Israel and It's Neighbors Gearing Up For War Again

While I have seemed to be tied up here at home with the City Hall Circus I have kept an eye on Israel. Things aren’t good. The information below comes from a variety of news services and news papers so I didn’t list any as verification. (So sorry to you sticklers.)
Unfortunately when the United Nations cajoled Israel into pulling out of Lebanon before completing the job they had set out to do it was counted as a victory by the Arabs. Not withstanding the surprisingly inept job that this new Israeli command was doing, given time they would have succeeded in subduing and cleaning Hezbollah out of Lebanon. When I say "new Israeli command" I want to point our that these people have never had combat training as commanders since Israel hasn't had an Actual war since 1973. This time when they go back it will be a totally different picture. Below are some news stories backing my prediction:

####The agreement between Israel, the official Lebanese government and the United Nations was that the official Lebanese government and the UN would deploy enough troops to keep Hezbollah out of Southern Lebanon if the Israelis would pull out. The Israelis agreed to pull out as the UN troops came in, which of course was not at all agreeable to the organization representing the world but had to accept. Israel has been down this road too many times and they knew exactly what was going to happen. The United Nations did send a token force to southern Lebanon. And that has been the extent of the buffering peace keeping United Nation’s army. Israel is still in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has moved back into their old bunkers. And all is right with the world. (AFP News)

####JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Al Qaeda is moving into Lebanon and probably plan to attack the UN peacekeepers who came in to stop Israel's war with Hezbollah guerrillas. This information supposedly from a top Israeli intelligence analyst. I wouldn’t at all doubt this news. Al Qaeda is becoming active again in Pakistan so they would naturally spread their help and influence wherever to any hot spot in the world. I am only surprised that Hesballah allows this since they are rivals for domination of the Middle East. Oh well, with a little bit of luck these two will go at each other and give Israel a breather. (Reuters India News Sun, 10 Dec 2006 9:40 AM PST)

####TEHRAN, Iran -- “The Palestinian prime minister vowed that his Hamas-led government will never recognize Israel and will fight for Jerusalem, telling a crowd at an Iranian mosque Friday that he will resist U.S. pressure to moderate.” This is no real news to anyone but just threw it in to cover all the bases of what Israel is up against. After 58 years of existence they are still in danger of being annihilated. (Chicago Sun-Times Sun, 10 Dec 2006 2:23 AM PST)

####Amnesty International European branch IRIN based in London has asked the European Union (EU) to block arms sale to Israel and Palestinians. This measure they believe would “stave off impending disaster in Israel and the Palestinian territories.” Now how many times has this call for an arms embargo been made and ignored. The big arms dealers are not about to give up their lucrative Middle Eastern Cash Cow.

Actually the whole thing comes back to us and it is something we choose to ignore also. US gasoline guzzlersà Middle Eastern oilà Money to purchase armsà Arms dealers mostly here in the United Statesà jobs and gasoline for US-à fighting and people dying in the Middle East. Not at all a pretty picture is it? If we would get off the oil gluttony habit that we are on there might be a chance for some sort of peace ion that area of the world. With no oil money the dictators in ME wouldn’t be able to arm their thugs and the ME can go silently back into the Dark Ages they were in before we began our quest for more and more oil and energy.
(AlertNet Sun, 10 Dec 2006 5:40 AM PST)

####“The head of the research division of Military Intelligence (Israel), Brigadier General Yossi Baidatz, said Sunday that Syrian President Bashar Assad is preparing for a war with Israel”. No surprise here. The sorry performance in and then withdrawal from Lebanon of the Israeli army made this inevitable. The guerilla force of Hezbollah is back in Lebanon in force. They are also working with Hamas in Gaza. Al Qaeda is taking back control in Pakistan and infiltrating Gaza. Syria’s army is concentrating on it’s borders with Israel and especially near the Golan Heights. Israel took the Golan Heights from Syria and has held them since the last actual Arab-Israeli war known as the 1973 Yom Kippur War, but if Syria can be taken back that will give those who want destroy Israel a large advantage. There has of course been much improvement in weapons systems since 1973 and the Arabs have them all. Nuclear is the only weapon the Arabs do not yet have (we hope) and it is believed the Israelis do have. (Haaretz Daily Sun, 10 Dec 2006 8:00 AM PST)

Some good news from that area:
####“Jordan, the Palestinians and Israel agreed on Sunday to proceed with a feasibility study of a $2-4 billion project to top up the Dead Sea with water from the Red Sea, …” This can only be good news since it speaks of cooperation between the countries in taking action on a common problem. The Dead Sea has actually been nothing more than a cesspool for most of the last half of the 20th. Century. This body of water could be a useful connection for trade and travel between the countries and a very valuable source of water if it can be cleaned up. The technology is available to do it if there is a will and the money. (AlertNet Sun, 10 Dec 2006 8:10 AM PST Source: Reuters AMMAN, Dec 10)