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Last update - 07:34 25/07/2006
ANALYSIS: The road to peace runs through Shaba Farms
By Zvi Bar'el

The Lebanese government is pleased with itself, and Syria, too, has reasons to smile. As the fighting continues, Lebanese government officials are coming up with new definitions for what is known as "the complete arrangement," the one that is supposed to replace the arrangement that existed before July 12.

And so July 12 is joining the long line of historical dates that mark the stages of Lebanon's "new" independence just like February 14, the date of Rafik Hariri's assassination in 2005; or May 25, the date of the Israel Defense Forces withdrawal from Lebanon.

Saturday saw another development in the status of Fuad Siniora's government versus the strength of Hezbollah. After the government received "a franchise" to enter into negotiations on a prisoner-exchange deal, Energy Minister Mohammed Fneish, a Hezbollah representative, announced that once the IDF withdrew from the Shaba Farms area, Hezbollah's role as a "liberating" army would be over, and it would stick to a purely a defensive role.
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This is a very significant statement, because it begins to define the conditions for Hezbollah's disarmament.

The government of Lebanon, Hezbollah, the United States, France and the United Nations have all realized now that the key to achieving a long-term and sustainable cease-fire by means of the deployment of the Lebanese Army in the south lies in a resolution to the Shaba Farms dispute.

At this stage, however, it is not enough for only Hezbollah and the Lebanese government to agree that the return of the Shaba Farms area would spell an end to the movement's "liberating" role. Syria is no less an important player in this regard. In keeping with maps approved by the UN, the Shaba Farms area lies in Syrian territory, so an official document in which Damascus relinquishes the area would be required too. For years now, Damascus has refused to provide such a document.

Will Syria agree to grant one now? An agreement to this end may be reached later in the week, when Syria learns both that it is the only one standing in the way of a settlement, and more importantly, according to Lebanese sources, that Washington is likely to offer Damascus a generous benefits package and a warm return to the "family of nations."

