suffered widespread damage. In addition, the bridge at Ain Arab, and the bridge over the Litani River in the area of Al Qusair have been completely destroyed.

With UN officials warning that unexploded shells, mines and other military debris pose as serious hazard to civilians, Chinese UN blue helmets have conducted controlled explosions of three dozen pieces of unexploded ordinance in the general area of Kafr Kila, and two in the vicinity of the Ras Naqoura border crossing on the Mediterranean coast.

The Force has also has been providing medical assistance and water to a number of local villages.


http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=19520&Cr=leban&Cr1=

[Virginia Dare]

1. That's it then, I nominate George W. Bush for...

the Nobel Peace Price. He has done what no other world leader has been able to do before, bring peace to the middle east. He is a saint and a savior. God Bless our President. :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

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3. only the decision to STOP fighting, brought 'peace'

the rest was an idiotic flailing of these 'leaders' followers against each other so that they could declare some victory they could use to justify their respective regimes. Bush stood by and allowed the assaults to escalate before his regime took steps to convince the principals to end the fighting.

I really don't know why this report indicating that the cease-fire is holding deserves such scorn. I'm decidedly not pessimistic about the prospects for peace to be victorious. I think peace needs its own cheerleaders.

[endarkenment]

2. Odd as yesterday we were assured that

the fat evil bastards of hexbowla had turned their ROCKETS OF DOOM on Lebanon itself! Surely proving that all those dead Lebanese ground into hamas by the IDF were in fact HUMAN SHIELDS for the fat bastard evil hexbowlas. What changed?

This mid east stuff is so confusing.

[Solo_in_MD]

4. The test will be if Hezbollah disarms

I've read reports that the French general in charge of the upgraded UNIFIL is saying that is not his job and the Hezbollah is refusing to. That is a fundemental part of the long term solution. Without it, its going to be rinse/lather/repeat in under 5 years and the IDF will not be so nice.

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5. I believe the cease-fire's purpose is to halt the fighting

so that the principals can engage in negotiations to make a permanent cessation possible without the prospect for some catastrophe interfering and making negotiations more difficult. To that end, I agree with Israel's defense minister who said today that Syria needs to be engaged in dialogue. I think that negotiations over their concerns about the Golan Heights can provide incentive for their cooperation in a weapons embargo and in the disarming of Hizbollah in exchange for Syria's movement on their occupation of the Shebba Farms territory that the Lebanese say belongs to them.