When I first read this, I wasn’t sure whether the government of Lebanon was being serious or whether Prime Minister Siniora was starting a second career as a stand up comic:

Hizbullah will not hand over its weapons to the Lebanese government but rather refrain from exhibiting them publicly, according to a new compromise that is reportedly brewing between Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Seniora and Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The UN cease-fire resolution specifically demands the demilitarization of the area south of the Litani river. The resolution was approved by the Lebanese cabinet.

In a televised address on Monday night, Nasrallah declared that now was not the time to debate the disarmament of his guerrilla fighters, saying the issue should be done in secret sessions of the government to avoid serving Israeli interests.

“Refrain from exhibiting” their weapons? What the hell does Siniora think this is? Some kind of modern art show where the prima donna artist needs to be coaxed into cooperating?

This is farce. And if the United Nations lets Lebanon get away with this transparent attempt to circumvent Resolution 1701, then only the most willfully self deluded lefty popinjay could possibly find any continued usefulness for this miserable excuse of a world body.

Of course, Israel won’t let Hizbullah get away with this nonsense which means a resumption of hostilities. And I would not be surprised to see the UN twist itself into logic knots trying to blame the Jewish state for its attempt to enforce the UN’s own resolution. Lebanon is trying, we’ll be told. All that is needed is a little more negotiation, a little more rope that they can hang us with. I’m sure we can come up with a better fig leaf than this. Perhaps we can put a sign up at the Israeli-Lebanese border “Pay no attention to those weapons behind the curtain.”

Or maybe we can alter Hizbullah’s designation from “terrorist militia” to something more catchy, like:

“Nasty Nasrallah and his Travelling Band of Prestidigitators and Puppeteers.
Featuring the World Famous Disappearing Weapons Trick!
Now You See ‘Em. Now you Don’t!.
Out of Sight! Out of Mind!
Performed Before all the Cracked Heads of Europe!

The irrelevancy and impotence of the United Nations in the face of Islamic fanaticism embodied in groups like Hizbullah and Hamas and countries like Iran should be obvious to even the most doe-eyed, peace-at-any-cost, why-can’t-we-all-just-get-along liberal loon out there. And to ask any country caught in Islamisms crosshairs to rely on the world body to protect it or to depend on it to somehow moderate the fanatic’s pernicious effects on human civilization is stupidity.

There is nothing new in Resolution 1701 as it relates to Hizbullah’s disarmament or the necessity of having the terrorist group allow the Lebanese government full sovereignty over its own territory. The very same strictures against Hizbullah were contained in UN Resolution 1559 passed in 2004. One wonders if Hizbullah fails to abide by this latest resolution if another will be forthcoming. And then another. And another, and another until the paper piles up so high that perhaps the UN expects to bury the terrorists under wads and wads of useless, pious, platitudinous, peace loving compositions better used to wipe one’s bum than try and rein in the murderous thugs who mock them.

Not all politicians in Lebanon have lost their courage:

Lebanon’s industry minister, Pierre Jemayel, a member of a majority anti-Syrian bloc in parliament, told Al-Siyassah daily, “Hizbullah has to deliver its weapons to the Lebanese army, and its light weapons to the police.”

“Its fighters are welcome to join the military force and the state will then quickly regain control of all Lebanese territories.”

“I’m not telling Hizbullah to surrender its weapons to Israel, or to the international community,” Jemayel told the daily. “(I am telling it) to surrender them to the Lebanese army.”

A reasonable request from a reasonable man. Unfortunately, the time for reason may have passed in Lebanon.

In fact, it may be time for the Lebanese democrats, those brave souls who poured into the streets last spring in order to take their country back, to carefully re-examine the question of whether or not they really want to be a free and independent state. How badly do they want it? Is it worth fighting for? Worth dying for?

Of course this would mean civil war. And it would be impossible to keep outside actors from the fray so that Syria, Iran, Israel, and the United States would all be meddling by supplying weapons to the various militias. But the meddling will occur whether or not there is civil war anyway. The question is could the same coalition that came together last March 14th of Christians, Druse, Sunnis, and secular Shias unite in arms to throw Hizbullah into the sea? This would be a different line-up of forces than the faction-ridden bloodletting of the 1975-90 conflict. It would be a war for Lebanon’s soul.

I don’t expect it. And I can certainly understand why so many would be reluctant to even entertain the idea. Of course, Hizbullah takes advantage of this. They are perfectly willing to fight anyone - including their own countrymen - for their goal of establishing another outpost of radical Islam modeled after their patrons in Iran. And realizing the reluctance of the state to enforce its will and sovereignty over the whole country not to mention Siniora’s fear of provoking the terrorists into battling his weak and ineffective government in the streets, Hizbullah can act with impunity in Lebanon, secure in the knowledge that since no one wants another civil war, they can do as they please.

In the meantime, the US frets, Israel smolders, and the UN dithers. Round Two of this war may be coming sooner than anyone thinks.