The next stage would have to be securing Israel's consent to withdraw from the Shaba Farms area, as this would then be a withdrawal from Lebanese territory; and only then could the Lebanese Army take up positions in the south, perhaps with the assistance of a multinational force if Hezbollah gives its okay
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  1.   ashamed to live in israel 02:07  |  wake up jews 25/07/06
  2.   WAKE UP!!!! 02:09  |  Yohan 25/07/06
  3.   Only recognizing Israel`s right to exist will bring peace 02:18  |  IsraFan 25/07/06
  4.   Shaba Farms 02:20  |  David 25/07/06
  5.   The arrangement sounds reasonable 02:20  |  ASA 25/07/06
  6.   REBBE CALLS TO CAPTURE TYRE WHERE TERRORISTS HOLED UP!))))))))))) 02:26  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 25/07/06
  7.   Book of Isaiah, chapter 67 02:37  |  Mauro V. Mendlowicz 25/07/06
  8.   The timid journalist is spouting nonsense 02:41  |  Steven 25/07/06
  9.   "a generous benefits package" 02:45  |  Osborne Reed 25/07/06
  10.   reality? 02:52  |  Peter 25/07/06
  11.   More Withdrawal 02:54  |  Sam 25/07/06
  12.   Golan Heights Must also Be Returned 02:57  |  Syrian-Israeli Peace 25/07/06
  13.   Family of Nations??!! 03:11  |  The World 25/07/06
  14.   #4 Your voice is distorted 03:11  |  Cecil 25/07/06
  15.   completing the arrangment 03:26  |  Sam 25/07/06
  16.   Shaaba: Pretext for war, not real issue 03:26  |  JJ Doyle 25/07/06
  17.   Hizbullah gives its ok 03:34  |  twogunz 25/07/06
  18.   So what`s this war even for 03:48  |  Nabil 25/07/06
  19.   GIVEING AWAY SHABA FARMS WILL JUST BE ANOTHER GAZA 03:48  |  TIME TO THINK 25/07/06
  20.   No more excuses 04:06  |  Gili 25/07/06
  21.   #1--not living in shame in Israel 04:07  |  Paul Freedman 25/07/06
  22.   Sooo wrong in so many ways 04:07  |  Marcos 25/07/06
  23.   self-delusion 04:09  |  Paul Freedman 25/07/06
  24.   traitors 04:12  |  BobUSA 25/07/06
  25.   While we are returning stuff 04:14  |  Gideon 25/07/06
  26.   It`s G-d`s land!!! 04:29  |  Dan N 25/07/06
  27.   According to Hezbollah Jerusalem & Tel Aviv Are Occupied As Well 04:37  |  Bernard Lewis 25/07/06
  28.   You gotta be kidding 04:45  |  Zvi Swerdlove 25/07/06
  29.   Hezbollah conditions 04:48  |  Uri 25/07/06
  30.   My read: not just Shebaa 04:48  |  Manya 25/07/06
  31.   Re: #12 04:54  |  Uri 25/07/06
  32.   ashmaed to live in israel 04:56  |  david 25/07/06
  33.   Don`t Give Them A THING! 04:59  |  David 25/07/06
  34.   More delusional peace fantasies 05:00  |  Raymond from DC 25/07/06
  35.   humiliate Hezballa 05:01  |  Dani 25/07/06
  36.   Peter from Toranto is lying 05:10  |  Manya 25/07/06
  37.   ashamed to live in israel 05:23  |  david 25/07/06
  38.   The Golan Heights are part of the old Palestine Mandate 05:24  |  Chaim 25/07/06
  39.   Lebanon is Completing its funeral arrangements 05:32  |  Sal 25/07/06
  40.   Israel is not interested in peace 07:02  |  abu lahab 25/07/06
  41.   sidon part of the Holy Land 07:20  |  spcohen 25/07/06
  42.   Peace 07:46  |  Guido 25/07/06
  43.   long term solution ? 07:58  |  phil le dard 25/07/06
  44.   Give Arabs a hammering rather than Shaba 07:59  |  Mayer Abraham 25/07/06
  45.   Hey folks 08:03  |  John Wadsworth 25/07/06
  46.   #1 Hi Ahmed 08:41  |  watcher 25/07/06
  47.   First Shaba ...and then Metulla and Rosh Hanikra 08:59  |  Judah 25/07/06
  48.   A trick to appease the West 09:04  |  William 25/07/06
  49.   to the so called Syrian-israeli peace 09:09  |  Omar ali 25/07/06
  50.   # 26 09:13  |  melchizedek 25/07/06
  51.   Excuses, Excuses, Excuses.... 09:18  |  Yaron 25/07/06
  52.   Omar Ali: they are on your land, where else to fight them? 10:20  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 25/07/06
  53.   The road to peace runs way beyond Shab`a 10:20  |  sh 25/07/06
  54.   The road to peace 10:23  |  Arye 25/07/06
  55.   The UN Verified that Shaba Farms was Syrian 10:35  |  Jeremy S. Slavin 25/07/06
  56.   #1 If you are ashamed of living in Israel, move! 10:52  |  Oren 25/07/06
