LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJuly
24/2010
Bible Of
the Day
Romans 8:28/And we know that for
those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called
according to his purpose.
Today's Inspiring Thought: All Things Work for Good
Not everything that comes into our lives can be classified as good. Paul didn't
say here that all things are good. Yet, if we really believe this passage of
Scripture, than we have to acknowledge that all things—the good, the bad, the
sunshine, and the rain—are somehow working together by God's design for our
ultimate well-being. In my own life, when I look back on the trials and those
difficult things that seemed far from good at the time, I can see now how they
were working for my benefit. If we could see our lives in reverse order, this
verse would be so much easier to accept.
Free Opinions, Releases,
letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Are we fools to expect indictments
soon?/By: Michel Young/23
July/10
Egyptians must join in support
of equality for all religions/By Yasser Khalil/July
23/10
The fight that just won’t end/Matt
Nash/July
23/10
Abu Adal’s prophecies/By: Elie
Fawaz/July
23/10
Latest News
Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for July 23/10
Haaretz: Hariri Needs Hizbullah
for Survival which he Considers More Important than Family Honor/Naharnet
Top U.N. Official: Tribunal
Findings Will Cause Turmoil in Lebanon/Naharnet
Hariri reassures Lebanese: No
internal conflicts/Now Lebanon
Suleiman Meets Geagea, Arslan,
Qahwaji, Hardan: Lebanon Salvation Only Through People's Unity/Naharnet
Soaid: Only Hizbullah's Abidance
by State Conditions Saves Lebanon from Strife/Naharnet
Marouni: Nasrallah was a
Successful Lawyer in a Case We Paid for in Blood/Naharnet
Israel Warns U.N. it Will Not
Allow Aid Ships from Lebanon to Gaza/Naharnet
Nadim Gemayel: We Won't Allow
Nasrallah to Devastate Lebanon Again/Naharnet
Nasrallah says UN Tribunal will indict Hizbullah members/Daily Star
Hezbollah Leader Expects
Hariri Indictments/Wall Street Journal/Naharnet
Israeli Army to simulate invasion of south Lebanon/Daily Star
Zahra: LF Will Not Accept Any
STL Ruling that is Unfair toward Some Parties/Naharnet
Williams Lauds Suleiman's
Initiative, Stresses to Hariri U.N. Support for Stability in Lebanon/Naharnet
France Telecom to Help Lebanon
Repair Underwater Cable/Naharnet
Tawheed Movement Responds to LF:
Are Wahhab's Cautionary Statements against Strife Attacks against the Law?/Naharnet
Abdullah: Hizbullah Fears about
Spies, Tribunal 'Normal'/Naharnet
LF Urges Prosecutors to Act over
Wahab's Threats/Naharnet
Mustaqbal Movement to Appoint
New Leader/Naharnet
Bustani Visited Damascus to Set
Stage for Assad's Trip to Beirut Within Days/Naharnet
Top U.N. Official: Tribunal
Findings Will Cause Turmoil in Lebanon
Naharnet/A top U.N. official has said Lebanon will be hit by turmoil when
Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare issues his findings
next fall.
Lebanon will be hit by a "moment of unrest and turmoil," the high-ranking
official in New York told An Nahar daily in remarks published Friday.
In reference to Hizbullah, he said a certain party in Lebanon whose members
could be tried has sent a message that "it has the means to make a
counter-reaction" against U.N. peacekeepers in the south. The official also
warned that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon will not accept to be
"paralyzed and humiliated" urging the Lebanese government to deploy an
additional 5,000 troops in the south. During his meeting with several
journalists, the diplomat said the last skirmishes between southerners and
peacekeepers were "organized" by a side that "used women and children" to pelt
the international troops with rocks. Turning to Israel, the U.N. official said
the Jewish state should withdraw from the Lebanese part of the border village of
Ghajar and end its violations of Lebanese airspace. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 07:44
Nadim Gemayel: We Won't Allow Nasrallah to Devastate Lebanon Again
Naharnet/Phalange party MP Nadim Gemayel on Friday warned Hizbullah Secretary
General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah against destroying Lebanon another time.
In response to a question concerning the internal strife Nasrallah warned
against, Gemayel said he believed Nasrallah's remarks, instead, "signaled off
sectarian rift." "We will not allow Sayyed Nasrallah to devastate the country
like he did in July 2006 and in 2008," Gemayel warned. "Moreover, we will not
allow any international ruling to cause internal strife," he said in an
interview with MTV channel. Addressing Nasrallah, Gemayel stressed that March 14
coalition options are "Lebanese." He wondered whether Nasrallah wanted March 14
to adopt "Iran first" or "Syria first." Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 15:01
Haaretz: Hariri Needs Hizbullah for Survival which he Considers More Important
than Family Honor
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri's political survival depends on Hizbullah's
consent, something more important to him than his family honor, Israeli daily
Haaretz said Friday.
"I was personally informed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri before his visit to
Washington (in May) that the tribunal will accuse some undisciplined members" of
Hizbullah, Nasrallah said in a press conference on Thursday. Hariri may have
concluded that if he supports the international tribunal's rulings in ex-Premier
Rafik Hariri's assassination, "he will share his father's fate - or,
alternatively, that doing so could risk renewed civil war between Hizbullah and
his own March 14" alliance, Haaretz said. "In such a face-off, Hizbullah would
certainly win. Thus Hariri hopes to resolve the problem by distinguishing
between the operatives and the organization," the newspaper added. Nasrallah
said Hariri had assured him he would publicly avow that it was undisciplined
members of Hizbullah, and not the party itself, who were implicated in the
murder. However, according to Haaretz "Hizbullah is well known for its rigid
hierarchy, iron discipline and involvement of senior officials in all decisions
at the field level. That makes it highly unlikely that Hizbullah operatives
would have been involved in such an incident without the senior leadership's
knowledge." Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 12:18
Suleiman Meets Geagea, Arslan, Qahwaji, Hardan: Lebanon Salvation Only Through
People's Unity
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman said Wednesday that Lebanon would only
recover through the unity of its people over national issues that constitute the
backbone of stability in the country. "Lebanon's salvation would only come
through the unity of its people and their united stance particularly towards
national causes that constitute the backbone of political and security
stability," Suleiman told a delegation of Armenian clergymen and heads of
political parties. Armenian Orthodox Bishop Kegham Khatcherian stressed, in his
turn, the unity of the Armenian sect on national issues and its support for the
presiden Also Friday, Suleiman met with Head of Syrian Social National Party MP
Assaad Hardan as part of his consultations with leaders of parliamentary blocs
in an effort to contain the tension over the anticipated indictment of the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Suleiman discussed with Army chief Gen. Jean
Qahwaji the security situation in the country and met with delegations of
expatriates.Later Friday, the president held separate talks on the current
political developments with each of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and
Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 14:47
Israel Warns U.N. it Will Not Allow Aid Ships from Lebanon to Gaza
Naharnet/Israel has warned the United Nations that it will not allow two aid
ships sailing from a Lebanese port to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. Israel
said it "reserve its right, under international law, to use all necessary means
to prevent these ships from violating the naval blockade imposed on Gaza." The
Israeli warning came in letters sent to U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and the Security
Council by Israel's U.N. Ambassador Gabriela Shalev. A deadly Israeli commando
raid on a Turkish ship trying to bring aid to Gaza on May 31 killed nine Turkish
activists and focused international attention on Israel's blockade of Gaza,
imposed after the Islamist militant and anti-Israel Hamas violently overran the
Palestinian territory in June 2007.
