Israeli jets buzz Beirut

Just noting that the Israeli Air Force just buzzed Beirut. Nothing unusual... It's a shame that the French haven't fired at them yet.......

The Battle for Beirut

First of all, I would like to begin this post by apologizing for not posting earlier. Honestly, the times have been so hectic that I got caught up in my work (trying to get to work) and neglected this site. It's very important to me for many reasons, serving as my memories, my portal to friends and family, and a chance to bridge the gap between the Lebanese world and an audience in the West. I by no means am considering myself a bridge, rather I am trying to explain what is going on as a witness to events here. I shall cut of my philosophical monologue to start discussing the situation.

So.... what has been going on in Beirut? Well, for one, we have reached a stalemate between the two polarized groups in the country (summarized by Anti-Syrian and Pro-Syrian, which honestly is a terrible crime to put it that way) or if you want to get Lebanese, you can say the March 8th group (Hizballah, General Aoun, and friends) vs. the March 14th group (Hariri, the Lebanese forces and old man Junblatt). As of today, there has been a fiery exchange between the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Fouad Siniora and the Secretary General of Hizballah, al Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah. One thing these guys both have in common: they are both in hiding... who are they hiding from you ask? from different people of course, Siniora is fearing an assassination attempt by some group within Lebanon (which will be accused of coming from Damascus) and Nasrallah is fearing an assassination attempt by our funloving neighbor in the south, led by Mr. Olmert. As daring as the Israelis are, I don't believe they are in the position to carry out such an operation, but it might be just the PR stunt they need in order to regain notoriety as the military badboys of the Middle East.

Ok, so this is not my usual style of writing.... let me just take a minute to explain to you that this situation has affected me to the point that i want to go nuts. Every day I pass these protesters and I have to walk from an area far away from my office in order to get to work. There are no stores open, so lunch isn't very pleasant, and quite frankly, the atmosphere is tense with a feeling of uncertainty for tomorrow. I'm sure you get this all the time wherever you live, especially in the states right? So where was I?

Yes, Nasrallah and Saniora are duking it out, but the problem is, that the Lebanese will continue to suffer... Ok, yes, there are people that are excluded from the government that shouldn't be, and yes, the residents of Southern Lebanon may have a few reasons to get upset, but my gut feeling is that this move by the Hizballah isn't for purely Lebanese reasons. I don't know how much more I want to say, because I feel everyday as if my opinion is shifting, as if it is only reflecting Lebanese society. To clear up any doubts in your mind, the opposition (as the March 8th, Pro-Syrian, Hizballah and friends, whatever you want to call them) does extend beyond Muslims. A good part of the protesters are in fact Christians who follow the ex-General Aoun and his Free Patriotic Movement (www.tayyar.org). In addition to this group, the Lebanese Communist Party is also involved in this push to depose the current regime.

Call it an attempted coup
Call it an end to foreign interference
Call it Iranian checkers
All I know is that I will be much happier when it is over

The streets have become so tense that several clashes have broken out, one in particular leaving a young man dead. Although both sides have called for restraint, it is only a matter of time before patience runs out.

There are predictions that the opposition will start using "Phase B" this week which has been rumoured to include civil disobedience to stop places such as the airport, the ports, anywhere to paralyze the government. I will keep you posted on the latest developments.

Hope for the best, expect the worst...

Ciao

Happy Halloween from Israel

At 9:30am, I was rudely awaken by the sounds of an F-16. My first thought was that war had broken out and I had slept through whatever had sparked it. The F-16 has a distinct sound when it is flying at a low altitude, and quite frankly I have become an expert at identifying military aircraft from the Israeli Air Force.
Following the initial horror, I hopped out of bed and turned the television on. There was nothing flashing on the television indicating that there was war nor was there a newsflash on the bottom of the screen. I went outside and just listened to the sounds that i am all too familiar with. The jets stayed over Beirut for over 30 minutes and conducted "mock" raids. For those who are not familiar with military jargon, it is simply planes acting like they are going to bomb you without actually dropping anything. The Lebanese military reportedly fired back at the Israeli jets but unfortunately the defense budget doesn't include high tech equipment. Once again the Israelis have managed to cause panic and violate the cease-fire that has been in place for the past few months. What do they plan to gain from this action? I honestly can only see it as a way of provoking Hizballah to attack in the South. As a result, Israel will claim self defense and try to do what it failed at in the Summer war.
The EU issued a statement to Israeli relaying its dismay over the actions. It warned that the air space violations will only provoke further violations. The French have previously threatened to open fire on the intruding jets, but thus far have not kept their word. While Israel has openly stated that it must conduct flyovers in order to acquire intelligence, I am not sure what type of intelligence it gathers from conducting mock raids over the major cities. I can't imagine the view was good enough to see anything other than random building that would have been demolished if they would have dropped their smart bombs.

The point of this post is to provide written proof that the Israelis are trying to provoke the next war, but will definitely claim that the conflict began when initiated by the other side. Had this been any other nation, the world would strongly condemn its actions and view it as an act of war on a sovereign nation.

Rally Weekend in Lebanon

Today we will witness the support of Hizballah as they will flex their political muscles in front of the entire world. However, the speculation isn't about the size of the crowd, rather on whether al Sayyid Nasrallah will grace his followers with a public appearance. For all of those unaware, Nasrallah has gone into hiding since July 12th, the outbreak of the 2006 Summer Israeli-Lebanon war. Many people fear that if Nasrallah does make an appearance, Israel will not waste an opportunity to attempt an extra-judicial assassination. It has succeeded in killing many leaders in the past, and based on its poor performance in the Lebanon assault, it would be grateful for a chance to bloat a victory of some sort. My prediction is that Nasrallah will not make a public appearance, although it would make quite a statement if he does, showing the world that he is not afraid of any Israeli threat and he truly is a power in Lebanon.

A counter-rally is scheduled to take place on Sunday by the Lebanese Forces led by Samir Jahjah. It will take place in Harissa, a Christian stronghold known for its church, Our Lady of Harissa. Although the LF rally was not publicized as strongly as the Hizballah rally in Dahiya, it is certainly expected to draw a sizeable crowd.

