Price on a Lebanon ceasefire

I received the message below from Rep. Price's office Friday.  After that is a news release from his office about the effort and a copy of the letter to Bush advocating an immediate ceasefire, an international force in southern Lebanon, and the disarmament of Hezbollah.  The call for a ceasefire is a good step, although Israel apparently can't defeat Hezbollah with its current forces.  An international force will be aimed against Hezbollah I expect (it is "to prevent the re-emergence of Hezbollah," says the letter to Bush), instead of acting to protect the Lebanese from Israel and Israelis from their government's poor foreign policy.  If Hezbollah doesn't agree to it, it would face fierce resistance I expect.  The Herald-Sun today reported that a settlement is being worked out that sounds slightly better than Price's proposal.  This settlement could involve an exchange of prisoners (but only three Lebanese) and Israel would agree to "consider" relinquishing the Shebaa Farms territory.  

 

Again Price blames all of this on Hezbollah and argues for a ceasefire more to protect Israel and the "pro-reform" Lebanese government than to protect Lebanon and its citizens from Israeli aggression.  I wonder what the letter's third paragraph means.  If Israel looked like it could defeat Hezbollah, would Israel's actions be okay and a ceasefire unnecesary?  And what about Israel's actions in Gaza?  Will they get a ceasefire?    

 

Obviously Price and I fundamentally disagree.  I could be wrong, but I see Israel as the problem here.  It could have been illegal for Hezbollah to cross the border, but this is in the context of Israel's aggression against the Palestinians and continued disputes with Lebanon (or at least with Hezbollah, over Lebanese sovereignty).  It is illegal to attack civilians, but I've seen reports that Hezbollah is also targeting Israeli military sites (and the missiles are probably not very accurate anyway).  Hezbollah is shooting off inaccurate small rockets while Israel is leveling Beirut with more accurate weapons.  If Israel is a civilized, democratic country, why does it act like a terrorist?  I think I heard on the BBC or Democracy Now! that an Israeli military officer said Israel would level 10 buildings in Beirut for every missile into Israel.  This is like Nazi Germany's policies in eastern Europe.  I see Price and most of Congress as condemning Hezbollah for opposing Israeli aggression against Lebanon and Palestine.  What has the US done in the past decades to really control Israel and ask it to obey international law?  There is no reason for the US to be abetting Israeli crimes and we wouldn't have terrorism problems if we weren't supporting Israel and oppressing Middle Eastern countries.  The US could make demands of Hezbollah if it weren't excusing and facilitating similar actions by Israel.  

 

Price did vote against the Iraq War in some fashion (maybe it was the war authorization bill), but the issue of Lebanon shows how anti-war he is.  I think he also refuses to vote against appropriations for the Iraq War or do much more than ask Bush to outline a plan to end the Iraq occupation.  Since even many left Democrats voted for the Afghan War, I would expect Price did too.  Can we trust him to reign in Israel and restore Iraq's sovereignty, or oppose attacks on Syria, Iran, north Korea (after all, mean Democrats blame Bush for dealing with Iraq instead of the DPRK), Venezuela, or wherever Bush or his successor will start a war?  And I doubt this is only a foreign policy problem (though what we do in the world fuels al-Qaida, which then attacks us here, and wars eat up tax funds).  If Price doesn't oppose wars that are bad for the vast majority of Americans (this is what "national security" should really be judged by), than what else might he be too soft on?  I will probably be writing on this sooner or later.               

 

 

Dear [southplumb]:

 

Knowing of your concern about the current conflict
involving Israel and Hezbollah militants, I want to
let you know of my efforts to urge President Bush to
take a leadership role in resolving the situation.
Today, I led several of my colleagues in sending a
letter to the President calling upon him to seek an
immediate cease fire and to pursue a major diplomatic
effort to establish a robust international security
force in southern Lebanon, disarm Hezbollah, and
support pro-democracy reformers in the Lebanese
government. For your review, a copy of our letter is
attached.

It is my deep hope that President Bush will heed our
words and seek an immediate ceasefire, for the
situation is deteriorating every day we fail to act.
You can be sure that I will continue to urge him to
engage with our allies and leaders in the region to
work for a resolution that will stop the tragic loss
of innocent civilian lives on both sides of the border
and lay the foundations for long-term peace in the
region.

