LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJUNE
06/2011
Biblical Event Of The
Day
Peter's First Letter
1/1-12: "Peter, an apostle of
Jesus Christ, to the chosen ones who are living as foreigners in the Dispersion
in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
1:2
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in
sanctification of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled
with his blood: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
according to his great mercy became our father again to a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1:4
to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that doesn’t fade
away, reserved in Heaven for you,
1:5
who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1:6
Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if
need be, you have been put to grief in various trials,
1:7
that the proof of your faith, which is more precious than gold
that perishes even though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in
praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ—
1:8
whom not having known you love; in whom, though now you don’t
see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of
glory—
1:9
receiving the result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1:10
Concerning this salvation, the prophets sought and searched
diligently, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,
1:11
searching for who or what kind of time the Spirit of Christ,
which was in them, pointed to, when he predicted the sufferings of Christ, and
the glories that would follow them.
1:12
To them it was
revealed, that not to themselves, but to you, they ministered these things,
which now have been announced to you through those who preached the Good News to
you by the Holy Spirit sent out from heaven; which things angels desire to look
into."
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
How a 13-year-old boy became the
face of the Syrian uprising/By Mahmoud Harmoush with Samy Harmoush/June 05/11
Arab World: The sectarian logic of
events in Syria/By
JONATHAN SPYER/June 05/11
Arab Spring meets Arab silence/By:
Aline Sara/June 05/11
The Hezbollah-Assad
connection/By: Ahmed Moor/June
05/11
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for June 05/11
4 dead as Israel opens fire on
Golan: Syria TV/AFP
Naksa Day: 4 reported dead, 12 hurt
on Israel-Syria border/J.Post
Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon
Mourn Six-Day War/Naharnet
Syria media: 2 Protesters
killed, 10 wounded as Palestinians clash with IDF/Haaretz
Lebanon army prevent protesters
reaching border with Israel/Daily Star
Israel on high alert as
Palestinians mark June 1967 war/M&C
Israel studying French peace
conference proposal, Netanyahu says/Now Lebanon
Official: UNIFIL to grow in size as
Irish contingent joins/J.Post
Iran backs all Islamic,
anti-American uprisings, says supreme leader/IB
On Naksa Day, Syria's focus to
be on Israel border/Haaretz
EDITORIAL: Syria's cruel
regime/istockAnalyst.com (press release)
Thousands march as Syria death toll rises/The
National
Yemen, Libya and Middle East unrest
- live updates/The Guardian
Syria's protesters announce the
end of fear/San Diego Union Tribune
Iran delegation visits south
Lebanon amid heightened security/Daily Star
President Sleiman meets with
patriarch/Now Lebanon
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros
al-Raicalls for speeding up cabinet formation/Now Lebanon
Lebanese president hopes to form
gov't next week: report/People's Daily On Line
Nadim
Gemayel: Hezbollah
does not wish to form cabinet/Now Lebanon
Hezbollah’s Fneish says US
ambassador “threatens” whenever cabinet talks progress/Now Lebanon
Amal: March 14 to blame for chaos
in country June 05, 2011 /The Daily Star
Soueid: Hezbollah knows its project
is over/Daily Star
Lebanon's Arabic daily digest -
June 5, 2011/Daily
Star
Upcoming parliament session’s
quorum might not be reached, says report /Daily Star
Phalange MPs to Provide Conditional
Quorum to June 8 Parliament Session/Naharnet
Sleiman
meets with patriarch
June 5, 2011 /President Michel Sleiman met on Sunday with Maronite Patriarch
Bechara Boutros al-Rai at the former’s residence in Amchit to address latest
developments. Sleiman also commended the role of the media “and the efforts
exerted to report the facts and figures” on the occasion of the World Media Day,
the National News Agency reported.-NOW Lebanon
4 dead as Israel opens fire on Golan: Syria TV
June 05, /Agence France Press
MAJDAL SHAMS, Golan Heights: Israeli troops opened fire Sunday as protesters
from Syria stormed a cease-fire line in the occupied Golan Heights, killing four
demonstrators, according to Syrian television. Hundreds of protesters rushed
toward the cease-fire line, attempting to cut through a line of barbed wire and
head into the Golan Heights in a repeat of demonstrations last month, which saw
thousands mass along Israel’s north. Similar protests were held in the occupied
West Bank, where hundreds demonstrated at the Qalandia checkpoint near Ramallah,
and in Gaza, where several hundred gathered in the north of the coastal enclave.
In Majdal Shams, on the occupied Golan, Israeli troops opened fire as
demonstrators sought to push through the mined cease-fire line, which has been
reinforced with two lines of curled barbed wire blocking access to a fence.
“Despite numerous warnings, both verbal and later warning shots in the air,
dozens of Syrians continue to approach the border and Israeli Army forces were
left with no choice but to open fire toward the feet of protesters in efforts to
deter further actions,” an army spokesman told AFP. Updating an earlier toll,
Syrian state television reported that four people were killed and 13 wounded. An
AFP photographer saw at least 20 people with injuries, some soaked in blood as
they were evacuated from the scene, while the Israeli military said it was aware
of 12 casualties. Syrian television showed footage of protesters trying to scale
the barbed wire as Israeli soldiers atop a tank opened fire. “Four martyrs have
fallen, including a child, and 13 others have been wounded,” it said. “Our aim
is to plant the Syrian flag on the occupied land,” one of the protesters,
Mohammed Shaiber, said in the television report.
On the Israeli side, Majdal Shams locals pleaded with soldiers to stop firing as
troops used loudspeakers to warn demonstrators in Arabic that “anyone who comes
close to the fence will be responsible for their own blood.”
Israel forces were placed on high alert after activists in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip, and in Arab nations bordering the Jewish state, called for
protesters to march on Israeli checkpoints and border areas.
In the West Bank Sunday, hundreds of demonstrators marched to the Qalandia
checkpoint by Ramallah, and threw stones at Israeli troops who fired tear gas
and rubber bullets.
Ten demonstrators were taken to hospital with light wounds from rubber bullets,
while another 20 were treated at the scene for tear gas inhalation.
Elsewhere, around 100 people demonstrated in central Hebron in the southern West
Bank, while dozens of protesters tried to march from the northern West Bank
village of Deir al-Hatab to the Elon Moreh settlement nearby. In Gaza, several
hundred demonstrators gathered at the entrance of the northern town of Beit
Hanun, with Hamas police preventing them from marching on the Erez border
crossing with Israel. Tens of demonstrators who tried to break away and march
north clashed with Hamas police, who detained at least a dozen.
