And now– Nasrallah for PM of Israel?

HaAretz’s Bradley Burston has a great piece in Wednesday’s paper– and I don’t see an “irony alert” anywhere in there, so he has to be serious, right? Burston first of all surveys the lamentable chaos in Israel’s national decisionmaking ranks, then he proposes the following:

    If assassinating or abducting the Hezbollah leader is still on the agenda, as Israeli officials maintain, why not put Nasrallah to useful purpose?
    Look at the issues. Consider his record. Here is a man who is both strong and wise on security issues. He saw to it that his troops were well-prepared, well-trained, well-supplied, and and well-protected.
    Nasrallah would be a new sort of Israeli leader. One who gets things done.
    Here is a man who addresses social welfare needs head-on. He doesn’t wait to help home-owners rebuild residences destroyed by aerial attacks. He hands out literal lump-sums, immediately, in cash.
    Here is a man who delivers medical care to the needy, affordable housing to the homeless, food and even clothing to society’s disadvantaged.
    Here is a man who cares deeply about, and puts major emphasis on, education and youth [even if the message is one of incitement, hatred, and anti-Semitism].
    Moreover, as he proved this week in admitting to having miscalculated the Israeli response in Lebanon, Nasrallah, as opposed to, say, Olmert, is a leader who, when he’s made an error in judgment, can openly admit to it.
    For more than 20 years, Israeli prime ministers have come to office pledging to be leaders for all the people, only to exacerbate existing divides and create new ones.
    Why not tap the one leader who has managed to unite the Israeli people as has no prime minister in memory?
    … Nasrallah has a proven record.
    What do our present leaders have to show for theirs?

No Irony alert, no, but probably a humor alert would be in order. I just wonder whether many people in Israel or Lebanon are yet in the kind of emotional space where they can appreciate this kind of humor?
(Far less humorous– old Mr. Divide-&-Rule Martin Indyk still up to his nasty imperialistic D&R tricks in this interview.)

26 thoughts on “And now– Nasrallah for PM of Israel?”

  1. Come to think of it, New Orleans could also use such leadership. *tic (big irony alert)
    For those outside the US, the American TV media just loves anniversaries of tragedies and “big news” story. On and on and on…. “New Orleans still in shambles; the story at 11:00.” Oh, and hey, there’s a big wet storm heading towards ole’ Virginia by Thursday. Oil futures though dropped over $2.00/barrel yesterday when it turned out it wasn’t heading for the Gulf (of Mexico) and all those oil rigs…. Ah, gotta put the weather channel on. Quick, call Noah. (pun intended)

  2. From AFP: Olmert’s bush-league attempt (maybe) at bunker humor…
    August 29, 2006 Tuesday
    HEADLINE: Israeli PM makes bunker jibe against Nasrallah
    DATELINE: TIBERIAS, Israel, Aug 29 2006
    Prime Minister Ehud Olmert took a swipe at Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday, charging he remained secluded in a bunker two weeks after Israel’s war with his Shiite militia.
    “While I am travelling around the north, Nasrallah has yet to come out of his bunker. Someone who doesn’t come out of his bunker is not a person who thinks that he’s won,” he told reporters in the town of Tiberias.
    (Then again, he’s not stupid…. )

  4. Probably a fantasy would be a more accurate description. The author is expressing facts but alas, there is no way to make the suggestion come true.
    I read many similar articles comparing Nasralla and GW as Scott mentioned in the previous comment.
    Regarding the bunker issue mentioned also in the previous comment I would like to allude to an article I made reference to in my comment on the previous post of Helena. The article was in Arabic and was published in today’s issue of the Lebanese newspaper assafire. Maryam Bassam who interviewed Nasralla on New TV said that the interview took place in an apartment and not a bunker. She expressed her astonishment for this fact. I think that Olmert should ask his intelligence people about the story of the bunker. The Israeli intelligence proved its incompetence regarding Hizb Alla, so why should they be sure of this story of the bunker that Nasralla is allegedly using for hiding .