What does this mean for Lebanon? Will there be more Muslim-Christian tension? With the outrage generated from the Pope's address, it would certainly seem possible. But the situation in Lebanon is no longer as clear cut as it was in the past. Ex-general Michel Aoun's party has allied itself with Hizballah before the conflict in a key move to consolidate his power base and pave way for a future position in the Lebanese government (possibly as the next president). He has flipped and flopped as the Christian Anti-Syria leader to Syria's mediator among the Christians in Lebanon. It will be interesting to see who shows up at the rally in Dahiya, if Aoun supporters join in, and if Nasrallah does make an appearance. What this means for Lebanon is not clear as the country continues down a path of uncertainty and political instability.

The dynamics are shifting back to the pre-war atmosphere of the March 14th (Anti-Syrian) and March 8th (Pro-Syrian) groups. If this is the case, then one would have to anticipate more assassinations and carbombings to rock Lebanon in the near future. As politicians are growing bolder with their criticisms of each other, it is putting Lebanon's "unity" to a test that will eventually push the sensitive frictions into civil strife.

Twilight Zone / Deadly diaries

By Gideon Levy

Shifa Hospital in Gaza, the fourth floor. Two brothers. Their parents and siblings were all killed while they were sleeping. Only the brothers were saved from the inferno caused by two missiles dropped by a plane on their house in the middle of the night. Awad, 19, is seriously injured; Mohammed, 20, uninjured, tends him. Their parents and all seven of their younger siblings, including a disabled sister, were killed. Just try to imagine. The signs of shock and grief are obvious on the two orphaned brothers. They stare at the floor, speak very softly; their faces are pale and lifeless, even six weeks after that bloody night. On the wall of the hospital room they've taped a picture of their father, taken with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Dr. Nabil Abu Salmiya was a lecturer in mathematics at the Islamic University in Gaza and a Hamas activist. The wanted man Mohammed Deif visited the family's home in the middle of the night - and the air force bombed it. Deif was wounded, but survived. A family was almost entirely wiped out. This was on the day that the war broke out in Lebanon; no one paid any attention to the killing in the south.

The wounded and the dead continue to arrive at Shifa. This week, ambulance after ambulance pulled up, carrying the victims of Israel Defense Forces' actions - this time in the Sajiyeh quarter of Gaza City - followed by distraught family members. The atmosphere was bleak and threatening, with dozens of armed Hamas soldiers in their blue camouflage uniforms securing the place, Kalashnikovs cocked, on the surrounding roofs, in the hospital yard and corridors. Relatives of the injured lay on the floors of the rooms. The only hospital in Gaza is full to bursting. A stench permeates the city streets. The garbage hasn't been collected for many days, due to a strike by municipal employees who haven't received their wages for months. The smell filters into the hospital. The electricity only works for a few hours a day, since the air force bombed the only power station in the Gaza Strip; the heat is oppressive. The elevator is either stuck or barely moves. Awad Abu Salmiya lies with both legs in bandages in a bed by the window. A faint breeze from the sea offers the only bit of relief. Not far away, in Beit Lahia, Ahmed al-Attar, 17, sits in a wheelchair. His father pleads with Israel and the world for someone to see that his son gets prosthetic legs. Ahmed was injured when the air force fired a missile that hit the mule-drawn wagon in which he was riding with his mother and nephew. They were on the way to pick figs from the family plot near the sea. His mother and the other boy were killed outright; Ahmed lost both legs. This also happened in the course of Operation Summer Rains, whose end appears to be nowhere in sight; no one in Israel seems very interested in it. Meanwhile, the IDF goes on killing - nine members of the Abu Salmiya family, two members of the Al-Attar family. Together, they're 11 out of 212 people who were killed, including 50 children and teenagers, between the abduction of Gilad Shalit at the end of June, and the end of August. An empty lot in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood. A two-story house used to stand here. Unlike other places, all the rubble here has already been cleared away. The back part of the house was completely destroyed; the front was left tilting on its side. Two missiles. Mohammed and Awad were sleeping in the front of the house, which faced the street. The rest of the family was asleep in the back and was killed. Perhaps only the father was still awake, together with Deif. No one knows. No one will say. It was 3 A.M. Neighbor Ibrahim Samur had gone with Dr. Abu Salmiya to the mosque that evening to pray, and afterward they'd chatted a little in front of the house. They parted at nine. No one saw Deif, of course. In the middle of the night the neighbors were awakened by a tremendous explosion, followed immediately by another one. They say the blast shook them out of their beds. The houses are that close to one another. In a rented office on the ground floor of the house next door, which serves as a public court for settling conflicts in the neighborhood, a picture of Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi hangs on the wall; a water cooler with Israeli-brand Eden spring water sits below it. Here, Abdullah Samur, an 18-year-old, describes what happened that night at the neighbors' house. The children crowding about outside are all wearing T-shirts from the Hamas summer camp. One wears a shirt bearing the likeness of the late Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Abdullah went to sleep at midnight that night and woke up at 3 A.M. to the noise of a plane overhead. He lives on the third floor. It was July 12, a few hours before the outbreak of the war in Lebanon. The boom jolted him out of his bed. The windows shattered and the doors came off their hinges. Smoke filled his house from the fire that broke out next door, and his parents yelled for the children to flee. Outside, Abdullah saw the destroyed house next door and the smoke coming from it. He knew the neighbors well. Nabil and his wife Salwa and all the kids he grew up with - Nasser, 6, Aya, 7, Uda, 8, Iman, 11, Yihyeh, 13, and Basma, 15. And there was Sumiya, too, a disabled 12-year-old, who used to get picked up by a special car that took her to school. She was also killed. Abdullah had been with Awad and Mohammed that afternoon - the only ones who survived. That night Abdullah helped his father extricate the bodies. They found Awad rolled up inside a carpet. And Mohammed Deif? "I don't know him at all," the neighbor says. The Israeli papers reported that the wounded Deif was pulled from the wreckage and rushed to Shifa. According to the reports, the rescue vehicle was also hit by a missile from the air. Abdullah's uncle, Ibrahim Samur, also says he's never seen Deif and has no idea what he looks like. Ibrahim lives on the second floor. His 3-year-old son, Mutaz, was lightly wounded by shrapnel, and so was his wife. He rushed them to Shifa while his neighbors' house continued to burn. Since then, all the children have been sleeping in their parents' room. Mutaz cries when he hears a plane. "He was a good person," Ibrahim says about his neighbor, Abu Salmiya. "He was active in Hamas, but not in its military wing. He was a teacher who helped his poor neighbors." Ibrahim recalls that in their last conversation, on the way back from the mosque, they didn't talk about politics, Abu Salmiya didn't mention any meeting he was supposed to have during the night. The IDF Spokesman's comment: "In a joint operation of the IDF and the Shin Bet security service, an attack on a house in the northern Gaza Strip was carried out in the early hours of July 12. The house served as a hideout for senior activists in the military wing of Hamas, who planned and carried out acts of terror and the firing of Qassam rockets. At the time of the strike on the house, those present were involved in planning the continued military activity of Hamas. One of those present was Mohammed Deif, who sustained wounds of unknown severity." The unpaved street is now named for Nabil Abu Salmiya. Before we say good-bye to head over to the hospital and see the two surviving brothers, Ibrahim mentions a name: Nissim Mizrahi. Nissim Mizrahi from the bankrupt Rosh Indiani clothing business, who left Ibrahim - who ran a sewing workshop that has since closed down - with a debt of NIS 130,000. Ahmed al-Attar sits in a wheelchair. The stumps of his legs are still bandaged. The pain bothers him and he presses on them to find some relief. On July 24, Ahmed and his mother and nephew set out, as they did every day, to the family plot near the sea, to pick some figs. It was around 3 P.M.; they proceeded slowly in their mule-drawn wagon. "Suddenly we got hit by a missile," he recalls. "After that I didn't see anything. I woke up in the hospital and they told me that my mother and Nadi were killed and that my legs were amputated." After three days in Shifa, he was transferred to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, but they couldn't save his legs there either. He also suffered burns on his head and other parts of his body, and these wounds are still bandaged. Ahmed is a 12th-grader who, two months before the tragedy, married a 16-year-old named Zeina. His mother, Hiriya, was 58; his nephew, Nadi - his mother's grandson - was 12. Ahmed heard that Nadi was thrown dozens of meters from the wagon, and that his mother's body was torn to pieces as a result of the direct hit. The IDF Spokesman: "On the morning of July 24, two Qassam rocket launchings were identified as originating next to the Agricultural College in Beit Hanun. The two rockets were fired at Sderot, and one landed next to a school in the city. Later that same day, IDF forces identified two terrorists, who arrived at that location and loaded the launchers on a mule-drawn wagon. The IDF fired accurately at the point where the terrorists were and at the wagon with the launchers, and verified a hit. At the time of the firing, an older woman and her grandson were not seen in the wagon. In the event that they were riding in the same wagon, then it was the terror organizations that are the ones who took no pity on their lives, and engaged in terror activity directed at Israeli civilians under the cover of noncombatants, exploiting them as a human shield." Hiriya left nine children and some 50 grandchildren. She was a peddler in the Jabalya market, where she sold figs, grapes and strawberries, and cheese that she made herself. On the wall in the Beit Lahia home hangs a picture of a cousin, Mohammed, 23, who was killed by an IDF bullet while standing at the window of his home, exactly three weeks before the grandmother and grandson were killed. In the memorial picture of Nadi that hangs in the street, one sees the boy's face and that of the killed leader of the Popular Front, Abu Ali Mustafa, in the background. Why the Popular Front? "Because they supplied the family with food during the four days of mourning," Ahmed's father, also named Nadi, explains. Instead of a picture of Hiriya, there is a poster with a drawing of a red rose. Here, pictures of women are not displayed, even after their death. They won't show us a picture of Ahmed from his wedding either, so that we won't see his young bride. Nadi heard about the tragedy on the radio, when he was in the city. This morning he went back to fishing for the first time, but since 5 A.M. he hadn't caught anything. Someone brings a picture from the scene of the tragedy: a dead mule. The photo is on the cover of the weekly report, No. 29, of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza, 2006. In the background an ambulance is visible. The mule lies on the sand, at the foot of the wrecked wagon. A direct hit. HAARETZ

