They are shelling the camp with artillery because they are prohibited from actually entering the camps by some clearly idiotic law.
The result has been fierce fighting between the Lebanese army and Islamic terrorists who are now popping out of the woodwork. The press has been claiming that the poor Palestinian camps are full of veteran foreign fighters from the Iraq war inferring that the US is somehow to blame while ignoring the meddling and support from Syria for Muslim radicals. Then of course there is support from Hezbollah, which is part of the Government there and almost has complete control of the southern part of the country.
Fighting these terrorists is expensive, so Lebanon is asking the US for more military aid:
The United States said it was considering an urgent request from Lebanon for more US military aid to battle Islamist fighters and warned Syria against meddling in its neighbor's affairs.
State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, said Lebanon's government had asked for additional funds as fighting intensified, but declined to name an amount or predict when a decision would be made on the request. - Newswire New Zealand
June 13, 1985: Terrorists hijack TWA Flight 847, killing Navy Diver Robert Stethem and dumping his body onto the tarmac.
To bring these murderers to justice, the United States Government is offering a reward of up to $5 million. The money is available under a program to obtain information that helps punish those responsible for past international terrorist acts against U.S. persons or property and prevent future such acts. - RFJ
This is the terrorist that (our 'friends') the Germans had caught and refused to hand over to the US. Instead, when they decided to release him, they sent him back to a country that does not have an extradition treaty with the US.
Current and former American officials said they had pushed for two decades to gain custody of Hammadi and try him in a U.S. courtroom, but they ran into political and legal resistance from Germany. U.S. prosecutors originally sought Hammadi's extradition after he was arrested at the Frankfurt airport in 1987, but Germany denied the request and put him on trial locally instead.
Victoria Toensing, a former Justice Department official in the Reagan administration who oversaw efforts to extradite Hammadi in 1987, said German authorities threw obstacles in the way of U.S. prosecutors at that time and only reluctantly cooperated.
"They were not open at all," she recalled. "We knew he would be released early, way back then." - Washington Post
Somehow, Germany was able to get away with not handing over a captured terrorist. Most likely by playing the US for fools, which sadly is not a difficult thing to do. Lebanon, with its hat-in-hand, should not be let off so easy.
Anyway, look at its current situation, their handing over a hero of those who they are fighting against will demonstrate that they mean business. At any rate, since we are getting ready to assist Lebanon, now is the perfect time to get our hands on this one terrorist.
To do so, we need to tell the Lebanese Government that they will not see a dime of aid money until Hamadei is handed over to face American justice. Nobody is forcing Lebanon to take US Aid. However, if they do, they should do it on our terms. We should have at least this one precondition.
Here is a letter explaining why it is important to get this terrorist:
Date: January 8, 2006 4:15:57 PM PST
Cc: vicepresident@whitehouse.gov
Subject: ROBERT DEAN STETHEM
Mr. President, I would like to provide you with an explanation as to why Muhammed Ali Hammadi's recent release by Germany, and your Administration's lack of any attempt to prevent it, is so upsetting to our family and to Americans everywhere. I am not writing you out of grief or anger but out of a hope that his example will inspire you to follow act on your own words and the dictates of your conscious in this War on Terror.
Robert Dean Stethem was singled out, beaten beyond recognition and tortured in order to make him scream into a transmitter (so that the tower would send a fuel truck). Not a cry was heard to come from him, despite the brutal beating he endured. Instead he chose to remain silent and endure the beatings because he knew that the only way a rescue attempt could be conducted by U.S. forces was if the aircraft remained on the ground.
After Robert was beaten and tortured and bleeding from puncture wounds all over his body, he was placed next to a 16-year old Australian girl. As bad as Robert was beaten, he had the courage and strength to comfort and console her. He told her that, "She would be okay and that she would get out of here alive." When she tried to return the comfort, he said, "No, I don't think so. I am the only one in my group that is not married and some of the guys have children, too." Some time later, Robert was again taken up to the cockpit and tortured in order to get the fuel. But it didn't work, he would not give in to them.
One of the hijackers, Muhammed Ali Hammadi, was so enraged that he dragged Robert to the door, pulled a trigger and shot Robert in the head. Then he dumped Robert's body onto the tarmac.
While Robert was being dragged to the door, he knew that all he had to do in order to live was to cry into that transmitter, but he wouldn't do it. He would not give in to the demands of the terrorists. He would not allow the honor and dignity of America to be intimidated by the fear and pain that Hammadi and terrorists everywhere represent. Robert sacrificed his life in order to protect our liberty and defend our way of life.
You have rightly said, "Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done." You have truly said that "We are in a fight for our principles, and our first responsibility is to live by them." Robert lived by them. Robert also died by them. The motto of the USS SSTETHEM (DDG-63), named in Robert's honor, is "Steadfast and Courageous." I hope that his example, and the example of other heroes like him can inspire you to understand why allowing Germany to release Hammadi was a wrong. Justice was not done, Robert was not honored and Americans are not safer by allowing Hammadi to return to Lebanon and Hezbollah. You know this, we know this and the American people know this.
The Stethem family - NRO
Our Government owes it to US Navy Sailor Robert Stethem and his family to bring his killer to justice.
Part of the current problem in Lebanon is directly related to the failure of the US to put this terrorist behind bars. As recent news out of Lebanon indicates, Hamadei has been joined by many terrorists who are taking advantage of the safe-haven that Lebanon has provided.
The US does not give aid to Palestine because a terrorist organization, HAMAS, is in charge of the Government there. Before we continue to 'help' Lebanon, perhaps we should determine who exactly we are helping there.
Updated from this original Post:
Make Lebanon 'Aid' Conditional to Turnover of TWA-847 Hijacker Hamadei - 2 February 2007
U.S. mulls military funding plea from Lebanon - Reuters
US 'seeks justice' for hijacker - BBC
(aka "Mohammed Ali Hammadi")
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