Friday, March 18, 2005

'Arab Spring' in Trouble in Lebanon?

A car bomb has exploded in Lebanon, in what we can only pray is not a sign of impending violence (and who, do you suppose, was behind the bombing - Hizbullah and its supporters, or the anti-Syrian opposition?). Also somewhat troubling are these comments by opposition leader Walid Jumblatt:
"U.S. President George W. Bush does not have the right to give us lessons on whether the resistance is a terrorist group or not. It is a national resistance and a national Lebanese liberation movement that achieved the noble goal of liberating South Lebanon from the Israeli enemy and Israeli terrorism."
Of course, there is a huge gulf between Resolution 1559 and the Taif Accord:
Jumblatt also commented on Syria's ongoing withdrawal from Lebanon, noting the distinction between U.N. Resolution 1559 and the Taif Accord. The MP expressed full support for the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanese territories as mentioned by the Taif Accord, but objected to the disarmament of Hizbullah stipulated in the U.S.-French brokered resolution.
We must be careful in our exuberance over recent events: anti-Syria doesn't mean pro-Israel, or even an end to Israel's vilification. Things are better, yes, but there's a long way to go yet before that troubled region knows peace.

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