Last night, Condoleezza Rice appeared on Fox to discuss the ceasefire. An excerpt:

  • QUESTION: Is there a danger that if Hezbollah is not defeated — because I think we understand the unmatched fanaticism of the terrorists. If they’re not ultimately defeated, if Israel doesn’t finish the job, does it give the funding of Iran, $100 million a year, the support of Iran and Syria, does it give them an opportunity to rearm, to fight another day? How does this resolution prevent that from happening?
  • SECRETARY RICE: First of all, this resolution has an arms embargo within it, and a responsibility of the Lebanese government to make sure that illegal arms are not coming into the country.

This exchange, unfortunately, shows the State Department just doesn’t get it. Remember the Karine-A? The Iranian ship loaded with 50 tons of sophisticated weaponry which Israel intercepted in the Red Sea on January 3, 2002? The weapons had been loaded just off the Iranian island of Kish under the supervision of Imad Mughniyeh, chief of Lebanese Hezbollah’s operations. That doesn’t surprise. What’s important to remember was that the Iranian re-supply to terrorists happened during a ceasefire. It’s all well and good to point to arms embargoes and ceasefires. It is “a responsibility of the Lebanese government to make sure that illegal arms are not coming into the country.” Hmm. Isn’t Hezbollah part of the Lebanese government? Are their any mechanisms more serious than trusting the Lebanese government? This isn’t a ceasefire. It’s a terrorist re-supply period.