I just added this to my blog:
http://platosbeard.org/archives/143
I am not sure if this has come up before, but the original page I am quoting from is at:
http://story.malaysiasun.com/p.x/ct/9/cid/b8de8e630faf3631/id/26abaeefa963aed1/
Here are some parts:
> In 2003, three years after the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon,
> Israeli Brigadier General Meir Caliphi, completed a posting as
> commander of the Galilee Division saying northern Israel was
> witnessing one of its more peaceful periods in years. 'When compared
> to other parts of the country, the north is flourishing,' he said.
>
> He said the only real activity from Hezbollah was when Israeli planes
> invaded Lebanese airspace and they fired anti-aircraft guns. Only two
> civilians sustained minor injuries as a result of the shelling, he
> said.
>
> 'It may go against military logic,' Caliphi admitted, 'but I think
> that it is important to continue with the policy of restraint. So
> long as we can keep the quiet here.'
>
> Brigadier Caliphi said the Hezbollah was well aware of Israel's
> ability to respond forcefully if the rockets deployed in southern
> Lebanon were fired against Israel.
>
> In an extraordinary admission he said any attack would bring havoc to
> the Lebanese civilian population, and in a reference to
> proportionality, he inferred any response would be one hundred times
> that inflicted.
>
> 'If rockets fly over the north, it is better that 100 mothers in
> Beirut mourn than one mother in Haifa. The Hezbollah know that in
> such a case, we will take off our gloves and it does not want to be
> viewed as responsible for bringing disaster on Lebanon's citizens,'
> he said.
>
> Then in an even more extraordinary admission, he threatened another,
> 'Jenin.'
And:
> One of the central issues in this conflict is the status of
> Hezbollah. Israel has branded Hezbollah as a terrorist group, and
> successfully persuaded the United States to do likewise. Britain and
> Australia fell in behind the U.S. and so too did Canada and the
> Netherlands. Of the 192-member nations of the United Nations however,
> only six have listed Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
>
> A recent letter sent by 213 members of the U.S. Congress to the
> European Union demanding it list Hezbollah as a terrorist
> organization was rebuffed. The EU President Erkki Tuomioja said
> Wednesday the union would not be complying with the demand.
And:
> Hezbollah has no known links to al-Qaida. It condemned the September
> 11 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers, but
> remained silent on the attack on the Pentagon.
>
> In 2004, Hezbollah issued a statement condemning the beheading of
> American contractor Nicholas Berg by al-Qaeda in Iraq, describing it
> as a 'despicable act' that did 'grave damage to Islam and the
> Muslims.'
>
> The organization however does support militant groups in the
> Palestinian territories. Asked by Robin Wright for an article in the
> Washington Post why he was not critical of a suicide bombing which
> had occurred at the time of the interview (in 2004), Nasrallah said
> the issue of what he calls 'occupied Palestine,' was 'complicated.'
>
> He said, 'It is our opinion that in Palestine, women and children
> need to be avoided in any case. But it came after more than two
> months of daily Israeli killing of Palestinians, and the destruction
> of houses and schools, and the siege that is imposed on the
> Palestinians. There is no other means for the Palestinians to defend
> themselves. That is why I cannot condemn this type of operation in
> occupied Palestine.'
>
> Of the September 11 attacks on the Word Trade Center, Wright quotes
> him as asking, 'What do the people who worked in those two [World
> Trade Center] towers, along with thousands of employees, women and
> men, have to do with war that is taking place in the Middle East? Or
> the war that Mr. George Bush may wage on people in the Islamic
> world?' He added, 'Therefore we condemned this act, and any similar
> act we condemn.'
--ravi
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