My Return to Lebanon

Flying to Lebanon has always been an exciting experience, whether it is due to the people I meet along the way, or the feeling I get when I approach the beautiful landscape. However, this time, I had to be sure to remember what Lebanon I had left. To not get caught up in the romantic version that has become imprinted in my mind from my last two years. I had to approach it in a more realistic manner; it had just suffered from a horrific and destructive war.

To begin however, this time was nothing less than eventful, as I feel it was the most horrific time to fly in the US. As I was leaving, I was reading about aircrafts that were grounded because of threats, one that actually had a stick of dynamite onboard, and going through the toughest restrictions we have seen. The prohibiting of all liquids might even have helped soft drink companies as I was forced to buy more drinks than I ever have and throw them out because I had to board the next leg. JFK and I seem to have a relationship of tragedy, as I arrived to find out that the amount of carry-ons allowed was changed and I had over-packed. As a word of advice to anyone planning on traveling, check the latest rules and guidelines from the airlines because they don't have a shread of sympathy when you show up unprepared.

Moving on to the actual flight, I took Virgin Atlantic to London (another security chaos zone) to jump on a Middle East Airlines flight that was restricted from landing in its own country. (MEA is the national carrier of Lebanon). The flight was forced to land in Amman, Jordan as it is the only established route. This means every flight with Beirut as the destination, must land and refuel (while unknown individuals in Peugots drive up to the plane and conduct some sort of security procedure). Rumor has it that they acquire the roster of passengers and can pull anyone off of their choosing. I'm not one for rumors but I did land this bit of information from an inside source. After leaving Amman, we were forced to go around Lebanon, steering clear of the Israeli airspace (for the better!) by going over Syria and back North of Lebanon to approach the airport from the Mediterranean Sea. Going directly to Beirut from Amman would only take 20 minutes, however, our flight took 45 minutes. Sounds petty, but it's the principle.

After getting settled in, I found the city of Beirut exactly as I had left it, the areas of which I frequented often were intact and back to the normal feel (minus the enormous number of tourists seen during this part of the season). I have to keep reminding myself that there has been such horrible atrocities and that I must be aware of anyone who may want to show me what they think about America, afterall I am a walking advertisement. As much as I would like to believe I fit in, I feel that there are too many awkward mannerisms inscribed in me that makes this obvious. However, the only encounters I have had to this point have been extremely pleasant and positive. I was walking back to my apartment when I passed a man whom I greeted normally on my way to work every day for the past year. He stopped me with a shocking look on his face, and spoke in broken English asking me where I have been for the last month. He expressed that he was happy I had returned and that he was wondering where I had went. My neighborhood afterall has observed me for a long time. It is part of the culture, they are aware of who is around, who fits, who doesn't, so at some points they look at some of my friends who visit me, and may be thinking "who's that foreigner?" and not referring to me :)
Returning to work was almost like a class reunion, while many of my co-workers have not returned; the others who had, wanted to exchange stories of tragedy and their efforts to take in the refugees. One co-worker was extremely active as she spent most of her time in the South trying to find places for the fleeing families. I told her that I was proud of what she had did, and it was nice to know that such caring people do exist in this world. I tried on my own to be "the hero" as someone once put it, but failed miserably because of my skin and mannerism, no one wanted to be associated with an American, or at least not in the time of war. It is understandable, however, it does sting you when you have good intentions. Especially when you are trying to save lives and help people located shelters in such a time of chaos and destruction.

