March 6, 2009, - 11:42 am
Reaching Out to Hezbollah: UK Takes Page From Failed Bush Playbook, Obama Future
By Debbie Schlussel
Remember, back in 2005, when the Bush Administration floated a ridiculous trial balloon about making nice with Hezbollah, via the New York Times’ front page?
Earlier this year, while thousands of Lebanese people called for the ouster of Syria from their country, U.S. bureaucrats openly floated the idea of embracing Syrian-controlled Hezbollah. “U.S. Called Ready to See Hezbollah in Lebanon Role, A Sharp Policy Reversal,” read the headline in an outrageous March 10, 2005 front-page New York Times article. Incredibly, the U.S. was following the lead of France in embracing the terror group, only a few weeks after Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice was blocked–by France–from getting the EU to formally label Hezbollah as a terrorist group.
Condi Clueless and George W. Bush wanted to recognize and reach out to the terrorist group that tortured Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem to death, murdered over 300 American Marines and civilians in bombings of the Marine barracks and U.S. Embassy in Beirut, and murdered over a 100 others in bombings of the Jewish Community Center and Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina (not to mention so many other murderous offenses around the world).
The idea was so outrageous (though little noticed) that even liberal Tim Russert, then-host of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” hammered Condi Clueless about it, in an appearance on the show. But, secretly, the Bushies pushed on with this ridiculous plan (and failed). They sent pro-Hezbollah U.S. Congressman Darrell Issa a/k/a “Jihad Darrell” to repeat his many Hezbo-loving trips to South Lebanon and to suck up to Syrian dictator, terror-host and Hezbollah surrogate Bashir Assad.
President Obama, during the campaign, made no pretensions about being against these groups bent on our destruction. Now, the Brits are openly pursuing his announced plan–and Bush’s secret one. They’re now looking to do what Bush wanted to do, recognize Hezbollah as a legitimate political party. Say what you want about Tony Blair (of whom I wasn’t a fan). Even he had the guts to point out that Hezbollah was training the terrorists in Iraq who murdered British and American soldiers, and he pointed out that the IEDs were supplied by Hezbollah.
Looks like this new guy Brown is just completely clueless and dangerously so:
Britain overturned its policy on a key Middle East issue yesterday by agreeing to talk to Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia movement which fights Israel and is banned as a terrorist organisation by the US.
Bill Rammell, the Foreign Office minister, told MPs the government would authorise “carefully selected” contacts with the political wing of Hezbollah, which is represented in the Lebanese parliament. Other EU countries, including France, already deal with the group.
“Carefully selected”? As in, negotiating with “carefully selected” SS and Gestapo members. Or “carefully selected” 9/11 masterminds from Al-Qaeda. You don’t negotiate with these people. Period.
The move, urged privately by British diplomats for some time, may be partially intended to encourage the US to follow suit as Barack Obama’s administration pursues a fresh approach of engagement with parties shunned by George Bush.
“Fresh”? There’s nothing fresh about it. On the contrary, it’s purely rotten. Just because something’s different–and insane–doesn’t make it “fresh.”
But Foreign Office officials said the decision would not create a precedent for talking to Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement in control of the Gaza Strip, although calls have increased recently for the government to do just that.
Um, yes, it will creat precedent. Hello . . . .? Anyone home?
Hezbollah (Arabic for “Party of God”), was created after Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon. In its early years, it was linked to hostage-taking and acts of terrorism, and claimed credit for leading resistance to Israel’s 18-year occupation.
WRONG. As I’ve repeatedly noted on this site, Hezbollah was founded much earlier to resist PALESTINIAN occupation of Lebanon (and rape, torture, and murder of Shi’ites by Palestinian Sunni P.L.O. terrorists) and was known originally as the Organization of the Oppressed on Earth (because of the way Shi’ites were treated like garbage by Sunnis around the world). Parts of Lebanon were then called “Fatahland” for a reason. As noted above, Hezbollah still takes hostages and commits terrorist acts.
“We have reconsidered our position on no contact with Hezbollah,” the Foreign Office said, “in light of more positive recent political developments in Lebanon, including the formation of the national unity government in which Hezbollah are participating. We are exploring certain contacts at an official level with Hezbollah’s political wing, including MPs.”
Thank President Bush, in part, for that, since he urged free elections in Lebanon, which brought Hezbos even more power.
Britain faced a classic dilemma of how to distinguish between a movement which engages in political and military activities. Last July the government announced it was banning Hezbollah’s “military wing” – Foreign Office officials insisted that the distinction was valid.
PUH-LEEZE. That’s so much bullcrap. A distinction without a difference. The “political wing” of Al-Qaeda? The “political wing” of the Nazi Party? Maybe we should have had relations with them.
Rime Allaf, a Middle East expert at London’s Chatham House, said the decision was the right one.
No kidding. An Arab Muslim thinks Britain should recognize Hezbollah. Shocking. Who’da thunk?
“It’s a different matter with Hamas, as they are still involved in a daily struggle against Israel. Current western policy doesn’t make any sense. You can’t base Middle East policy on whether a party has good relations with Israel or not.”
Um, we base western Mid-East policy on whether a “party” murders innocent civilians–including hundreds of Americans, like Hezbollah did. Hezbollah isn’t in a daily struggle against Israel? Are you joking? They continue to rocket Northern Israel and to vastly re-arm, courtesy of Iran, for the next attack.
The Foreign Office said Britain’s ambassador in Beirut attended a meeting last month of British and Lebanese MPs, including one from Hezbollah. The UK envoy urged all sides to show restraint during the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
Restraint = not blowing up any of the stupid infidels who are useful idiots in your fight for world domination.
Hmmm . . . if they’re gonna talk openly with Hezbollah, why not Al-Qaeda? There’s really no difference between the groups, except that one is Shi’ite and the other is Sunni. But both murder innocent westerners at the drop of a hat, and they work together to do it (Hezbollah is part of the Al-Qaeda network, and they worked together in Iraq to kill our and British troops).
Disgusting. Extremely stupid. And incredibly dangerous.
Agreed. And its not conditioned on Hezbollah abandoning terrorism and cutting its ties to Iran. Its just an outright reward to a group of jihadists.
Sickening. But not surprising. Gordon Brown’s UK banned Geert Wilders from speaking to Parliament but allowed an extremist Islamist, Anjem Choudary, to march unmolested through London calling for the imposition of Sharia in the UK.
So its a short step to openly talking to a murderous terrorist group as though it were a civilized political party. The Nazis had a military wing too and it was indistinguishable from its political head.
Those who refuse to learn from history are condemned to relive it.
NormanF on March 6, 2009 at 1:16 pm