  5. I don’t think that the issue is whether or not Nasrallah is in a bunker or in an apartment. Rather, it is when and if he will be able to come out in public. Remember, he is a charismatic leader, and generally such leaders need to be seen in public with their constituents. Remember the mass rallies Nasrallah used to hold regularly? If he can’t do so again, then his appeal may very well slacken.
    As to Nasrallah’s veracity, I think that this has been overspun. I think I already pointed out his threat to shell Tel Aviv, which he never carried out, and his claims to have sunk Israeli ships, which never occurred.
    Yossi Melman had a good editorial on this in yesterday’s Ha’aretz:
    http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/755860.html

  6. 1. I think that the real issue is that Israel does not know where Hasan Nasrallah is. Israel has plainly demonstrated the degree of its frustration with the man and simply they are not able to get him. Israel demonstrated a great intelligence failure when it comes to Hizb Allah.
    2. Hasan Nasrallah was asked specifically in the interview with New TV about his attendance to public gatherings and he responded that the people would see him as they used to. He was specific about the meetings that he will not attend. Those are meetings held in closed places and whose timing and place are determined and known a long time beforehand.
    3. He said that he would hit Tel Aviv if the heart of Lebanon were hit. Israel did not do that because it knew that he is serious and he is capable to fulfill his threat.
    4. People could argue about the exact wording like whether “sunk” means go down under the water or badly damaged to require another vessel to tow it or that fire was set atop of it with casualties. The truth is that Israel was forced to pull its naval vessels off the Lebanese shores and not dare to come close. The truth is that HA succeeded not only to neutralize the naval force but also its tanks. No one doubts that the Israeli army is equipped with the most advanced naval vessels and the most advanced armored tanks but all this majesty failed in front of a small number of well-trained men equipped with hand held rockets. The truth is that several countries like Turkey and India cancelled contracts with Israel to buy tanks and vessels because of what happened. The truth is that many military experts are saying that this war proved once more that the quality of the man is more important than the degree of advancement of the machine. HA men were fighting with old weapons that were modified in the 1960s and 1970s against state of the art Israeli weaponries. Most analysts are comparing the Israeli fighter of the 21 century with those of 1948 and the comparison is not in favor of the current generation.
    5. Regarding the article of Melman in Haartz, I am honestly sorry to say that the man is out of touch with reality and the article is just blatant apologetic propaganda. He even does not know what HN exactly said. Just as an example Melman says: If Hezbollah is no longer claiming victory, then Israel was not in fact defeated…”. At the end of the interview HN said that what HA has achieved is a strategic historical victory and the coming days will prove this. Wait to see what will happen in Israel in the coming days and weeks. Wait and see what is coming to happen in the countries of the ME. I’m not sure what was the state of mind of Melman when he wrote the following: The razing of HA’s headquarters in southern Beirut undermined the organization’s command and control capabilities and dented Nasrallah’s pride”. Is this man serious? It is pathetic. A few lines down he writes: “Even more impressive are the strategic fruits of war. Had Israel been offered the details of the cease-fire arrangement before the war, any government would have approved it willingly.” The plain translation of this statement is simply that Israel failed to achieve its goals militarily after longer than a month of war with green lights from the USA, Europe and some Arab countries. Every one knows that the resolution was nothing more than a fig leaf to cover the failures of Israel and its allies to achieve its announced goals of the war. Nothing will be implemented without the full agreement of Hizb Allah and there is no force that can impose anything on them. Just think of the two Israeli prisoners. It looks to me that Melman is working in Olmert’s office or in the propaganda department. Typical self-delusional writing. Sorry.

  7. He said that he would hit Tel Aviv if the heart of Lebanon were hit. Israel did not do that because it knew that he is serious and he is capable to fulfill his threat.
    interesting claim. Help me find “the heart of Lebanon” please. I can’t find it on this map:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Locations_bombed_Aug13.jpg
    The truth is that several countries like Turkey and India cancelled contracts with Israel to buy tanks and vessels because of what happened.
    Another interesting claim. Can you document it? Thanks so much.

  8. Paul Woodward has another gold nugget:
    “The coming Holocaust is a theme that Karl Rove is banking on as a winner in the upcoming Congressional elections. Don’t expect to hear Republicans talking about the extermination of Jews but the code phrase signalling that threat now comes with a presidential seal. The campaign theme this Fall in the Republic of Fear appears to be, Islamic fascism. The fearmongers now pounding the fascist-threat drum, demonstrate what a keen understanding they have of the political tools of fascism.”
    http://warincontext.org/2006_08_27_archive.html#115696374489621177
    Ignore this at your peril.