Sunday’s protests, timed to coincide with the 44th anniversary of the 1967
Mideast war when Israel captured the Golan from Syria as well as the West Bank
and Gaza Strip, were intended to be a repeat of massive demonstrations last
month.
On May 15, thousands of protesters massed on Israel’s borders with Syria,
Lebanon and Gaza, trying to force their way across on the anniversary of
Israel’s creation.
Israeli troops opened fire on demonstrators as they stormed the borders from
Syria and Lebanon, leaving six dead on the Lebanese side of the border and four
dead on Syria’s side.
In Lebanon, Palestinian refugees Sunday staged a day of mourning but the
Lebanese Army banned any gatherings at the border with Israel to avoid a repeat
of the violence.
Naksa Day: 4 reported dead, 12 hurt on Israel-Syria border
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND YAAKOV LAPPIN
06/05/2011 12:20 /J.Post
IDF confirms injuries, not deaths; armed men spotted on Syrian side of border;
Demonstrators attempting to breach border; TV shows protesters carried away on
stretchers; 200-300 arrive at Kunetra. Syrian television on Sunday reported that
four people were killed and 10 injured along the Syria-Israel border in the
Golan Heights near Majdal Shams, reportedly from IDF fire. The IDF spokesperson
said that the only information it had on deaths on the border were Syrian
reports and therefore, it could not confirm the number of people killed or if
there were any deaths. Two armed suspects were identified near the border fence
in Kunetra, on the Syrian side of the border, the IDF Spokesman told The
Jerusalem Post Sunday afternoon
There was no further information about he identity of the gunmen, or their
proximity to the border. Prior to spotting the armed men, according to the IDF
spokesperson, around 150 people managed to cross to the Syrian side of the
fence, entering a mined zone between the two fences in the Majdal Shams area.
"We issued warnings for them to stop advancing. When they continued, we fired
warning shots in the air," an IDF spokeswoman told The Jerusalem Post.
When the demonstrators continued toward the Israeli fence, they said, shots were
fired at their lower bodies. "We know of 12 injuries," she added. A second
demonstration was observed on the Syrian border in Kunetra, where 200 to 300
demonstrators amassed. The IDF said there was no attempt to cross the border at
that event, and no injuries were recorded IDF forces were sending
Arabic-language messages through loudspeakers over the border, warning that
anyone approaching the fence would be killed. Syrian television also reported
that demonstrators were attempting to breach the fence at several other points
in the Golan Heights, Channel 2 reported.
Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned that there are "radical
elements who are trying to breach [Israel's] borders to mark the anniversary of
the start of the Six Day War," speaking at the beginning of the weekly cabinet
meeting. "We won't allow them to do it."
Netanyahu added that the security forces will act "firmly but with restraint."
IDF and police forces were on high alert and have shored up their presence on
several of Israel’s frontiers ahead of Sunday’s anticipated border marches to
commemorate the Palestinian “Naksa,” or “setback” in the 1967 Six Day War. A
wide-scale Internet campaign has called for protests in the West Bank and
Jerusalem, on Israel’s borders with Syria, Lebanon and Jordan and outside its
embassies in Cairo and Amman
Official: UNIFIL to grow in size as Irish contingent joins
By JPOST.COM STAFF
06/05/2011 09:17
UNIFIL civil affairs director: Italy may reduce troop levels, stresses
importance of finding perpetrators of bombing, 'an-Nahar' reports.
The number of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon troops will increase this
coming month, Lebanese newspaper an-Nahar reported on Saturday, quoting UNIFIL
Director of Political and Civil Affairs Milos Strugar. According to the report,
Strugar said, "An Irish contingent will join the UNIFIL mission, thus increasing
the number of troops."Speaking about the upcoming renewal of the UN peacekeeping
force's mandate next August, Strugar said that the issue "is in the hands of the
Security Council that will do its annual assessment and take the right
decision." UNIFIL's role and size was significantly increased when UN Security
Council Resolution 1701 was passed in 2006, effectively ending the Second
Lebanon War.
Late last month, one Italian UNIFIL soldier died and four others were wounded
when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle on a highway leading to the southern
Lebanese port city of Sidon.
Strugar, asked about the investigation into the attack, stressed the importance
of finding those responsible. “UNIFIL's forensics team is working with the
Lebanese army and authorities to investigate the explosion. The Italian
authorities are also investigating the attack,” he said. He added that a
reduction in the number of Italian troops participating in the UN force had been
discussed prior to the attack last month, and that now, the "issue is under
discussion between the Italian government and the UN peacekeeping leadership in
New York."
*Reuters contributed to this report
Phalange MPs to
Provide Conditional Quorum to June 8 Parliament Session
Naharnet Newsdesk /Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel announced that the party’s
MPs would be willing to participate in the June 8 parliamentary session on
condition that its schedule be restricted to the topic of extending the term of
Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh. This position was revealed a couple of days
after he had met with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on
Thursday night as part of the MP’s “centrist” efforts to overcome the obstacles
in the government formation. Earlier this week, Gemayel had announced after
holding talks with Speaker Nabih Berri that it would be unacceptable for
parliament to assume the responsibilities of a government, voicing his then
opposition to taking part in Wednesday’s session. He told An Nahar daily in
remarks published on Sunday that he is in constant contact with Jumblat,
revealing that their latest meeting was aimed at maintaining communication and
discussing matters of interest for Lebanon away from the political divisions. He
said that they shared the same view of needing to fortify Lebanon from any
negative repercussions from the regional developments, especially developments
in Syria, because Lebanon cannot benefit from meddling in the affairs of other
countries. Gemayel added that he respects Jumblat’s decisions, stressing that
the Phalange Party “will not change its position and it is not requesting the MP
to alter his stances despite its reservations over his allies’ practices.”On the
June 8 parliamentary session, the Phalange Party leader stated that an agreement
was reached with Jumblat that the meeting should be restricted to one article.
Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon Mourn Six-Day War
Naharnet Newsdesk /Palestinian refugees in Lebanon Sunday staged a day of
mourning for the 44th anniversary of the "Naksa", or Israel's defeat of Arab
armies in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Lebanese and Palestinian activists had planned to protest at the border with
Israel but Lebanon's army banned any gatherings at the frontier, fearing a
repeat of last month's violence on the anniversary of Israel's 1948 creation. On
May 15, clashes between protesters and Israeli soldiers left six dead on the
Lebanese border and four more in the Golan Heights at the ceasefire line between
Syria and the Jewish state.Twenty protesters on Sunday in the keffiyeh Arab
headdress tried to stage a rally in the Lebanese southern border town of
Adeisseh, facing the Israeli kibbutz of Misgav Am, but were quickly dispersed by
Lebanese police and soldiers, Agence France Presse reported. The armies on both
sides of the fence were on alert, as was the United Nations Interim Force in
Lebanon. Shops were closed in Lebanon's 12 Palestinian refugee camps, where
black flags of mourning were hoisted, as the army reinforced its presence,
particularly in the south. Lebanese soldiers manned roadblocks on roads to the
border. During the Six-Day War, Israel seized the Sinai Peninsula, which it
returned to Egypt in 1982, Syria's Golan Heights, the West Bank including east
Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, from which Israeli troops and settlers withdrew
in 2005. Source Agence France Presse
Arab World: The sectarian logic of events in Syria
By JONATHAN SPYER /J.Post
06/03/2011 17:01
The fall of the Assad regime would be a disaster for both Hezbollah and Iran.
Hezbollah has been caught off balance by the uprising in Syria. Hezbollah leader
Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah’s recent words of solidarity with his embattled ally in
Damascus led to the burning of the Lebanese Shi’a Islamist leader’s image by
angry Syrian crowds during last Friday’s demonstrations.
The movement’s stance on Syria reveals a basic contradiction between Hezbollah’s
practical interests and the image it likes to project of itself. This
contradiction in turn may reveal the inherent limitations of the Iranian,
Shi’ite-led “resistance bloc” in the overwhelmingly Sunni Arabic-speaking world.
On a practical level, it is not difficult to see why the fall of the Assad
regime would be a disaster for both Hezbollah and its Iranian patron. Syria is
the secure conduit through which Tehran is able to arm its Lebanese proxy on the
Mediterranean.
Significant elements of Hezbollah’s armory are stored safely under Assad’s care.
The M-600s and Fateh-110 missiles, which might provoke an early Israeli strike
if deployed in Lebanon, wait in secure facilities across the border for the
appropriate moment.
But Syria is much more than a storehouse for Hezbollah. Since the accession of
Bashar Assad, the relationship between the two has become increasingly
symbiotic. Hezbollah was the instrument whereby Syria was able to regain
influence in Lebanon following its inglorious retreat in 2005. Syria provided a
vital logistic hinterland for Hezbollah during the 2006 war.
There are suspicions that the two may have cooperated in the murder of former
Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.
So the relationship is strategic, grounded in a variety of shared interests.
Neither party is entirely a client or a senior partner of the other. Rather, the
patron of the two is Iran. Nasrallah’s expressions of support for Assad derive
from the same impulse as the large-scale practical support currently being
offered to Syria by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. These are members of
an alliance, uniting in the defense of a member of the team currently in
trouble.
No proof has emerged to confirm the rumors of Hezbollah fighters engaged on the
ground in Syria.
And it is difficult to see what they could achieve that Assad’s own men could
not. The Syrian leader is not short of gunmen. But the “moral support” that
Hezbollah has offered Syria serves to lay bare the emptiness of Nasrallah’s
oft-stated claim to represent the broad, popular will of the Arabs.
Both Assad and Nasrallah use the language of “resistance,” yet the two are today
united in resistance to the plainly expressed will of the Syrian people.
There is a deeper logic at work here than simply the timeless spectacle of
dictatorial regimes and movements having the emptiness of their rhetoric made
apparent. The Iran-led bloc may have presented itself as the voice of regional
authenticity and resistance.
But if one looks at its component parts, it rapidly becomes apparent that this
was and is largely an alliance of Shi’ite (or at least non-Sunni) Arab forces
behind a large, non-Arab Shi’ite state. The core members of the alliance are
Iran, the Shi’ite Hezbollah, the Alawite-dominated Assad regime, and the Shi’ite
movement of Muqtada al- Sadr in Iraq. Iran has sought to make gains from the
current ferment in the Arab world. But its arena of activity has been limited
mainly to areas of majority- Shi’ite population, such as Bahrain. Outside the
narrow bands of Shi’ite Arab communities, there is a built-in suspicion of the
Iranians. The Iranian war on Israel is intended to disprove these suspicions,
and this has seen some success. But the kudos gained by Shi’ite elements for
fighting Israel do not seem to be easily transferable to other areas.
The single major exception to the largely Shi’ite complexion of the Iran-led
bloc was and is Hamas. The Hamas enclave in Gaza was maintained by Iranian money
and weaponry. But one of the most noteworthy fallout events from the fall of
Hosni Mubarak in Egypt has been Hamas’s apparent attempt to reorient away from
the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah axis, and back toward Sunni Arab Egypt. The (Sunni)
Emirate of Qatar, meanwhile, which has flirted with the resistance axis in the
past years, has directed its hugely influential Al Jazeera network firmly
against the Syrian regime in recent weeks. Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey, too,
has grown critical of Assad and is hosting gatherings of the Syrian opposition.
Syria, in short, is hemorrhaging Sunni friends. Its Shi’ite ones, by contrast,
have fewer options and are staying loyal.
So Hezbollah’s and Iran’s cleaving toward their Syrian ally has the look of a
non-Sunni alliance closing ranks to defend itself against a ferment in the Sunni
Arab world. Lebanese analyst Michael Young has noted a growing view that the
Syrian regime is engaged in the ethnic cleansing of Syrian Sunnis from the town
of Tal Kalakh, near the border with Lebanon.
Tal Kalakh is a Sunni enclave in a largely Alawite area. Whether the regime’s
motivations are indeed sectarian is almost immaterial. The fact that they are
widely believed to be so lays bare the sectarian logic at work. From Israel’s
point of view, the built-in limitations of the Shi’ite-led resistance bloc are
good news. The lessgood news is that rival centers of anti-Western and
anti-Israel Sunni power are emerging in the region. Hamas’s rebuilding of ties
with Egypt, after all, is based on the rapidly deteriorating relations between
Cairo and Jerusalem. The Sunni Islamist AKP, meanwhile, looks set to win another
term in office in Turkey. Nor is the “Shi’a crescent” itself about to collapse.
At the moment, its unrivaled capacity for brutality looks set to keep its Syrian
client in its seat. But its claim to represent the forces of Arab “resistance”
to the West and Israel has taken a heavy blow as a result of the turmoil in the
Arab world. And meanwhile, a rival “Sunni crescent,” with a rival claim to this
mantle, is in the process of being born.