There are moments that I walk to my apartment and expect to hear loud blasts coming from the direction of Dahiya, but they never come.. It's a silence that I am thankful for, but it feels as if it is only temporary. I say this, not because I feel that future conflict is inevitable, rather it is the result of the eerie nature of war, and the effects it has on someone, traumatizing all of the people stuck within its wrath.

While there is much joy in my return, I face the sadness and the reality of which Lebanon has been left.

Inquiry Opened Into Israeli Use of U.S. Bombs

August 25, 2006
By DAVID S. CLOUD

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 — The State Department is investigating whether Israel’s use of American-made cluster bombs in southern Lebanon violated secret agreements with the United States that restrict when it can employ such weapons, two officials said.
The investigation by the department’s Office of Defense Trade Controls began this week, after reports that three types of American cluster munitions, anti-personnel weapons that spray bomblets over a wide area, have been found in many areas of southern Lebanon and were responsible for civilian casualties.
Gonzalo Gallegos, a State Department spokesman, said, “We have heard the allegations that these munitions were used, and we are seeking more information.” He declined to comment further.
Several current and former officials said that they doubted the investigation would lead to sanctions against Israel but that the decision to proceed with it might be intended to help the Bush administration ease criticism from Arab governments and commentators over its support of Israel’s military operations. The investigation has not been publicly announced; the State Department confirmed it in response to questions.
In addition to investigating use of the weapons in southern Lebanon, the State Department has held up a shipment of M-26 artillery rockets, a cluster weapon, that Israel sought during the conflict, the officials said.
The inquiry is likely to focus on whether Israel properly informed the United States about its use of the weapons and whether targets were strictly military. So far, the State Department is relying on reports from United Nations personnel and nongovernmental organizations in southern Lebanon, the officials said.
David Siegel, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy, said, “We have not been informed about any such inquiry, and when we are we would be happy to respond.”
Officials were granted anonymity to discuss the investigation because it involves sensitive diplomatic issues and agreements that have been kept secret for years.
The agreements that govern Israel’s use of American cluster munitions go back to the 1970’s, when the first sales of the weapons occurred, but the details of them have never been publicly confirmed. The first one was signed in 1976 and later reaffirmed in 1978 after an Israeli incursion into Lebanon. News accounts over the years have said that they require that the munitions be used only against organized Arab armies and clearly defined military targets under conditions similar to the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973.
A Congressional investigation after Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon found that Israel had used the weapons against civilian areas in violation of the agreements. In response, the Reagan administration imposed a six-year ban on further sales of cluster weapons to Israel.
Israeli officials acknowledged soon after their offensive began last month that they were using cluster munitions against rocket sites and other military targets. While Hezbollah positions were frequently hidden in civilian areas, Israeli officials said their intention was to use cluster bombs in open terrain.
Bush administration officials warned Israel to avoid civilian casualties, but they have lodged no public protests against its use of cluster weapons. American officials say it has not been not clear whether the weapons, which are also employed by the United States military, were being used against civilian areas and had been supplied by the United States. Israel also makes its own types of cluster weapons.
But a report released Wednesday by the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Center, which has personnel in Lebanon searching for unexploded ordnance, said it had found unexploded bomblets, including hundreds of American types, in 249 locations south of the Litani River.
The report said American munitions found included 559 M-42’s, an anti-personnel bomblet used in 105-millimeter artillery shells; 663 M-77’s, a submunition found in M-26 rockets; and 5 BLU-63’s, a bomblet found in the CBU-26 cluster bomb. Also found were 608 M-85’s, an Israeli-made submunition.
The unexploded submunitions being found in Lebanon are probably only a fraction of the total number dropped. Cluster munitions can contain dozens or even hundreds of submunitions designed to explode as they scatter around a wide area. They are very effective against rocket-launcher units or ground troops.
The Lebanese government has reported that the conflict killed 1,183 people and wounded 4,054, most of them civilians. The United Nations reported this week that the number of civilian casualties in Lebanon from cluster munitions, land mines and unexploded bombs stood at 30 injured and eight killed.
Dozen of Israelis were killed and hundreds wounded in attacks by Hezbollah rockets, some of which were loaded with ball bearings to maximize their lethality.
Officials say it is unlikely that Israel will be found to have violated a separate agreement, the Arms Export Control Act, which requires foreign governments that receive American weapons to use them for legitimate self-defense. Proving that Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah did not constitute self-defense would be difficult, especially in view of President Bush’s publicly announced support for Israel’s action after Hezbollah fighters attacked across the border, the officials said.
Even if Israel is found to have violated the classified agreement covering cluster bombs, it is not clear what actions the United States might take.
In 1982, delivery of cluster-bomb shells to Israel was suspended a month after Israel invaded Lebanon after the Reagan administration determined that Israel “may” have used them against civilian areas.
But the decision to impose what amounted to a indefinite moratorium was made under pressure from Congress, which conducted a long investigation of the issue. Israel and the United States reaffirmed restrictions on the use of cluster munitions in 1988, and the Reagan administration lifted the moratorium.

The New York Times Company

Doing More Harm Than Good in Lebanon

Thursday, July 27, 2006; A24

I have lived in Lebanon for two years. I celebrated the withdrawal of the Syrian army and, before being evacuated recently with other Americans, I suffered the city's destruction by the Israeli army. I'm not interested in the politics of pro-Israeli policy, but I will say: To me and residents around me, it felt undeniably as though Israel was targeting civilian areas without heeding humanitarian guidelines.

