Transcript [00:02] So, I I just watched J.D. Vance's [00:04] remarks uh to close out [00:07] uh the first round of talks in Geneva. [00:09] He spoke for a couple minutes and then [00:10] took a few questions. And he said some [00:12] stuff about the Lebanon situation that [00:14] make me just wonder [00:16] it makes me wonder about the Americans. [00:18] Like, does he not Does he not [00:20] understand? [00:22] Or like, has he been briefed and he just [00:24] didn't listen? Like, [00:26] I I I don't understand what what they [00:29] think [00:30] about Hezbollah and Lebanon. And I I [00:33] it's it's baffling to me. Let me show [00:34] you what I mean. Here, let's just watch [00:36] this clip and I'll explain what I'm [00:38] talking about cuz it just blows my mind. [00:40] Here he is. [00:42] >> Did you going in expect the Iranians to [00:45] make Lebanon as much of a linchpin as [00:47] they ended up doing? And how would you [00:49] describe the progress on Lebanon? I know [00:51] Mr. Araghchi said it was very good [00:52] progress, but what's your [00:54] characterization of it? [00:55] >> Yeah, I would describe it as very good [00:57] progress, too. I mean, look, we want a [00:58] regional ceasefire, right? We want [01:00] Hezbollah to stop firing at our friends [01:01] in Israel. We want Israelis to be able [01:03] to live in peace. We also want to make [01:05] sure that, you know, when when things [01:07] happen, they don't spiral into a broader [01:09] escalation. And so, we've been, I think, [01:12] very good at setting up what we're [01:13] calling a deconfliction mechanism. But [01:15] what it really is is is to say that when [01:18] things happen, the sides are actually [01:20] talking to one another. Sometimes, you [01:22] know, you got a bit of a chicken and egg [01:24] problem that you've got a junior guy who [01:27] fires a drone that didn't have approval [01:29] from the high command. Okay, of course, [01:31] Israel has to respond to that. But then [01:33] sometimes, that response, we could [01:36] actually have a better and more peaceful [01:38] situation if Israel responds in the [01:41] context of a conversation that's ongoing [01:43] between Hezbollah, Lebanon, Israel, and [01:46] other partners in the region. There [01:48] really hasn't been a mechanism to have [01:50] those discussions until basically around [01:52] 4:00 p.m. yesterday, Berkenstock time, [01:55] when we set that up. So, what we're [01:56] trying to do is to say, first of all, [01:58] Israel and every other nation in the [02:00] region has the right of self-defense, [02:02] but we want to make sure that everybody [02:04] has that right of self-defense in the [02:06] background where we're talking about how [02:08] to de-escalate these conflicts rather [02:10] than spiraling out of control. Sometimes [02:12] what'll happen is that is that if if the [02:15] conflict spirals out of control, that's [02:17] worse for everybody's self-defense and [02:20] worse for everybody's security. So, [02:21] we've actually got the process in place [02:23] to ensure that that doesn't that [02:25] escalation doesn't happen. Now, I will [02:27] say you already see the fruits of that. [02:29] Over the past 24 hours it's probably [02:30] been the most peaceful that we've seen. [02:33] Uh the situation in Lebanon, the [02:34] previous 24 hours were pretty good. [02:37] Obviously, there were some shooting [02:38] about 72 hours ago. So, this is a work [02:40] in progress, but what we've done is [02:42] actually set up the operation so that we [02:45] can ensure it doesn't spiral out of [02:46] control in the future. [02:48] >> I'm just stunned at this. I mean, this [02:50] is it [02:52] I mean, to say it's ridiculous is is [02:54] just an understatement. I I I've no [02:56] words for what he just said. [03:00] He just said now, [03:02] let's start with the thing at the end, [03:03] right? He said, "Look, you know, the [03:06] last 24 hours have actually been so [03:07] peaceful." That's right, Hezbollah [03:08] didn't fire at us yesterday. You know [03:09] why they didn't fire at us? Not because [03:10] we're talking. [03:13] You know why they didn't fire at us over [03:14] the last 24 hours? You know why there's [03:16] been a de-escalation over the last 24 [03:18] hours? [03:19] You know why? Because Donald Trump [03:23] finally, instead of playing the game of [03:25] telling Israel to back off, which the [03:28] Iranians were loving and were and were [03:30] and were using. Remember, over the last, [03:33] you know, week or two, the Iranians have [03:34] been having getting Hezbollah to [03:36] escalate, escalate, escalate. Israel [03:37] fights back, the Americans criticize [03:39] Israel, there's a and that drives a [03:41] bigger gap, a bigger