  57.   zvi bar`el is a subversive 11:05  |  zadok the priest 25/07/06
  58.   zvi bar`el on equal rights for all in lebanon 11:13  |  zadok the priest 25/07/06
  59.   Lebanon?s cheek is outstanding. 11:16  |  H.H.M 25/07/06
  60.   According to Hezbollah Israel should wipe out from the earth 11:16  |  e.m 25/07/06
  61.   Margie, we have one million cockraches... 11:18  |  Rania 25/07/06
  62.   Enough violence 11:18  |  Brenda 25/07/06
  63.   i find that many left wingers in their daily life 11:20  |  zadok the priest 25/07/06
  64.   Shaba Farms 11:27  |  Andre 25/07/06
  65.   i have to say that i am more disgusted 11:28  |  zadok the priest 25/07/06
  66.   #4: Good point. 12:03  |  Avram 25/07/06
  67.   The road to peace runs through Shaba Farms 13:02  |  Ali 25/07/06
  68.   #9 , yet more nonsense 13:10  |  Danny - Israeli one 25/07/06
  69.   Hit the Road, Jack ! 13:12  |  Wendy 25/07/06
  70.   REBBE CALLS TO CAPTURE TYRE WHERE TERRORISTS HOLED UP!))))))))))) 13:42  |  gn 25/07/06
  71.   Choices 13:52  |  Ronnie Wolman 25/07/06
  72.   The road to peace runs through defeating enemies 14:57  |  Shlomo from Tel-Aviv 25/07/06
  73.   Sweet dreams, Zvi Barel, I 15:00  |  Ben Gurion 25/07/06
  74.   Sweet dreams, Zvi Barel, II 15:14  |  Ben Gurion 25/07/06
  75.   World War 3 15:26  |  Asif 25/07/06
  76.   Genesis 12: 2-3 15:39  |  matty_kid 25/07/06
  77.   Why are we in the Shebaa Farms anyway? 15:46  |  A Jew 25/07/06
  78.   Shaba Farms (the farmers?) 15:59  |  the lawyer 25/07/06
  79.   Wanting the moon & then some... 16:59  |  Hansom Harry 25/07/06
  80.   To HHM (59) 17:26  |  Omar Ali 25/07/06
  81.   Author: cut to the chase 17:39  |  Earl 25/07/06
  82.   matty_kid Gilgamesh - introduction i-ii 17:50  |  Mark Lincoln 25/07/06
  83.   More folly. 17:51  |  Mark Lincoln 25/07/06
  84.   Of Isaiah and David 18:11  |  Gamaliel 25/07/06
  85.   no shebba farms or golan = peace in our time 18:40  |  zionist forever 25/07/06
  86.   You lose the war, you lose the land 18:41  |  Neal 25/07/06
  87.   Shababa Farms 19:29  |  Peter in Beirut 25/07/06
  88.   Wake up 20:56  |  Steve Acre 25/07/06
  89.   RE. ashamed to live in israel 20:57  |  Mike 25/07/06
  90.   Re. You lose the war, you lose the land 21:01  |  Palestinian 25/07/06
  91.   history repeats 21:11  |  Howard Allan 25/07/06
  92.   71, But what is your choice Ronnie? 21:11  |  True Brit 25/07/06
  93.   Reply to #4 (David) 21:25  |  sheryl 25/07/06
  94.   Reply to #5 (ASA) 21:33  |  sheryl 25/07/06
  95.   What would the prophets say 21:46  |  Carlos 25/07/06
  96.   Reply to # 16 (JJ Doyle) 21:55  |  sheryl 25/07/06
  97.   The road to peace runs through disarming religions 22:40  |  David McFarland 25/07/06
  98.   Wake Up and Read Your Torah! 22:45  |  Rebecca Denny 25/07/06
  99.   You forget something very important folks!! 00:16  |  Anonymous 26/07/06
  100.   Oren, I agree with you! 00:44  |  Rebecca 26/07/06
  101.   #96 - A non sequitur. 00:47  |  John Wadsworth 26/07/06
  102.   #91 Howard Allan:some more history 01:13  |  Bor de Wolf 26/07/06
  103.   Palestinian # 90 01:25  |  ChanahS 26/07/06
  104.   True Brit sorry for the late response 02:33  |  Ronnie Wolman 26/07/06
  105.   complete fool 05:04  |  tubten 26/07/06
  106.   Journalist on Crack 05:51  |  Ron 26/07/06
  107.   To All Replying to No. 1 08:12  |  JIMBO 26/07/06
  108.   Wake up people!!!!!! Shaba is a farce 09:22  |  Adrian de KLerk 26/07/06
  109.   to David McFarland 09:37  |  Omar Ali 26/07/06
  110.   to Adrian de KLerk 09:57  |  Omar Ali 26/07/06
  111.   #110 - Take a deep breath and chill out 11:49  |  John Wadsworth 26/07/06
  112.   To #1 who is ashamed to live in Israel 08:40  |  Ahmed Abu Shehadee 27/07/06
  113.   Delusions of Sheba 11:01  |  Cindy 28/07/06
  114.   Shaba Farms: Pretext for ISRAEL 01:55  |  Nancy El-Gindy 02/08/06
  115.   In the Arab mind, concessions = weakness 18:07  |  David 13/08/06
  116.   This is a stupid article 00:02  |  Bill 02/11/07
  117.   "peace way" through Sheeba farms 05:27  |  gerdA 05/11/08
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