Lebanon PM: UN must probe claims of Israeli complicity in Hariri murder

[bemildred]

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has called on the UN to probe claims by Hezbollah militants that Israel was behind the murder of his father in 2005, according to local press reports Thursday.

Harari said evidence presented earlier this week by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah implicating Israel in the assassination of Hariri's father Rafik was "important and very sensitive", Lebanese daily as-Safir reported.

"I personally am in favor of a deep discussion of the details, because it is very important to me to find out the truth both as prime minister and as Hariri's son," Saad Hariri said.

Rafik Hariri, a former prime minister of Lebanon, was killed in a massive bomb blast in Beirut in 2005 and a UN tribunal was established two years later to investigate the assassination.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/lebanon-pm-un-must-probe-claims-of-israeli-complicity-in-hariri-murder-1.307587

[oberliner]

1. Hassan Nasrallah’s guide to memory loss

Marvel at the contempt Hizbullah’s secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, must feel for us all, that he would expect us to believe his presentation last Monday telling us that Israel was behind the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister. But that contempt may also in some ways be justified, because far too many Lebanese actually believed him, even as they observe the rapid erosion of their slender sovereignty with lethargy.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=5&article_id=118114#axzz0wP3zFLe3

[bemildred]

2. I was mostly interested in the notion that Mr Hariri appears to support Nasrallah.

Gives me histori-cognitive disconnect.

[oberliner]

3. Antipathy towards Israel often makes strange bedfellows

One can say the same for the reverse as well.

[bemildred]

4. Strange bedfellows seem to be common as dirt in politics.

One can infer that expediency rules the day.

[shira]

6. The son is scared of ending up like the father. Dead.

Hezbollah, via Iran and Syria, rules its puppets in Lebanon by fear.

[bemildred]

7. What incoherent bullshit. nt

[shira]

8. LOL. Here's something for you to read...

Lebanon Is Still an Occupied Country

Elias Youssef Bejjani
25 Nov 2009

All the free world countries, Arab states, and especially Israel are, with no shed of doubt, fully aware that Hezbollah's mini state controls and dominates directly and through proxies all the affairs of the Lebanese central government via cancerous infiltration, intimidation, oppression, corruption, drug trafficking, religious decrees (fatwas), murder, crime, bribing and multifold tactics of terrorism. Not even one decision could be made by the Lebanese government or any of its institutions without Hezbollah's approval.

It has become clear even to the blind that the Lebanese state is massively dominated by the Hezbollah mullah's leadership. This terrorist militant organization boldly dictates its Iranian decrees on all the Lebanese officials and institutions, manipulates their activities and greatly influences the whole country's decision making process in all fields and on all levels.

http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=3234

[bemildred]

9. LOL, you suggested that Hariri is a Hezbollah puppet controlled via Iran and Syria.

It is certainly true that Hezbollah is part of the Lebanese state, but I think that even they would be surprised to know they can tell Iran and Syria what to do.

The idiot you posted doesn't even bother to try to make sense; and his English sucks, he just strings together what he views as insults with random prepositions:

"This terrorist militant organization boldly dictates its Iranian decrees on all the Lebanese officials and institutions".

http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/preposit.html

[shira]

12. Seriously? You don't think Hariri's every decision goes by Syria/Hezbollah first? n/t

[bemildred]

13. Can you read? nt

[shira]

14. Doesn't appear you can...

You claim I wrote that Hezbollah controls Syria and Iran.

Where'd I write that?

Otherwise, it looks like you agree that Hariri makes decisions out of fear. Walid Jumblatt is no different, as he's kissing Assad's rear too.

[bemildred]

15. Aw, you changed it. You could learn to write someday. nt

[shaayecanaan]

5. Its the same contempt that Israel shows...

when it denies responsibility for the assassination and use of fraudulent passports in Dubai. Jewish groups here are still insisting, with a straight face, that there is "no proof" that Israel was involved.

But I digress. I thought the presentation by Nasrallah was a joke. On the other hand, the Special Tribunal is looking less like a fact finding mission and more like an endeavour to deliver a carefully calibrated finding that points the finger clearly enough without going so far as to destabilise Lebanon.

[azurnoir]

10. UN gets Hezbollah 'evidence' on Israel-Hariri link

BEIRUT – Lebanon gave a U.N. tribunal on Tuesday material provided by Hezbollah to press its claim that Israel was linked to the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Israel has dismissed Iranian-backed Hezbollah's repeated claims as "ridiculous." U.N. investigators have been probing Hariri's killing for years but have never pointed to possible Israeli involvement — which Hezbollah says is a sign of bias.

Hezbollah has said it expects some of its members to face indictments by the Netherlands-based tribunal investigating Hariri's assassination and claims the panel has no credibility. The militant group recently pointed the finger at its sworn enemy Israel, possibly in an attempt to deflect attention from its own indictments.

Lebanon's government is an uneasy coalition of a Western-backed bloc and Hezbollah, which in just a few years has gained so much political power it now has a virtual veto over government decisions.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100817/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_lebanon_hariri_tribunal

can hardly wait to see how this one "washes out"

[bemildred]

11. It's like nobody really wants to try to make sense, they all prefer to babble insults.

IIRC, Hezbollah has been pointing the finger at Israel from the beginning, but then they probably think Israel is behind the flooding on the Indus too. What is different NOW is that apparently various parties think they have to give at least the appearance of listening to what Hezbollah has to say. If I had to guess what comes next, I think the "tribunal" will continue to stall. Remember the first guy? He wanted Hezbollah's ass. But here we are 5 years on and nothing.

The Beeb has more on this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11007231

[azurnoir]

16. NO matter who winds up the guilty party

the other will cry foul

as for myself I was kinda hoping for Southern Baptists to be implicated but oh well