Shalev called on the Lebanese government "to demonstrate responsibility" and
prevent the two ships, Junia and Julia, from departing. Israel and Lebanon
remain "in a state of hostility," Shalev said, and "such action will prevent any
escalation." She said it can't be ruled out that the Junia and Julia are
carrying weapons "or individuals with provocative and confrontational
intentions." The killing of the eight Turks and one Turkish-American on May 31
put Israel under growing pressure to open Gaza's borders. Under the old blockade
rules, only basic food and medicine were allowed into Gaza. In a first step
after the flotilla raid, Israel decided to let in most consumer goods but said
Gazans would continue to be banned from travel and exporting goods for the time
being. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 11:16
Williams Lauds Suleiman's Initiative, Stresses to Hariri U.N. Support for
Stability in Lebanon
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks Friday at the Grand Serail with
U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams, in attendance of PM's
advisor Mohammed Shatah.
"I briefed the Prime Minister about my recent visit to New York -- I came back
two days ago-- and in particular I discussed with the Prime Minister the
Security Council session held last week on Security Council Resolution 1701,"
Williams said after the meeting. "That meeting in New York was a very good
meeting in which all members of the Council emphasized that Resolution 1701 has
stabilized the situation in South Lebanon and along the Blue Line and that the
existing cessation of hostilities must be maintained," Williams added.
The U.N. official noted that a smooth implementation of Resolution 1701
"requires calm and stability inside Lebanon." "I shared with Prime Minister
Hariri the United Nation's support for any efforts in that direction," he added.
Williams welcomed the initiative of President Michel Suleiman "who has been
meeting with the participants in the National Dialogue in order to defuse recent
political tensions in the country and resolve differences in a calm and
constructive manner." Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 19:35
Zahra: LF Will Not Accept Any STL Ruling that is Unfair toward Some Parties
Naharnet/MP Antoine Zahra said Friday that the Lebanese Forces will not accept
any international tribunal ruling "that is unfair toward some parties in
Lebanon."
He pointed to an appeal made by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during
his Thursday evening press conference in which he urged the Lebanese government
to suspend STL operations in the event it targeted Hizbullah. "We stress as
Lebanese Forces that we will not accept any ruling if it is unfair toward some
parties in Lebanon," Zahra told LBC satellite channel. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 11:44
France Telecom to Help Lebanon Repair Underwater Cable
Naharnet/The Telecommunications Ministry announced Friday that Franc Telecom is
preparing to send a ship to help Lebanon repair the malfunction in the
underwater cable that caused the recent cuts in the landline service between
Beirut and the South. The cable lies about 4 to 5 miles off the coast of
Saadiyyat situated between Beirut and Sidon. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 18:02
Marouni: Nasrallah was a Successful Lawyer in a Case We Paid for in Blood
Naharnet/Phalange MP Elie Marouni stated Friday that Hizbullah Secretary General
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah acted as a "successful lawyer in a case we paid for in
blood."
He told Future News that Nasrallah defended the opposition as if "we were the
ones who ruined the country, we should remind him that we took Lebanon towards
freedom, independence, and the end of Syrian occupation."Marouni urged the
Hizbullah leader to seek the truth with the others because the problem does not
lie in the indictment, but in failure to issue one, and the U.N. will not
succumb to intimidation. "Nasrallah mustn't forget Syria's violations of
Lebanese rights for 30 years and he should appreciate Hariri's visit to Syria,"
the MP added. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 15:47
Tawheed Movement Responds to LF: Are Wahhab's Cautionary Statements against
Strife Attacks against the Law?
Naharnet/The Tawheed Movement condemned on Friday the Lebanese Forces' press
office for alleging that the Movement's leader, Wiam Wahhab, had recently made
threats against the official Lebanese legal and military institutions after
holding talks on Thursday with a Hizbullah delegation. The Movement asked; "Are
we the ones who targeted the state's institutions and executed officers in the
Sarba barracks? Are we the ones who imposed taxes on restaurants, hotels, and
checkpoints? Are we the ones who killed Rashid Karami, Dany Chamoun, General
Khalil Kanaan, Elias Yazbek, and hundreds of other Christians whose views
opposed ours?" "If all this isn't an attack against the state and the law, then
are the Tawheed Movement leader's cautionary statements against internal strife
an attack against the law?" it continued. It said: "We urge the Lebanese Forces
and its members, many of whom we respect, to advise their leaders not to get too
carried away in a battle whose consequences they can't afford." Beirut, 23 Jul
10, 16:55
Abdullah: Hizbullah Fears about Spies, Tribunal 'Normal'
Naharnet/Youth and Sports Minister Ali Abdullah said that the clarification
requested by Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah from the Police
Intelligence Bureau- concerning the Alfa spy suspect is very normal. Abdullah
owed this to the slow rate in tracking down Charbel Qazzi's movements by the
police. He said that "what was published in the media about the police stalling
his arrest for one year has left a lot of unanswered questions."In an interview
with Kuwaiti al-Anbaa daily, he expressed his regrets about the aggressive
statements made by some in reaction to Nasrallah's speech, describing them as
"unfair." He added that Nasrallah "did not mean to attack the police
intelligence nor any of the Lebanese factions."Abdullah considered that
Nasrallah raised "logical and intuitive questions in light of the large amount
of spies of the Zionist entity on Lebanese territory."
Regarding Nasrallah's doubts about the international tribunal, the minister drew
attention to Hizbullah's fears of "politicization" of the court asserting that
it is his right to express these fears in front of the Lebanese public and
officials. He also noted the importance of curbing a Sunni-Shiite strife that
Israel is trying to enforce. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 15:12
Mustaqbal Movement to Appoint New Leader
Naharnet/Mustaqbal Movement will select a new leader at a founding conference to
be held at Biel Exhibition Center in downtown Beirut on Saturday. The Conference
will also elect political figures and a Control and Supervision Secretary. It
will be attended by 600 affiliates in their capacity as active members. Alsp
participating at the conference are about 100 observers. Beirut, 23 Jul 10,
11:33
Larijani: Israel Very Afraid of Hizbullah
Naharnet/Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said the Israeli government is
"very afraid" of Hizbullah following the July 2006 war. "There is no doubt that
Israelis are very afraid from Hizbullah's strength and its capabilities,"
Larijani was quoted as telling Hizbullah's al-Manar TV channel. "Israeli
officials know very well that this force stems from the party's symbol, Hassan
Nasrallah," he added. Beirut, 23 Jul 10, 06:45
Hariri reassures Lebanese: No internal conflicts
July 23, 2010 /During an interview published in Al-Hayat newspaper on Friday,
Prime Minister Saad Hariri said that there would not be any internal conflicts
in Lebanon after the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) issues its indictment in
the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. This comes after several
figures predicted renewed conflicts and a new string of assassinations should
the indictment accuse Hezbollah members of being involved in the murder. Hariri
said that Lebanese parties’ achievements will not be wasted because of a few
disagreements, adding that he would serve the country’s national interests after
the indictment is issued, reportedly in September. He touched on his Syria visit
during which he met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday, saying that
“Assad was very positive and cooperative.” When asked whether Syria requested he
severs his relations with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, Hariri said that
Damascus did no such thing and added that Syria did not try to interfere in
Lebanon’s domestic matters. The PM added that he intended to visit Iran, however
he postponed his visit after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced
that he would visit Lebanon soon. -NOW Lebanon
The fight that just won’t end
Matt Nash, July 23, 2010
Now Lebanon/
Edward Shimon stirred from an afternoon nap to greet two reporters on Wednesday.
Sitting comfortably on a couch in his boxer shorts, Shimon explained how he and
a few other guys locked up the Lebanese Forces office, mostly decorated more
like a house, Tuesday night after watching LF boss Samir Geagea speak the
previous evening.
The party wants to make the office, in Hay as-Siryan, Achrafieh’s Assyrian
Christian neighborhood, a dental clinic. They bought some equipment – including
the familiar patients’ chair every dentist has – but sometime between 1:30 and 2
Wednesday morning, someone torched the chair.
“We know who it was,” Shimon said, refusing to divulge his secret, which he said
the party only shared with the police. “Some people hate the LF.” In Achrafieh,
there’s little doubt who he meant.
