In keeping with its usual disregard for the UN, Israel has rejected a call from Secretary General, Kofi Annan, to lift its air and sea blockade of Lebanon. The PM of Israel, Ehud Olmert, also said he would not withdraw his troops from southern Lebanon, rejecting both of Annan’s main requests. For economic reasons, Annan pleaded with Olmert in an hour of talks to lift the blockade which Israel imposed on July 12th, which continues to severely cripple the livelihood of innocent civilians. Still, Olmert refused to compromise, insisting that UN resolution 1701 be fully implemented to disarm Hezbollah.

Olmert said, “The (resolution) is a fixed buffet and everything will be implemented, including the lifting of the blockade, as part of the entire implementation of the different articles… Israel will pull out of Lebanon once the resolution is implemented.” However, U.N. resolution 1701 also demands that Israel withdraw all of its forces from Lebanon. Olmert is demanding the other articles be implemented before he even attempts to honor his side of the deal. Hezbollah Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah, has repeatedly stated that Hezbollah has the right to fend off any occupying force which it considers to be a threat in its country.

Lebanese Energy and Water Minister Mohammed Fneish, one of two Hizbollah ministers in the government, said the Shi’ite Muslim movement would free the two Israeli soldiers it seized on July 12 only as part of a prisoner exchange.

“The goal of this operation (on July 12) was to conduct indirect negotiations and a swap. This was the position before the (Israeli) aggression and it’s only natural to reinforce it after the aggression,” he told a news conference.

U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland, said cluster bombs dropped by Israel are still a major threat to civilians in southern Lebanon, calling Israel “completely immoral” for using the weapons. Any unexploded cluster bombs act as land mines, and are known to pose the biggest threat to children. So far, 5,000 UN troops are in Lebanon. Annan hopes to double this number as soon as possible, giving Israel fewer official reasons to stay.

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