Syria’s protesters announce the end of fear
By Mahmoud Harmoush with Samy Harmoush
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Although the bodies of slaughtered men, women and children strewn across the
Syrian countryside appear pixilated in videos secretly recorded with cellphone
cameras, the Syrian regime’s crimes against humanity have never been clearer. As
a Syrian-born American citizen sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United
States, a father setting an example for my children, and an imam responsible to
represent the values of Islam, I must call attention to the systematic murder of
innocent protesters across Syria. Taking a public stand in this manner places my
relatives in Syria at risk of persecution and ensures that those living abroad
may never return should the current regime withstand unprecedented calls for
democracy. In light of the atrocities which have taken place and those on the
horizon, the plight of Syrian protesters as well as those trapped in regime
strongholds must be known.
With the discovery of mass graves only 10 weeks into the country’s peaceful
revolution, the regime’s response is clear and devastatingly familiar. In 1982,
some 20,000 civilians in the city of Hama were massacred in a scorched-earth
response to a similar uprising.
Soon afterward, a series of domestic and international lies regarding threats to
Syria’s security took shape. A new secret police was formed to impose the
regime’s supremacy through brutality and mass arrests. Constant repression
rendered the space between the nation’s borders a vast prison yard in which the
regime exercised absolute control over public discourse.
Alas, to the awe-inspiring surprise of Syrians across the world, the
revolution’s swift growth has marked the end of a dark era in Syria’s history.
Protests began two months ago in response to the jailing of 10-year-old children
accused of being “infiltrators” after painting anti-government slogans on city
walls. Within days, the crowds grew from hundreds to hundreds of thousands in
major cities across the country. Chanting for freedom, the society aims its
unrest at political and economic corruption at the highest levels. In Syria,
streets are littered with trash, electricity is shut off daily seemingly by
whim, and poverty is rampant. Those who have dared to speak out are kidnapped
from their homes, most never to be seen or heard from again.
Despite occasional calls for free elections, the process is wrought with
corruption and the results are of the 99.2 percent variety. The nation’s
constitution reinforces Assad’s totalitarian rule. Article Eight broadly
establishes primacy of the Syrian Baath Party (predecessor of the forcibly
ousted Iraqi Baath Party) in both state and society.
Threatened by recent developments, statements from key Syrian officials are
causing the image of a carefully planned response to come into focus. Public
warnings of civil war, should unrest continue, are often followed by thinly
veiled threats to protesters. Days ago, Assad’s childhood friend, political ally
and business magnate Rami Makhloud told reporters, “They should know when we
suffer, we will not suffer alone.”
In now-frequent national addresses, Assad’s rhetoric is sharply incriminatory;
identifying protesters as terrorists, thugs and gangsters. Dominating the
screens of Syrian televisions, the state-run media convey a cathartic loyalty to
Assad featuring around-the-clock coverage of compulsory rallies arranged by the
Ministry of Culture interspersed with news reports grounded exclusively in
Orwellian fiction.
In mobilizing the entire state apparatus in this manner, the regime’s
coordinated tactics mirror those employed in the lead up to the Rwandan and
Srebrenica genocides. Assad’s family has a long-standing commitment to crushing
populist activism by whatever means necessary,.
Unfortunately, many in American political circles fear that any alternative to
Assad’s rule will ultimately resemble the current Ahmadinejad-led Iran or the
Taliban. This fear does not take into account the rich cultural diversity of the
Syrian people or the nation’s pre-Assad era of multiparty political
representation.
Across the Middle East, American soldiers are risking their lives for the stated
purpose of protecting the right to liberty from tyranny. Similarly, Syrian unity
has extended far beyond lines of class or faith as people risk life and limb for
the same goal.
The limitations on the United States to intervene militarily are readily
apparent. However, evil that cannot be changed with action must be opposed
clearly and unequivocally with words. Republicans and Democrats at all levels
should express a consistent message to the international community that the
Syrian regime has lost its legitimacy and must respect the sovereignty of the
Syrian people by stepping down immediately. Nearly three decades ago, I wrestled
with the decision to leave my native Syria. I was forced to face a fear shared
by all dissenters – torture followed by life imprisonment or execution by a
firing squad. My heart traveled west, to a people whose fidelity to a life lived
with liberty overshadowed the value of life itself. Before becoming my home,
America was a vision that emboldened my hope in the future and inspired my long
journey to democracy.
It is time our country began an open dialogue on the value of freedom to Muslim
and non-Muslim Americans from the Middle East who appreciate this nation’s
values far more than they generally are given credit for. More importantly, we
should reflect on the prospect that our diversity may be the key to spreading
freedom’s light to nations trapped in darkness.
America’s influence as an ideological model for achieving liberty grows with
every new Syrian protester who takes to the streets and boldly declares that the
reign of fear is ended. The protesters’ unwavering courage is unmistakably the
Syrian Declaration of Independence. The ultimate sacrifice of more than 1a
thousand citizens and counting is the constitution of Syrian liberty never to be
forgotten.
**Mahmoud Harmoush is imam of the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley. His son,
Samy, is a law student at the University of La Verne.
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Raicalls for speeding
up cabinet formation
June 5, 2011 /Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai on Sunday called for
“speeding up [the talks] to form a new cabinet.”“The country should be quickly
taken out of paralysis by forming a cabinet that aims to respect the dignity of
the Lebanese people,” Rai was quoted as saying by the National News Agency. He
also called for “finding formulas that would enable the higher authority in our
country to take decisions to rescue [any situation].” Najib Mikati, who was
appointed to the premiership in January with the backing of the Hezbollah-led
March 8 coalition, has been working since January to form a government.-NOW
Lebanon
Nadim Gemayel: Hezbollah does not wish to form cabinet
June 5, 2011 /Kataeb bloc MP Nadim Gemayel said on Sunday that Hezbollah does
not want to form a new Lebanese cabinet “because it will not be able to control
it.”“Any government vacuum benefits Hezbollah, as they do not want to form the
cabinet because they cannot control it,” the MP told the Free Lebanon radio
station. “This is why we see Speaker Nabih Berri calling for a parliament
session…[he] wants to run matters without a cabinet,” he added. Gemayel also
said that Berri – who is Hezbollah’s ally – is “trying to empty the state from
its institutions by [exploiting] all the powers of parliament.” He called on
President Michel Sleiman to “have a clear position on situations in which his
powers are being trespassed upon.”
