The Conundrum, Part 7

Abbas says that the ability to form a unity government with Hamas is back to square one after Haniyeh rejected any notion of recognizing the state of Israel. I can't say I'm surprised.

Bashar Assad thinks that peace could be possible with Israel, and he's playing counterpoint to Ahmadinejad's calls for annihilating Israel. Well, he's stuck in the middle between Iran and Israel because of his support for Hizbullah and close ties with Tehran. If Syria doesn't walk the fine line, they'll find themselves in the middle of a fight that they can't win against Israel, so his lanugage must be understood in this context. Then there's this:

Regarding Israel's recent war with Hizbullah, Assad said it would be impossible to prevent arms from reaching the militant organization due to its strong public support.

Enforcing an arms embargo against Hizbullah guerrillas in Lebanon is one of the main tasks of a UN peacekeeping force which is assembling in Lebanon and along its coast.

"As long as public support for Hizbullah is as high as it today ... then this is 'mission impossible'. The majority sees resistance against Israel as legitimate. I advise the Europeans -- don't waste your time. Get to the root of the problem."

As long as Tehran and Syria provide material support and let their own forces provide technology, equipment, and manpower flow into Lebanon, Hizbullah will continue to thrive in Lebanon. Syria sought to limit UNIFIL deployment along the Syria/Lebanon border because Assad was finding benefit in the relationship with Hizbullah. So, far from there being simply strong support in Lebanon, Hizbullah gets propped up by its terror backers in Syria and Iran.

As for the root causes, it's Israel's existence that is the focus of Hizbullah, Hamas, and the other Islamic terror groups. That's what Assad was hinting at with his comments. It's not about Israel's right to defend itself.

Speaking of the Palestinian terror groups arrayed against Israel, four of them have come out opposing any Palestinian government recognizing Israel. Indeed, they're going to turn their guns on any such government. Well, that seems to put Abu Mazen out of business. And it would make this dead on arrival.

As for Gilad Shalit's status, his abductors say that all claims of a deal are baseless.

UPDATE:
While the big Hizbullah rally got a lot of attention worldwide, there was another rally held today. This one opposed Hizbullah and tens of thousands attended.

Samir Geagea, a notorious former leader of a Christian militia, scoffed at Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah's declaration that his guerrillas achieved "a victory" against Israel.

"I don't feel victory because the majority of the Lebanese people do not feel victory. Rather, they feel that a major catastrophe had befallen them and made their present and future uncertain," he said.

Hezbollah's fight with Israel sent its support soaring among Shiites. But a large sector — particularly among Christians and Sunni Muslims — opposes Hezbollah and resents it for provoking the monthlong fight by capturing two Israeli soldiers on July 12.

The war killed hundreds of Lebanese civilians and left part of the country's infrastructure in ruins, causing billions of dollars in damage to the economy.

Geagea, who served more than a decade in prison on multiple counts of murder dating to the 1975-90 civil war, backs the Western-leaning government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora. His party is a member of the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority in Lebanon.

Palestinans continue their protests against the PA, as many have not been fully paid in months.

Abbas, meanwhile, thinks that he's hit upon a solution to the Shalit situation. Get Israel to release Marwan Barghouti and Palestinian Liberation Front Secretary-General Ahmed Saadat in exchange for Gilad Shalit. This is a rehashing of the same proposals that Abbas and Haniyeh were floating after Shalit was taken weeks ago. Israel has rejected such terms as completely unacceptable. Both terrorists have Israeli blood on their hands and would not be released under any circumstances.

Abbas is also complaining that the PA can't pay the workers because the West has cut off their funds. Well, if you want the money, get Hamas to recognize Israel's right to exist, which is a very long shot.

Technorati: terrorism, fatah, Gilad, Shalit, Olmert, Eliyahu, Asheri, Ashri, Abbas, Regev, Goldwasser, PRC, Hamas, Gaza, palestinian, Israel, hizbullah, hezbullah, hezbollah, lebanon, syria.