wedge between the [03:43] US and Israel. The Iranians were [03:44] manipulating the situation and finally, [03:46] Trump said the quiet part out loud and [03:49] pointed the finger at the Iranians [03:50] yesterday and said, "You better stop. [03:52] You better get Hezbollah to stop." He [03:53] basically he said, "I'm on to your game [03:55] and you can't play this game anymore." [03:57] And he told them to get Hezbollah to [03:59] back off. So, Hezbollah backed off. [04:00] That's why it's been quiet, not because [04:02] we've been having dialogue. [04:04] And think of what he's saying here. [04:06] He's First of all, he's painting a [04:07] picture of, you know, [04:10] when some, you know, some rocket or [04:11] drone gets fired, you know, it's some [04:13] junior guy who didn't get approval as [04:16] though no one's approving [04:19] Hezbollah actually attacking this. [04:20] There's been thousands, thousands of [04:22] rockets and drones fired at at Israel's [04:25] northern towns [04:27] and at our troops, thousands of them, [04:31] in just the last [04:33] 2 months since we started this whole [04:35] ceasefire thing. Okay, do you [04:36] understand? [04:37] He Does he He actually He's painting a [04:40] picture. He doesn't want to face the [04:43] fact that Hezbollah is what Hezbollah [04:45] is. Hezbollah, the party of Allah. [04:49] They have one reason they exist. This [04:51] isn't a sovereign state. This isn't a [04:53] militia that does other things besides [04:56] attack Israel. [04:58] Their entire reason that they exist, the [05:02] only reason they exist, the only role [05:05] they have, [05:07] is to attack Israel, to attack Israeli [05:10] civilians, to kill Jews, to kill [05:11] Israelis. That's it. That's the only [05:12] reason they exist. [05:15] So, why are you going to have dialogue [05:16] with them? If there's some escalation [05:18] with Hezbollah, oh, look, you know, we [05:19] could work this out. We can keep things [05:20] quiet and and, you know, what? If [05:21] Hezbollah, if we have conversations with [05:23] Hezbollah, that's what he actually said [05:25] there. [05:26] Let's have some some forum for [05:27] communicating and and we could and we [05:29] could de-escalate things because we're [05:30] having a conversation with Hezbollah, [05:33] whose entire reason to exist is to is to [05:35] destroy Israel. [05:36] Okay? This is so divorced from reality. [05:39] It's so absurd. [05:43] Look, [05:44] he said more absurd things. Here, watch [05:45] this next part of it. [05:47] Watch this. [05:48] >> [snorts] [05:50] >> Does the US want Israel to withdraw [05:52] forces from southern Lebanon? [05:54] >> Well, we want Israel's security to be [05:56] protected, and we also want Lebanon's [05:58] sovereignty to be protected, and this is [06:00] going to be an ongoing conversation. The [06:02] Israelis have been very clear they do [06:03] not have territorial intentions on South [06:06] Lebanon. The reason they feel they have [06:08] to be there is because they're worried [06:09] about Hezbollah fighters in South [06:11] Lebanon firing into Israel. We do [06:13] believe, of course it's going to require [06:15] a lot of hard work, that we can get to a [06:17] place where Lebanon's territorial [06:19] integrity and sovereignty is protected, [06:21] Israel's security is protected, and [06:23] that's going to require some [06:24] coordination with the Lebanese armed [06:26] forces, and also it's going to require [06:27] the Iranians to rein in Hezbollah. [06:29] That's all the sort of things that we [06:30] were talking about yesterday, and again [06:32] I think that we got much further [06:34] compared to where we were just 24 hours [06:37] ago. [06:38] >> Uh okay. [06:39] Um [06:41] excuse me. [06:43] If you care about Lebanon's sovereignty, [06:49] if you care about Lebanon's sovereignty, [06:53] then you should want to get rid of [06:54] Hezbollah. [06:55] What does the Lebanese armed forces have [06:57] to do with anything? It's going to take [06:59] some coordination with the Lebanese [07:00] armed forces. Lebanese armed forces [07:02] has no ability to to do anything about [07:05] Hezbollah. [07:06] That's been the problem for decades, and [07:09] that's why Hezbollah and Iran have been [07:11] able to occupy Lebanon, and that's why [07:14] that's why we have all the problems in [07:16] Lebanon that we have. That is it. It's [07:18] actually quite simple. [07:23] I I [07:25] Like I said at the beginning of this [07:26] video, I don't understand. I don't [07:30] understand if he was briefed, if he's [07:33] actually behind closed doors knows what [07:35] Hezbollah is, and is acting like he [07:37] doesn't, [07:39] or [07:41] if he just doesn't get it. [07:44] What does he think