This conflict will have lasting effects because, in the minds of the Lebanese, the United States' name is attached to all Israeli military action. Anti-American sentiment is rising in a country that has tended to be pro-American. People are convinced that the United States wants to see Lebanon destroyed, and they feel deceived by the empty pledges of support the United States has made in the past. We need American diplomatic intervention.

I spent more than a week bracing myself amid constant air raids, which have driven civilian casualty levels to 20 times those in Israel. Death and destruction will breed only more radicalism and hate, defeating the Israeli goal of disarming Hezbollah.

I can't help wondering: What makes the Israeli government so sure it will not create another dynamic, breeding more terrorism for years to come?

Winning over the hearts and minds of people is necessary to finding a sustainable solution to the conflicts in the Middle East. Military might cannot achieve this.

JOHN ORAK

Washington

© 2006 The Washington Post Company

Arab-Americans upset by U.S. handling of Lebanon evacuation

By Brian Knowlton International Herald Tribune
Published: July 31, 2006

WASHINGTON In a borrowed cubicle in the offices of the Arab American Institute, barely back from an exhausting 58-hour evacuation from Beirut, Radney Wood and a friend, John Orak, were working the phones and sending out e-mails to spread the word about the trials of Lebanon.

Wood, a 26-year-old New Yorker of Lebanese descent, had been working for a United Nations development program when hostilities erupted. Orak, 25, a South Carolina native with Slovak roots, was teaching English in a State Department program for poor youth who Washington feared would otherwise embrace Hezbollah.

Like many Lebanese-Americans and friends of Lebanon, they are deeply worried by the fighting, and fearful of a growing backlash among Arab-Americans and people in the region over the U.S. role there.

They are also upset about the way the U.S. government handled the evacuation of Americans, viewed as slow and disorganized, and about the State Department's original intent to charge them for it.

"I've never been so disappointed, never felt so abandoned by my government," Orak said.

Among Lebanese-Americans and others there is a widespread sense that the U.S. government would have reacted differently if, say, there had been 25,000 Americans under attack in Israel instead of Lebanon.

"Even if the government claims that they didn't deliberately evacuate American citizens at a slower rate," said Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, "then the best construct that can be placed on it is that the process for evacuating Americans from a foreign land is a broken system."

"Ridiculous" was how Samar Saad of Dearborn, Michigan, reacted to the government's original plan to charge people for their passage to Cyprus while other governments were bringing their nationals home without fees. "Our taxes are going to pay for bombs getting dropped on us," Saad said, "and now we have to pay for our own way out?"

The U.S. government ultimately waived payment, but only after days of uncertainty.

"A lot of people came back with the feeling the country doesn't care about them," Saad said.

The State Department insists that it has done everything possible in harrowing circumstances - beefing up embassy staffing and sending in navy ships and marines.

"Before the crisis," said Juliet Werr, an embassy spokeswoman, "we had two phone operators and an antiquated system."

Once the crisis erupted, she said, "We were getting 500 calls an hour. We made everyone answer phones. We set up a call center staffed 24/7."

Amid widespread outrage over the law requiring people to pay for evacuation, Representative John Dingell of Michigan introduced legislation to overturn it, but he said that congressional support for the bill had evaporated once the State Department waived repayment. And the State Department itself said it had no plan to push for change in a law, which, to the surprise of many Americans, has long required evacuation repayment.

As far back as World War II, when 80,000 American civilians were evacuated from Europe in 1940, "individuals were responsible for paying the passenger rates for this transportation," said Vijay Padmanabhan, a State Department legal adviser.

Legislation passed in 2002 at the Bush administration's request essentially codified that practice, requiring reimbursement by evacuees "to the maximum extent practicable."

The requirement is rarely enforced. But asked whether the State Department would favor permanently ending reimbursements, a spokeswoman, Janelle Hironimus, said "No," and added that people who left Lebanon on their own would not be reimbursed for their travel expenses.

Rita Stephan, a University of Texas doctoral student, who was in Beirut with two young children, does not know what else she could have done.

"I thought, 'I'm sure the embassy knows what's going on and has a plan,'" she said, "but I kept calling and the phone seemed to be off the hook."

E-mail messages from the embassy advised staying put, she said, but Israeli jets were "hitting targets we could hear." She said she told her children it was fireworks, then told them the truth.

Stephan, who has dual citizenship and a Syrian passport as well as an American one, called the embassy again and again until, after midnight, a duty officer answered and said, "If you have another passport, just go to Syria." She and her children made it to Damascus on a road bombed two hours later.

James Zogby said that his nephew managed to leave Lebanon on the third day of hostilities. But Lebanese-Americans, said Zogby, executive director of the Arab American Institute, are feeling that "because they are of Arab descent that they're kind of second-class citizens."