  10. “While I am travelling around the north, Nasrallah has yet to come out of his bunker
    Did you think so?
    The Israeli network was discovered after the killing last month of two Islamic Jihad officials, the brothers Nidal and Mahmoud Majzoub, in a car bomb blast in Sidon, Lebanon. Lebanese intelligence officers last week arrested Mahmoud Rafeh, 59, a retired policeman from the Lebanese town of Hasbaya, his wife and two children, and discovered bomb-making materials, code machines and other espionage equipment in his home.
    Mr Rafeh confessed to the killings of the Majzoubs and to working for Mossad since 1994. He also confessed that his cell was responsible for killing three leading Hezbollah commanders since 1999, as well as Jihad Jibril, the son of Ahmad Jibril, the head of the Damascus-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, who died in a car bomb blast in 2002.
    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-2227831,00.html

  11. I think Helena will love to read this…
    ماريا معلوف سيدة مسيحية من لبنان ومقدمة برنامج بلا رقيب في قناة نيو تي في،وهي كاتبة أيضا أنظروا ماذا كتبت في السيد حسن نصرالله حقيقة الواحد يتأثر لما يقرأ كلام بهذا الشكل من سيدة مسيحية، أقرؤا المقال الى آخره.
    دعني أركع أمام قدميك – الثابتتان على الحق – يشاركني الرغبة الكثيرون ممن يعرفون قدرك الرفيع … أنت يا نصرنا العزيز ….و يا قائد الزمان المقدس .
    تمنّيتك والداً..و أنت الأب الشرعي لأمتنا اليتيمة …
    حلمت بلقياك….و كان الله حليفي فجمعني بوالديك في صدفة خير من ألف ميعاد.
    على حدودنا مع سوريا التي كثيراً ما تمنيت أن تسقط…
    تمنيت أن اشارك جنودك المقاومين فرحة الجهاد المقدس في جنوب لبنان الصامد.
    تمنيت أن انتسب لجنوبنا الأبي….قانا…رميش…بنت جبيل…مارون الراس.
    اني أعترف بأن جبناً يمنعني من مشاركة الأطفال و الشيوخ و النساء الذين شملتهم بمحبتك و تقديرك و امتنانك وأنه والله لعظيم.
    تمنيت أن أقدم لك كوباً من ماء سلسبيل لتروي ظمأنا نحن محبيك و مريديك.
    لا تغص… ولا تدمع… سيدنا وسيد المقاومة وسيد الأحرار والشرفاء في أمتنا العربية. كم هو رائع صوتك الرخيم عندما يصل الى أفئدتنا وكم هي بليغة كلماتك التي أضحت تتردد على ألسنة الملايين عرباً ومسلمين.
    سيدي كم من مرة تمنيت أن أجفف عرقاً طاهراً يبدو كحبات اللؤلؤ .على جبينك الطاهر الشامخ ومنه تستمد الأمة شموخها.
    رأيتك في خيالي تربت على كتفي و تخبرني أن المسيح آت ليخلص الأمة من الهلاك.
    سيدي و سيد المقاومة متى نراك رؤية العين ….منتصب القامة كما عهدناك شامخاً في وسط الحصار العظيم الذي يتحدّى بفضل ندائك الى بناء صلب لشعب أبيّ يستمد منك العنفوان و العزة.
    هل لي أن أتصور معك حالة أبي عبد الله الحسين عليه السلام مرمياً في وسط صحراء قد قتل أولاده واخوانه وأنصاره ، و ما هي الا دقائق معدودات حتى يحتز رأسه و تدوس الخيل صدره وظهره ويهجم الناهبون على خيامه وينهبوا أمواله ويسبو نساءه
    في اللحظات الأخيرة التي يجود بها بنفسه يتوق الحسين الى الله عز و جلّ ويقول له: اللهم متعالي المكان عظيم الجبروت شديد المحال غني عن الخلائق ، قادر على ما تشاء ، قريب الرحمة ، صادق الوعد، سابغ النعمة ،حسن البلاء ، قريب اذا دعيت محيط بما خلقت ، قابل التوبة ، لمن تاب اليك قادر على ما أردت ومدرك ما طلب! ت شكور اذا شكرت ذكور اذا ذكرت ، أدعوك يا رب ، محتاجاً، وأرغب اليك فقيراً، وأفزع اليك خائفاً ، وأبكي اليك مكروباً،
    ولنتذكر ما علمته لنا من دعوات الأمام الحسين (رض) في اللحظات الأخيرة: وأستعين بك ضعيفاً وأتوكل عليك كافياً ، احكم بيننا وبين قومنا ، فانهم غّررونا، وخدعونا ، وخذلونا وغدروا بنا، و قتلونا ونحن عطرة نبيك وولد حبيبك محمد بن عبدالله ، الذي اصطفيته ، فاجعل لنا من أمرنا فرحاً، و مخرجاً برحمتك، يا أرحم الراحمين، صبراً على قضائك ، يا رب، يا غياث المستغيثين، مالي رب سواك، ولا معبود غيرك ، صبراً على حكمك ،يا غياث من لا غياث له ، يا دائما” لا نفاذ له، يا ٌمحيي الموتى، يا قائما! ” على كل نفس بما كسبت ” .

