[Peace-discuss] Just Foreign Policy News, July 31, 2006

Mon Jul 31 13:40:47 CDT 2006

Just Foreign Policy News
July 31, 2006

In this issue:
Lebanon/Israel
1) Israel Says No Halt to Strikes in Support of Ground Forces
2) Rice Says Mideast Cease-Fire Is Within Reach
3) From Carnage in Lebanon, a Concession
4) A Night of Death and Terror for Lebanese Villagers
5) U.N. Deplores Civilian Deaths, but Cease-Fire Call Is Blocked
6) As News Spreads of Deaths in South, Anger Boils Over Into
Demonstrations in Beirut
7) Child Victims Incite Anger in Lebanon and Beyond
8) Israeli Refugees Seek Friends and Families
9) Israel Is Powerful, Yes. But Not So Invincible.
10) You're all targets, Israel tells Lebanese in South
11) The "hiding among civilians" myth
12) Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah Talks With Former US Diplomats on Israel
13) Irish refused bombs sent to Prestwick airport
14) The Future of Israel is at Stake - Michael Warschawski
15) Days of darkness - Gideon Levy
16) In the Gunsight: Syria! or: A Nice Little War - Uri Avnery
17) Protest? Not now - Lily Galili
18) Cabinet in open revolt over Blair's Israel policy
19) Casualties of War: Lebanon's Trees, Air and Sea
20) This Is the Time for a U.S.-Led Comprehensive Settlement - Scowcroft
Iran
21) UN Council set to demand Iran suspend nuclear work
22) Iran to Re - Evaluate Nuke Incentive Package
23) Iran's Jews Caught Again in No Man's Land
24) Iran Hangs in Suspense as War Offers New Strength, and Sudden Weakness
25) U.N. Moves Toward Vote on Iran's Atom Program
26) Tehran faces UN nuclear deadline
Iraq
27) Audit Finds U.S. Hid Actual Cost of Iraq Projects
28) Iraqi Official Warns Against Coup Attempt
29) A Senate Race in Connecticut
30) Violence in Iraq Is Creating Chaos in Bank System
Mexico
31) Mexico Leftists Try to Shut Capital in Vote Battle

Summary:
29) A Senate Race in Connecticut
A New York Times editorial yesterday endorsed Ned Lamont in his
challenge against Senator Joe Lieberman. Lieberman's embrace of the
Bush Administration's assault on civil liberties was the main factor
cited in the decision.

Lebanon/Israel
1) Israel Says No Halt to Strikes in Support of Ground Forces
Secretary of State Rice said today that she believes a cease-fire
between Israel and Hezbollah can be reached this week, after
persuading Israel to suspend its air campaign for 48 hours in the face
of an outcry over the air raid on Qana on Sunday that left dozens of
Lebanese civilians dead.  Israeli warplanes did conduct air strikes
this morning, but army officials said they were in support of ground
forces and so not covered by the 48-hour halt. Israel's defense
minister Peretz made it clear today that Israel intends to continue
its ground operations against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.
"We must not agree to a ceasefire that would be implemented
immediately," he said.

3) From Carnage in Lebanon, a Concession
Taken aback by the carnage from the Israeli bombing of Qana, Lebanon,
Secretary of State Rice wrung the first significant concession from
Israel late Sunday in its war against the Hezbollah militia: an
immediate 48-hour suspension of aerial strikes. Notable about the
suspension was that Rice's deputy announced it, not the Israelis. The
American decision to break the news on what was essentially an Israeli
tactical change reflected the increased concern in the Bush
administration about the rising civilian death toll in Lebanon and the
havoc it is wreaking with America's already shaky relations with the
Arab world. The United States is still not calling for an immediate
cease-fire. By refusing to call for an immediate cease-fire, even in
the face of the Qana bombing, Rice was teetering on the edge of a
public relations disaster. The Israeli prime minister released a
statement saying he told Rice that Israel needed 10 to 14 more days to
complete its war aims.