Berri called for a parliament session on June 8 despite some parties’
apprehension of such a move amid a cabinet vacuum. Prime Minister-designate
Najib Mikati, who was appointed to the premiership in January with the backing
of the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition, has been working since January to form a
government.-NOW Lebanon
Hezbollah’s Fneish says US ambassador “threatens” whenever cabinet talks
progress
June 5, 2011 /Minister of State for Administrative Reform
Mohammad Fneish –who represents Hezbollah –said on Sunday that US Ambassador for
Lebanon Maura Connelly “makes threats” every time there is progress in the talks
to form a cabinet headed by Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati. “There is
foreign pressure being exerted [on Lebanon] in order to obstruct the cabinet
formation,” Fneish was quoted by the National News Agency as saying. He said
that his party has offered “everything” in order to facilitate cabinet
formation. He also voiced hope to form the government soon. Mikati, who was
appointed to the premiership in January with the backing of the Hezbollah-led
March 8 coalition, has been working since January to form a government.-NOW
Lebanon
Arab Spring meets Arab silence
Aline Sara, June 5, 2011
As people in the Arab world continue to voice opposition to dictatorial regimes,
their leaders remain mostly silent. Though formerly quiet members of the
international community have spoken out against the violence in Syria, the
latest country to witness a significant anti-regime uprising and subsequent
security crackdown, the Arab League has remained silent.
Turkey is positioning itself as a mediator between the Syrian government and the
protesters, hosting opposition activists for The Conference for Change in Syria
this week, and the EU and US have passed sanctions against the Syrian
leadership. Many however, are left wondering why the Arab states, which
condemned the government crackdown against dissenters in Libya and kicked the
country out of the Arab League, are keeping mum on the Assad regime.
According to Dr. Hilal Khashan, professor of Political Studies at the American
University of Beirut, the Arab League is not an autonomous entity, and thus
never acts on its own. “It intervened on Libya because of Western pressure,
because NATO and the US needed to legitimatize their intervention against
[Colonel Muammar] Qaddafi,” he said. But the West doesn’t seem very keen on
repeating the action, he added, especially not in Syria.
To Egyptian activist and executive director of Cairo-based Arab Forum for
Alternatives Mohammad Agati, the question isn’t about Arab silence, but rather
its intervention in Libya in the first place. “A typical Arab League does not
take any stances,” he said. “If anything, they usually bolster regimes.”
Most experts NOW Lebanon spoke with confirmed that view. Because the majority of
the region’s regimes are autocracies, few leaders want to see any of their
counterparts get toppled.
“In addition to [their fear of a] domino effect, Syria is regarded as an anchor
state and microcosm of the entire Arab East,” explained Khashan. “An
authoritarian leadership, a business class, a divisive society, as well as
religious and ethnic divisions; if Syria goes down, the entire region will be
affected… No one in the Arab League is willing to see Assad go,” he said. When
asked whether the Arab states are hoping the Assad regime will tame the
protests, no matter how many people are killed, he said, “I hate to agree, but
that is the case.”
In the meantime, the death toll continues to rise, with over 1,000 killed since
the uprising began two months ago.
“Everyone is in a wait-and-see situation,” said Dr. Imad Salameh, Political
Science professor at the Lebanese-American University. If Syria distances itself
from its main ally, Iran, the Arab states, mainly Saudi Arabia and the United
Arab Emirates, will tolerate the status quo, which for them is safer than the
unknown, he added. “The players do not see how the alternative can benefit their
agenda in the region, and Turks are especially concerned about another Iraq,” he
said, alluding to the common fear of a post-Assad wave of Sunni extremism
spreading to neighboring states.
Another fear is that while he is still in power, if provoked enough, Assad could
intentionally try to destabilize other regional states to put pressure on them.
Though Salameh does not believe Assad has the leverage to unleash a wave of
violence in neighboring countries, Khashan said he could use the Kurds of Syria
as a destabilizing power. “[Iraqi President] Jalal Talabani, who influences
Kurds in Syria, told them to take it easy on Assad. They know the regime can
contribute to the resumption of the insurgency in Iraq,” he said.
Agati, on the other hand, said the Syrian regime is beginning to feel cornered
and would be wise to avoid aggravating its neighbors.
“Relations with Assad and the [other regional] regimes are not as bad as it
seems… so it would be stupid of Assad to anger his counterparts,” he said.
While in late April, Human Rights Watch urged Arab countries – especially Egypt
and Tunisia, which had their own revolutions – to join international efforts and
inquire into the “Syrian government's use of lethal force against peaceful
protesters,” some analysts believe the call was unrealistic. “Egypt is going
through a transitional phase; I don’t think they are seeking confrontation with
anyone at the moment,” said Salameh, a thought that was echoed by Agati, who
noted that foreign policy had its limits, and that Egypt is currently not in a
position to take a stand. “To expect something from the Arab League is like
expecting me to swim from one side of the Atlantic to the other,” added Khashan.
Despite a seeming stalemate on the horizon, Salameh voiced optimism. “At this
point, the movement in Syria is indigenous… by Syrians, for Syrians, and this is
what makes it stronger,” he said. “Day by day, it’s showing itself not supported
or driven by foreign forces, which makes more and more Syrians believe in their
cause.” Though the international community, and especially the Arab League, does
not seem willing to intervene, non-government groups from across the world
should stand up for the human rights of the Syrian people, he said. “It will
help them maintain their opposition.”
Amal: March 14 to blame for chaos in country
June 05, 2011 /The Daily Star BEIRUT: The March 14 coalitions is responsible for
the chaos Lebanon is witnessing, Amal Movement politburo member Khalil Hamdan
said Sunday, accusing his political rivals of securing their personal interests
at the expense of the country. “The March 14 alliance is responsible for the
chaotic situation in Lebanon and it is also responsible for taking Lebanon
hostage for their personal interests and the interests of their private
projects," Hamdan said during a ceremony in the town of Zafta, reported the
National News Agency. Hamdan also criticized a campaign against Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri, and praised Berri’s efforts to prevent Lebanon from falling
into sectarian strife.
March 14 lawmakers have accused Berri, who called for a general session at
Parliament for June 8, of trying to use the assembly to exercise powers reserved
for the Cabinet.
The Amal Movement official also spoke about the anniversary of Naksa, or
“setback,” and said Arab countries in 1967 did not have the capabilities to
defeat Israel, “but today the situation is different.” The 1967 Mideast war led
to the occupation by Israel of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza and
Syria’s Golan Heights.
“Israel does not have elements of victory ... today the Arab people and Lebanon
have elements of victory and resistance and they have achieved victory [against
Israel] before,” Hamdan said, referring to the August-July 2006 war between
Lebanon and Israel.