Sincerely,

DAVID PRICE

Member of Congress

 

 

Price Calls for Ceasefire, International Force
Argues for Broader U.S. Role in Diplomacy

Washington, Jul 29 - Rep. David Price (NC-04) yesterday led a bipartisan group of his colleagues in calling on the Bush Administration to join with America's allies in seeking an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, accompanied by intensive diplomacy to produce a just and lasting resolution to the conflict. In a letter sent to the President yesterday, the four members of Congress called the Administration's failure to support an immediate ceasefire "strategically naïve," and expressed worries that the continuing conflict is galvanizing anti-Israel sentiment in the region and undermining pro-democracy reformers in the Lebanese government. Price was joined by Reps. James Leach (R-IA-02), Lois Capps (D-CA-23), and Bob Filner (D-CA-51) in sending the letter Friday.

Price and his colleagues placed the blame for the conflict squarely on the unprovoked aggression of Hezbollah, and they affirmed Israel's right to defend its citizens. The letter also urges the Administration to combine the negotiated ceasefire with intensive diplomacy to establish an international military force in southern Lebanon, dismantle Hezbollah's military capabilities, facilitate the return of kidnapped Israeli soldiers, and support a strengthened reform government in Lebanon.

Price recently returned from Lebanon where, as ranking Democrat on the House Democracy Assistance Commission, he was working with the recently elected pro-reform majority to make the parliament a more effective representative institution. He said his experience with the Lebanese reformers gives him hope that, with ongoing support from the international community, Lebanon's government will be able to exercise control over all its territory and join with Israel as a peaceful, democratic nation in a troubled region.

The text of the letter follows.


July 28, 2006

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President;

We write to urge you to join our allies in seeking an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, with the understanding that such a ceasefire must be followed by intensive diplomacy to establish an international military force in southern Lebanon, dismantle Hezbollah's military capabilities, facilitate the return of kidnapped Israeli soldiers, and support the ongoing development of an autonomous, democratic government in Lebanon.

This crisis was precipitated by neither Israel nor Lebanon. Hezbollah's unprovoked raid across the internationally recognized border between the two nations, and its subsequent rocket attacks – explicitly aimed at civilian targets – left Israel no choice but to defend itself. But the continuing conflict is costing the lives of innocent civilians on both sides of the border, is destroying Lebanon's infrastructure nationwide, and has the potential to escalate beyond the immediate theater. For these reasons, we cannot allow the current violence to continue.

Press reports have indicated that your Administration would not support a ceasefire agreement until Hezbollah is entirely disabled. We believe this to be strategically naive. All indications suggest that Israel's campaign to root out Hezbollah from southern Lebanon faces far greater challenges than anticipated, and that even several additional weeks of fighting may make little difference in the terms of a ceasefire arrangement. As the New York Times recently reported, "Israeli Army officers are saying that it is probably unrealistic to expect that the military can wipe out Hezbollah's well-hidden and widespread arsenal," even with a prolonged campaign. Moreover, as the conflict drags on, anti-Israel sentiment in Lebanon and in the region is drastically escalating, a development that clearly works against Israel's long-term interests and our own national security interests.

Achieving a ceasefire agreement must be the first step in our diplomatic effort to achieve a just and lasting resolution to the conflict, not the end result. Once a ceasefire is achieved, it is essential that your Administration work with our allies to achieve a settlement that protects the people of both Israel and Lebanon from threats posed by Hezbollah and external forces. At a minimum, such a settlement should include the return of kidnapped Israeli soldiers and a process for fully dismantling Hezbollah's military capabilities in accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559. Our diplomatic efforts must also include a significant U.S. support for the pro-democracy forces that captured the majority in the Lebanese government in the wake of the Cedar Revolution.

It is also clear that a long-term, multi-national security force will be required in Southern Lebanon to monitor a ceasefire and prevent a re-emergence of Hezbollah. Such a force must have significantly greater capabilities and stronger international backing than the current UNIFIL mission. The establishment of a security force, which will be needed in the region until a lasting peace is secured, cannot be accomplished without the assertive leadership, and the strong financial backing, of the United States. Israel has made clear it would welcome a strong multi-national force in southern Lebanon, and we should begin the hard work of assembling it now.

We are acutely aware that the lives of many thousands of Israeli and Lebanese civilians are under constant threat as a result of this conflict, and we mourn the lives that have already been lost. We urge you to act now to prevent the unnecessary loss of additional lives by committing to a long-term U.S. diplomatic engagement in the region, beginning with a call for an immediate ceasefire. We also urge you to give favorable consideration to Rep. Leach's proposal for appointment of a special Middle East peace envoy.

Sincerely,

    s/                                     s/
David Price                 Lois Capps

    s/                                     s/
Bob Filner                 James Leach