4) A Night of Death and Terror for Lebanese Villagers
The Israeli government apologized for the airstrike Sunday. It said
that residents had been warned to leave and should have already been
gone. But leaving southern Lebanon now is dangerous. The two extended
families staying in the house that the Israeli missile struck had
discussed leaving several times. But they were poor and the families
were big and many of their members weak, with a 95-year-old, two
relatives in wheelchairs and dozens of children. A taxi north, around
$1,000, was unaffordable. And then there was the risk of the road
itself. Dozens, including 21 refugees in the back of a pickup truck on
July 15, have been killed by Israeli strikes while trying to evacuate.
Missiles hit two Red Cross ambulances last weekend, wounding six
people and punching a circle in the center of the cross on one's roof.
A rocket hit the ambulance convoy that responded in Qana on Sunday.

5) U.N. Deplores Civilian Deaths, but Cease-Fire Call Is Blocked
The Security Council issued a statement Sunday evening expressing
"extreme shock and distress" at the killing of Lebanese civilians in
the bombing of Qana after daylong negotiations in which the United
States succeeded in blocking a call from Secretary General Kofi Annan
for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

6) As News Spreads of Deaths in South, Anger Boils Over Into
Demonstrations in Beirut
Beirut erupted into enraged demonstrations and rioting on Sunday at
the news that Israeli bombs had cut short so many lives in Qana. As
the televised images of children's bodies were replayed on news
stations, dozens of young men crashed into the sleek United Nations
building early Sunday, lashing out at an accessible symbol of
international inaction. The men broke windows and ransacked some
floors of the building, burning an American flag and raising a
Hezbollah flag in its place. The U.S. "wants to build a 'new Middle
East' on the rubble of our homes and our children," said Ali Mustapha,
who fled his home in the south with his family last week, bitterly
echoing the words of Secretary of State Rice during her visit to
Beirut.

7) Child Victims Incite Anger in Lebanon and Beyond
The images of the dead children in southern Lebanon played across the
television screens on Sunday over and over again — small and caked in
dirt and as lifeless as rag dolls as rescuers hauled them from the
wreckage of several residential buildings pulverized hours earlier by
the Israeli Air Force. The images were broadcast on all of the
Arab-language satellite channels, but it was the most popular station,
Al Jazeera, that made the starkest point. For several hours after
rescuers reached Qana, Lebanon, the station took its anchors off the
air and just continuously played images of the little bodies there.
"This is the new Middle East," one report from the shattered town
began, making a sarcastic reference to a phrase Secretary of State
Rice uttered last week when visiting Beirut and rejecting calls for an
immediate cease-fire. American weapons caused the deaths, the report
said. Village men were seen weeping over the children as they were
laid out under blankets in front of damaged buildings.  Arab public
opinion, already holding that Americans do not care about Arab lives,
given the dozens killed daily in Iraq, will undoubtedly sour even more
on the United States. "There is a feeling right now that this war is
not really an Israeli war against Hezbollah, but an American war to
get rid of Hezbollah," said Hussein Amin, chair of the journalism
department at the American University in Cairo.

8) Israeli Refugees Seek Friends and Families
Israeli officials have estimated the number of displaced northern
Israelis at 300,000 since the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah
began. Rockets have been falling over Israel's northern towns and
cities, sometimes more than 100 a day, many hitting places that had
never before been within Hezbollah's range. It has created a new kind
of war for this generation of Israelis, one in which their homes are
on the front line.The Arazi family finally had enough when a Hezbollah
rocket crashed within a few yards of their home last week. The family
of five loaded the car with a cooler full of food, a duffel bag
stuffed with clothes and sheets, a guitar and their 11-year-old
Dalmatian, Dali, and headed south to find safety. "I'm not used to
living like this," said Merav Arazi. "We are used to a normal life. We
work, we come home." Scattered across the center and southern reaches
of Israel, some displaced northerners are camping out on the beaches
of Elat after being turned away by overbooked hotels.

