More on Lebanon's Shoulders

Captain Ed of Captain's Quarters reacted to Lebanese Prime Minister Fuoad Siniora's near-endorsement of Hezbollah via asserting that such statements cause Lebanon to share some of the blame with the terrorist organization, effectively finally claiming that Lebanon is no longer innocent in this bloody havoc.

Amongst his many dissertations, Ed writes the following:
"We already know that Lebanon has ultimate responsibility for acts carried out by militias it tolerates on its land, but the assumption was that Saniora didn't disband Hezbollah out of inability. Statements such as these make it appear that Saniora didn't want to disband Hezbollah under any circumstances. That makes Saniora more overtly responsible for the act of war, and it frees Israel to target Lebanese military assets on a much broader basis.
Israel won't do that, and for good reasons, even if Saniora deserves it. Ehud Olmert can beat Hezbollah by making it clear to the Lebanese that supporting the terrorists come at too high a price. Once they get the message, Lebanon has to have enough capability left to eject Hezbollah and strip them of their weapons. If Israel crushes the Lebanese army, Hezbollah will not only never get disarmed, but they may just conduct a coup and take over Beirut altogether.
It's a tough balancing act. However, if Saniora continues to salute Hassan Nasrallah and his terrorists, the Israelis will discount Saniora altogether and conclude that he wants to be part of the problem and not the solution. At that point, the Lebanese may find a much wider war on their hands."

It's a good thing that sane people like Ed exist in the blogosphere, much less the world.
- The Samaritan