Iran delegation visits south Lebanon amid heightened security
June 05, 2011 /By Mohammad Zaatari
The Daily Star KFAR KALA, Lebanon: An Iranian delegation visited border towns in
south Lebanon Sunday amid heightened security which led to the forceful removal
of a group of protesters attempting to near the separation fence with Israel
earlier in the day. The delegation, which consisted of the Iranian Shura Council
and Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghadanfar Roknabadi, visited the towns of
Adeysseh, Fatima Gate, Kfar Kala and Maroun al-Ras - where 11 Palestinians had
been gunned down by Israeli troops on May 15.
During the visit, a higher level of Israeli Army activity could be seen along
the Blue Line.
Head of the cultural committee at the Iranian Shura Council, Gholam Ali-Haddad,
led the delegation, which also included the head of the economic development
committee, Mosbahi Mokaddam. Ali-Haddad voiced Iran’s support to the Palestinian
and Lebanese causes, as he raised the Palestinian flag at “Iran’s garden” in
Kfar Kala.
“The purpose of our visit is to send a message to the Palestinian and Lebanese
youth and the resistance that Iran stands by them,” Ali-Haddad said.
For his part, Roknabadi told reporters that Palestinians had the right to
continue demanding their right to return to their country, until United Nations
General Assembel Resolution 149, which confirms such a right, is implemented.
Earlier Sunday, the Lebanese Army forced a group of protesters out of Adaysseh
after they had tried to approach to border fence Israel. The group, made up of
both men and women, were put on a bus and transported to an area near the Litani
River.
Palestinians in throughout the country’s refugee camps held a strike and burnt
tires in protest of the Lebanese authorities’ decision to turn the area on
Lebanon’s side of the Blue Line into a closed military zone. The Palestinians
had planned to march to the border to commemorate the Naksa, or “set-back,”
wherein Israel occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza and Syria’s Golan
Heights as a result of the 1967 Mideast war.
The Lebanese Army increased Sunday the number of checkpoints in Ain el-Helwi,
Lebanon’s largest refugee camp, amid growing discontent by Palestinians about
the cancellation of the march to the border.The United Nations Interim Forces in
Lebanon and the Lebanese Army had bolstered their presence along the southern
border Sunday. Israeli Army tanks could also be seen patrolling the border area.
Meanwhile, Palestininans in Ain el-Helwi refugee camp voiced their frustrations
over the decision to ban the protest at Lebanon’s border with Israel.
Abu Dani, a shop owner in Ain el-Helwi, asked the Lebanese government to open
the borders for Palestinians to return to their homeland and criticized the
decision to turn the area into a military zone.
“We do not want to stay in Lebanon or have any civil rights [here],” Abu Dani
said. “Just open the borders so we can die fighting on Palestinian land.”
An armed man guarding Fatah organization offices in the camp described the
Lebanese government’s decision to prevent the march as degrading toward
Palestinians.
“Isn’t it enough that 70,000 people live in a squared kilometer [of land], it is
almost like a siege,” the armed man said.
Palestinian officials in Lebanon were preparing for Sunday’s march, pledging to
have a bigger turn out than the May 15 demonstration, which resulted in the
killing of 11 protesters by the Israeli Army when Palestinians marched to the
Blue Line commemorating the Nakba, or “Catastrophe.” The Nakba refers to the
establishment of the state of Israel which led to the displacement of thousands
of Palestinians from their homeland. A 10-year-old Palestinian voiced his
disappointment regarding the cancellation, as he played with his friends at a
school yard in Ain el-Helwi. “I had prepared myself to go to the border, but my
father asked me to wait in hopes of returning one day,” the boy said.
Soueid: Hezbollah knows its project is over
June 04, 2011 /The Daily Star
“Hezbollah has no other option than to return to Lebanon with its conditions and
those of the Lebanese,” Soueid said.
BEIURT: Arab revolts in the region and a decline in Iran’s influence is forcing
Hezbollah to realize it can no longer impose its program on the Lebanese people,
the general secretary of the March 14 movement said Saturday. “Hezbollah is day
by day coming to the realization that its program has ended given that the party
can no longer continue to impose its point of view or its conditions on the
Lebanese as result of the Arab uprisings and the diminished influence of Iran in
the region,” Fares Soueid told a local radio station, reported the National News
Agency.
“Hezbollah has no other option than to return to Lebanon with its conditions and
those of the Lebanese,” Soueid added.
The March 14 coalition, rivals of the March 8 alliance headed by Hezbollah,
insist that the key obstacle to forming the Lebanese state are the weapons of
Hezbollah, which it says have been used internally in order to secure political
objectives. “March 14 believes that … weapons should be limited to the state and
then there can be discussions with Hezbollah in order to renew the model of
Lebanon,” Soueid said. The March 14 official also said his coalition understood
the need for reviving internal dialogue on the basis of “the return of all
[parties] to the state according to its laws,” adding that President Michel
Sleiman alone has the authority to revive the national dialogue sessions and
bringing Lebanese together.
Lebanon’s national dialogue sessions were last held in August 2010. Lebanon has
been under a caretaker government since mid-January when March 8 ministers
tendered their resignations which led to the collapse of the Cabinet headed by
caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a leading member of the March 14 movement.
Tripoli MP Najib Mikati was appointed prime minister-designate on Jan. 25 to
form the new government. After over five months without a Cabinet to replace
Hariri’s, Mikati Friday voiced his hopes that the next government would be
formed in the coming few days.
Israel studying French peace conference proposal, Netanyahu says
June 5, 2011 /Israel is studying a French proposal to hold a peace conference in
Paris by the end of July, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on
Sunday.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, visiting Israel and the West Bank this
week, officially announced France was willing to expand a scheduled meeting of
international donors into a broader peace conference. But Netanyahu said his
government had not yet decided whether they would be willing to attend any such
meeting, which Paris hopes could kick-start stalled talks between Israel and the
Palestinians. "I heard the proposal brought by French Foreign Minister Alain
Juppe," Netanyahu told media at the beginning of a weekly meeting of his
cabinet.
"We very much appreciate our French friends and I will respond to them after we
have considered matters. We will study the proposal and discuss it with our
American friends as well."