9) Israel Is Powerful, Yes. But Not So Invincible.
As the bloodbath in Lebanon spilled past its second week — with at
least 400 Lebanese dead and many more presumed buried in rubble; some
800,000 refugees, nearly a quarter of the population, on the run; and
the fragile nation's infrastructure shattered — there was no easy way
out for either Israel or Hezbollah, the combatants locked in what each
saw as a deadly existential struggle. The very clear winner, for the
moment at least, was Hezbollah and its leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah.
(Unless, of course, Israel succeeds in its efforts to assassinate
him.) As the only Arab leader seen to have defeated the Israelis — on
the basis of their withdrawal in 2000 from an 18-year occupation — he
already enjoyed wide respect. Now, with Hezbollah standing firm and
inflicting casualties, he has become a folk hero across the Muslim
world, apparently uniting Sunnis and Shiites. The standoff stunned
Israel. Central to the embattled nation's sense of survivability is
the idea of its invincibility. Its intelligence knows everything, the
mythology goes, and no army dare stand against it. In truth, Israel
has, in part, been lucky in its enemies, mostly Arab regimes with
armies suitable mainly for keeping their own populace in check.

10) You're all targets, Israel tells Lebanese in South
Everyone remaining in southern Lebanon will be regarded as a
terrorist, Israel's justice minister said Thursday as the military
prepared to employ "huge firepower" from the air in its campaign to
crush Hizbollah. Haim Ramon issued the warning as the Israeli
government decided against expanding ground operations after the death
of nine soldiers in fighting on Wednesday. "What we should do in
southern Lebanon is employ huge firepower before a ground force goes
in," Ramon said at a security cabinet meeting. "Everyone in southern
Lebanon is a terrorist and is connected to Hizbollah. Our great
advantage vis-a-vis Hizbollah is our firepower, not in face-to-face
combat." Ramon's comments suggested that civilian casualties in
Lebanon, which stand at about 600 after 16 days of bombardment, could
rise yet higher. The country's biggest-selling paper, Yedioth
Ahronoth, said the army had raised the threshold of response to
Katyusha rockets. "In other words: a village from which rockets are
fired at Israel will simply be destroyed by fire," it said. "This
decision should have been made and executed after the first Katyusha.
But better late than never."

11) The "hiding among civilians" myth
Israel claims it's justified in bombing civilians because Hezbollah
mingles with them. In fact, the militant group doesn't trust its
civilians and stays as far away from them as possible, Mitch Prothero
wrote Friday in Salon. Israeli planes high above civilian areas send
huge bombs capable of killing things for hundreds of meters around
their targets, and then blame the inevitable civilian deaths on
"terrorists" who callously use the civilian infrastructure for
protection. But this claim is almost always false. Hezbollah fighters
avoid civilians. They know that if they mingle with civilians, they
will sooner or later be betrayed by collaborators -- as so many
Palestinian militants have been. The analysts talking on cable news
about Hezbollah "hiding within the civilian population" clearly have
spent little time if any in the south Lebanon war zone and don't know
what they're talking about. Hezbollah doesn't trust the civilian
population and has worked very hard to evacuate as much of it as
possible from the battlefield. And this is why they fight so well --
with no one to spy on them, they have lots of chances to take the IDF
by surprise.

12) Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah Talks With Former US Diplomats on Israel
Several former former US diplomats sat down with the Hezbollah leader,
Hassan Nasrallah, in Lebanon earlier this year. On Friday Democracy
Now played excerpts of the interview, and spoke to former US
Ambassador Edward Peck, who took part in the meeting. During the
meeting, Nasrallah discussed Hezbollah's strategy to free Lebanese
prisoners being held in Israel. Nasrallah said, "The only possible
strategy is for you to have Israeli prisoners, soldiers…and then you
negotiate with the Israelis in order to have your prisoners
released…You have two options, either to have these prisoners or
detainees remain in Israeli prisons or to capture Israeli soldiers."

