Friday, August 13, 2010

Finally, Some Honesty from Lebanon

Following the deadly killing of an IDF officer (and wounding of another) on the Lebanese border, some members of Congress are beginning to wonder why the United States sends $100 Million in aid to the Lebanese Army. Theoretically, the idea was to bolster the official Lebanese army in the hopes that it would rebuff the continued growth of Hizballah. No such luck, as the Lebanese army now seems to be just a branch of the actual army that Hizballah has built.
While the U.S. State Department continues to insist that giving money to Lebanon is a good idea and brings "stability" to the region, people in Lebanon aren't so sure. An article on the subject in today's Washington Post said that,
"Don't imagine that a strong army can fight Hezbollah," said a retired Lebanese general, Elias Hanna. "Whoever thinks this is possible is under a delusion. . . . Most of the Lebanese army now is against Israel and is pro-Hezbollah."
That's not my favorite quote, though. The cake goes to Lebanon's Defense Minister Elias Murr who said in a news conference Wednesday:
"Let them keep their money or give it to Israel. We will confront [Israel] with the capabilities we have."
So, the United States gives Isreal money (well spent, I say) to defend itself against terrorist regimes. Then it gives a hundred million dollars to armies that are supposed to help in the fight against terrorism, but are actually allied with the terrorists, supported by Iran, which is trying to build nuclear weapons "for peaceful purposes."
Does anyone (other than the U.S. State Department) not see a problem here?

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