In the later years of the Lebanese civil war, the eastern half of Beirut took a
drumming – with hundreds killed and countless properties damaged if not
destroyed – as Geagea and then-Lebanese Army Commander Michel Aoun battled for
supremacy. The scars from that fight run deep to this day, with supporters of
each party harboring bitter animosity toward the other.
While Shimon and others in the office said they are not pointing any fingers and
will wait for the police to investigate, it could not have been clearer that
they suspected the Aounists (just as Aounists would no doubt blame the LF if the
situation were reversed).
Neighbors quickly noticed the fire – likely started through an open window less
than a meter away from the chair – and put it out almost immediately (a wooden
desk next to the chair was not even singed), two of those directly involved in
extinguishing it said in separate interviews on the condition of anonymity for
fear of stoking tension.
The fire came in the midst of an ongoing verbal spat between Aoun and Geagea.
Aoun said any future sectarian fighting would involve the Christians – in
contrast to the battles in Beirut, the Mountain and Tripoli in May 2008 – to
which Geagea replied that any violence in Christian areas is Aoun’s fault.
This rhetorical skirmish between the two who once tried so hard to kill each
other – ending numerous innocent lives in the process – is but a mere reflection
of their continuing push to be recognized as the most popular leader of the
Christian community, Habib Malik, a professor of History at the Lebanese
American University, told NOW Lebanon.
“It’s brinkmanship,” he said of their comments, dismissing the threat of actual
skirmishes any time soon. As the Special Tribunal to find former PM Rafik
Hariri’s killers is sparking a tempest in the teapot of local Lebanese politics,
Malik sees the men merely ratcheting up the rhetoric in a bid to win more
support.
Oussama Safa, director of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, agrees. The
tribunal – expected to soon issue an indictment against what Hezbollah leader
Hassan Nasrallah called “undisciplined” members of his party – is bringing
Lebanon to a crossroads, he said.
The country, he said in an interview on Thursday, will either go “toward
compromise or confrontation.”
In the lead up to what increasingly looks like an impending compromise –
Nasrallah said Hariri told him he will dismiss any indicted Hezbollah members as
rogue elements not representative of the party – Safa said both Geagea and Aoun
are working to position themselves aside their allies to get the most in the
event of any political realignments (which Aoun clearly wants to include a new
government).
Indeed, before the tribunal became the news of the week, Geagea was the loudest
of the small number of (mostly Christian) March 14 members defending it. This,
Safa said, was an indication of the LF working hard to show loyalty to March
14’s largest party, the Future Movement.
The LF seems to still be pursuing this strategy. Shortly after former Future
Movement MP Mustafa Allouch on Friday said the party will change its position on
the tribunal should it issue an indictment not backed by proper evidence, LF MP
Antoine Zahra told LBC that his party will not accept an unjust ruling from the
tribunal against any Lebanese faction.
Aoun, meanwhile, is standing firm in his alliance with Hezbollah and would not
abandon the party he inked an agreement with in early 2006, regardless of what
the tribunal says, Safa said. In fact, Aoun first distanced himself from the
court in May 2009, saying, “I was the first to support the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon, but when I saw it was being politicized I withdrew my support."
So as Lebanon waits for a new political reality that may – or may not – come
with a tribunal indictment before year’s end, the epic and now decades-old
Geagea-Aoun struggle will continue.
**Nadine Elali contributed reporting to this article.
Are we fools to expect indictments soon?
Michel Young, July 23, 2010
Now Lebanon/
Special Tribunal Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare may not have enough evidence for an
indictment. (AFP photo)
The furor continues over the recurring attacks directed against the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon by Hezbollah’s secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah. The
prevailing view in Beirut is that the prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare, will issue
indictments this fall, and that these may point the finger at low-level
Hezbollah members.
Politics aside, how likely is it that indictments will come before the end of
2010? Leading foreign diplomats in Beirut believe they will. Lebanese
politicians believe so, too. The media is electric with information and
disinformation on the potential consequences. However, no one has stopped to ask
whether Bellemare actually has enough to issue airtight legal accusations.
Then comes news that this coming fall investigators will be replicating the
explosion that killed Rafik Hariri at a military base in Bordeaux, an item
confirmed by the Special Tribunal itself. If investigators are still engaged in
analyzing, or re-analyzing, the bomb blast, this is either chaff to cover for
the absence of any significant progress or it might imply that there is
uncertainty surrounding the original findings, which means the investigation
needs time to reassess. This makes it more difficult to assume that indictments
will land this year.
We also have to bear in mind something else: Nothing stipulates that Bellemare
must necessarily issue indictments at all. He may well do so, but that is not a
foregone conclusion. Ultimately, the prosecution’s case will be determined by
the specific evidence Bellemare has, and while he must have a clear idea of how
Hariri was murdered, there are wide gaps that are the result of the failure of
his predecessor, Serge Brammertz, to carry out a police investigation between
2006 and 2008, particularly in Syria, which controlled security in Lebanon at
the time the former prime minister was assassinated.
Here’s what we know, or think we know. Investigators allegedly have telephone
analyses indicating that one of the members of the circle of individuals
observing Hariri’s movements on the day of his assassination (and even earlier)
communicated with a Hezbollah official. We also know that several months ago
investigators came to Beirut to interview a number of individuals, most of them
Hezbollah members. Some showed up, but apparently those who might be named
suspects did not, and their whereabouts remain unknown.
We also know that when the tribunal began operating last summer, Bellemare did
not have enough to indict the four generals, even though he and Brammertz had
repeatedly reconfirmed their detention when asked by the Lebanese judiciary.
This suggested, at the least, that Brammertz and Bellemare had suspicions about
the generals’ guilt, but did little to consolidate the legal charges against the
four.
Since that point the investigation does not appear to have made major strides,
while Bellemare has asked Western governments to lend him additional
investigators. The prosecutor could have telephone data, perhaps phone taps, but
also little testimony from those involved in the crime or who might shed light
on it. It’s not certain whether this constitutes enough to prepare indictments.
An effective indictment must establish a hierarchy of decision-making,
illustrate who told whom to do what, then determine who did what when.
We know Bellemare is incapable of elucidating all of that today because tribunal
representatives have declared in foreign capitals that the prosecutor intends to
publish his indictments in two stages. In other words, he seems to be planning
for a first wave of indictments to act as a wedge allowing him to issue a second
wave that is more comprehensive. This is a risky strategy. It confirms that
Bellemare doesn’t have enough information to issue a hard legal blow in one go;
and the presumption that a first flourish of indictments will facilitate a
second is by no means guaranteed, particularly if the Lebanese state, fearful of
the repercussions of the opening indictments, slows or suspends its cooperation
with Bellemare as a consequence.
But once again, this begs the question: If Bellemare has been unable to put
together indictments until now, what does he need to add to his file to be able
to do so in the coming months? The telephone information has been available for
a long time, so it’s unlikely that investigators have made a breakthrough on
that front. Bellemare collected little testimony from those persons he recently
sought to question, and even if he does have enough to indict some participants,
plainly he saw the interviews as necessary to bolster his case.
So, to put it bluntly, Bellemare appears to have an incomplete case, which he
hopes to energize through his strategy of a two-phase indictment process. He
also possibly has questions about the bomb explosion that killed Hariri and
those with him. That makes you wonder whether investigators are again checking
whether the bomb blast was an above-ground explosion carried out by a suicide
bomber, or a below-ground explosion, which would presumably implicate the team
observing Hariri in all phases of the assassination.
In May, the president of the Special Tribunal, Antonio Cassese, told the Daily
Star newspaper that he expected indictments to be filed by the end of this year.
A day later he retracted his statement, surely at Bellemare’s request. Cassese’s
efforts to raise the heat on the prosecutor show that he is worried about the
future of the tribunal, particularly its financing, if indictments don’t arrive
this year.
If Cassese is worried, and if Bellemare told the tribunal president to withdraw
his comment, you have to wonder on what grounds everyone in Lebanon seems so
confident that indictments are imminent. The latest rumpus could be much ado
about nothing.