13) Irish refused bombs sent to Prestwick airport
Bombs destined to be used by Israel are being flown via Scotland only
because the Irish government refused to allow them to land on its
soil, the New Scotsman reported Sunday. Ireland turned down a US
request for planes carrying "bunker busters" to refuel at Shannon
airport. As a result, cargo planes carrying the bombs, which the
Israeli army is using in Lebanon, are being flown via Prestwick
airport. The use of Prestwick triggered a furious diplomatic row last
week after it emerged that the US had broken aviation rules by failing
to notify Britain about the flights. Prestwick is negotiating to allow
planeloads of US military personnel on their way to Iraq to stop
there. A source said it was bidding to take flights away from Shannon,
currently used as a stopover for the bulk of the 900 American soldiers
who travel from the US to the Middle East every day. The American
airlines which transport the troops through Shannon are understood to
be reviewing their use of the airport, following protests in Ireland
which have resulted in some of the planes being vandalised. One Irish
official said that the bombs would never have been allowed on Irish
soil. "There is absolutely no way that we would allow munitions or
weapons to be shipped through Shannon to a location where there is an
actual war going on…we allow the US to transport troops to Shannon,
but sending bombs to Israel is another matter and completely out of
the question for us." Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond
said: "It is highly significant that Shannon put its foot down and
drew back from allowing the transport of bunker busters, which could
become the tinder to escalate dramatically the Middle East conflict…It
is absolutely appalling that we should allow Prestwick to become a
stopover to death and destruction." A demonstration was planned for
Sunday at Prestwick by anti-war campaigners.

14) The Future of Israel is at Stake
Michael Warschawski (Alternative Information Center)
"We must reduce to dust the villages of the south ... I don't
understand why there is still electricity there." With these words,
Israeli Minister of Justice Haim Ramon summarized his suggestions for
the military offensive in Lebanon, notes Michael Warschawski of the
Alternative Information Center in Jerusalem. As for the Israeli
military high command, the plan is to occupy a portion of South
Lebanon after destroying all the villages. While more and more voices
among the Israeli public are challenging, if not the legitimacy, at
least the scope of the present military operation, the US
administration is demanding that Israel not surrender to the pressures
of those who are working for a cease-fire: Secretary of State Rice "is
the leading figure of the strategy aimed at changing the situation in
Lebanon" and not Olmert or Peretz, wrote military analyst Ze'ev Schiff
in Ha'aretz.  By its unlimited brutality the State of Israel is
demonstrating to the peoples of the region that it is a foreign and
hostile body in the Middle East. The hatred generated by the
bombardment of Beirut is immense throughout the Muslim world. It will
be extremely difficult to eradicate this anger after the clouds of
battle dissipate and the dead are buried. Olmert, Peretz and Halutz
are the most dangerous and irresponsible leaders Israel has ever had.

15) Days of darkness
Israel is sinking into a strident, nationalistic atmosphere, writes
Gideon Levy in Ha'aretz. The insensitivity and blindness is
intensifying, with tones of jingoism, ruthlessness and vengeance.
Those in Israel who want to know what Tyre looks like now have to turn
to foreign channels. Haim Ramon "doesn't understand" why there is
still electricity in Baalbek; Eli Yishai proposes turning south
Lebanon into a "sandbox"; Yoav Limor, a Channel 1 military
correspondent, proposes an exhibition of Hezbollah corpses and the
next day to conduct a parade of prisoners in their underwear, "to
strengthen the home front's morale." It's not difficult to guess what
we would think about an Arab TV station whose commentators would say
something like that, but another few casualties or failures by the
IDF, and Limor's proposal will be implemented. Is there any better
sign of how we have lost our senses and our humanity? Maariv, which
has turned into the Fox News of Israel, fills its pages with
chauvinist slogans reminiscent of particularly inferior propaganda
machines, while a TV commentator calls for the bombing of a TV
station. Lebanon, which has never fought Israel and has 40 daily
newspapers, 42 colleges and universities and hundreds of different
banks, is being destroyed by our planes and cannon and nobody is
taking into account the amount of hatred we are sowing. In
international public opinion, Israel has been turned into a monster,
and that still hasn't been calculated into the debit column of this
war. Israel is badly stained, a moral stain that can't be easily and
quickly removed. And only we don't want to see it.