  12. Just to remind Helena the Iraqi war news still high, and Nasrrlah will not block the news of Iraq war
    “Baghdad- US Marines based in Iraq’s western al-Anbar Governorate used amplifiers Wednesday to broadcast to local residents messages of reconciliation including calls to refrain from targeting US forces. In the course of campaign, which began Tuesday, the Marines mounted speakers on their vehicles as they patrolled the streets of al-Anbar provincial capital Ramadi and other cities including Fallujah, Heet, Qaem.
    “Dear citizens,” one of the Arabic broadcasts said. “US armed forces intend on withdrawing from Iraq and returning to the United States, and each soldier will return to their family. Just as you have children, we have children of our own whom we wish to return to – safely and securely.”
    Other broadcasts called on al-Anbar’s residents to “refrain from launching rocket attacks and from planting explosive devices targeting US patrols, as these acts will serve to delay the withdrawal of our forces from your country.”

  13. 51% of Lebanese Vote in Favor of Hezbollah Disarming
    By Cihan News Agency, Beirut
    Tuesday, August 29, 2006
    zaman.com
    Amid discussions of whether the United Nations-led peacekeeping force will be charged with disarming Hezbollah after its deployment to Lebanon; at least half the Lebanese population called for disarmament of Hezbollah.
    A recent survey conducted in Lebanon revealed that 51 percent of respondents were in favor of plans to disarm Hezbollah; however, there is a profound difference of opinion among religious and ethnic groups in the country over the issue.
    Ipsos conducted the survey between August 14 and 17 and revealed agreement among 84 percent of Shiites against the disarmament of Hezbollah; however, disarmament of the group was supported by 79 percent of the Durzis, from 77 percent of Christians, and 54 percent of the Sunnites in the country.
    The deployment of a multi-national force in southern Lebanon received approval from 81 percent of respondents; while 67 percent are in favor of terming the status of the U.N.-led force as an “Observation Force.”
    Thirty-eight percent of respondents believe in the possibility of a civil war breaking out in Lebanon.
    http://www.zaman.com/?bl=international&alt=&hn=36090

  14. M. Hassan,
    The facts are as follows:
    Nasrallah threatened explicitly to shell Tel Aviv if Israel resumed bombing of Beirut. The same night the IAF bombed targets in the Dahiye and other areas of the city.
    Concerning public meetings, as they say: The proof is in the eating. What I pointed out is that Nasrallah must attend such meetings to survive and, in the meantime, there has been no mass rally celebrating the “victory”, or any other public meeting or rally that Nasrallah has attended. So, it makes no difference if he is in a bunker, in a luxury villa or in a tent. If he doesn’t show eventually, he will definitely lose prestige and his claim to victory.
    “Sunk” means sunk: Deep sixed, down in Davy Jone’s Locker. Nasrallah claimed to have sunk two IDF vessels. Hizballah (or, more likely Iranian “adivsors”) managed to damage one and kill for sailors with a hit above the waterline. That ship was repaired and back in service before the end of the war. As to the second (which, as I recall, Nasrallah claimed went down with her crew of 56) is pure fabrication. In fact, it is such fabrication, that the IRNA felt obliged to post the story of the “sinking” with a phoney photo. Israeli ships operated where they needed to throghout the war; they simply turned on their anti-missile EW systems, which had been shut off on the ship that was hit.
    I am sure that there were intelligence failures on the part of Israel during the war, serious ones. (Although not being able to find Nasrallah does not really constitute an intelligence failure, unless you ascribe to the theory that Israeli intelligence can do anything.) But there were also, by Nasrallah’s own admission, serious intelligence failures on the other side, e.g. not correctly anticipating the response to the kidnapping.
    As to the “self-delusion”, I suggest you step back and try and look at these things objectively. At any rate, I believe that time will do that for you.

  15. Israeli ships operated where they needed to throghout the war;
    Can you give us more prove for your claim please?

  18. Salah,
    Proof of the ships operating throughout the war? I believe that the Lebanese government and Hizballah have given enough proof in that they claimed that Lebanese cities were regularly shelled from the sea. You can’t have it both ways!
    Regarding the helicopter, who denied that it was shot down, killing five crew members including one woman? I think that the end of the film speaks for itself as to who exactly those people are and what their agenda is.

  19. Bombing Tel Abib was conditional JES? If central Beirut was bombed… and when Hizbullah says something, you have no choice but to believe them.
    As of Indyk thoughts, the more he thinks the faster Israel is tanking. The division between Sunnis and Shiites was plaussible before the endless massacres in Lebanon, now it is history. As I said in an earlier post, we owe the perpetrators enormous thanks.
    Nasrullah needs only to whisper, his name needs only to be said in any gathering , that is sufficient , his image is engraved in our memories and that is what I call pestigious existence.