Sounds of Beirut

History Will Judge Us All On Our Actions

July 31, 2006
Michel Aoun- Wall Street Journal
RABIEH, Lebanon -- While aircraft, sea-craft, and artillery pound our beloved Lebanon, we Lebanese are left, as usual, to watch helplessly and pay a heavy price for a war foisted upon us due to circumstances beyond our control. Considering that this crisis could have been avoided, and considering that there is -- and has been -- a solution almost begging to be made, one cannot but conclude that all of this death, destruction and human agony will, in retrospect, be adjudged as having been in vain.No matter how much longer this fight goes on, the truth of the matter is that political negotiations will be the endgame. The solution that will present itself a week, a month or a year from now will be, in essence, the same solution as the one available today, and which, tragically, was available before a single shot was fired or a single child killed. Given this reality, a more concerted effort is required sooner rather than later to stop the death and destruction on both sides of the border.
From the outset, this dispute has been viewed through the differing prisms of differing worldviews. As one who led my people during a time when they defended themselves against aggression, I recognize, personally, that other countries have the right to defend themselves, just as Lebanon does; this is an inalienable right possessed by all countries and peoples.For some, analysis as to this conflict's sources and resolutions begins and ends with the right to self-defense; for others, Israel's claimed self-defensive actions are perceived as barbaric and offensive acts aimed at destroying a country and liquidating a people. Likewise, some view Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers as fair military game to pressure Israel to return Lebanese prisoners; yet others perceive it as a terrorist act aimed at undermining Israel's sovereignty and security.These divergences, and the world's failure to adopt different paradigms by which Middle East problems can be fairly analyzed and solved, have produced, and will continue to produce, a vicious cycle of continuing conflict. If the approach remains the same in the current conflict, I anticipate that the result will be the same. This, therefore, is a mandate to change the basis upon which problems are judged and measured from the present dead-end cycle to one which is based on universal, unarguable principles and which has at least a fighting chance to produce a lasting positive result.My own personal belief is that all human life is equal and priceless -- I look upon Israeli life as the same as Lebanese life. This belief stems not from my Catholic religion, but rather, from basic human values which have their historic home in Lebanon. It is no coincidence that a leading figure in the drafting and adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was Charles Malek, a Lebanese citizen.I ask, will other Arab countries and leaders have the courage to acknowledge that Israeli life is equal to Arab life? Will Israel have the courage as well to acknowledge that Lebanese life is equal to Israeli life, and that all life is priceless? I believe that most Israeli and Arab citizens would answer in the affirmative. Can we get their governments and their leaders to do the same?Acknowledgement of equality between the value of the Lebanese and the Israeli people can be a starting point and a catalyst. The universal, unarguable concept of the equality of peoples and of human life should be the basis upon which we measure and judge events, and should provide the common human prism through which the current conflict, and old seemingly everlasting conflicts, are viewed and resolved. This is the only way to peace, prosperity and security, which is, after all, what all human beings desire, regardless of their origin.The ideological, political and religious differences between the party that I lead, the Free Patriotic Movement, and Hezbollah, could have been addressed either through confrontation, or through internal dialogue. Recognizing the value of human life, the obvious choice was the second option. We sat down with Hezbollah to discuss our differences.After many months of extensive negotiations, we came up with an understanding that included 10 key items which laid down a roadmap to resolve 10 of the most contentious points of disagreement. For example, Hezbollah agreed for the first time that Lebanese who collaborated with Israel during Israel's occupation of south Lebanon should return peacefully to Lebanon without fear of retribution. We also agreed to work together to achieve a civil society to replace the present confessional system which distributes power on the basis of religious affiliation. Additionally, Hezbollah, which is accused of being staunchly pro-Syrian, agreed for the first time that the border between Lebanon and Syria should be finally delineated, and that diplomatic relations between the two countries should be established.We also agreed that Palestinian refugees in Lebanon should be disarmed, that security and political decision-making should be centralized with the Lebanese government, and that all Lebanese political groups should disengage themselves from regional conflicts and influences.Last but not least, our extensive negotiations with Hezbollah resulted in an articulation of the three main roadblocks regarding resolution of the Hezbollah arms issue: First, the return of Lebanese prisoners in Israeli prisons. Second, the return of the Shebaa farms, a tiny piece of Lebanese territory still occupied by Israel. And third, the formulation of a comprehensive strategy to provide for Lebanon's defense, centered upon a strong national army and central state decision-making authority in which all political groups are assured a fair opportunity to participate.This structure, if joined together with international guarantees which forbid the nationalization of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and which protect Lebanon from Israeli incursions, and if tied on the internal level to a new, fair and uniform electoral law, is the best hope for peacefully resolving the Hezbollah weapons issue.This is the essence of the comprehensive solution we seek. Because it embodies a shift from a policy based on military force to one founded upon human values and reconciling the rights of parties, it would stand the test of time. If rights are respected, and if parties are treated with the deference that they implicitly deserve as human beings, then the long-term result will be not only physical disarmament, but also a disarmament of minds on both sides.Our party presented this solution internally to all Lebanese political groups, the Lebanese government, and the international community -- including the U.S. administration -- repeatedly, for an entire year before this crisis began.Rather than help us to resolve the weapons issue peacefully and avoid the current agony our country is now enduring, the international community and Lebanese government flatly ignored the proposed solution. Many of Lebanon's main political players cast us aside as "pro-Syrian" "allies" of Hezbollah. No matter. These are the same individuals who -- only a year before -- branded me a "Zionist agent" and brought treason charges against me when I dared to testify before a Congressional subcommittee that Syria should end its occupation of my country.You see, after Lebanon was liberated from Syrian occupation, the international community (apparently enamored by the quixotic images of the Cedar Revolution) demanded that the Lebanese elections take place immediately and "on time"; it brushed off our grave concerns about the electoral law in force, which had been carefully crafted by Syria and imposed upon Lebanon in the year 2000 to ensure re-election of Syria's favorite legislators.This flawed electoral law -- initially imposed upon us by Syria and then reimposed upon us by the international community -- has had disastrous results. It brought to power a Lebanese government with absolute two-thirds majority powers, but which was elected by only one-third of the populace. With a legislative and executive majority on one side, and a popular majority on the other side, the result was absolute gridlock. Currently in Lebanon, there is no confluence of popular will with government will, and therefore the government cannot deal effectively with this or any other problem.History will judge us all on our actions, and especially on the unnecessary death and destruction that we leave behind. The destruction currently being wrought upon Lebanon is in no way measured or proportional -- ambulances, milk factories, power stations, television crews and stations, U.N. observers and civilian infrastructure have been destroyed.Let us proceed from the standpoint that all human life is equal, and that if there is a chance to save lives and to achieve the same ultimate result as may be achieved without the senseless killings, then let us by all means take that chance.

NW Marchers Rally Against Israeli Actions
By Allan Lengel

Washington Post Staff WriterWednesday, July 26, 2006; Page A12

Hundreds of protesters, many carrying antiwar signs and fake coffins, marched quietly in a mock funeral procession yesterday through upper Northwest Washington to the Israeli Embassy to protest the bombings in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip and to urge the United States to broker a cease-fire.
"One, two, three, four, we don't want your racist war; five, six, seven, eight, Israel is a terrorist state," protesters chanted outside the embassy, off Van Ness Street. More than a dozen police and security officers stood outside the building.
"Israel out of Palestine, cease fire now," the crowd continued after speakers demanded an end to the killings of civilians and to U.S. support of the bombings.
The demonstration came as the United States and United Nations searched for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. It also came less than a week after hundreds of people, including Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) and U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), attended a rally in downtown Washington supporting Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and others maintain that the bombings are necessary to repel Hezbollah, root out terrorism and protect Israelis.
Hundreds of people -- Arabs and Americans, blacks and whites, Muslims, Christians and Jews -- began the 1 1/2 -mile procession to the embassy late yesterday afternoon by heading north on Connecticut Avenue. They passed a commercial stretch that included a gym, where customers on treadmills peered out the window at them.
Some motorists honked in support. But the driver of a Ford Mustang convertible yelled out, "Israel forever," prompting a protester to yell back, "Shame on you."
Emad Fraitekh, 44, a Palestinian born in Jerusalem who lives in the District, said he hoped the march would "deliver a message to the American people and the administration that what Israelis are doing right [now] in Lebanon and [the] Gaza Strip is far beyond Israel's right to exist or Israel's right to defend itself."
Jeff Mendez, 33, a D.C. peace activist who helped organize the protest, said: "The recent escalation in the Middle East is not only ungodly, it's inhumane and illegal. Now more than ever, there should be a citizen call for peace and nonviolence."
The march included some Jewish protesters. Members of an anti-Zionist sect of Hasidic Orthodox Jews, clad in black hats and long black coats, came from New York. Some carried miniature Lebanese flags, and all expressed support for the Palestinians and Lebanese.
"We believe that the whole existence of Israel, the Zionist state, is against the Jewish religion," said one of the Jews, Joel Wagschal, 25. "We are in pain for all the suffering of the people in the Middle East."
Another Jewish protester, Israel-born Alma Gottlieb-McHale, 24, carried a sign in Hebrew that read:
"Hundreds of innocent civilians killed, for what? Israel and Gaza, Israel and Lebanon. We've already been in this movie."