16) In the Gunsight: Syria! or: A Nice Little War
Uri Avnery, writing for Gush Shalom, says Israel has become like a
compulsive gambler, who continues to play in order to win his losses
back. He continues to lose and continues to gamble, until he has lost
everything. The leaders that start a war and get stuck in the mud are
compelled to fight their way ever deeper into the mud. That is what
happened this week, following the battle of Bint-Jbeil, which the
Arabs have already started to call proudly Nasrallahgrad. All over
Israel the cry goes up: Get into it! Quicker! Further! Deeper! A day
after the bloody battle, the cabinet decided on a massive mobilization
of the reserves. What for? The ministers do not know. As has been said
before: it is much easier to start a war than to finish one. Ehud
Olmert and Amir Peretz did not think about that when they decided in
haste, without serious debate, without examining other options,
without calculating the risks, to attack Hizbullah. They did not even
think about the lack of shelters in the Northern towns, the
far-reaching economic and social implications. The aims change daily.
These changing aims are not realistic. The Lebanese army cannot and
will not fight Hizbullah. The new "security zone" will be exposed to
guerilla attacks and the international force will not enter the area
without the agreement of Hizbullah. And this guerilla force,
Hizbullah, the Israeli army cannot vanquish. There is an alternative:
declare victory and get out.

17) Protest? Not now
Most in Peace Now have decided for now not to become involved in any
protests, with an emphasis, they say, on "for now" reports Lily Galila
in Haaretz. However, cracks are already appearing under the surface.
Moriah Shlomot, former secretary general of Peace Now, participated in
a demonstration organized by Gush Shalom and the Arab parties. It was
not an easy decision for her; her family still lives in the north.
"The question I ask myself now is whether the decision to launch such
a grandiose campaign really protects the people living in the north.
And I have to say that it does not...Half a million Lebanese refugees
and 400 dead so far won't make Lebanon more friendly to Israel. As a
mental health professional, I am very concerned by the matter of
proportionality. There is a clear difference between a parent who
punishes and a parent who abuses. With the extreme response in
Lebanon, we have become abusers perpetuating a cycle of injustice."

18) Cabinet in open revolt over Blair's Israel policy
British Prime Minister Tony Blair was facing a full-scale cabinet
rebellion Saturday night over the Middle East crisis after his former
Foreign Secretary warned that Israel's actions risked destabilising
all of Lebanon, the Guardian reported Sunday.

19) Casualties of War: Lebanon's Trees, Air and Sea
Environmentalists are warning of widespread and lasting damage in
Lebanon, the New York Times reported Saturday. Spilled and burning
oil, along with forest fires, toxic waste flows and growing garbage
heaps have gone from nuisances to threats to people and wildlife. Many
of Lebanon's once pristine beaches and much of its coastline have been
coated with a thick sludge that threatens marine life. A large oil
spill and fire caused by Israeli bombing have sent an oil slick
traveling up the coast of Lebanon to Syria, threatening to become the
worst environmental disaster in the country's history.

20) Beyond Lebanon: This Is the Time for a U.S.-Led Comprehensive Settlement
Hezbollah is not the source of the problem; it is a derivative of the
cause, which is the tragic conflict over Palestine that began in 1948,
wrote Brent Scowcroft yesterday in the Washington Post. Now we have an
opportunity to achieve a comprehensive resolution of the entire
58-year-old tragedy. Only the United States can lead the effort
required. The outlines of a comprehensive settlement have been
apparent since Clinton's efforts collapsed in 2000. The major elements
would include a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with minor
rectifications agreed upon between Palestine and Israel; Palestinians
giving up the right of return and Israel removing its settlements in
the West Bank, with rectifications mutually agreed; those displaced on
both sides would receive compensation from the international
community; full normal relations of Arab countries with Israel based
on withdrawal from the lands occupied in 1967;  a Palestinian
government along the lines of the agreement reached between Hamas and
Fatah prisoners; Deployment, as part of a cease-fire, of a robust
international force in southern Lebanon;  Deployment of another
international force to facilitate and supervise traffic to and from
Gaza and the West Bank; Designation of Jerusalem as the shared capital
of Israel and Palestine, with appropriate international guarantees of
freedom of movement and civic life in the city.

