The promises of Hamas to disrupt the direct Israel-Palestine Authority peace talks to begin in Washington Thursday have been translated into tragic reality.

Two couples were gunned down as they drove through Kiryat Arba in Hebron, at 7:30 pm Wednesday night, local time. Hebron is a West Bank community where Israelis have built settlements. To the west is central Israel, and further west is the Gaza strip. One couple was about 35 years old, the other 45 years old. They were pronounced dead at the scene by Israeli paramedics.

It was predicted. Everyone was alert for it. It happened anyway.

It is not expected to be an isolated incident, but rather the first of many violent deaths in protest against the peace talks.

Some in Israel are saying (more…)

The previous post mentioned that Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri was suddenly scheduled for an quick trip to Syria this week.
He lost no time in going.

Before sunrise on Sunday, the first day of the Muslim week, Hariri was being feasted by Syrian Prime Minister Assad.
Is that quick, or what?

Both men observe Ramadan, the month in which Muslims fast. But it is a very specific kind of religious fast. No eating during daylight hours. But they are allowed to have a big meal before dawn, and a big meal after sunset.

Assad hosted a predawn suhoor, which is what that meal is called, in honor of the visiting head of the Lebanese state. Then they met throughout the day and apparently a portion of Monday. Afterward Hariri returned to Lebanon for a series of meetings with his ministers and military people.

He came back with more than whatever might have been on his ‘wish list’ of weaponry from Iran through Syria.

According Lebanese news media… and echoed in Israeli and Iranian and Kuwaiti news sources, attesting to the great importance of the news… Syria and Lebanese Hizballah have created a single headquarters for all forces under their jurisdiction.

The joint command will coordinate warfare for the two nations on land, sea and in the air. This includes control of missile defense in both countries. It also includes ’strategies for attacks on Israel’, and ‘defense of Lebanon in the event of an Israeli aggression’. Note the order of the last two items.
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Lebanon has been in constant internal conversation about the crisis spawned by the violence in the streets of Beirut last week. Leaders of all Lebanese factions are terribly concerned that conflict between groups will tear Lebanon apart… soon.

Lebanon is extremely fractured and factionated, even for a Middle East country. It has been in shards for quite some time. But now things seem to be getting out of hand to the point that some Lebanese leaders are calling for the total band of weapons in the hands of ‘citizen groups’. But that is now part of current Lebanese culture. That dog won’t hunt.

So leaders are asking how to make Lebanon coalesce. The answer seems to lie in the direction of Syria and Iran.
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Reliability of the following information being featured in mainstream Israeli news sources is not high. But is interesting. The more so if there is truth behind it. Sources include IDF Army radio.

All are reporting Saturday morning Israel local time that Syria is on ‘high alert’ for an attack by Israel on weapons marshaled for Lebanese Hizballah within Syrian borders.
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I’m writing this before the US Stock Market opens on Friday, August 27.

There is a saying on Wall Street, “Buy on the rumor, sell on the news.”
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Rumors abound that the US has offered Israel a last chance offer to avoid war in the Middle East.

It goes like this.

Iran is going to get the atomic bomb, within a year. The US considers that a done deal, as the Obama administration actually said earlier in the year, but no one believed that they believed it. Now everyone believes they believe it.

So what do we do about it, Israel? asks the Obama administration. (more…)

The Obama administration has done the thing they said they wouldn’t do, and are setting the agenda for the Israeli-Palestinian Authority direct peace talks before they begin. The US has demanded that the issue of freezing settlements is to be first up. Although of great importance to the two sides, the US diktat is anathema to the success of the talks.

Even if Hamas does not make good on its threats to stop the talks by making military moves on both Israel and the PA, the pre-conference enmity from the constant breaking of pledges seems sufficient to do the job. The talks seems sure to be DOA on September 2 when they are slated to begin.

Very tragic. Unless… the US and Israel never intended the talks to work.
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Israeli sources report a speech by the Palestinian leader of Hamas from his headquarters in Syria that promises large-scale attacks against Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Timeframe: before September 2.

Purpose is to give the kiss of death to the Israel-Palestinian Authority talks starting on that date, which is the single diamond in the Obama administration’s treasure chest of peace for the Middle East.

Meshall did not limit his vitriol to threats against Israel and the PA. He also castigated Egyptian and Jordanian rulers for endorsing the talks, which he sees as destructive to the Palestinian right of return, and warned them of severe consequences.

Would these attacks, if not prevented by the alerted authorities, be sufficient to plunge the region into war?

We shall see.

Israeli sources report that Iranian General Jafari of the Revolutionary Guards made a rare trip outside Iran to meet with Syria’s President Assad. Included in the discussions was using Lebanese Hisballah or other resources for a preemptive attack on Israel.

Israeli mainstream media report that the threat of an Iranian attack is now being taken seriously at the highest levels.

In a highly unusual and some might say desperate move, (more…)

Around midnight, there was a resurgence of machine gun and heavier weapons fire after one supposed cease fire. Another cease fire was negotiated at Lebanon Regular Army (LRA) intelligence headquarters early Wednesday Lebanon local time. All the belligerents are said to have similar long-term political goals, so this cease fire may hold. At least for a while.

Casualties now include at least 4 dead. The ’supermarket’ reported to have been set on fire was actually a Sunni mosque. Apparently it did not burn down, but provided a handy target for people who then shot at it. Other people were inside.

The late-night violence spread toward downtown Beirut, a few blocks away from streets jammed with tourists. (more…)