Evacuated from Lebanon

After spending 58 hours traveling, I have finally reached Baltimore, Maryland and am currently in Washington, DC. I am trying to share my experiences with as many people and help inform the American public about what is going on in Lebanon. If you have any organization or contacts that may be interested in hearing from someone who has been in Lebanon and can talk about the current situation, please email this blog..

The evacuation was an extremely long process:
The US State Dept is extremely unorganized and it's inefficient methods left many Americans stranded, who they promised to get out by unrealistic deadlines.

The US Marines in contrast, were absolutely wonderful, comforting people and offering immense help to all of the fleeing Americans.

The US Navy crews also were very helpful.

The evacuation route went from Beirut to Cyprus to Ireland to Baltimore.

While traveling, I heard a plethora of stories of family members who were forced to evacuate leaving so many family members behind. Eventhough many of people were fleeing the area, they were doing so reluctantly, especially myself, leaving friends and my students behind to an uncertain fate. The rumors are that the fighting will intensify after the foreigners have evacuated.

I will post more later, I am still trying to recover from the endless hours of traveling.

Anonymous from the Saida area

This is an email I received from a friend:

just minutes earlier a volunteer passed by the house am staying in in
a village east of Saida to write down our names on a list to organize
the distribution of aids(food water ...e.t.c) and just then i realized
i became a "mhajjara" literaly ttranslated to mean "forced migrant".
i have heard this term alot in talks about the lebanese war 15 years
ago and never in my life i thought i'd become one.
i am tired i haven't slept in days i am on the verge of a nervous
breakdown...yes, it happens when you realize you are not being
considered as a human being anymore, but a mere bitter number.

113 dead, 100's injured, and tens of thousands "mhajjareen", all
roads, bridges ports and our only airport bombed from south to the
farthest north..all alond the border with syria is being bombed
complete blockage. just now an israeli general stated that
they are ready to bomb any institution related to Hizballah
where ever it was and most are between or near civilian suburbs and
villages...the only thing i can understand is that "we don't care
how many motherfucking civilans we kill, we want to complete our
mission, wipe out hizballah" , forgive my language but war is ugly
and bitter and cruel and i will not attempt to make it look or sound
any better than it really is, not in my language not in my post...
yet again the war of forgeiners fought on our country... war of
isreal with syria and iran is fought on lebanese grounds,
and yet again lebanon has to pay the incomprehensible price
of blood and destruction..
there are no words that can descreibe the destruction, roads i've
beent o almost everyday places i was there..don't exist anymore..
it's turning into one huge ghost town,
there is absolutely no movement in my city Saida, all shops
are closed, everyone either fled or like my Grandparents
refuse to leave their homes and would rather die in them, fuel
staions are emptying from fuel after the bombing of two
fuel stations on the borders of saida...and when i say borders
it's not a far place it's a couple of kilometers from my house
since distances are negligible in such a small country as lebanon.
i enlisted my name on a list of people who want to leave teh country
when things calm down a littel and it is safe to move around..
i don't think it is anytime soon....
things are getting worse everyday, israeli airplanes are throwing
papers village after village asking the people to evacuate,
in an attempt to stress on hizballah
i don't understand how that is possible when allll transportaion
is down, the only way is to flee on foot kilometers carrying
their belongings, or stay and face their fates...
a genocide happened yesterday when 23 vilagers frrom "Merwaheen"
a village int he south fled to seek refuge in a UN center and the
UN center refused to accept them, afraid that the 1996 genocide
of "Qana" may repeat itself..(anyone and i know most don't know about
it,thanks to israeli propaganda, google it) the poor villagers
were left in open air as they were going back to their homes
and were met by an israeli missile, all dead.

it's turning into an extermination plan...there is absolutely
no considerations for any form of human rights..no consideration
for people's lives..this is israel's war with hizballah
why are inocents being killed? why am i sleeping everyday
to the fading sound of israeli f16 and sounds of explosions?
i can't understand and i don't want to understand it..
why are civilians attacked and why are israeli's using
phosphorus bombs (i don't know what the hell they are, and
am not interested, but i know they are internationally banned
weapons)
isreal's response to the kidnapping of it's soldiers is completely
exaggerated, i can't think of any word to explain the destruction
going on here...it's brutal and inhuman and nothing, nothing
anyone can say or do can justify such a response...
there is so much going on, so many things i want to say
but at this moment i am drained...
everything i learnt and believed in IIPES about any attempts for
peace with israel fell into the water along with my hopes and dreams
of having a country of livi9ng in peace of opening a family
business in my home city of raising my children in the place where
i grew up......
all i see now is destruction and bitterness and fear and loath
and all i can think of is survival..it's not a matter of not wanting
to die, but a matter of refusing to die for such reasons..

bear with me such a bitter post, but it is the truth, bare and solid
and just as it is, and truth hurts..

love to you all including israelis

Rola

2,000 Israelis March in Tel Aviv to Demand End to Offensive

Around 2,000 people marched in Israel's commercial capital of Tel Aviv on Sunday to demand an end to the punishing offensive against Lebanon that has left some 150 dead, organizers said. "Yes to a prisoner exchange," chanted the demonstrators, referring to the key demand of Hizbullah that snatched two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid Wednesday, unleashing the Israeli offensive. "Yes to peace," "Our children want to live," cried the mixed crowd of Jewish and Arab demonstrators. The rally, organized by half a dozen Israeli pacifist groups, lasted around two hours before being dispersed by police.(AFP) (AP photo shows Israeli policemen arresting an Israeli left wing demonstrator in Tel Aviv)

Beirut, 17 Jul 06, 07:48

Bomb Prediction

I have recently learned how to tell when a bomb will hit without the help of the television.. All you have to do is listen for the sound of a low humming engine.. That my friends is an announcement that there is a drone in the sky, immediately afterward the warplanes come in and bomb the hell out of a target.... Now just think about that happening 100 times a night.. I will keep you posted.. as the night goes on.. The attack is just starting now..