Hezbollah is? Here, [07:45] let's ask the question that way. What [07:46] does he think they are? [07:48] What does he think they're doing in [07:49] Lebanon? [07:51] What's their role? [07:54] Right? What does he think that they are? [07:57] They're [07:58] Again, their entire reason for existing [08:00] is to attack Israel. Period. That's it. [08:02] They have no other [08:05] job. They have no other role. They have [08:07] no other reason for being. [08:10] So, yeah, you know, [08:12] it's going to take some, you know, we're [08:14] going to have to involve the Lebanese [08:15] security forces and we'll talk to the [08:17] Israelis and, you know, get the get the [08:19] Iranians to kind of tell Hezbollah to [08:21] come to What's Hezbollah going to do if [08:22] they're not attacking Israel? They have [08:23] no other They have no other job. [08:27] Every cent that goes to them, everything [08:28] they do, that's all that's that is their [08:30] purpose. [08:34] Why isn't the obvious [08:38] obvious to these people? [08:41] That the road to a peaceful Lebanon, the [08:44] road, the path to a Lebanon that is not [08:47] getting bombed, [08:49] >> [snorts] [08:49] >> where there's no no one bombing Israel [08:51] and Israel's not bombing anyone, and [08:53] Lebanon has sovereignty and territorial [08:55] integrity and all that lovely stuff. [08:57] There is only one way to get there. One. [09:00] That's it. One way to get there. [09:03] And that is the defeat of Hezbollah. [09:07] And you want to set up a mechanism to [09:09] have dialogue with Hezbollah so that [09:12] when there's an escalation, we can talk [09:14] it through? [09:18] I mean, this is [09:20] this is like this is not understanding [09:23] the Middle East on steroids. I I mean, [09:25] it's almost like a Saturday Night Live [09:27] sketch [09:29] about [09:30] not understanding the Middle East. It [09:32] This is the most absurd thing I've seen. [09:34] Here, let me show you this. [09:35] So, we have this uh [09:38] Here's the reporting of what they agreed [09:40] upon there. [09:41] Let me pull this up on screen. [09:45] Okay? Here. [09:47] Check this out. Jerusalem Post, Qatar [09:48] and Pakistan unveil new Lebanon [09:50] peacekeeping mechanism. [09:52] Does not include Israel, France, or [09:54] UNIFIL. [09:55] The mediators did not explain how the [09:57] mechanism would operate or resolve the [09:58] current hostilities between Israel and [10:00] Hezbollah. A joint statement released by [10:02] the mediating countries, Qatar and [10:04] Pakistan, announced the creation of a [10:06] Lebanon deconfliction mechanism on [10:08] Monday. That's what Vance was talking [10:09] about. According to the mediators, this [10:11] entails a direct US-Iranian track to [10:15] terminate military operations in [10:16] Lebanon. [10:18] And appears to include the Lebanese [10:20] government, but not Israel. [10:22] It also appears to exclude France and [10:24] the United Nations interim force in [10:27] Lebanon. [10:28] Which had previously been involved in [10:29] peacekeeping in Lebanon. The mediators [10:31] did not explain how that would operate [10:32] to resolve the current hostilities [10:34] between Israel and Hezbollah. [10:38] Because if it [10:40] Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, [10:42] lauded the new mechanism, calling it [10:44] major progress to end the Lebanon war. [10:49] Saying that the first real test was the [10:50] Lebanon deconfliction cell. [10:56] Addressing the Jerusalem New Syndicate [10:58] Conference in Jerusalem on Monday, [10:59] President Isaac Herzog said any [11:01] negotiations to end the Israel-Lebanon [11:02] conflict should be done by the two [11:04] countries themselves, and not by Iranian [11:06] extortion. [11:07] Tying Iran to Lebanon not only leaves [11:09] Israel exposed to constant threat, it [11:11] leaves the Lebanese weak and powerless, [11:13] and will prevent their president and [11:15] government from moving forward. [11:17] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said [11:18] on Monday that the IDF retains freedom [11:20] of action to act against threats in [11:21] Lebanon. [11:24] Right? The IDF has no restrictions in [11:26] this regard, said Netanyahu. Here is the [11:28] document that they put out. Take a look [11:29] at this thing. [11:30] This is it's I mean, it's absurd. [11:33] Here, how do we how do we uh how do we [11:35] make this bigger? [11:38] I got to make this I got to make this [11:39] document bigger so we can actually read [11:40] it. [11:41] >> [snorts] [11:41] >> Here. [11:42] Oh, sorry. Shaking the camera here. [11:45] Uh let's zoom in. [11:51] How do I zoom in? [11:54] Okay. [11:56] So, this is the document they released. [11:58] The first session of the