Skip to main content

Hell Is Breaking Loose in Lebanon”: Israel Rejects Ceasefire Proposal as U.N. Chief Calls for Peace

 Key Points from the Interview:

1. Ongoing Conflict and Casualties: Israel's bombardment of Lebanon has displaced about 500,000 people. On Wednesday alone, 72 people were killed, bringing the death toll in recent days to over 620. Israel has rejected an international call for a 21-day ceasefire.

Mahdi Amel, who was a Marxist intellectual. And he wrote this a few months after the 1982 invasion of Beirut. And he writes:
"They said that the war in Lebanon would be swift and that in a few days those who have not knelt and who understand only the language of force would kneel. They declared that there would be no salaam, but shalom, and that Israel is the Rome of our modern times. To the kings of Israel, to the scum of our nation and our foul Arab regimes, to the petty fascists and to their imperialist masters, we say: It pleases us to spit in your faces. We will fight you even with our nails. Our fists are the compass of history. And the bullet of our freedom will pierce your hearts. To them, we say, brick by brick, we build a world on your graves. You are the dustbin of history, and Beirut is the city of the free. We have vowed that we will resist you.”

2. Possible Ground Invasion: 
Israel is preparing for a potential ground invasion of Lebanon, having deployed two brigades to the Lebanese border.

3. Widespread Suffering: 
Journalist Lara Bitar, based in Beirut, reports on the extreme hardships faced by displaced people, especially the elderly, who have endured previous invasions. Despite the suffering, there is a strong attachment to the land.

4. Historical Context: 
Bitar highlights Israel’s repeated invasions and occupations of Lebanon, referencing invasions in 1978, 1982, and 2006. She emphasizes that the current violence is part of a long history of Israeli aggression in the region.

5. Ceasefire Skepticism: 
Bitar expresses deep skepticism about the potential for a ceasefire, citing past broken promises and the failure of the Biden administration to follow through on red lines in Gaza.

6. Hezbollah's Response: 
Hezbollah, so far, has tried to de-escalate the situation, targeting military infrastructure rather than civilians. Bitar suggests that an Israeli ground invasion would be deeply traumatizing for Israeli soldiers.

7. UN Resolutions: 
U.N. Resolutions 1701 and 1559, meant to address peace and security in Lebanon, are regularly violated by Israel. The Lebanese population does not place much faith in international resolutions or the U.N. Security Council.

8. Global Responsibility: 
Bitar argues that global citizens should act by boycotting and divesting from Israel. She believes international pressure is necessary to make Israel's actions too costly to continue.

9. International Manipulation: 
Bitar is critical of the U.S. and other Western nations, accusing them of manipulating public opinion and failing to take serious steps toward achieving a ceasefire. She questions the sincerity of U.S. diplomatic efforts.

10. Call for Global Action: 
In her closing remarks, Bitar calls for grassroots action, urging people worldwidesà to pressure their governments and institutions to isolate Israel economically and diplomatically to end the violence.

Source: 
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/9/26/lebanon_israel_hezbollah_ceasefire

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Cracks Are No Longer Hairline

For decades, Washington treated support for Israel as something beyond debate. It was political scripture. Republicans defended it. Democrats defended it. Presidents came and went, wars came and went, thousands died, settlements expanded, Gaza burned, and the checks kept arriving. Questioning the arrangement was once political suicide. Now the walls are cracking. This week, more than half of House Democrats either voted to end U.S. aid to Israel or refused to oppose doing so. The amendment failed, but something far more important succeeded. The illusion collapsed. For years, American politicians insisted that criticism of Israeli government policy belonged only to "the fringe." Apparently the fringe has become half the Democratic caucus. History has an unusual sense of humor. The same establishment that spent years dismissing students, academics, humanitarian workers, doctors, journalists, and millions of protesters as naïve, radical, or antisemitic now finds itself strugglin...
Post a Comment
Read more

When the Soup Kitchens Begin to Die

There is a special kind of cruelty in watching not only a society collapse, but also the last institutions keeping it alive. For nearly three years, Gaza's humanitarian lifeline has increasingly been reduced to a queue for a single meal. Parents no longer ask their children what they would like to eat. They ask whether there will be anything to eat at all. Childhood has become measured not in birthdays, classrooms, or family gatherings, but in ration lines, empty cooking pots, and the uncertain arrival of humanitarian assistance. Now even those fragile lifelines are disappearing. The gradual closure and scaling back of World Central Kitchen (WCK) operations reflects a convergence of financial pressures, operational insecurity, and restrictions affecting humanitarian access. According to World Central Kitchen and the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem, kitchens that once produced approximately one million meals each day have been progressively reduced, leaving only a han...
Post a Comment
Read more

Blood on Every Flag: The Global Architecture of Gaza’s Genocide.

  “This Is Not Just Israel’s War — It’s the West’s Genocide Too” “I think it is without doubt that Israel has committed war crimes.” — Matthew Miller , Former U.S. State Department Spokesperson ( source ) This rare moment of candor from a former U.S. official pierces through the fog of political posturing. But let’s be clear: It is not only Israel that has committed war crimes. It is the United States . It is the United Kingdom. It is Germany . It is France . These nations — and their allies — are not merely complicit. They are co-perpetrators of a genocide. 🇺🇸 United States: Chief Financier of Bloodshed $14+ billion in emergency military aid approved for Israel since October 2023 ( source ) 4 vetoes at the UN Security Council blocking ceasefire resolutions ( source ) Full diplomatic cover , even after Israel bombed aid convoys and hospitals “We stand with Israel. Full stop.” — President Joe Biden , October 2023 ( source ) 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Arming At...
Post a Comment
Read more

Morgan Stanley's ex-terrorism specialist ( Valentina Soria) joins UBS in London

  by Alex McMurray   "(Valentina)  Soria, an Italian based in London, joins UBS as its global head of cyber threat intelligence and adversarial threat modelling. She was at Morgan Stanley for six and a half years, starting as the EMEA cyber threat intelligence lead and rising to head of global threat intelligence. Prior to that she was head of intelligence at the Bank of England. She leaves at a tumultuous time for the US bank as other senior  London officials are reportedly included  in its 3000 person job cuts." SOURCE:  https://www.efinancialcareers.com/news/2023/05/morgan-stanley-ubs-intelligence
Post a Comment
Read more

Deutsche Bank's AML Failures: A Case Study in Regulatory Enforcement

German regulator BaFin has withdrawn its special monitor from Deutsche Bank, initially installed due to unresolved money-laundering control deficiencies . This monitor had been in place since 2018 , with its mandate extended to October 2024 earlier this year, threatening fines if improvements weren't made . Deutsche Bank, Germany's largest bank, acknowledged its compliance issues and stated it was cooperating with regulators . However, another monitor remains active , overseeing the bank's consumer service issues at its Postbank unit. Neither BaFin nor Deutsche Bank commented on the withdrawal report Part I Federal Financial Supervisory Authority of Germany. What were the specific deficiencies in Deutsche Bank's money-laundering controls? Deutsche Bank has faced significant deficiencies in its anti-money laundering (AML) controls , primarily highlighted by: - Inadequate Customer Due Diligence:   The bank failed to perform sufficient due diligence on customer...
Post a Comment
Read more