New reports reveal that an Israeli war has been planned, simulated and rehearsed since 2000, and disseminated on an "off record" basis to high-level US officials (and policy think tanks, and journalists) by senior Israeli army officers for the past year.

This confirms that every aspect of this Israel-led holocaust has been deliberate and orchestrated, coordinated with full Washington foreknowledge and assistance. According to Gerald Steinberg, professor at Bar-Ilan University, "Of all of Israel’s wars since 1948, this was the one for which Israel was most prepared."

Eternal "war on terrorism"

The Israeli rampage is, in every way, the same war that has been inflicted on the world for years. It is the PNAC "road map" of the Middle East. It is Samuel Huntington’s "Clash of Civilizations." It is the Bush administration’s "war on terrorism." It is "counter-terrorism," the endless pretext, the endless justification for brute force, criminal covert operations -- and the very foundation of Israel’s existence itself.

Israel, like the US in the wake of 9/11, is portrayed as the victim that, in the throes of vengeful passion, is justified in engaging in war without borders, and war without end. Israel, America’s Middle East enforcer/tag team partner is taking the temporary lead in this continuing offensive (exploiting the departure of Syria from Lebanon, which itself was set up by Israeli machinations) and providing political cover for a continuation of the Bush administration’s wider regional plan, the American Empire’s final end game.

Hamas, originally a creation of the Mossad and part of an Israeli divide and conquer strategy, has in recent years achieved genuine legitimacy that has been predictably short-lived, buried by propaganda, trumped by the "terrorist" label, as given by the Council on Foriegn Relations. Similarly, Hezbollah, which has been both a resistance group as well as a provider of social services has been transformed in recent years. This legitimacy, too, has been erased. (The Council on Foreign Relations concludes that Hezbollah is also "terrorist." "Militants." End of story.)

Hezbollah and Hamas now supplant "al-Qaeda" as the "terrorism" pretext of the hour.

Lebanon and beyond

The rhetoric  from the "world leaders" promises the destruction, occupation and balkanization of Lebanon, paving the way for new military attacks across the entire Middle East, and beyond. Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah are in a no-win situation.

The actions of the unspeakable and malignant Condoleeza Rice confirm suspicions, hinted by the infamous Bush-Blair exchange at the G-8 summit, that an escalation, based on "anti-terrorism" pretext, has been brokered and approved by the US and the UK, with the cooperation of compliant and complicit Arab regimes such as Saudi Arabia (which itself just declared a fatwa against Hezbollah).

In an Orwellian spectacle of criminal lying, Rice pronounced Hezbollah to be "the source of the problem." She further declared, "No diplomatic solution can allow Hezbollah to stay in place." Rice labeled Syria and Iran as the "sponsors of Hezbollah," and demanded that "Syria decide whether it will help defuse the crisis."

There is further proof that an imperial course has been determined, and that it will be a bloody swath. Israeli UN Ambassador Dan Gillerman declared that Israel will not stop fighting until it achieves its long-term goal, the destruction of "terrorists." "We have no timeline," Gillerman said. "Diplomacy can take off only after terror has been taken care of." The maniacal John Bolton concurred, declaring that there can be no negotiations with a "terrorist group" such as Hezbollah. Predictably, Gillerman and Bolton have jumped at every opportunity to further bait and threaten Syria and Iran.

What about the "peace maker," UN secretary general Kofi Annan? Annan accused Hezbollah of holding "an entire nation hostage," echoing the core Israeli pretext that has been repeated ad nauseum by the world press. To add to the insult, Annan condemned Hezbollah for inflicting civilian deaths. Annan’s proposal to send an international force to "bolster the Lebanese army," ostensibly to wipe out Hezbollah fighters, is a thinly disguised justification for multinational forces to militarize southern Lebanon. (The question is, ahead of what?) Against these statements, Annan’s (inherently impossible) call to "end the fighting" is exposed as a sham.

As independent sources such as Angry Arab News Service and Electronic Intifada provide searing hour by hour coverage of unfolding events, one fact is clear: Lebanon has been left to die. What will be left of Lebanon by the end of this week?

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