Michael Young is opinion editor of the Daily Star newspaper in Beirut. His book,
The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life Struggle
(Simon & Schuster), was recently published.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
July 22, 2010
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah held a press conference on
Thursday night to address reports on the upcoming Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)’s
indictment.
“We have to be aware that Lebanon was dragged into a very sensitive and delicate
phase. But Lebanon is going through this new phase in light of the pending
Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) indictment.
Some were surprised why we addressed the issue of the STL. We have discussed our
right to defend ourselves, but some have considered that those who defend
themselves are condemning themselves, and this is a Lebanese creation. All facts
that Hezbollah has obtained since 2008, even before [some of its] members were
called in for interrogation [by the STL], the court’s indictment was [decided
on] but [not announced] for political reasons. All talks that [STL Prosecutor
General Daniel] Bellemare held in Washington and France point out that the
indictment’s content was written.
Before he traveled to Washington [in May], Prime Minister Saad Hariri visited
me. Out of his keenness to ensure national unity, Hariri told me [during the
meeting] that an STL indictment will be issued and will accuse some members of
Hezbollah, but the party is not connected [to the 2005 assassination of former
PM Rafik Hariri].
Everyone is talking about the upcoming indictment and agrees that [Hezbollah
members will be accused], even before the indictment is issued. No one should
simplify things and act as if he is unaware of [the content of the indictment].
The US, along with other countries, started talking about what will happen in
Lebanon [after the indictment is issued].
All those who objected to my speech last Friday know that they want Hezbollah to
remain silent [about the STL]. We reject the idea that Hezbollah members might
be indicted. We consider that there is a huge plan targeting Lebanon, the
Resistance and the Middle East. This project directly targets the Resistance. I
do not confirm that an indictment will be issued in September. The Resistance in
Lebanon is an obstacle for the US, and [the US] believes this obstacle needs to
be eliminated.
There are two [possible] STL indictments: the first is that it will not accuse
anyone in Syria nor any of the four Lebanese generals [previously held in
custody]. The second will accuse undisciplined Hezbollah members.
I call on the March 14 leaders to reconsider the choices they made. This is my
first demand from March 14. The only one who had the courage to review his
stances and admit [his mistakes] was Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid
Jumblatt. Second, March 14 politicians should be open to their public and speak
with it. They should tell Syria that in 2005, we were very wrong and we almost
dragged this country into destruction. No one is asking [March 14] for an
apology. When Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun called for normal
relations with Syria, [March 14] considered him a traitor. Before I continue
with the rest of my ideas, I would like to remind [the March 14 alliance] that
in February 14, 2005, it accused and denounced Syria [for killing former PM
Rafik Hariri] straight away.
Where did [March 14] take the country? What is the guarantee they won’t drag
Lebanon into other ventures. What do Hezbollah, the Shia sect, Syria, Aoun have
to do with [March 14’s] accusations and campaigns? I have told PM Saad Hariri
that I will accuse Syria of killing [former PM Rafik Hariri] if there is
evidence. Syria was isolated [by the West] for years over such accusations.
The March 14 alliance should take responsibility for killing several Syrian
workers [after 2005]. Do [March 14 parties] remember they wanted [former]
President Emile Lahoud to step down by force in 2005? There is no evidence of
Syria’s involvement [in the Hariri assassination]. The bet was that Syria and
its allies [in Lebanon] will collapse, after which not only they will be
indicted but will be [legally] condemned. I hope [March 14] will stress on
turning a new page between Lebanon and Syria and look forward to good relations
with Damascus.
I also ask [March 14 figures]: you don’t want to try false witnesses, but those
who you accused and treated unjustly, don’t they deserve compensation? The four
generals [held in custody over their alleged involvement in Hariri’s murder],
don’t they deserve to return to their posts since it was proven they were not
linked to the killing? To the Lebanese and the March 14 alliance in particular,
[March 14] leaders dragged Lebanon into the most difficult phase ever [between
2005 and 2009]. There was a possibility of civil war everyday in Lebanon. [March
14] want to take Lebanon to the worst places. Do [people] want to keep
supporting them?
I also want to say that Hezbollah is not afraid of anything. Those who conspire
against the Resistance and against Lebanon are the ones who should worry. I
would like to tell some people, who always miscalculated, to make the correct
calculations this time.”
Reporters ask questions following the conference:
Can the STL indictment be annulled before even being issued?
Nasrallah: Yes, [March 14] can tell the world that the country cannot bear a
crisis, and it can prevent [the indictment from being issued].
Did Aoun ask you to “change the rules of the game” in Christian areas?
Nasrallah: Aoun never addressed the issue when he met me [last week]. This is
something I heard from Christian figures last year, warning to be cautious. Aoun
never said anything about changing the cabinet or the rules of the game.
Before you said that you respect STL decisions, but now you are voicing your
concerns over the STL’s possible indictment?
Nasrallah: [Hezbollah] never said it respected the STL’s decisions. Everyone
knows that Hezbollah and the Amal Movement were not given the chance to reflect
on the STL issue [before it was approved in the cabinet and before the ministers
resigned]. I do not accept anything from the STL unless it has tangible
evidence.
What is your take on changing the cabinet?
Nasrallah: Hezbollah will not address the issue of cabinet change before the STL
issues its indictment. After the indictment [is issued], we will see what
happens.
The Internal Security Forces (ISF) said that three Hezbollah members were
collaborating with Israel, then the report changed saying that the three members
were “targeted by Israel.” Why did the ISF announce false information at first?
Nasrallah: To be fair, the ISF Information Branch bases its reports on data
analysis of phone calls. The Information Branch, as well as the Army
Intelligence, called in the suspects and investigated with them but later
released them because there was no proof they were collaborating with Israel.
The ISF’s Information Branch was wrong. It told Hezbollah that the phone numbers
of three Hezbollah members could be [being used to collaborate with Israel]. In
Hezbollah, we do not tolerate such issues. We investigated with these three
people, and we were certain [they were not involved with Israel].
There are reports that Hezbollah might be engaging in an external war to avoid a
domestic one. What is your response?
Nasrallah: We never launched any external war, not before the STL indictment nor
after it, even in the 2006 July War. We are a resistance, we defend our
territories. Such [reports] are unfounded.
Abu Adal’s prophecies
Elie Fawaz, July 23, 2010
In 1986, I was waiting, along with many youths of my age, on the streets of
Cyprus’ capital, Nicosia, for a visa that would take me away from Lebanon, where
blind hatred was decimating the Lebanese and annihilating all signs of life in
the country.
I was reading the prophecies of an editorial written by then-editor-in-chief of
French-speaking Magazine Charles Abu Adal: “The youths are those who have the
capacity and the will to build the nation and its economy. They are emigrating,
and they are depressed. Only those who consider war their profession will remain
in Lebanon.”
More than three decades have gone by since this editorial was written, and I
wonder – as I skim through today’s papers or when I hear Lebanese politicians
speaking – whether Abu Adal’s prophecy has not proven true after all.
Thirty years on, I am depressed when hearing Tawhid Movement leader Wiam Wahhab
explain to us his passion for Germany’s policy because “it burned the Jews,”
knowing that this amounts to the most blatant form of disdain for the sanctity
of life. Does this man who hails from Jahiliyya (a town name that also
conveniently refers to the pre-Islamic “state of ignorance”) know that Nazism
would have had the same fate in store for him and his ancestors had it won the
war? And I wonder: Can we build a nation with the likes of Wiam Wahhab and
Nasser Qandil? The answer is: Absolutely not.
I also get in this depressed state when I hear journalist Ibrahim al-Amin
contemptibly addressing the March 14 forces, which represent the majority of the
Lebanese people, in those terms: “It is what it is, whether you like it or not.”
Here, I realize that journalism is no longer an honest profession based on
gathering news, checking its credibility and analyzing it objectively, and that
it is impossible to build a nation with this breed of people.
