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Beirut Calls Up Troops

As frequently happens with the Arab-Israeli wars that break out, UN Security Council resolutions are at first generally rejected by one side (the Arabs) accepted by the other (Israel) and then, later, the Arabs scream bloody murder for the acceptance of the resolution they initially rejected. The world largely lets the Arab League get away with this, but in the "New Middle East" there didn`t seem to be room for such manipulation. However, maybe what is happening is not manipulation per se, but rather an attempt to avoid a new resolution at all.

And so it was that Lebanon`s cabinet this past Monday unanimously approved a plan to deploy up to 15,000 Lebanese Army troops to the south of the country, provided Israel first withdraws its forces. It is estimated that Israel currently has 10,000 soldiers in southern Lebanon, battling against Hizballah forces who used the territory they held to launch the attacks that started this war in the first place. Information Minister Ghazi Aridi read the official statement: "The government stresses its willingness to send a 15,000-strong Lebanese army force to deploy in south Lebanon as Israeli forces pull back behind the Blue Line."

An initial call-up of Lebanese reservists was ordered immediately following the vote. While Lebanon is attaching conditions to the withdrawal, the United Nations had six years ago certified Israel`s full pullout from Lebanese territory, and passed Security Council resolution 1559 demanding Lebanon extend sovereignty to the south and deploy the Lebanese Army on the borders with Israel. According to many, Lebanon`s reluctance to abide by UNSCR 1559 has played as large a role as Hizballah in creating the conditions that led to the war which has taken hundreds of Lebanese lives.