Hariri murder probe: Hizbulla to blame?

[Doctor Evil]

In recent weeks the head of Hizbullah, Hasan Nassaralla give several speeches in which the subject of the UN tribunal investigating the murder of Rafik Hariri was brought up. In one he accused the tribunal of being a part of an Israeli plot. In another, he said that it is possible that some "undisciplined" members of Hizbullah will be accused of involvement of the murder.

Today, Israeli media claim they know the identity of the man behind the plot. He is a central figure in Hizballah.

Mustafa Badr Aldin, the brother in-law of assassinated Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh, is the prime suspect in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, Channel 1 reported Thursday.

According to the report, Aldin, also known as "Elias Sa'ab", commanded the failed attempt to assassinate Kuwait's ruler in 1985. It was further reported that current Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Rafik's son, is pressuring the Special Tribunal for Lebanon not to publish the suspect's identity due to his government's ties with Hezbollah.

Supposudly, the UN team would officially indict him sometime between September and the end of the year.

If this turns out to be true, it would open a huge can of worms. You would be able to see the middle-east at its worst. For instance, consider the situation of Hariri's son, the current prime minister and the head of a party who is in competition with Hizbullah. He was forced, by threat of violence, to include Hizbullah in his coalition. I would guess that personally, he would love to see them punished for the murder of his father. Publicly, he would do whatever he can to minimise this story and absolve Hezbullah. Why? His life is on the line, or another civil war. No one wants that, even if the price is to suck up to the murderers of your father.

 

[Thunder]

a new Lebanese civil war would not be such a great thing. imagine 500,000 Christian refugees banging at Israel's northern border.

 

[Doctor Evil]

Slightly older analysis here:

But Hariri's political survival depends on Hezbollah's acquiescence, something evidently more important to him than his family honor. 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. Thus Hariri hopes to resolve the problem by distinguishing between the operatives and the organization.

 

[Skeptic]

Funny how the "honor culture" demands the perpetrators' sons, daughters, friends, descendants, neighbors, and livestock are all to blame and one must kill them in retaliation so "honor be satisfied" -- as long as there's a reasonable chance to kill the lot without too much consequences to oneself. When the perpetrator is strong, however... things are different.

Honor is important. But the so-called "honor culture" misuses the name. It's really a culture where bullies cannot stand being contradicted in any way, hence so-called "honor killings" etc. But, being bullies, they can swallow their honor if they're a stronger bully around, naturally.

 

[bit_pattern]

Mossad has been going into over drive trying to frame Hezbollah for this, something like 50 Israeli agents have been thrown out of Lebanon over the last few months

 

[Virus]

Mossad has been going into over drive trying to frame Hezbollah for this, something like 50 Israeli agents have been thrown out of Lebanon over the last few months

Don't say it unless you're prepared to prove it.

 

[Skeptic]

Whenever something goes wrong in the Arab world, the Mossad is blamed and a series of "Mossad agents" is convicted in show trials.

One might as well claim that witches' spells truly were responsible for bad harvests because there often was an increase in the number of witch burning for "putting a curse on the harvest to do Satan's will"" after a poor harvest.

 

[Eddie Dane]

I'm going short on the Humus shares.

 

[Skeptic]

You think things are that bad, eh?

 

[Doctor Evil]

Mossad has been going into over drive trying to frame Hezbollah for this, something like 50 Israeli agents have been thrown out of Lebanon over the last few months

Conspiracy theory forum is there -->

Of course you are also missing Nassarallah speech in which he talks about "undisciplined" elements of Hizbullah who will be accused. As close to being an admission while denying responsibility.

But of course, your dislike of Israel is more important than the facts. Anyway, the result is that no one here would take your posts seriously.

 

[Eddie Dane]

All I know is that we need to get Noam Chomsky in there before the shooting starts.

 

[fuelair]

All I know is that we need to get Noam Chomsky in there before the shooting starts.

As long as he can hang there while it is going on......so he can give us a report on how it is all Israel's fault.

 

[WildCat]

Mossad has been going into over drive trying to frame Hezbollah for this, something like 50 Israeli agents have been thrown out of Lebanon over the last few months

 

[Peephole]

All I know is that we need to get forum poster Eddie Dane in there before the shooting starts.

 

[FireGarden]

Conspiracy theory forum is there -->

Of course you are also missing Nassarallah speech in which he talks about "undisciplined" elements of Hizbullah who will be accused. As close to being an admission while denying responsibility.