However, I am most hopelessly depressed when former Minister Michel Samaha looks
down onto us from his pedestal and nervously hands out lessons in patriotism and
loyalty, knowing that he dubs as Syria’s ambassador in Lebanon is spite of Ali
Abdel Karim Ali’s official nomination for the job and that he has done so on
several occasions.
This covers the written press. As for the audiovisual media, this state of
events is most obvious with each televised appearance by the champions of
rejectionism and steadfastness with their strings of threats or swearwords and
insults, as though the inspired leader cannot but address the Lebanese people in
general, and his followers in particular, in this tone of screaming and insults.
I do not know whether the majority of the audience is pleased or provoked by
what they are hearing. But what I do know is that all this talk does not help to
build communication bridges between the various factions of a Lebanese society
that is fractured to the point of collapsing. Rather, it drives those factions
further apart, fuelling instinctive reactions and tensions up to a point where
reason will no longer be able to prevent hatred from boiling over, especially
since a nation is not built by hate-filled people or by those whose principles
constantly change according to their personal ambitions.
There are undoubtedly some in Lebanon who speak with the voice of reason and
disagree with others wisely, but is anyone of us listening to them? I mention
former Speaker Hussein Husseini, Shia cleric Ali al-Amin, former MP Nassib
Lahoud, former Minister Jihad Azour, and journalists Ziad Majed and Hazem al-Amin,
so that it is not said afterwards that the Lebanese had no other choice but the
bad ones they made.
Indeed, the nation envisioned by the aforementioned people and many others like
them does not shut anyone out. It is wide enough to welcome all things
regardless of their differences. It does not shout, threaten or pretend to have
the absolute undisputable truth.
The question is: Will there be a day when I will be able to write that Charles
Abu Adal was wrong and that only those who love wars have left this country?
**This article is a translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW
Arabic site on July 21, 2010
Hezbollah members 'facing Rafik Hariri charges'By Jim Muir
BBC News, Beirut
Mr Nasrallah claimed the UN-backed tribunal was politically motivated The head
of Hezbollah has said that some of its members will be among those charged with
the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the militant Shia movement, said some of the
group would be indicted by the UN-backed court within the coming months.
He has dismissed the move as part of a US and Israeli conspiracy.
Mr Hariri and 22 other people were killed in Beirut in a car bomb in 2005.
Hezbollah questioned over Hariri
Who are Hezbollah?
Hezbollah entrenched in Lebanon
Mr Nasrallah said he had been told by current Prime Minister Saad Hariri - the
son of Rafik Hariri - that those indicted would be regarded as "rogue elements"
rather than representative of the group.
Speaking by video link for security reasons, he said it was part of a plan by
the US and Israel to impose their will on the region.
He said the international tribunal had lead Hezbollah to an "extremely sensitive
phase", but that it knew how to defend itself.
'Political'
However, he advised Prime Minister Hariri and others to revise their positions,
in the national interest.
There has been rampant speculation that indictments might be issued against
Hezbollah members in September, and that tension and violence might result.
But Mr Nasrallah dismissed the suggestion that Hezbollah might start a war with
Israel in order to divert attention from the affair.
He said that there were no Syrians among those expected to be indicted, despite
numerous early accusations that Syria was behind the assassination.
He said this just went to show that the tribunal was highly political in nature.
UN probe quizzed Hezbollah members says Nasrallah
BBC/April 01/10
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8598964.stm
Mr Nasrallah spoke to Hezbollah's al-Manar TV in an undisclosed location
The leader of militant group Hezbollah has confirmed that a UN investigation
into the killing of a Lebanese prime minister questioned Hezbollah members.
Former PM Rafik Hariri and 22 other people were killed in Beirut in a massive
blast in 2005. His allies accused Syria of involvement in the attack, which it
denied. Hezbollah has close ties with Damascus. This is the first time Hezbollah
leader Hassan Nasrallah has confirmed that members of the group were questioned.
He said they had been given assurances that they were being questioned as
witnesses and not suspects. "Accusing individual members of our party is
equivalent to accusing Hezbollah, that would take Lebanon to a very difficult
place," Mr Nasrallah told Hezbollah's al-Manar television station. "We will not
remain silent if we find we are facing political accusations," he said.
Speculation: In an official report published at the beginning of March, the UN
tribunal, based in The Hague, said it was close to identifying the suicide
bomber responsible for the killing.
That sparked press speculation the UN investigators were about to name Hezbollah
operatives as suspects.
It was not until Thursday that Mr Nasrallah confirmed that 12 Hezbollah
supporters had been interviewed in the past few weeks, and that six more had
been summoned.
"We will co-operate, Hezbollah has nothing to fear," he said.
Last April, four Lebanese generals accused of Mr Hariri's murder were released
from custody because the evidence against them was deemed to be insufficient.
In 2008, 100 people died in clashes between Hezbollah and supporters of Rafik
Hariri's son Saad, now Lebanon's prime minister.
Hezbollah Leader Expects Hariri Indictments
Nada Raad , The Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2010
An indictment of Hezbollah, a Shiite political and militant group that is armed
and funded by Syria and Iran, could increase political tensions here and in the
region, and endanger the government of the largely untested new prime minister,
Saad Hariri, the son of the slain man.
In an unusual, late-evening news conference by video link, Hezbollah leader
Hassan Nasrallah denied his group was involved in the assassination, and sought
to cast any indictment as politically motivated.
He said he was told about likely indictments—which he said could come as early
as September—by Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Mr. Hariri's press office said a
spokesman wasn't available to comment. A representative for the prosecutor,
Daniel Bellemare, didn't respond to an email request to comment late Thursday.
Mr. Bellemare's special U.N. tribunal, which began work in March 2009, has yet
to issue any indictments.
Mr. Hariri has enjoyed support from the West and from Saudi Arabia. But since
his political bloc won last year's elections here by a narrow margin, he
publicly courted Hezbollah and agreed to a power-sharing deal with the
Hezbollah-led opposition.
Mr. Hariri supported the formation of the U.N. tribunal, and will be under
pressure to cooperate fully with any U.N.-sponsored indictment and court
proceedings.
The car bombing of his father's motorcade in Beirut in 2005 and the subsequent
investigation have had significant repercussions for the Mideast. In the months
immediately following the incident, U.N. investigators publicly linked Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad's government to Mr. Hariri's death.
Nasrallah says UN Tribunal will indict Hizbullah members
‘Those who are conspiring against Lebanon and resistance will fail’
By Wassim Mroueh /Daily Star staff
Friday, July 23, 2010
BEIRUT: Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said his party expected the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) would charge some Hizbullah members with
involvement in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Speaking
via video link during a news conference he had called for in the Beirut southern
suburbs on Thursday, Nasrallah said he had information that such an indictment
had been decided upon before 2008, but its announcement was being postponed to
await more suitable political circumstances.
He expressed surprise that the decision to indict had been made even before the
STL had summoned some Hizbullah members for questioning in April.
“Our indicators are that the indictment will be announced in September or
October, given what is being prepared in Palestine and the region,” he said.
He said the charges targeted the resistance, after the failure of previous
attempts to achieve the same goal. Lebanon will be pushed into a sensitive
period given that the indictment will be issued soon, added Nasrallah. Nasrallah
said that Prime Minister Saad Hariri had visited him prior to his trip to the
United States and informed him that “undisciplined” Hizbullah members would be
indicted. He said Hariri has promised him to announce that Hizbullah had nothing
to do with his father’s assassination, but that “undisciplined members in the
party were involved.”
Nasrallah said Hariri’s move reflected his keenness on preserving stability in
Lebanon. But Nasrallah rejected the indictment, stressing that his party was not
afraid at all.
“Let them issue the indictment, those who are conspiring against Lebanon and the
resistance, and whose projects have failed are the worried parties because their
projects will fail again,” Nasrallah said. He said that in addition to accusing
undisciplined Hizbullah members, the indictment would distance Syria and its
allies from involvement in Hariri’s assassination.
He promised to comment on the drive to implicate Hizbullah in the assassination
during a second news conference to be held soon.