Netanyahu also added he would not consider resuming negotiations with any
Palestinians government that includes the Islamist movement Hamas, which last
month signed a unity deal with the Fatah movement of Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas. "We would also like to emphasize and reiterate: Negotiations will
not be conducted with a Palestinian government, half of which is Hamas, a
terrorist organization that seeks to destroy Israel," Netanyahu said. -AFP/NOW
Lebanon
Upcoming parliament session’s quorum might not be reached, says report
June 5, 2011 /The quorum of the June 8 parliament session might not be reached,
as only 58 out of 128 MPs are expected to attend, Al-Balad newspaper reported on
Sunday.
According to the daily, the deputies of the National Struggle Front - headed by
MP Walid Jumblatt – are moving toward boycotting the upcoming parliament session
along with the MPs of the western-backed March 14 coalition. Sunni MPs Mohammad
Safadi, Ahmad Karami and Najib Mikati – who is also the current prime
minister-designate – have also decided to not participate in the parliament
session. Speaker Nabih Berri called for a parliament session on June 8 despite
some parties’ apprehension of such a move amid a cabinet vacuum.
Mikati, who was appointed to the premiership in January with the backing of the
Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition and Jumblatt’s bloc, has been working since
January to form a government. Lebanese Parliament needs the attendance of at
least 65 MPs to be able to convene. -NOW Lebanon
Lebanon's Arabic daily digest
June 5, 2011 /The Daily Star
Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese
newspapers Sunday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these
reports.
An-Nahar: Berri abstains from mediation role with Mikati
Gemayel to An-Nahar: For a session with one sole item on its agenda
Hezbollah remains positive about renewed efforts in the Cabinet formation
process while Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has pulled out as a mediator in the
formation process as result of the languid relationship he has developed with
Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati after a decision to hold a general session
at Parliament.
Mikati held talks with Hussein Khalil, the political aide to Hezbollah
Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. MP Ali Hassan Khalil, Berri's political
aide, did not make the meeting but is said to have discussed issues with Mikati
on the telephone.
An-Nahar has learned that Mikati’s discussions with Nasrallah’s aide turned to
the issues from a general perspective and Mikati is still waiting for the
proposed list of ministerial candidates he is expecting from Hezbollah and the
head of the Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun.
The sole breakthrough that was achieved was Aoun’s agreeing to 10 ministers,
eight of which would hold ministerial posts and one a state portfolio. In
return, Aoun is demanding a say on the sixth Maronite post and wants to hold
onto the energy and telecoms ministries, the latter he insists remains in
Charbel Nahhas’ hands.
Kataeb (Phalange) party leader and former President Amin Gemayel told An-Nahar
that he remains in constant contact with Progressive Socialist Party leader
Walid Jumblatt and that during a meeting with the PSP leader they had stressed
to maintain this level of contact, understanding and talks about issues facing
Lebanon.
“The Kataeb will not change its stand and is not asking from Jumblatt to change
his position despite our open reservations about the practices and positions of
his allies. The meeting [with Jumblatt] did not look into the subject of forming
a middle party,” Gemayel said.
Gemayel also said a deal had been reached with Jumblatt to limit the general
session at Parliament to one clear and specific item on its agenda. “If there is
more than one item on the agenda that lead to the legislation on many issues
then we completely refuse [to participate],” he said.
Al-Balad: All eyes on "Sunday's Naksa" Day ...
Set-back in Wednesday’s meeting
"Naksa Day" is likely to pass without incident after weeks of military
preparations and the substitution of border protesters with demonstrations and
strikes within the Palestinian refugee camps and this after vigorous efforts by
the Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon. The Israelis
one the other side of the border are running patrols and placing an early
warning system.
Ad-Diyar: Optimism of the new majority is scrapped by new conditions
Aoun suggests names for ministries, on Mikati to conclude
The current political atmosphere suggests that the Cabinet formation journey has
reached its final stage, as Free Patriotic Movement lawmakers are speaking about
an international decision not to allot the telecoms, defense and interior
ministry portfolios to the movement.
Last night, reports said FPM cheif MP Michel Aoun had suggested names for the
ministries - justice, energy, education - to Prime Minister-designate Najib
Mikati, while the president and the FPM have already agreed on Brig. Marwan
Charbel for the Interior Ministry. This way, Aoun would have forced Mikati to
make the final decision and announce the Cabinet lineup Monday.
Despite reported optimism, many hurdles have not been resolved such as
Hezbollah’s determination to nominate Minister Faisal Omar Karami for the Sunni
representation. Also, the new majority insists on reappointing caretaker
Telecoms Minister Charbel Nahhas. Therefore, some sources close to the process
of Cabinet formation say that the optimism is overrated, adding that the Cabinet
will not be formed soon. They also say that there are external hurdles which are
obstructing the process amid financial trouble by Arab countries.
As for the parliamentary session scheduled for next week, Parliament Speaker
Nabih Berri insists on his position: work on pushing the process of Cabinet
formation and convene a parliamentary session to solve many key issues for the
country, despite the decision by March 14 coalition lawmakers, Progressive
Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt’s bloc, and the two MPs Ahmad Karami, Imad
Hout and Mikati’s not to attend the session.
Berri is determined to convene regardless. His invitation stems from his
constitutional and legal right that the Parliament is independent and the fact
that the assembly can convene under a caretaker government for the public good.
Sources close to Berri said that the legislative work was a continuous effort
especially that the country is in need of the Parliament’s work. Therefore, if
the head of the Parliament takes the initiative to convene, everyone should
participate instead of practicing political petulance.
Sources say Jumblatt is preparing to take part in a reconciliation process to
amend the parliamentary agenda to include a single item which is voting on
extending the term of the Central Bank governor, the only thing all lawmakers
would agree on.
Sources also say that the meeting between Berri and Mikati had been cancelled
yesterday due to Mikati’s decision not to participate in the general session.
As for the Cabinet issue, the new majority seems optimistic. Mikati’s visitors
spoke of progress as the Cabinet process is moving faster. But we can’t say that
all issues have been cleared. They also said that Sayyed Hasan Nassralah is not
pressuring Aoun to give up some of his conditions.
Sources close to the new majority said Jumblatt insisted on naming Alaa Terro
for the Sunni representation and to allot the public works and social affairs
ministries to Ghazi Aridi and Wael Abou Faour respectively.
This means that the minister of state portfolio will be allotted to Talal Arslan
as the Druze representation can only have three ministerial portfolios, which is
what Arslan rejects. The new majority believes that Arslan has to resolve this
issue with Jumblatt rather than Mikati.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah official Sheikh Nabil Kaouk said that every time the new
majority reaches a final stage, the U.S. tries to obstruct the process.
