Peace

Israel sets demands for Syria

Israel demands that Syria stops supporting Hamas and Hezbollah and to cut ties with Iran [EPA] Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, says that Syria must stop supporting Hamas and Hezbollah for peace talks to resume. Livni's announcement came on Thursday after Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister, confirmed that the two countries have maintained contact for a year, hours after it emerged that Turkey is mediating talks. Livni also wants Syria to cut its ties with Iran. Co-ordinated announcements on Wednesday by Israel and Syria that they had begun indirect talks in Turkey, the first confirmation of negotiations between the long-time enemies in eight years, drew a lukewarm response from the United States.

These talks are all well and good, but getting Syria to stop sponsoring terror or cutting it's ties to Iran may be more than Assad can do. Syria would be relegated to a very minor role in the region without those ties it has cultivated for so long and I'm not sure they are willing to do that. Not for simple peace and the promised Golan Heights.

I understand Israel's desire to achieve peace with it's neighbors (any of them) and I hope this doesn't come back to bite at them. Any peace would be welcome, but for their to be a lasting peace; the Islamic world will have to finally decide the Jews can live.

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Tags: Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah, Golan Heights, Middle East, Israel, peace, Lord Nazh

Silence

The Arab Leagues recent hook up in Cairo to worry and wring hands while Lebanon gets devoured by the Mullahs and their bloody protrubrences like Hiz'B'Allah failed to speak out about the one thing that was everyone's minds.

Essentially - what will you do when Iran exerts their hegemonic guerrilla goons on your little spot of turf?

Tariq Alhomayed points out

"Do the Arab states accept Syria's proposal that maintains that the occupation of an Arab state at the hands of a party that follows and receives the orders of Tehran is a purely domestic affair and that the Arab League need not do anything about it?

Another hard-hitting piece from my favorite blogger Courtney. Head over there and check it out.

Tags: GSGF, Middle East, Syria, terrorists, Lebanon, war, Lord Nazh