Tackling the STL’s expected move to absolve Syria of the crime, Nasrallah called
upon March 14 officials who had accused Syria of the assassination to reconsider
their positions and to engage in a “real” self-critique, “because the results of
their decisions had consequences on all the Lebanese.”
He touched on the stances of March 14 coalition following the killing of Hariri,
saying they had instigated sectarian tensions in Lebanon, along with inciting
Arab regimes, the international community and European states against Syria. He
said the STL had tried to accuse Syria from the first day after Hariri’s
assassination, despite the lack of witnesses.
“They came up with a political accusation of Syria, looked for evidence, and
brought false witnesses,” said Nasrallah. He attributed the STL’s current
intention to distance Syria from the crime to the country’s steadfastness in the
face of regional, international, and Arab pressure. “It is demanded that you
honestly talk to your people about your acts and mistakes, so that we open a new
page [between Syria and Lebanon],” said Nasrallah, addressing the March 14
alliance, as he welcomed Syrian President Bashar Assad’s upcoming visit to
Lebanon.
Also, Nasrallah demanded that March 14 figures rectify the “unjust”
repercussions suffered by people whom they falsely accused based on the
statements of false witnesses.
The Hizbullah chief said March 14 leaders have pushed Lebanon into the “most
difficult four and half years in its history,” in reference to the period that
followed the assassination of Hariri.
“Will you still support them [March 14 leaders] if they do not reconsider their
stances and correct their mistakes?” he asked. “You are free and bear
responsibility,” he added.
Earlier on Thursday, Nasrallah held talks with the head of the Lebanese
Democratic Party, Aley MP Talal Arslan. Both leaders discussed latest political
developments in Lebanon.
Israeli Army to simulate invasion of south Lebanon
By The Daily Star /Friday, July 23, 2010
BEIRUT: Israel will simulate moving machinery and personnel into south Lebanon
amid fears that Hizbullah will target main transport arteries in any future
conflict, Israeli media reported Thursday. The Jerusalem Post said that the test
would be conducted in computerized simulations. “The [Israeli Army] is working
under the assumption that most of the ground battle will be fought in an urban
setting, inside the 160 or so villages throughout southern Lebanon where
Hizbullah is believed to have hidden most of its military infrastructure,” the
paper wrote. It added that “Hizbullah has heavily mined roads leading to
southern Lebanese villages, aware that the ground offenses will include tanks
and armored personnel carriers.”
Two weeks ago, the Israeli Army released military-intelligence images of
southern Lebanese villages, including purported missile silos belonging to
Hizbullah in Al-Khiam. The paper quoted an anonymous senior Israeli Army officer
as saying that it expected Hizbullah to target transport lines in the event of
another war. “Hizbullah will likely allow the [Israeli] military force to reach
its target point and then begin striking at the supply lines which the forces in
the field will need to secure,” the officer said. Talk of renewed aggression
between Israel and Hizbullah – who last clashed in the devastating 2006 summer
war which killed over 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilian, and 160 Israelis, mostly
soldiers – has reignited recently following Israeli claims that the party had
received long-range Scud missiles from Syria. Damascus has denied the
allegations and Hizbullah continues to abstain from commenting on the size and
makeup of its arsenal, which Israel estimates to comprise 40,000 rockets.
Earlier this week, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi vowed to attack
Lebanese urban centers in order to root out Hizbullah headquarters, which Israel
believed to be extant in dozens of southern villages. – The Daily Star
Shalev: Lebanon Ships Will Not Be Allowed to Enter Gaza
by Elad Benari /Arutz Sheva
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Israel Gabriella Shalev warned on
Thursday that two ships preparing to set sail from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip in
order to bring aid to the Strip would not be allowed to reach their destination.
In a letter addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and current UN
Security Council President Joy Ogwu, Shalev wrote: “The stated intention of
these vessels is to violate the existing naval blockade of Gaza."
She added: “Israel reserves its right under international law to use all
necessary means to prevent these ships from violating the aforementioned naval
blockade. Furthermore, it cannot be ruled out that these vessels carry weapons
or individuals with provocative and confrontational intentions.”
Israel recently eased the blockade of the Gaza Strip following international
criticism which came after the IDF raid on the Gaza aid flotilla in May. Israeli
soldiers who boarded one of the boats in a peaceful attempt to prevent its
entrance into Israel's territorial waters killed nine Turkish citizens when
attacked by passengers wielding knives and blunt weapons. The ship was found not
to be carrying any aid.
Israel allows ample food and other aid into Gaza only via land crossings so as
to control the passage of arms and materials that can be utilized for aggression
against her. Israel allows Gazan to cross for medical aid as well, but.
continues to maintain the legal naval blockade instituted after Hamas seized
control of Gaza. Hamas-ruled Gaza is a hostile, terrorist entity that bombarded
Israeli civilians with thousands of rockets until Israel reentered the area in
December 2008 in Operation Cast Lead and holds Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit
captive without adhering to international law. In her letter, Shalev noted the
option of delivering aid to Gaza by land and added that sending ships to Gaza is
meant “to incite a confrontation and raise tension in our region”.UN officials have urged countries not to attempt to break the Israeli naval
blockade on the Strip. UN under-secretary-general for political affairs Lynn
Pascoe was quoted in Reuters as having said on Wednesday that “such convoys are
not helpful to resolving the basic economic problems of Gaza and needlessly
carry the potential for escalation.”
Earlier this week, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with Hamas
leader Khaled Mashaal during a visit to Syria. During the meeting, Davutoglu
said that Turkey will continue to devote efforts to breaking the siege on Gaza.
He added that Turkey insists on an Israeli apology over the raid on the Gaza
flotilla, as well as compensation for families of the casualties, and an
independent international probe of the raid.
Egyptians must join in support of equality for all religions
By Yasser Khalil /Daily Star
Friday, July 23, 2010
Egyptians are tired of the problems that have persisted for decades: the
corruption and bribery that paralyze Egypt’s law enforcement and legal system;
the poverty that 20 percent of the population suffers from; the nearly constant
10 percent rate of unemployment; and a flawed educational system that has
resulted in 27 percent illiteracy.
Change is on most Egyptians’ minds but are they ready for the democratic and
practical changes that Mohamed ElBaradei, former director of the International
Atomic Energy Agency and potential candidate for the 2011 presidential election,
is promising?
A 2005 Nobel Peace Prize winner, ElBaradei saw his popularity explode a few
months ago, especially among youth. His Facebook support group, “ElBaradei for
Presidency of Egypt 2011,” has more than 240,000 members, 7 percent of the
approximately 3.4 million Facebook users in Egypt. He is also supported by the
6th of April Youth Movement, a Facebook activist group started in 2008 to
support striking industrial workers in a northern Egyptian town. The group is
primarily comprised of young activists, bloggers and citizen journalists who
rally online and in the streets for political causes.
ElBaradei is also respected among the older generation, as evidenced by the
broad support for his National Association for Change, which advocates for a
political system based on democracy and social justice. Supporters include the
Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest opposition group. These constituencies
support ElBaradei’s seven-point political reform plan, which includes, among
other reforms, ending the state of emergency in effect since 1981, enabling the
judiciary to supervise the polling process, simplifying voter requirements, and
limiting the presidency to two terms.
Accomplishing these goals will require modifying various articles in the
Constitution. And though many Egyptians view certain modifications as a
necessary next step, ElBaradei – usually perceived as an open-minded liberal
both in media and by Egyptians – stirred up a heated debate over Article II of
the Constitution, which states that Islam is the official state religion and
that Islamic law is the principle source of legislation.
Though he didn’t specifically mention changing the article, ElBaradei said that
while he respects Egypt’s Muslim-majority, the rights of the Coptic Christian
minority, and of every Egyptian, must be respected too, as Muslims and
non-Muslims are equal under the Constitution. As a result, certain Islamic
television channels, like the youth wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, turned
against ElBaradei. Many people commented that they would no longer vote for him.
