Israel Continues Blockade; Annan Continues Asinine Behavior

Israel will continue its blockade of Lebanese ports so that Hizbullah cannot resupply itself. Israel notes that it will not leave Lebanon or shift its military operations in Lebanon until the Lebanese and UN forces do what they are required to do under UN SCR 425, 426, 1559, and 1701; enforce the territorial integrity of Lebanon and disarm all militias operating within Lebanon including Hizbullah. Until such time when the UN and Lebanese forces undertake that operation and requirement, Israel will continue its actions to deny Hizbullah the opportunity to resupply, regroup, and rearm.

Israel cannot and should not let Kofi and Siniora get away with anything less than what was required under UN SCR 1701 - an international force of sufficient strength to patrol South Lebanon and disarm Hizbullah. Kofi refuses to acknowledge his obligations under the resolution, and his actions only serve to strengthen and bolster Hizbullah's position.

Kofi, meanwhile, continues to exhibit his asinine behavior. He's busy criticizing Israel's actions, and laments the death of 200 Palestinians in Gaza since June. Perhaps he'd like a refresher on why Israel is acting in defense of its national sovereignty - the invasion and attack on Israelis, including the death of two Israeli soldiers and the taking of a third, Gilad Shalit, whose return is still awaited. No word on Annan's lamentations over the launch of that attack or the hundreds of rocket attacks or the thwarted terror attacks against Israel by Palestinian terrorists. The overwhelming majority of those killed have been terrorists and those behind plotting terror attacks against Israel. The deaths of civilians are the direct result of the terrorists operating in and among civilian populations to maximize the potential casualties in case of Israeli raids. But it gets better than that:

Annan called for the establishment of a Palestinian state which he called "the only solution to the problems on the region and added that although much attention has been turned to the recent war in Lebanon "the suffering of the Palestinian people should not be forgotten."

The Palestinians could have had a state as early as 2000 had Arafat accepted Israel's terms, or even provided a counteroffer that could have led to a state alongside Israel. It was rejected out of hand, and the Palestinians launched into yet another Intifada.

The Palestinians then elected Hamas, whose charter is explicit in its position towards Israel; it seeks the annihilation of the Jewish state of Israel and the imposition of an Islamic state in its stead. This is whom Annan thinks should form a unity government with Fatah (which itself also calls for Israel's destruction), and should negotiate with Israel over the final status of the territories.

On the subject of Shalit, Regev, and Goldwasser, Annan's statements are not comforting. He can't confirm whether they're alive, but Hizbullah will refuse to release Goldwasser or Regev unless as part of a prisoner exchange, which is the same position they took before Israel took the war to Hizbullah. Shalit's situation is unchanged as well.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian war against Israel continues. They even continue to launch rockets as recently as today. The rocket was launched at Karni crossing. Israeli forces meanwhile claim that they eliminated 25 terrorists in operations earlier today.