Iran
21) UN Council set to demand Iran suspend nuclear work
The U.N. Security Council was poised on Monday to adopt a resolution
demanding Iran suspend its nuclear activities by the end of August or
face the threat of sanctions. The council has scheduled a vote on the
document that demands Iran "suspend all enrichment-related and
reprocessing activities, including research and development." If
Tehran does not comply by August 31, the council would consider
adopting "appropriate measures" under Article 41 of Chapter 7 of the
U.N. Charter, which pertains to economic sanctions, says the draft.
The resolution is the first on Iran with legally binding demands and a
threat to consider sanctions. Russia and China are reluctant to impose
sanctions; Moscow's U.N. ambassador, told reporters Friday the
sanctions provision meant the council would have "a discussion" only
on punitive measures. U.S. Ambassador John Bolton told reporters that
"if Iran fails to comply with this mandatory obligation, we will move
to sanctions in the Security Council."

22) Iran to Re - Evaluate Nuke Incentive Package
Iran's president said Sunday fighting between Israel and Hezbollah
guerrillas in Lebanon has forced Iran to re-evaluate a Western nuclear
incentives package, but his country still plans to respond to the
offer next month. Earlier in the day, Iran's Foreign Ministry warned
that Tehran would abandon the package if the U.N. Security Council
approves a resolution against it on Monday.

23) Iran's Jews Caught Again in No Man's Land
In January, the leader of Iran's Jewish community issued a rare
challenge to authorities after President Ahmadinejad called the
Holocaust a ''myth,'' an AP story notes. He said Ahmadinejad was
questioning ''one of the most obvious and saddening incidents in human
history.'' Last week, Jews in Shiraz held a pro-Hezbollah rally that
was covered by state television. The Web site of the Tehran Jewish
Community includes statements opposing Israel's military offensive in
the Gaza Strip and praising uranium enrichment by Iranian scientists.
Iranian Jews face no restrictions on religious practices, but must
follow Islamic codes such as head scarves for women in public. The
same rules apply to Christian and Zoroastrian communities. Iran's
Persian ancestors figure prominently in Jewish lore and tradition,
such as the story of Persia's King Cyrus allowing Jews to return to
Jerusalem from Babylon nearly 2,600 years ago. The shrine of Esther
and Mordechai is in the western city of Hamedan. The Book of Esther
tells how she was raised by the royal adviser Mordechai and became a
Persian queen. She saves fellow Jews from slaughter by persuading King
Xerxes to call off a plan to attack the community on a date that would
be decided by lot, or ''pur.'' The change of heart is marked each year
by the festival of Purim. On the Net - Tehran Jewish Community:
http://www.iranjewish.com

24) Iran Hangs in Suspense as War Offers New Strength, and Sudden Weakness
A New York Times story yesterday supports the view that many Iranian
officials are less than enthusiastic about the conflict in Lebanon.
Officials believe the war has harmed Hezbollah's strength as a
military deterrent for Iran on the Israeli border. Foreign policy
experts and former government officials said that Iran had come to
view Israel's attack on Lebanon as a proxy offensive. They now view
the war as the new front line in the conflict with Washington. "They
are worried that what's happened in Lebanon to Hezbollah is the United
States' revenge against Iran," said a former government official. In
building up Hezbollah, ideological motivation fused with a practical
desire to put a force on Israel's northern border. No matter how this
conflict is resolved, Iranian officials already see their strategic
military strength diminished. In the past, Iran believed that Israel
might pause before attacking it because they would assume Hezbollah
would assault the northern border. If Hezbollah emerges weaker, or
restrained militarily because of domestic politics, Iran feels it may
be more vulnerable. The article says "the accepted wisdom" in Iran
here is that the Israeli assault was pre-planned, and that the capture
of the two soldiers was simply its excuse. The BBC has also reported
this. It is striking that these reports from Iran don't mention that
this view has been documented in Western press accounts, such as the
San Francisco Chronicle article which described the planning for the
war as having been going on for more than a year.

