memeorandum: Sleeper Hizbullah cells activated (Yaakov Katz/Jerusalem Post)

1:40 AM ET, July 24, 2006

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Arabs press Syria to help end violence — SIDON, Lebanon - Mideast diplomats were pressing Syria to stop backing Hezbollah as the guerrillas fired more deadly rockets onto Israel's third-largest city Sunday. Israel faced tougher-than-expected ground battles and bombarded targets in southern Lebanon, hitting a convoy of refugees.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Left I on the News, The Glittering Eye and Blue Crab Boulevard

Valerie Olander / Detroit News:

Kerry knocks Bush on handling of Mideast conflict — U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D- Mass., who was in town Sunday to help Gov. Jennifer Granholm campaign for her re-election bid, took time to take a jab at the Bush administration for its lack of leadership in the Israeli-Lebanon conflict.

Discussion: Marc Cooper, Texas Rainmaker, Don Surber, Wizbang, The Democratic Daily, The Bullwinkle Blog and PunditGuy

Nedra Pickler / Associated Press:

Saudis ask Bush to intervene in Mideast — WASHINGTON - Saudi Arabia asked President Bush on Sunday to intervene in Israel's military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon to stop the mounting deaths. — "We requested a cease-fire to allow for a cessation of hostilities," …

Discussion: The Agonist, Taylor Marsh, Sic Semper Tyrannis 2006 and Bring it On!

Mike Allen / Time:

Into the Fray — After years of pulling away from Mideast diplomacy, the White House is forced, reluctantly, to undergo sudden immersion — President George W. Bush has always done the middle East his way. — When he became the first President to formally call for the creation of a Palestinian state …

Discussion: MyDD

Mark Steyn / Chicago Sun Times:

Failure to solve Palestinian question empowers Iran — Afew years back, when folks talked airily about "the Middle East peace process" and "a two-state solution," I used to say that the trouble was the Palestinians saw a two-state solution as an interim stage en route to a one-state solution.

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy and Blue Crab Boulevard

Ze'ev Schiff / Haaretz:

ANALYSIS: Hezbollah unit based in Tyre wreaking havoc on Haifa — We can say without a doubt that the war of attrition against the city of Haifa and its residents is a tale of two cities: Tyre in Lebanon versus Haifa in Israel. The Hezbollah unit deployed in Tyre and its environs …

Haaretz:

Two killed in rocket strikes on Haifa; city comes under repeated fire — Israel Defense Forces officials admitted Sunday that efforts at reducing or preventing Hezbollah rocket fire have yet to bear fruit. — The IDF believes that unless the pace of the army's anti-Hezbollah operations …

Discussion: Vital Perspective

Times of London:
God's army has plans to run the whole Middle East

Discussion: Peaktalk, Andrew Sullivan, Secular Blasphemy, New York Times, Blue Crab Boulevard and The Corner

John McLaughlin / Washington Post:
We Have To Talk To Bad Guys

Discussion: Daily Pundit and Taylor Marsh

Observer:
British split with Bush as Israeli tanks roll in

Discussion: The Road to Surfdom and Political Animal

Benjamin Netanyahu / Opinion Journal:
No Cease-Fire — Remove Hamas's missiles—or destroy them.

Discussion: Haaretz, Israel Matzav and AtlanticBlog

Associated Press:
U.S. says its troops unlikely to be part of peacekeeping force

Discussion: The Real Ugly American.com and Liberty and Justice

Harper's:
Six Questions on the Bush Administration and the Middle East Crisis for Wayne White

Discussion: Marc Cooper, Preemptive Karma, Daily Kos and Talking Points Memo

Azadeh Moaveni / Time:
Why Iran Isn't Cheering — Hizballah may be Tehran's client …

Discussion: FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog and A Chequer-Board of Nights …

Jerusalem Post:
Iran: Israel doomed to 'destruction'

Discussion: Mere Rhetoric

Ynetnews:
IDF's next target: 'Hizbullah villages'

Discussion: WILLisms.com and Elder of Ziyon

Shmuel Rosner / Haaretz: U.S. and Lebanon / From complaining to talking

Kirk Semple / New York Times:

Iraqi Parliament Speaker Says Invasion and Aftermath Are the 'Work of Butchers' — BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 22 — The speaker of the Iraqi Parliament criticized the American government's involvement in Iraq on Saturday, likening the invasion and its consequences to "the work of butchers" …

Discussion: Liberty Street

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Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters: ACLU To Fred Phelps' Rescue

Katherine Shrader / Associated Press:

Study: Ex-Rep. Made Use of 'Black' Budgets — WASHINGTON - An independent investigation has found that imprisoned former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham took advantage of secrecy and badgered congressional aides to help slip items into classified bills that would benefit him and his associates.

Discussion: TPMmuckraker

David Cay Johnston / New York Times:

I.R.S. to Cut Tax Auditors — The federal government is moving to eliminate the jobs of nearly half of the lawyers at the Internal Revenue Service who audit tax returns of some of the wealthiest Americans, specifically those who are subject to gift and estate taxes when they transfer parts …

Discussion: Sirotablog, MyDD, Political Animal, Left in the West, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and Seeing the Forest

Solomon / Solomonia:

Mayhem at the Defend Hizballah Rally! — This past Friday, the Muslim American Society held their "Justice for Palestine and Lebanon Protest" at Boston's City Hall Plaza referred to at the end of this post. The Boston Globe has its report here: Muslims, Christians protest bombardment of Lebanon

Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:

FDL Book Salon — The Age of Fallibility, Part II — (Please welcome George Soros, who is joining us in the comments to discuss his book The Age of Fallibility: Consequence of the War on Terror. Week one of the discussion can be found here.) — Since FDL has been open for business …

Discussion: Hullabaloo and Needlenose