And while the Muslim Brotherhood still supports ElBaradei’s candidacy, they
disagree with his ideas for democratic change that includes the separation of
state from religion.
These heated reactions are creating concern among some Egyptians who think the
majority is not ready to embrace drastic change, which would force the issue of
assuring equal rights to religious minorities and would no longer regard Islamic
principles as the primary sources of legislation.
Many Egyptians believe that ElBaradei’s reforms would also include the removal
of religion from identity cards, ending the application of Islamic family law to
marriage and divorce processes for non-Muslims, the elimination of stumbling
blocks discouraging religious minorities from constructing houses of worship,
and an end to laws against proselytism. In fact, many also believe that if the
country had truly free and fair elections, the Muslim Brotherhood – which
rejects the notion of Christians and women running for the presidency – would be
elected, pushed through by the conservative-leaning religious sentiments of the
majority.
The probability that ElBaradei will win the Egyptian presidency is still limited
by popular sensitivity to religion. If the debate surrounding ElBaradei’s
religiosity dies down and he becomes an official candidate who wins the 2011
elections, some Egyptians fear he will be pressured into choosing between
implementing his plan of widespread democratic change and risking being labeled
an “Americanizer” or an “enemy of Islam;” or compromising with the social and
political elite and not following through on some of his promises, such as
giving equal rights to minorities. In order to bring about a future where
Egyptians come to know true democratic reform as promised by ElBaradei’s
seven-point plan, Egypt’s well-respected religious leaders – Muslims and
Christians – must help him quell the current debate and become more vocal in
their support for his campaign for a more equal, tolerant Egypt.
Egyptians must pool their efforts and advocate for ElBaradei within their own
religious communities, helping to cultivate a culture of tolerance so that
people accept equal rights for all, regardless of religious identity. Though
shifting mindsets is a long process, support from renowned religious figures in
the country could help ElBaradei recoup his losses and put him back on the
campaign track for the 2011 election.
**Yasser Khalil is an Egyptian journalist. THE DAILY STAR publishes this
commentary in collaboration with the Common Ground News Service (www.commongroundnews.org).
Lebanese Newspapers Opinions
After Sayyed Nasrallah's Press Conference
Mohamad Shmaysani/Al Manar
23/07/2010 Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah’s press conference on Thursday occupied
headlines and op-eds in some Lebanese newspapers issued Friday.
As-Safir newspaper pointed that Sayyed Nasrallah addressed the Lebanese people
in a very calm and clear manner, yet strong in its context. “He called on the
Lebanese to be aware of the game of the nations with all its regional and
domestic intersections which sought to take Lebanon hostage of bigger
calculations, and nearly took the country from its regional position to an
opposite location and from internal stability to civil war.”
The daily said that the current phase that Lebanon is passing through imposed on
Sayyed Nasrallah to single out a large portion of his speech to the so called
March 14 audience “which was emotionally driven, after the assassination of
martyr Rafiq Hariri, to raise anti-Syria slogans; whereas five years later, it
turned out to be that Syria was the main factor for a stable Lebanon on both
political and security levels.”
In his press conference Thursday, the Hezbollah chief stressed that Prime
Minister Saad Hariri informed him that the international court’s indictment that
will be issued sometime soon, with implicate “undisciplined Hezbollah members”,
something that Sayyed Nasrallah categorically rejected. His eminence said that
the resistance, not Syria, was the target. His eminence called on so called
March 14 leaders to make a review of their stances and admit their mistakes in
past five years; mistakes, he added, that could have led Lebanon and the
Lebanese to the abyss of civil war. The Sayyed praised MP Walid Jumblatt courage
to make his own review and change his position, knowing that the Democratic
Gathering leader was one of the most aggressive March 14 critics of Syria and
Hezbollah.
“Sayyed Nasrallah’s positions in his press conference did not ease down the
tense reality that emerged following his speech last Thursday, but in fact, it
did not aggravate it as well,” said An-Nahar newspaper.
The daily expected that Sayyed Nasrallah’s “lengthy try of March 14 leaderships
and all the previous phase since 2005” will be followed by a new chapter of hot
campaigns and dispute. According to An-Nahar, what caught the eyes of the
commentators in Sayyed Nasrallah’s new positions was the tone of his decisive
tone particularly when he tackled the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s expected
indictment “that was already inked and now awaits the time of issuance.”
Sayyed Nasrallah’s information and stances, the daily continued, were direct
messages to three fundamental parties: Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the March 14
leadership, and Syria and its allies as he stressed Syria was no longer the
target but the resistance is so, exclusively.
Sayyed Nasrallah told journalists that PM Hariri and Saudi Arabia can play a
constructive role in preventing an internal sedition expected to accompany the
STL’s indictment, exactly as Israeli Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Lebanese
Forces chief Samir Geagea predicted.
“Indications of a preemptive stage-by-stage attack by Hezbollah lay stress on
the party’s readiness to go as far as possible in facing attempts to aim at the
idea of the resistance through demonizing its leaders and its arms. This is why
Hezbollah is addressing the battle of the STL as life-or-death battle,” As-Safir’s
Imad Marmal wrote.
“Lebanon will be hit by turmoil when Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor
Daniel Bellemare issues his findings next fall,” An-Nahar quoted a “high-ranking
UN official in New York” on condition of anonymity Friday.
At the end of his press conference Sayyed Nasrallah said: Sayyed Nasrallah
concluded his speech saying that Hezbollah was not afraid of anything, even the
indictment. “Let them issue it now and let us finish already. Those who conspire
against the resistance and Lebanon – and have so far failed – ought to be
concerned because more schemes will be foiled. We know the nature of the
responsibility that we’re shouldering and we urge those who have so far
miscalculated their moves to make the right calculations this time.”
When The Israeli Enemy Cares for Hariri Family's "Honor"!
Hussein Assi /Almanar
23/07/2010 Believe it or not, the Israeli enemy cares for Hariri family's
"honor" more than all Lebanese!
Yes, while the countdown for the "already written" verdict of the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon over the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq
Hariri has started, Israel seems to be the most enthusiastic party in the world.
The slogans of "truth" and "justice" are concerning the Israeli enemy these days
after the tribunal turned to be nothing but an Israeli scheme, the best "tool"
to achieve the Israeli "unachieved" goals since 2006: disarming and dismantling
Hezbollah.
Thus, Israel has the right to "regret" the stances of Prime Minister Saad Hariri
and even to "justify" them by claiming that the young PM is just "scared" of
reaching the same fate of his father or, at the least, embroiling Lebanon into a
devastating and destructive civil war.
Yet, Israel was shocked on Thursday while listening to Hezbollah Secretary
General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah speaking about the tribunal and its expected
findings. The shock was not due to the strong arguments given by Hezbollah to
deny any involvement in the assassination of the former Prime Minister, but
simply due to the revelation made by Sayyed Nasrallah that Saad Hariri himself
informed him of the content of the final verdict.
"It was expected that Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah devoted
much of his speech yesterday to denying his organization's involvement in the
2005 murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. What was less
expected was his assertion that Hariri's son, current prime minister Saad
Hariri, is the one who informed him that an international prosecutor planned to
accuse Hezbollah operatives of responsibility," Israeli daily Haaretz said on
Friday.
The Israeli daily quoted Sayyed Nasrallah as saying that Hariri had assured him
that he, too, was convinced Hezbollah as an organization had not been involved.
Haaretz couldn't agree. "If that is true, it just goes to show that politics is
thicker than blood - for Hezbollah is well known for its rigid hierarchy, iron
discipline and involvement of senior officials in all decisions at the field
level. That makes it highly unlikely that Hezbollah operatives would have been
involved in such an incident without the senior leadership's knowledge," the
daily went on to say.