In the south, the Israel-Lebanon border is witnessing increased Israeli military
patrols along the southern town of Adaysseh, Kfar Kala, Fatima Gate and Shabaa
farms.
Al-Hayat: Cancelling Wednesday’s parliamentary session gives way for a final
stage of Cabinet formation: deciding on names
Parliamentary sources confirmed that canceling the parliamentary session
scheduled next Wednesday would allow for further consultations regarding the
Cabinet formation process, which has recently intensified to eliminate some
obstacles obstructing the formation since Jan. 25.
The dispute continued between March 14 coalition lawmakers who described the
parliamentary session as unconstitutional and the March 8 alliance's call to
legislate in order to extend the term for Central Bank governor Riad Salameh.
Berri had called lawmakers to convene for a session suggesting an agenda of 49
items, not approved by the Parliament Secretariat. But March 14 politicians,
Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati and two Tripoli members of Parliament will
not attend the session bringing down the number of participants to 65 , while
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt, who has seven MPs, is said to
attend on one condition: that the agenda should only have the item concerning
the extension of Salameh’s term.
Berri, then, would have to cancel the session, but will call for another session
the week after to demonstrate his right to convene the parliament under a
caretaker government. The dispute over the session took a different turn: who
has the final word to run the country’s affairs under a caretaker Cabinet, which
adds sectarian and personal dimensions to the argument.
It is worth noting that the Higher Shiite Council Saturday called to preserve
national unity, state institutions, respect the country’s system and its
parliamentary decisions. While Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai criticized the
delay in Cabinet formation, adding that political leaders do not have the right
to deprive the people.
There were conflicting reports regarding efforts to resolve the hurdles, but
Mikati’s decision not to attend the Parliament session indicates that the new
Cabinet might be able to extend Salameh’s term.
The fact that Hezbollah and Berri’s aids have agreed with Free Patriotic
Movement leader Michel Aoun over the FPM’s ministerial portfolios indicates that
the main hurdle has been eliminated and Aoun is no longer responsible for the
delay.
The Hezbollah-Assad connection
By: Ahmed Moor /Al-Jazira
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/06/201161154932651488.html
05 Jun 2011 10:59
Hamza al-Khateeb was kidnapped from the streets of Saida in Syria on April 29th.
The boy was attending an anti-regime demonstration when he was seized by members
of Bashar al-Assad's secret terror squad. Nearly a month later, on May 24, his
family received his mutilated corpse. He was tortured to death.
Here is how Al Jazeera English described the child's brutalised body:
[He had] lacerations, bruises and burns to his feet, elbows, face and knees,
consistent with the use of electric shock devices and of being whipped with
cable [...] Hamza's eyes were swollen and black and there were identical bullet
wounds where he had apparently been shot through both arms, the bullets tearing
a hole in his sides and lodging in his belly. On Hamza's chest was a deep, dark
burn mark. His neck was broken and his penis cut off.
I read the above lines and failed to comprehend the totality of the horror and
violence perpetrated against Hamza. Gradually, a picture began to form in my
mind. Here was a child, torn from his family and plunged into the darkest
recesses of Assad's despotic state. Grown men - adults - separated him from
everything sacred to him; his mother, his father, his home and routine.
I try to imagine his blinding terror - the kind that arrests your heart and mind
- at the first jolting blows to his face. I picture his savage beating and the
implements of violence burning into his flesh. Can a child understand the
blackness that infests the hearts of men? Was Hamza aware he could die? I pray
he lost consciousness.
Ulterior motives
But this article is not about the murder of a child. Nor is it about Bashar
al-Assad and the International Criminal Court or a hangman's noose.
On May 25 - one day after Hamza's body was released - Hassan Nasrallah, the
leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, delivered an address to commemorate
Israel's withdrawal from most of southern Lebanon eleven years ago. During the
program, he called on the Syrian people to support their merciless dictator and
to enter dialogue with their illegitimate government.
The move was a surprising blunder on the part of the savviest and most popular
Arab leader today.
Hezbollah receives material and political support from both Iran and Syria. The
Shia movement - which operates democratically in a democratic Lebanon - employs
as much realpolitik as anyone else in its domestic and foreign affairs.
Oftentimes that means staying quiet and withholding public support when allies
behave brutally.
When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, unleashed the forces of state
repression against unarmed protesters in 2009, Hassan Nasrallah kept his
distance. A Hezbollah spokesman perfunctorily announced that the Green
Revolution was a product of Western meddling.
But more significantly, he stated that: "Hezbollah has nothing to do with Iran's
internal affairs … We don't side with anyone. This is an internal Iranian
issue."
"What is happening there has nothing to do with our situation," the spokesman
continued. "We have our own Lebanese identity and popularity, and these events
don't concern us."
Indeed, Hassan Nasrallah has managed to avoid direct confrontation with, or
co-option by, Arab leaders for most of his political career - although he did
make his antipathy for Hosni Mubarak known. His genius as a political leader
grows directly from his uncanny ability to guide, or follow, Arab public opinion
at every stage.
Significance of support
In his speeches he seemed to understand that Arab public opinion tends towards
justice and away from repression and mass violence. It seemed clear that he
understood that the Arabs do not support Hezbollah because they hate Israel; the
Arabs support Hezbollah for resisting Israeli tyranny and occupation. The
evidence can be found in the self-referential language the Hezbollah militia
employs; they call themselves "The Resistance".
In light of Nasrallah's behaviour in the past, his recent outspoken support for
Assad gains greater significance. Surely, practical considerations would lead
him to hope for Assad's political survival and continued patronisation.
But as with Iran, Nasrallah must know that Hezbollah will continue to enjoy
support from Syria irrespective of who is in power. That is true even if the
country democratises; ordinary Syrians strongly resent Israeli militancy and the
occupation of the Golan Heights.
One thing, however, that can jeopardise Hezbollah's support among Arabs is the
perception that the organisation endorses a regime which tortures children to
death. Nasrallah may have other considerations in mind - the Special Tribunal
for Lebanon; armaments against Israel; money for social programs - but those
must be subordinated to the reality of Assad's Syria.
Today, the Arabs are enraged and revolted by the Assad regime. The torture,
mutilation and murder of Hamza al-Khateeb has contributed to that popular
sentiment. But so have the murders of more than 1,000 peaceful demonstrators
since the pro-democracy demonstrations began. If he is wise, Hassan Nasrallah
will distance himself and his movement from Assad and his death squads. No
amount of political cover or material support is worth the association.
**Ahmed Moor is a Palestinian-US freelance journalist, born in the Gaza Strip
and now based in Cairo.