Iraq
27) Audit Finds U.S. Hid Actual Cost of Iraq Projects
USAID, the State Department agency in charge of $1.4 billion in
reconstruction money in Iraq, used an accounting shell game to hide
ballooning cost overruns on its projects there and knowingly withheld
information on schedule delays from Congress, said a federal audit
Friday. The agency hid construction overruns by listing them as
overhead or administrative costs, according to the audit, written by
the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, an independent
office that reports to Congress, the Pentagon and the State
Department.

28) Iraqi Official Warns Against Coup Attempt
A Shiite Muslim political leader said Friday that rumors were
circulating of an impending coup attempt against the government of
Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki and warned that "we will not allow it."
Hadi al-Amiri, a member of parliament from Iraq's most powerful
political party, said in a speech in the holy city of Najaf that "some
tongues" were talking about toppling Maliki's Shiite-led government
and replacing it with a "national salvation government, which we call
a military coup government." He did not detail the allegation.

30) Violence in Iraq Is Creating Chaos in Bank System
Most private banks in Baghdad try to avoid using armored vans, because
they draw too much attention, and instead toss sacks of cash into
ordinary cars for furtive dashes through the streets. However the cash
goes out, it risks being lost in the wash of robbery, kidnapping and
intrigue that now plagues the system. Praised by the United States as
a success story as recently as a few months ago, that system has
quickly become a wild landscape of clandestine cash runs, huge hauls
by robbers dressed as police officers and soldiers, kidnappings of
bank executives with ransoms as high as $6 million, American
allegations of tie-ins with insurgent financiers, and legitimate
customers turned away when they go to pick up their savings and flee
the country.

Mexico
31) Mexico Leftists Try to Shut Capital in Vote Battle
Thousands of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's supporters seized control
of the Zocalo square in Mexico City Sunday night as well as a long
stretch of Reforma boulevard in the capital's main business district
in their push for a vote-by-vote recount of the presidential election.
As police looked on, protesters set up tents and tarpaulin covers in
the middle of the boulevard and said they would block it to all
traffic on Monday. "They wanted to steal the elections from us but we
are not giving in,'' said Magdalena Salazar, a middle-aged woman who
danced with her daughter in the Zocalo as a salsa band called
''Minimum Wage'' played into the early hours of Monday. "If they don't
pay attention to us, we'll shut the city down,'' she said. Lopez
Obrador called on his followers to seize downtown Mexico City at the
end of a massive protest rally on Sunday afternoon. Local police could
in theory break up the protests but it is unlikely as the city and its
police force are run by Lopez Obrador's Party of the Democratic
Revolution. Polls show that while slightly more than half the country
thinks Calderon won cleanly, more than a third believe there was fraud
and about half want a recount just to be sure.

Articles:
Lebanon/Israel
1) Israel Says No Halt to Strikes in Support of Ground Forces
Steven Erlanger And Hassan M. Fattah
New York Times
July 31, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/31/world/middleeast/31cnd-mideast.html

2) Rice Says Mideast Cease-Fire Is Within Reach
Helene Cooper
New York Times
July 31, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/31/world/middleeast/31cnd-rice.html

3) From Carnage in Lebanon, a Concession
Helene Cooper
New York Times
July 31, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/31/world/middleeast/31diplo.html

4) A Night of Death and Terror for Lebanese Villagers
Sabrina Tavernise
New York Times
July 31, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/31/world/middleeast/31scene.html

5) U.N. Deplores Civilian Deaths, but Cease-Fire Call Is Blocked
Warren Hoge
New York Times
July 31, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/31/world/middleeast/31nations.html

6) As News Spreads of Deaths in South, Anger Boils Over Into
Demonstrations in Beirut
Hassan M. Fattah
New York Times
July 31, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/31/world/middleeast/31beirut.html