However, the most astonishing part of Haaretz article was its "justification" of
Hariri's stances, as if it knew that the Prime Minister is not acting as he
would like to. "Hariri's political survival depends on Hezbollah's acquiescence,
something evidently more important to him than his family honor," the daily
believed. "He may also have concluded that if he supports the international
probe, he will share his father's fate - or, alternatively, that doing so could
risk renewed civil war between Hezbollah and his own March 14 movement. In such
a face-off, Hezbollah would certainly win."
The Israeli daily concluded that Hariri hopes to resolve the problem by
distinguishing between the operatives and the organization, a distinction
already rejected by the Resistance party.
Hariri: There Had Been Mistakes with Syria...Sedition in Lebanon Rejected
Nada Raad/Al Manar
23/07/2010 The Lebanese Prime minister Saad Hariri recognized that he had
committed many errors in his relation with Syria during the last five years, and
described the bilateral relations with Damascus as "serious, correct, fraternal,
irrevocable, and based on real consultations with Syrian president Bachar
Assad".
In his press conference Thursday, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan
Nasrallah called on so called March 14 leaders to make a review of their stances
and admit their mistakes in the past five years; mistakes, he added, that could
have led Lebanon and the Lebanese to the abyss of civil war.
Hariri, who was speaking to Al Hayat newspaper, said that he made a thorough
revision to his relation with Syria, and called for drawing lessons from the
past to build a better future. "I've learned a lot of things in the last five
years, and the most important thing is to be sincere with ourselves and with
other people. If we stay looking at the past, we'll not go forward".
The Lebanese prime minister refused to accuse Syria in interfering in Lebanese
affairs, saying that "Syria, like many other Arab countries, receives political
figures, and it's very normal. I think that the last Syrian interference was
positive, because after its consensus with Saudi Arabia, we successfully
achieved the national unity government".
According to Hariri, the Lebanese stability comforts Syria, adding that he
doesn't have any problem to dialogue with anyone, at any moment, and over any
subject.
On the other hand, Hariri confirmed that he will react as the Lebanese prime
minister of Lebanon and the son of Rafiq Hariri when the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon will issue its indictment. “Certainly, I'll put the national interest at
the top level of importance, and the national interest is to know the truth
about the assassination of my father.”
Sayyed Nasrallah said during his press conference Thursday that Hariri had told
him the the STL will issue an indictment that will implicate “undisciplined
members of Hezbollah,” something the Secretary General categorically rejected.
Speaking to Al-Hayat, Hariri rejected division in Lebanon and assured that all
the Lebanese people will stay united together in front of all schemes of
sedition, division, and Israeli threats.
Lahoud to Al-Manar: Tribunal Targeting Resistance from Beginning
23/07/2010 Lebanon's former President Emil Lahoud urged on Thursday the new
pro-Resistance majority to put an end to the politicization of the international
tribunal issue, saying that the tribunal has been targeting the Resistance from
the beginning. "At the beginning, when the assassination took place, I said that
when one has a clear conscience he cannot be defeated," Lahoud said in an
exclusive interview with Al-Manar Television. "Because whoever did this bombing
did it to get to the Resistance which annoys them most," he added.
Lahoud slammed the head of the Phalange Party Amin Gemayel who said that the
former President was the first to raise the issue of setting up an international
tribunal to prosecute the killers of ex-PM Rafiq Hariri. "This is not true, I
was the only one who refused the tribunal and they threatened me but I said let
them accuse me, I'm comfortable," Lahoud said.
The wretched in Lebanon
Zuheir Kseibati
Israeli Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi did not link his threat of the “upcoming”
war on Lebanon this time to an emergency factor or a change in Hezbollah’s
approach for example. Rather, he insisted on UNIFIL’s inability to discover the
weapons which he accused Hezbollah of storing in residential areas south to the
Litani River. The “upcoming” [war] reflects Ashkenazi’s confidence that what
used to be a possibility has become more likely to occur. Thus, the Lebanese
should not be deceived by the ability of the Democratic Administration in the
United States to prevent the war, assuming that it does not really want it.
It is important here to recall the public pledge that was made by President
Barack Obama for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to allow
anything which the Hebrew State considers a threat to its security…i.e. giving
it the freedom to determine the “security” and military priorities in the
region, whose map Netanyahu does not see any hindrance in locating, starting
from Bushehr, Esfahan, and all the Iranian nuclear program reactors, passing
through south Lebanon and Hezbollah’s missile arsenal and Hamas’s tunnels in
Gaza.
It is thus pointless to investigate the US Administration’s intentions and
whether or not it abstains from giving Israel a green light for a war that could
destroy the entire south again. But the presence of UNIFIL will be its first
victims, and thus Resolution 1701 would be cancelled. It is pointless to assume
that the Democratic Administration would have some mercy on the Lebanese,
contrary to the Republicans’ keenness on extending the war in 2006.
While it is alarming after the wave of Israeli threats to launch a ruinous war
this time, that the Hebrew State does not seem to be concerned about the 2006
lessons and maliciously points to new realities in Lebanon in the fall as a
result of the Special Tribunal, it is even more alarming and also confusing that
the United States, which incessantly renews its concern over the stability of
the country, did not also draw lessons from the experience of the former
Republican Administration’s approach for the nature of the relationship with a
Lebanese group, even if it represented a majority (14 March), and the insistence
of the same administration on reinforcing the doubts of the other group whether
intentionally or not…For instance, its excessive praise of the government of
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora appeared as an intentional act to provoke the
opposition, or at least an act to offend the government and provoke its anger.
Democratic Senator John Kerry, the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the
American House of Senate, classified what he described as the “threat of the
military superiority of Hezbollah over the Israeli military superiority and its
threat on the Lebanese domestic situation” as the most “annoying” issue for his
country. If we recall Obama’s pledge for Israel, would the reasons of optimism
which some sides rely on to rule out the possibility of a war still be valid?...
Most importantly, at the domestic level, Kerry, who addresses “our allies in
Lebanon” and commits himself to a long-term “partnership” with them, does not
come up with anything better than former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s
full verbal support and inability to secure Israel’s withdrawal from Al-Ghajar
or put pressure [on Israel] to stop its violation of the Lebanese sovereignty.
In all cases, did the government of Saad al-Hariri consider itself an “ally” for
the United States? Did Siniora’s government do so?...The support which
Washington provides for the Lebanese has also become another controversial issue
among the Lebanese political forces, simply because the American “cleverness”
does not hesitate to give a pretext as usual, as revealed by the testimony of
the new US Ambassador Maura Connelly before the House of Senates. She believes
that among the objectives of the American military support for Lebanon is to
“prevent the south from being used as a base to launch attacks on Israel.” It is
left to the imagination to interpret the meaning: Protecting Israel!
Which diplomacy then? Even if there were arguments to support Kerry’s pessimism
in his talk about the period of turmoil in Lebanon – which extended from the
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri, to the July War in 2006
and the Nahr al-Bared camp war – it would have been more rational had Connelly
linked Lebanon’s restoration of its complete sovereignty to the achievement of
comprehensive peace in the region. But of course, she abstains from discussing
what hinders this objective, while the pledges Obama made for the Arab at the
beginning of his tenure are evaporating.
Behind all the clamor of the American-Israeli conflict over the settlements,
Ehud-Barack meetings at the Pentagon were increasing, and the strategic military
cooperation between Washington and Tel Aviv was given more momentum.
What the United States provides for the Lebanese is more pretexts for divisions,
while the country is too small to contain the storms resulting from the regional
balance of powers. Many have assumed that the Obama-Netenyahu conflict would end
by twisting Israel’s arm…But the American President came out to promise with a
stronger arm for it, and Israel plans to prevent a nuclear Iran and does not
forget the stage of the American withdrawal from Iran and the new “map” of
balances. When its ambassador to the United Nation says that the Hebrew State
has become “the most isolated state in the world,” it will not tip the balance
of peace to end this isolation.
As for the Lebanese, they will remain wretched forever if they risk their unity
again, albeit a weak one.
*Published in the London-based AL-HAYAT on July 22, 2010.
http://www.alarabiya.net/views/2010/07/23/114620.html