Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Lebanon confidence vote endorses Hezbollah

Press TV reports:

Confidence vote in Lebanon's national unity cabinet endorses Hezbollah's right to use all options to liberate territories occupied by Israel.

One hundred members of the 128-seat parliament voted for cabinet on Tuesday.

The confidence vote endorsed the government's drafting of a policy statement that supports the Lebanese right to reclaim “Israeli-occupied” lands including the Shebaa Farms and the divided border village of Ghajar.

The confidence vote also granted Hezbollah the right to keep its arms to defend the country against aggressors by using all options.

The mountainous Shebaa Farms area, consisting of 14 farms rich in water resources, is located on the western slopes of Jabal al-Sheikh and measures 25 square kilometers (10 square miles).

The Shebaa Farms that were occupied in 1967 by Israel belong to Lebanon; however, Israel claims they are part of Syrian territory it conquered along with the Golan Heights, and should be dealt with as part of negotiations with the Syrians.