An actual leaflet dropped by Israeli jets in the Southern Suburbs of Beirut (Ay Khudmay?) translation - Nasrallah says,"Can I provide any service?"

Day 5

I am sitting in Beirut, waiting for the attacks to begin, the Israeli government promised it would be a strong attack tonight, we find ourselves saying that each night will be the worst night.. It doesn't look like the campaigns are showing any sign of slowing down, only growing both in intensity and bolder in targets. I feel for the people in Dahiya because they haven't had a break from the bombing.. The bombs continue to slam every hour, it's no longer a sound that is unfamiliar and granted it has only been 5 days of fighting..

There is continued talk about a ceasefire but the terms are unrealistic...go figure that would ever happen when talking to the Israelis.. I submitted an editorial to the Washington Post.. I am not sure if they will run it, but I am hoping that it will help get the word out. If you are able to, please write your local representative demanding the US to intervene in this conflict. I can't say enough how the bombings are all civilian targets. They are destroying neighborhoods that are densely populated....

The power has been off and on, and I am trying to take the opportunity to update this blog every second I get.

Bombs Bombs and More Bombs

The Israelis continue to bomb Dahiya... I am not sure what they are hitting, what's interesting is that you can watch it all on TV. The Lebanese television stations set up cameras overlooking Dahiya and you can just watch the television.. see the explosion and count to 13.. Thirteen is the amount of seconds it takes before you can hear the explosion. The bombs keep on falling and I think I am going to go out of my mind. I am not sure that there are any more places that they can hit, so they will just continue to bomb the airport and hit the same bridges over and over again...

I wonder how much money is spent on each bomb, let's say 50,000 dollars? I don't know how much, but it sure could do a lot to help people if the amount was used for something beneficial to humanity.... I have probably heard over 250 bombs by now.. And yet I still can't stop jumping or flinching every time I hear one..

I am hoping that my students are all safe and sound, but I know that is far from reality. I tried to keep in touch with them but a lot of their phones aren't working now..

I hate that sound.. I can't even write this fucking blog without hearing at least 5 blasts... I will write more when I calm down..

Day 5 of the siege

Waiting for the worms

I have never felt so abandoned by my government. I have nothing but anger for President Bush as he continues to lack common sense and the ability to reason. Regardless of your stance on Hizballah or what lead to this escalation, anyone with common sense will see that innocent people are suffering the most. We are completely isolated from the outside world, running out of oil and food from the blockade. Electricity is now a luxury that is not guaranteed and to be honest, I am not sure when i will be able to update this blog again. As for the violence, let me summarize it as Israeli warplanes constantly flying over lebanon, dropping bombs at any random place. Our civilian casualties are far exceeding the Israelis and furthermore they are equiped to hide from the miniscule rockets that Hizballah is able to launch. There is a huge difference between ground rockets and launching rockets from a F-15.

As for my safety, I am guaranteed to be safe because they are not coming close to the Christian neighborhoods but the sounds of war can be just as damaging.. Every night I wait for the next attack to watch the ground erupt into flames and the anti-aircraft fire. There is nothing to do other than stay awake, I am not sure the last time I had a decent amount of sleep, but who could think of it in a time like this? I will only suffer with the rest of the lebanese by having to search for food and water, which is becoming more scarce as this continues. The only ones that can bring an end to this conflict is the US and the Israelis, both whom seem staunchly opposed to doing so. Please make some noise in America for me and try to get the US involved to limit the hijacking of Lebanon.. The government is powerless and the people are stuck in this horrible mess. None of us are immune.

As for evacuation, I have heard that the State dept is putting together some plan to ship Americans to Cyprus, but I have to sign a promisary note to pay back the boat ride and they leave us stranded there, which doesn't really leave me in a good place, being that I own a ticket to the US leaving the former Beirut International Airport on Aug 3rd. There are 25,000 Americans here in Lebanon and I would have assumed that the US had more interest in calming this situation but once again the US has steered clear from any logical policy.

Let the world remember the best way to defend itself, destroy its sovereign neighboring country.

May God be with the people of Lebanon..

I will update as much as I can.

Day 4 of the siege

Lebanon under Siege Part II

I just witnessed Israeli warships moving into the Lebanese waters and there is some place burning on TV.. The airport was attacked for a second time, and it is going to be a very long night. The Israelis dropped pamphlets from the sky warning Lebanese civilians to stay away from Hizballah areas.. It is getting worse and worse.. Israel is claiming that Hizballah hit Haifa which they are denying.. I don't know what will happen, but I'm sure the power is going out soon. I just want to say that i will be fine, and I will stay out of the fighting areas, but the night will definitely be long. Please say a prayer for Lebanon...

Lebanon under Siege

First thing I want to say is that I am safe.. Right now the atmosphere is really horrible and we are all sitting waiting for the next move.. I will post more when I have a bit more time.. I am just hunkering down and watching the news...

Why in front of AIPAC?

I guess I will never understand the political decisions made by American politicians. While I was sitting at home eating lunch and watching CNN International, the US Ambassador to the UN gave a speech indicating that America holds the right to take any phyisical action it deems necessary against Iran if it continues its path of isolation and nuclear defiance. The part that struck me funny is that the backdrop was lined with AIPAC AIPAC AIPAC... Why in the world would the US give such speeches from a lobbying firm that directly shows the American-Israeli ties following all the events both within its borders and outside its borders knowing all of the repurcussions that it may have? I believe that we should give such speeches in a neutral forum or environment to reduce the fodder for conspiracies that the Israelis control US foreign policy. I will try to get a picture of this briefing.. If this bothers me... I can only imagine what my Lebanese neighbors feel.... to be continued..