Monday, July 11, 2011

Lebanon Warns Israel

We now have several articles regarding the battle between Israel and Lebanon (Hezbollah) over the two countries' maritime borders and thus, ownership of the new gas discoveries. In an article further below, Caroline Glick sees this as a potential stimulus to the next war. The point is - this current war of words could easily escalate:

Lebanon warns Israel against sea-border demarcation

Lebanon’s president and foreign minister on Monday rebuked Israel for its plan to mark the two countries’ maritime border, vowing to wage a diplomatic offensive to thwart Jerusalem’s efforts to ensure unrestricted access to lucrative natural gas reserves.

“Israel’s measures have created a new point of tension in the region and threaten peace and security across this region,” Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said in Beirut, claiming the frontier, as proposed by Israel, cut through Lebanon’s economic zone.


Of course we shouldn't expect the truth from Lebanon/Hezbollah. We can take a look at previous agreements:

Recent years have seen the discovery of two major gas fields off of the eastern Mediterranean coast. In December, Jerusalem reached an agreement with Cyprus marking the two countries’ sea borders. That agreement came after Cyprus came to a similar understanding four years ago with Lebanon, though that pact has yet to be approved in the Lebanese parliament.

Israel’s cabinet approved its border map on Sunday for submission to the UN, but Lebanese officials say the map conflicts sharply with the map they had already presented to the world body.

Israeli officials said ministers at the meeting simply extended a straight line from the so-called Blue Line (the border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel published by the United Nations in June 2000) to the southernmost point of the Cyprus-Lebanon agreement.

The map Lebanon recently submitted to the UN, they said, runs south of the line to which it agreed with Cyprus.


The bottom line is seen here:

Officials attributed the current dust-up to Hezbollah’s growing clout in the government and the militant group’s interest in retaining any available pretext for continuing its fight against Israel


Now we see the rhetoric increasing:

Lebanon 'ready to defend maritime borders'

The controversy over Israel's decision to ratify its maritime borders is growing: Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said Monday that his country is ready and has the right to defend its borders and resources using every "available and legal" means.

On Sunday, Israel ratified an agreement with Cyprus regarding its naval territory. The borders delineate an area thought to contain natural gas as well as oil reserves.

Lebanon rejected the borders set by the two countries, claiming they infringe on its naval territory; and Beirut's Minister of Energy Gebran Bassil warned that Lebanon will not give up its maritime rights.

Lebanon called Israel's proposed maritime boundary between the two nations "an act of aggression," adding it will take the matter up with the UN.


Caroline Glick gives us her view of the situation:

The path to the next Lebanon War

Five years ago this week, Iran’s Lebanese proxy opened war with Israel. The war lasted 34 days, during which Hezbollah launched more than 4,000 missiles against Israel. Now five years later, under US President Barack Obama, America is pushing a policy that drastically escalates the chance that a new war between Israel and Iran’s Lebanese army will break out again in the near future.


The article gives a thorough review of the ongoing situation between Lebanon and Israel which can be summarized here:

Today, Hezbollah is not simply in charge of Israel’s former security zone in South Lebanon.

It is in charge of all of Lebanon. The Hezbollah-controlled government controls all aspects of the Lebanese state that it wishes. These include the military, the telecommunications networks, and the international borders, airports and sea ports, among other things.


Then she brings us back to the situation with the borders:

Under the circumstances, the only rational policy that the US can possibly adopt is to loudly and strenuously back Israel’s claim and reject all Lebanese contentions to the contrary.

Only by completely rejecting Lebanon’s claim can the US deny Hezbollah and Iran the ability to use Israel’s gas finds in its territorial waters as a justification for war.

Rather than do this, guided by its appeasement ideology, the Obama administration has refused to take sides. It urged Israel to submit its counter-claim to the UN – where it can bully Israel into accepting arbitration of the dispute by the inherently anti-Israel UN.

More generally, by refusing to take sides, the US is in fact siding with its enemy Iran and Iran’s proxy Hezbollah against its ally Israel.

According to media reports, the Obama administration claims that by acting in this manner, it is seeking to prevent a flare-up of hostilities. That is, the administration believes that if it shows Hezbollah its good will by treating Israel’s honest claim as equal to Lebanon/Hezbollah/Iran’s false claim, it will appease the latter into not waging a war of aggression against the former.

But again, what the last war taught us is that this sort of behavior is what emboldens aggressors to attack. Obama’s even-handedness in the face of a US enemy’s aggression against a US ally is placing Israel and Lebanon on a straight path to a new war.


In this story we find yet another tipping point. This region will be highly sought after as these gas finds are huge and the economic ramifications are equally huge. Unfortunately, it is also probably worth fighting for.

We will be following this story very closely for further developments.

10 comments:

hartdawg said...

So who for you think the u.n. u.s. and e.u. will side with israel or lebanon? That is very difficult to answer isn't it?

Anonymous said...

this whole thing is getting crazy...and considering it INVOLVES
fossil fuels, there will be a war.

Just imagine two 6 year olds fighting over a Lego building set... that is the result....war...

Stephen >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Dylan said...

What about the quartet meeting in Washington today? Was there any news on that?

DrNofog said...

The Fossil Fuel Myth is a False Pretense for Every War!!

Stephen >>>>>>>>>>>>>> said...
"...and considering it INVOLVES fossil fuels, there will be a war.

As I pointed out here:

"...PEAK-OIL? - limited "Fossil" fuel theory? - Or Natural, deep-mantel process? [Revelation 6:6] "And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

And, more importantly
here: where "they" [CFR] indicate it's all for the end-game, con-game understanding of what "they" are using as the 'fuse' to 'light' the whole world up over...[ie. phony energy resource wars for WW3]... => link:
"A War in the Planning for Four Years"!!
:-(

Caver said...

Morning DrNoFog. I just read your link of "A War in the Planning for Four Years"!!

More than interesting.....much more. Thank you and highly recommended.

Do you have a feel for its accuracy? Seems well researched and documented on the surface.

Scott said...

You guys are ahead of me this morning - I'm just opening this article...Lets see...

Anonymous said...

Hey Scott,
Randy is trying to reach you but your email keeps bouncing back. Could you give him a call at the church?

Scott said...

Can you email me that number?

Anonymous said...

If you really want to flip your top, try reading up on Albert Pike. Civil war general, starter of the KKK, and 33rd degree mason. you want to research his writings (from the 1800's mind you)about the 3 world wars that were coming. Its amazing to see how many years ago all of this was planned by satan. You night find the details on the up coming war very interesting. Doc-look it up and let me know what you think! ally

Anonymous said...

Doc-you are pretty awesome. I now know that you know the whole deal pretty well, or as well as any of us could ;) The good Lord gave us a brain along with a spirit. I just wish more people would use theirs. I'm sure there is tons i dont know, but i keep on looking. ally