This might be his reporting of Hariri's words.
Nasrallah rejects the accusations entirely. He doesn't look to be throwing any member of Hezbollah to the wolves.

http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/newsdesk.nsf/0/D8ED1F4A76579B55C22577690017298D?OpenDocument

"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 told a press conference via video link.

[...]

Nasrallah said Hariri had assured him he would publicly acknowledge that it was undisciplined members of Hizbullah, and not the party itself, who were implicated in the murder.

[...] Nasrallah said that since the launch of the STL, he had doubted the impartiality of the court.

He accused the international tribunal of having made the decision to indict Hizbullah before conducting its investigation.

"All the data we have indicate that the charge sheet was written up before even the interrogation of our members," Nasrallah said. "The indictment is ready ... it is only a matter of political timing."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/world/middleeast/25lebanon.html

Then, on Thursday, Mr. Nasrallah held a remarkable news conference in which he said he knew the tribunal would soon issue indictments against Hezbollah members. Mr. Nasrallah said he had been told so by Mr. Hariri’s own son, Saad Hariri, the current prime minister. He added that Saad Hariri had essentially pardoned him in advance, declaring that the men to be accused were “undisciplined” members of Hezbollah with tenuous connections to the group.

But Nasrallah himself doesn't accept the allegations. He points out the lack of evidence against Syria and the four Lebanese generals who have been released, after "witnesses recanted" according to the NYTimes.

One of those witnesses is Mohammed Zuheir al-Siddiq, who is no longer considered to be reliable by the STL.

http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&AF68BD48581F38FEC225767C00354AFE

Siddiq was initially seen as a leading witness in the U.N. probe but was discredited later for giving false testimony.

[...] In initial reports of the U.N. inquiry commission into Hariri's February 2005 assassination in a huge bomb blast in Beirut, Siddiq was described as a key witness.

He claimed that Lebanon's former pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gave the order to kill the wealthy businessman, who opposed Damascus's grip over its tiny neighbor.

However, Siddiq, a one-time member of Syria's intelligence services, later recanted, and Lebanese and Syrian judicial authorities accused him of lying.

In May, the prosecutor at the tribunal charged with bringing Hariri's killers to justice said Siddiq was no longer a credible witness and was of no interest to the inquiry.(AFP)

Nasrallah's spin is that this is more of the same.

 

[Eddie Dane]

All I know is that we need to get forum poster Eddie Dane in there before the shooting starts.

Ooooooooh, you bitch.

 

[ddt]

Ooooooooh, you bitch.

You're volunteering to aid in the investigation? That's great.

Frankly, nothing surprises me. The initial suspect was on the Syrians, or their supporters. And I've lost track who supported Syria back then, as the Lebanese factions change sides more often than I change my underwear. And killing politicians is the national pastime there.

In fact, I'm not surprised that Hariri the current PM (there are more members of the family into politics) has to suck it up to Hezbollah. Like them or not, but they're the major Shiite political party in Lebanon and it's hard to get them out of the loop. The Lebanese power sharing as laid down in the constitution - a Maronite Christian president and a Sunni Islam PM - is dated and does not represent anymore the proportions, with Shiites outnumbering Sunnis now.

 

[dudalb]

Yeah, the only way Hezbollah is going to lose power is if they are stupid enough to do something which pisses off Syria.

 

[dudalb]

Mossad has been going into over drive trying to frame Hezbollah for this, something like 50 Israeli agents have been thrown out of Lebanon over the last few months

Any Fundy Islamic group you will NOT defend?

 

[Eddie Dane]

You're volunteering to aid in the investigation? That's great.

No. I'd happily holiday in Beirut, though.

Oddly, I knew a guy who worked for the International Criminal Court and was flying to Beirut to investigate the Hariri murder. (as part of a big team, I should add).
The plane had to turn back because the Israelis had just started their last shooting war and had bombed the airport.

To clarify my previous Chomsky remark: I actually have read quite a lot of his work and I actually think that he has some very interesting ideas.
I was even getting ready to defend him in the latest Chomsky thread, but lacked the time to back up my points with research. Chomsky being a divisive issue, that would have gotten me eaten alive around these parts.

Now I see Chomsky doing a complete Hanoi Jane and showing up as guest of honor at the opening of some Hezbollah propaganda fun-park.

The man has just lost all credibility in my view.