“Why Hezbollah of Lebanon pissed me off”: GW. Bush explains
Posted on: September 9, 2011
“Why Hezbollah of Lebanon pissed me off “: GW. Bush explains
GWBush wrote in his biography:
“On July 12, 2006, Laura and I had a stop-over in Germany on our way to the G8 at St. Petersburg. Angela Merkel recounted her childhood during the communist era in East Germany. Angela had a happy childhood, but her mother never ceased to warn her of mentioning family discussions in public: The Stasi (internal intelligence services) was everywhere.
News of Hezbollah capturing Israeli soldiers as hostages (and killing 8 Israeli soldiers who arrived promptly to the rescue and fell in the trap) triggered a strong reaction from Israel.
Israel bombed Hezbollah targets in South Lebanon, and bombed the civilian airport in Beirut to prevent further weapon supplies.
Hezbollah launched missiles on Israeli towns and cities
(How simplistic are the recollection of Bush Jr. on this important preemptive war on Lebanon! In a paragraph, Bush Jr. summarized the various attacks of Hezbollah on American targets within Lebanon in 1983…)
At the G8 summit, all members condemned Hezbollah for starting Israel reactive war. (
It was proven later on that Bush and Israel had finalized a plan of attack to begin in September, and thus Hezbollah preempted this planned war, but was not aware of the violent all-war reaction of Israel).
I was frustrated that Israel declined to attack Syria, thus facilitating communication and movement of Hezbollah.
Israel military targets in Lebanon were mostly doubtful, especially targets in Beirut and north Lebanon. The immense damages to the infrastructure in Lebanon and the over 1,500 casualties among the Lebanese civilian were widely disseminated in the news media, and hampered the long-term prosecution of the war.
(In the first week, Israel failed to capture the first small town on the border called Maroun el Ras)
On the second violent week of Israel war, many members in the G8 demanded a cease-fire. I didn’t side with their request: I wanted to continue the war until Hezbollah military power is eradicated. Fundamentally, the war on Hezbollah was to sending a strong message to Iran and Syria.
Unfortunately, Israel behavior in the third week of the war plan exacerbated the world community and the Lebanese government headed by Seniora, which was a strong ally to the US drive for democracy and liberty…
Israel bombed a building in Qana and killed over 30 civilians huddled in the basement.
(Israel had bombed Qana in 1996 where civilians took refuge in a UN compound and killed over 30o civilians).
Seniora was furious and was about to resign if the war resumed. The Arab leaders were afraid that the carnage in the pictures and video, circulating 24 hours on TV, could foment strong reactions of the people in the streets.
I convened the National Security Council, and the debate was hot.
Dick Cheney said: “We have to let Israel finish off Hezbollah.”
Condoleezza Rice replied: “If we allow that, you may kiss good-bye to the presence of the US in the Middle-East region” and she proposed a cease-fire resolution in the UN and dispatching a multinational UN force to the Litany River.
I was for the resumption of the war, but I feared that lodging a veto in the UN will lead to isolating the US, instead of Syria and Iran. Consequently, I figured out that long-term pressures on Syria and Iran out-weight the short-term successes on Hezbollah. I dispatched Condi to the UN to iron out resolution 1701.
A cease-fire took hold on August 14, Israel reactive and approximate war decisions, cost its precious and remaining credibility in the world community, even though Hezbollah was seriously weakened militarily.”
Four days before the voting on a resolution, Israel attempted a last, all-out advance of just 3 miles toward the Litany River.
Hezbollah destroyed 50 Merkava tanks and forced the Israeli troops to retreat every which way to the border.
(Interestingly, in the third day of the war, the delegates of Lebanon to the UN demanded to submit a cease-fire resolution. The UN ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, informed them haughtily and in no uncertain terms that there will be no resolution before Israel annihilate Hezbollah.
Three days before the actual cease-fire, it was Bolton hurrying up to the Lebanese delegates and begging them to present a resolution. He explained: “The Israelis are horribly harassing us for a cease-fire resolution, at any cost…”)
Note 1: The July war 2006, covered only three pages of the 484-page of the autobiographical book “Decisive moments: GW.Bush” Amazingly, this war was the turning moment for the total failure of the US strategic plan of the “Greater Middle East.
Israel was reduced to defensive position, licking its wounds, examining its failures…
The Arab dictators and absolute monarchs who encouraged Israel to prosecute the war in order to eradicate Hezbollah military power were judged traitors by the Arab masses.
Turkey and the European States were pissed off with GW.Bush insistence of continuing the war for over 4 weeks. It was evident after the first week that the strategic goals have fizzled. The remaining 3 weeks of the war were total liability to the US administration and Israel.
Hezbollah was on the offensive and frustrated all the haphazard attempts of Israel to getting back on the driver seat.
Note 2: Three days before the decided cease-fire, Israel imported cluster bombs from England of Tony Blair and launched 3 million bombs in south Lebanon (kids are still being killed and injured six years later).
This behavior was in retaliation of huge frustration and with the hope that the tiny bombs will delay the return of the inhabitants to their homes.
Amazingly, the next day of the cease-fire, the citizens in the south returned in mass, irrespective of official warnings and the destruction of all bridges…
Israel goals failed on all front, and Hezbollah emerged as the first resistance force to checking Israel offensive all-out war.
Note 3: You may read the follow-up article How I spread liberty...https://adonis49.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/how-i-spread-liberty-george-w-bush-explains/
Note 4: Why Israel begged for a cease fire? https://adonis49.wordpress.com/2013/08/26/why-israel-begged-for-an-immediate-cease-fire-in-its-preemptive-july-war-of-2006/
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