7) Child Victims Incite Anger in Lebanon and Beyond
Neil MacFarquhar
New York Times
July 31, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/31/world/middleeast/31arab.html

8) Israeli Refugees Seek Friends and Families
Dina Kraft
New York Times
July 31, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/31/world/middleeast/31displaced.html

9) Israel Is Powerful, Yes. But Not So Invincible.
John Kifner
New York Times
July 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/weekinreview/30kifner.html

10) You're all targets, Israel tells Lebanese in South
Harry de Quetteville
Telegraph (UK)
Filed: 28/07/2006
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/07/28/wmid28.xml

11) The "hiding among civilians" myth
Israel claims it's justified in bombing civilians because Hezbollah
mingles with them. In fact, the militant group doesn't trust its
civilians and stays as far away from them as possible.
Mitch Prothero
Jul. 28, 2006
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/07/28/hezbollah/index_np.html

12) Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah Talks With Former US Diplomats
on Israel, Prisoners and Hezbollah's Founding
Democracy Now
Friday, July 28th, 2006
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/28/1440244

13) Irish refused bombs sent to Prestwick airport
Eddie Barnes And Murdo Macleod
New Scotsman
Sun 30 Jul 2006
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1104532006

14) The Future of Israel is at Stake
Michael Warschawski
Alternative Information Center
Sunday, 30 July 2006
http://alternativenews.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=472&Itemid=1

15) Days of darkness
Gideon Levy
Haaretz
Sun, 30 Jul 2006
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/744061.html

16) In the Gunsight: Syria! or: A Nice Little War
Uri Avnery
Gush Shalom	
29-7-06

17) Protest? Not now
Lily Galili
Haaretz
Last update - 09:00 30/07/2006
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/744074.html

18) Cabinet in open revolt over Blair's Israel policy
Gaby Hinsliff, Ned Temko and Peter Beaumont
Guardian (UK)
Sunday July 30, 2006
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1833538,00.html

19) Casualties of War: Lebanon's Trees, Air and Sea
Hassan M. Fattah
New York Times
July 29, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/29/world/middleeast/29environment.html

20) Beyond Lebanon
This Is the Time for a U.S.-Led Comprehensive Settlement
Brent Scowcroft
Washington Post
Sunday, July 30, 2006; B07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/28/AR2006072801571.html

Iran
21) UN Council set to demand Iran suspend nuclear work
Evelyn Leopold
Reuters
Monday, July 31, 2006; 12:27 AM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/31/AR20060731=
00010.html

22) Iran to Re - Evaluate Nuke Incentive Package
Associated Press
July 31, 2006
Filed at 12:07 a.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Iran-Nuclear.html

23) Iran's Jews Caught Again in No Man's Land
Associated Press
July 30, 2006
Filed at 1:30 p.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Irans-Jews.html

24) Iran Hangs in Suspense as War Offers New Strength, and Sudden Weakness
Michael Slackman
New York Times
July 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/world/middleeast/30iran.html

25) U.N. Moves Toward Vote on Iran's Atom Program
Warren Hoge
New York Times
July 29, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/29/world/middleeast/29nations.html

26) Tehran faces UN nuclear deadline
BBC NEWS
Published: 2006/07/29 05:41:17 GMT
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5226180.stm

Iraq
27) Audit Finds U.S. Hid Actual Cost of Iraq Projects
James Glanz
New York Times
July 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/world/middleeast/30reconstruct.html

28) Iraqi Official Warns Against Coup Attempt
Shiite Cites Rumors, Promises a Fight
Joshua Partlow and Saad Sarhan
Washington Post
Saturday, July 29, 2006; A13
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/28/AR2006072801746.html

29) A Senate Race in Connecticut
Editorial
New York Times
July 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/opinion/30sun1.html

30) Violence in Iraq Is Creating Chaos in Bank System
James Glanz
New York Times
July 29, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/29/world/middleeast/29banks.html

Mexico
31) Mexico Leftists Try to Shut Capital in Vote Battle
Reuters
July 31, 2006
Filed at 4:07 a.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-mexico-election.html

--------
Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org