-----Original Message----- From: Steven Plaut [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Subject: The Week of Peace Ok so let's see if we can sum up the debacle of the past week. Days after promising to hand Arafat parts of Jerusalem, in response to which Arafat orders an auto da fe of a Jewish baby in Jericho, Barak orders Israeli troops to race out of Lebanon in total panic and confusion, making the US pullout from South Vietnam look like the epitome of good logistics. Leaving behind equipment and ammunition, all the time under the shelling and fire of the Hizbollah, which wishes to prove to the world that it is driving out the cowardly Israelis. Israel unilaterally eliminates the entire Southern Lebanese Army, whose tanks and APC's are left behind for the Hizbollah to collect. While intending to turn the area over to the Lebanese army, Israel allows the Hizbullah simply to drive in, in most cases without a shot being fired, and take up positions inches from the Israeli border. Many of the SLA soldiers are kidnapped and imprisoned by the Hizbollah and their life expectancies are suddenly quite short. Others are allowed in to Israel and placed in a "Maabara" next to the Kinneret. Stories are flying of Hizbollah terrorists passing themselves off as SLA soldiers to gain access to Israel. The Cloud Monkey of the UN, Kofi Anan, announces that any UN troops to be introduced into the area will do nothing to prevent Hizbollah attacks on Israel nor ethnic cleansing of Southern Lebanese Christians and Shi'ites. The Hizbollah takes over without a shot the "Hiam" prison in which the SLA had been holding assorted terrorists, including those Israel had been holding as "bargaining chips" to get Ron Arad released but moved to Hiam, thanks to its Supreme Court activist tyrants. Israel's pompous generalissimos appearing on TV and boasting how this is a great victory for Israel. Kiryat Shmona and border towns almost totally emptied of people, and on kibbutzim people living underground afraid to emerge into the wonderful daylight of the era of peace. The Hizbollah announcing openly it will continue to shell and murder because Israel has not released the few remaining terrorists from Lebanon it is still holding, like Durani - who kidnapped and then sold Ron Arad to Iran. Meaning it's only matter of short time before Israel releases these as well in a great illustration of its military victory and triumph in Lebanon. And the Hizbollah also says it will shell and murder because Israel has not pulled out of parts of the Golan Heights the Hizbollah thinks it needs to. You with me so far? So what are we left with? I left out the very BEST part of Israel's great new triumph. Under the universally-accepted rules of international politics, it is always legitimate and progressive and peaceful to murder a Jew. But whenever a Jew retaliates or stages deterrent strikes, this is aggression and criminality. Especially if a civilian gets hurt. Not that anyone cares about Arab civilians getting hurt when other Arabs are the perps, just when Jews hurt them. In other words, if tomorrow Syria drops an atomic bomb on Haifa and in retaliation Israel bombs Damascus and as a result of this bombing a single pregnant Arab woman is killed or a child scratched, this will constitute proof that Israel is the aggressor and war criminal and the entire world will demand that Israel restrain itself and give out goodwill concessions and give Syria the Sea of Galilee. Now as part of this game, the very worst thing Israel can do is allow hostile terrorists to take territory and hide among civilians. This simply immobilizes Israel permanently. As long as the Hizbollah was 20 miles from the border and not hiding among Southern Lebanese civilians, Israel could sometimes strike at it, although always feared hitting the actual Shi'ite villages NORTH of the security zone in which the Hizbollah terrorhoids were ensconced. Such attacks do not look good on CNN. In the SOUTH, the SLA could enter villages and dispatch Hizbollah terrorists quietly, under the iron rule that no one cares when Arabs kill other Arabs. But now the very crowning achievement of triumph and success in Lebanon is that Israel sits back uselessly as the Hizbollah drives right up to the border fence, taking the entire zone and arriving with lots of civilians. Who move in to immobilize Israel. Which means that all the bravado from Israel's politicians and generalissimos about how Israel will strike back REALLY REALLY HARD and invade deep into Lebanon next time the Hizbollah blows up a school bus or similar military target in Israel is complete nonsense and everyone knows so. Israel has now tied its own hands perfectly in such a way that it can do absolutely nothing in Lebanon besides bomb some empty warehouses somewhere or knock down power lines. All thanks to the decision to play coward in Southern Lebanon and ostrich in Jerusalem. And why did Barak not at least delay the rush out until the UN troops showed up - not that they really would do any good? After all, his public promise was to get out by July? (Great negotiation strategy huh? First give away your house and then after buyers are moved in offer to discuss with them the price.) Why the 5 week acceleration? Why not use the 5 weeks to coordinate things at least to make a debacle into merely a tragedy? The anti-Israel amen chorus in the US, the EU and Washington only demanded that Israel turn the area over to the Lebanese government. No one ever suggested Israel hand it to the Hizbollah. So how come the Hizbollah is now master of southern Lebanon? Because the Osloids were once again completely surprised by totally unexpected developments that no one could possibly have foreseen. No one - that is - except for every gas station attendent, grandmother and teenager in Israel who is not blind. Why? Because, grasshopper, Barak is the very stupidest most incompetent Prime Minister in the entire history of Israel. And I think I would count the kings of Ancient Israel and Judea in that blanket summary.