high-level [11:59] talks under the framework and Islamabad [12:01] memorandum of understanding have [12:02] concluded in Burgenstock, Switzerland. [12:05] Blah, blah, blah. [12:07] Building on the MOU, the parties have [12:09] agreed to the establishment of a [12:10] high-level committee which will provide [12:12] political oversight [12:14] on the mediation. Chief negotiators will [12:16] report to the high-level committee. So, [12:18] they've set up a structure. They love [12:20] stuff like this, these international [12:22] nonsense. None of it ever leads [12:23] anywhere. It's like It's like the board [12:25] of peace in Gaza and the and the and the [12:28] and you know, the administrative [12:30] Palestinian administrative council or [12:32] whatever it's called that's going to [12:33] govern Gaza. None of it's actually doing [12:34] anything because Hamas is still there. [12:36] It's the same thing. Anyway. [12:37] Let's jump down to the to the relevant [12:39] section here. This talks about Strait of [12:40] Hormuz. [12:41] Here's the relevant part. Moreover, [12:44] the parties agreed on the creation of a [12:46] de-confliction cell [12:49] between the parties, [12:53] the Lebanese Republic, [12:55] and facilitated by the mediators. That's [12:58] Pakistan and Qatar. [13:00] To ensure the adherence of the [13:02] termination of military operations in [13:04] Lebanon as per the MOU. [13:09] What on Earth? [13:11] The Pakistanis and the Qataris [13:14] and the [13:17] and Lebanon and the Lebanese Republic? [13:22] What do they have to do with the [13:23] hostilities in Lebanon? [13:27] Hezbollah is not mentioned here. [13:32] Israel's not part of this. They're not [13:33] one of the parties. What Where are they [13:35] here? [13:37] What kind of deconfliction mechanism? [13:39] This is Look. [13:42] This whole thing [13:45] this whole uh [13:48] MOU [13:49] and these negotiations and everything [13:51] that we're seeing these last this last, [13:53] you know, since this whole thing [13:55] started. [13:57] There's something really weird. [14:00] Cuz none of it makes any sense. [14:03] It's like it was put together by people [14:06] who just [14:07] know nothing about the Middle East or [14:09] are pretending they know nothing about [14:11] the Middle East. That's what's That's [14:12] what's baffling to me. [14:15] Hezbollah's sole reason to exist is to [14:17] attack Israel and they bring untold [14:21] destruction on Lebanon. [14:24] And it is official American policy that [14:26] Hezbollah needs to be disarmed. It is [14:28] official Lebanese government policy that [14:29] Hezbollah needs to be disarmed and [14:31] dismantled and taken and gotten rid of. [14:33] Everyone agrees on this ostensibly and [14:35] now we have the Vice President of the [14:37] United States talking about how, you [14:39] know, there should be a [14:40] a mechanism where Israel and Hezbollah [14:41] could be talking to each other. [14:46] It's [14:47] It's a genocidal terrorist organization [14:49] that wants to destroy us. That's its [14:50] only reason to exist is to destroy us [14:52] and we're supposed to talk to them and [14:54] and and and we want to deconflict things [14:56] because we're concerned about the [14:58] sovereignty and territorial integrity of [15:00] the state of Lebanon. So, we're going to [15:02] doom the Lebanese people [15:05] to never get be rid of Hezbollah when we [15:07] we now have the best opportunity we've [15:10] ever had to get rid of Hezbollah [15:13] with Israel [15:15] moving forward doing the job. So, we're [15:17] going to tie Israel's hands. We're going [15:19] to be in the name of de-escalation which [15:21] in de-confliction that's a wonderful [15:23] thing, right? [15:25] And then we're going to say that we care [15:26] about the the sovereignty of the of the [15:28] state of Lebanon. It's all [15:31] the contradictions here are so obvious. [15:34] And the and how and this is so foolish [15:37] on its face [15:39] that I struggle [15:41] I struggle to understand how [15:44] he can stand up there, how the Vice [15:45] President of the United States can stand [15:46] up there and say these things. [15:49] And and it seems like he actually means [15:51] them, that he actually believes them. [15:53] Look, it's it's it's Kushner, Witkoff, [15:56] Vance. It was the same thing with the [15:57] Gaza 20-point plan. These people believe [15:59] that that deals mean something, that [16:02] that that people in the end all really [16:04] just want a more peaceful life. [16:08] It just [16:10] I'm in shock. All right, I'm going to [16:12] stop I'm going to stop here cuz I just [16:14] I didn't even know what to say in this [16:15] video. It's just it's so insane. [16:18] All right, that's it for this one.