  20. JES, Ze’ev Schiff today: The navy did not carry out major landings of seaborne forces. An American naval source expressed surprise at this.
    H’mm, wonder why not?

  21. JES,
    You keep arguing here on this space a bout the truths….
    In many posts you argued there were nothing of any racist behaviour of your state and your governmental law against any group or race or religion group.
    This is obviously happening in Aug 2006 not last decades JES, which give indications that there is doubts what you saying!!
    If you need us to believe all the words you put here then this tell us there are doubts with your words …

    A business development center that works under the auspices of the Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry has offered special loans for small businesses in the north, but it is making the special offer only to those businesses that are owned by Jews and former soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces.

  22. “What’s shocking and I would say completely immoral is that 90 per cent of the cluster bomb strikes occurred in the last 72 hours of the conflict when we knew there would be a resolution, when we knew there would be an end,” he said.
    “Every day, people are maimed, wounded and are killed by these ordnances,” the UN relief co-ordinator said.
    He said the bombs may have been manufactured “in a number of places”, including the United States.
    manufactured “in a number of places”
    (US, Russia, Iran, China…) Tell us how these bombs came to the filed JES? Is it also ” is pure fabrication. In fact, it is such fabrication,” again
    “Those places who made those bombs should have a serious talk with Israel on the use of such bombs that are making our lives so miserable trying to help the Lebanese people.
    “I hope the US will talk to the Israelis on that, because it is an outrage that we have 100,000 bombs among where children, women, shopkeepers and farmers are now going to tread,” Mr Egeland said, adding that he had not been able to get an explanation from the Israelis so far.
    http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20312218-1702,00.html

  23. Aging another blow for Israelis
    “No one wanted to help me. What could I do? Carry out an attack and kill Jews?” he asked.
    Israeli media said that after breaking into the gated car park, the Palestinian had asked to meet the British ambassador and then to be taken to the airport and flown to Britain.
    Reporting from the scene, a correspondent for Channel 10 television news said the man had telephoned him and other Israeli journalists recently to say he was about to do something “extreme” because he had been abandoned by his handlers.
    The correspondent said he and other reporters who received similar calls had informed the Shin Bet and police about the warning.
    http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-08-31T161505Z_01_L31856944_RTRUKOC_0_UK-MIDEAST-ISRAEL-EMBASSY.xml
    Aging another blow for Israelis, Palestinian flees to UK embassy asking for refuges and Israiles arrested him.
    He worked with Shan-Bit
    In an interview with Israeli channel TV2, he admitted that he is working with Israelis for a awhile and he ordered by Israelis to do suicide to kills Israelis in Ramallah, if he goes back to Palestine land he will killed because his cooperation with Mosad
    The question here who asked him to “Carry out an attack and kill Jews?” Why? Guess what, JES “”fabrication” storey! Isn’t?
    The “fabrication” detector here he may tell us the truth about this story?

  24. Hmm, Helena, I think we’ll just write this off to extremely superficial reading of Ze’ev’s column (which, BTW, supports everything I said earlier).
    Here is the complete quote at the end of the article:
    Unlike this failure, the navy was successful in deploying the naval commandos in successful raids on the Lebanese shores. The commandos embarked on a series of raids, destroying rocket launchers and other targets. The navy did not carry out major landings of sea borne forces. An American naval source expressed surprise at this.
    Note the first two sentences please.
    As to the last two sentences, which you appear to imply indicate some weakness to the navy as a result of Hizballah activities, I’m sure that, if asked, Ze’ev would respond something like this:
    Israel has only carried out one major amphibious landing in the past 58 years. That was during the invasion of Lebanon in 1982, and was used to introduce troups into the Tyre-Sidon region. In the current war, it was obvious that Israel had no desire to engage ground forces in this highy populated area, so a major landing of seaborne forces would have been meaningless. Further, Israel has limited amphibious assault capabilities that comprise a small number of small landing craft and a single division trained for such landings. That division was deployed elsewhere during the war.
    Helena, I know that you are desperate for any indication that Hizballah actually won the war and inflicted devastating damage on the IDF, but I think that this is really grasping at straws.

  25. It’s amazing how telling the truth tends to raise your credibility – even among your enemies.
    http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3299073,00.html
    Dr. Lebel doesn’t seem to have taken that lesson from his polling results.
    “Lebel says a good media leader relies on three points – gripping the audience, being watchable, and giving the feeling of certainty.”
    The truth, Lebel – what about the truth?

Comments are closed.