Lebanese duplicity.

[zenith-nadir]

Ya...ya...whatever...another Middle East thread. Well this one is about duplicity:

Main Entry: du·plic·i·ty
Pronunciation: du-'pli-s&-tE also dyu-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
Etymology: Middle English duplicite, from Middle French, from Late Latin duplicitat-, duplicitas, from Latin duplex
1 : contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action; especially : the belying of one's true intentions by deceptive words or action
2 : the quality or state of being double or twofold

Here is some Lebanese duplicity for you'all.

29 July 2005 - Reuters

BEIRUT, 29 July 2005 — Lebanon’s new government defended the right of Hezbollah guerrillas to resist Israel and pledged solid ties with Syria yesterday...

Siniora said the government would defend Lebanon’s right to resistance, a term usually used for pro-Syrian Hizbollah, which helped end Israel’s 22-year occupation of the south in 2000.

“The government considers the resistance a natural and honest expression of the Lebanese people’s national rights to liberate their land and defend their honor against Israeli aggression and threats,” he told Parliament.

(emphasis mine)

Fast forward one year almost to the date.

July 13, 2006

The Lebanese government said on Wednesday that it was not responsible for Hezbollah's captureof two Israeli soldiers and demanded an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on Israel's retaliation.

(emphasis mine)

Huh?!?!?! A year ago the very same government considered "the resistance" a natural and honest expression. Now that there are consequences to "the resistance" the rats abandon ship for the consumption of the Western media.

July 13, 2006- (continued)

"The Lebanese government was not informed and does not take responsibility for what happened on the international border," Lebanese Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said after an urgent cabinet meeting.

(emphasis mine)

Wow, a just a short year ago you'all were defending the rights of Hezbollah.... and that is how the game is played kids. There is one face for the Arab masses - support for Hezbollah by the Lebanese government which I cited - and quite another for the Western media - "Who us? we don't take responsibility for Hezbollah".

That is duplicity.

 

[Zep]

Politicians everywhere are full of windy rhetoric and doublespeak. Why are you surprised at that?

 

[zenith-nadir]

Politicians everywhere are full of windy rhetoric and doublespeak. Why are you surprised at that?

Surprized? Not in the slightest. I know the real score. I am just DEBUNKING the claim of the Lebanese government - specifically Prime Minister Fouad Siniora - that they have "no responsibility" for Hezbollah. I just documented that a short 12 months ago Prime Minister Fouad Siniora was defending Hezbollah as "a natural and honest expression" to the Lebanese Parliament.

Well now that the "natural and honest expression" Prime Minister Fouad Siniora spoke of has real consequences the Lebanese government - and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora - are denying any reponsibility. Go figure.

Consider this an F.Y.I. in Arab politics 101 where duplicity is the game, see: Syria, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority, etc.

 

[geni]

Huh?!?!?! A year ago the very same government considered "the resistance" a natural and honest expression. Now that there are consequences to "the resistance" the rats abandon ship for the consumption of the Western media.

You will notice they didn't make the mistake of defineing the resistance.

Wow, a just a short year ago you'all were defending the rights of Hezbollah.... and that is how the game is played kids. There is one face for the Arab masses

Arab masses? The Maronites may be arab speakers but they tend not to view themselves as arabs.

- support for Hezbollah by the Lebanese government which I cited - and quite another for the Western media - "Who us? we don't take responsibility for Hezbollah".

That is duplicity.

It is servival. Hezbollah are probably stronger than the Lebanese government.

 

[zenith-nadir]

Here's more:

April 23, 2006 - 11:00 ET - CNN

BLITZER: You're here in Washington. The State Department, the Bush administration, the U.S. government considers Hezbollah to be a terrorist organization with close ties to Syria and Iran.

What do you think Hezbollah is?

SINIORA: We see it, in Lebanon, differently, that Hezbollah is a Lebanese party, which was quite effective in empowering the Lebanese.

(emphasis mine)

Now that is duplicity.

(edited to add)

Or let's go back to 2001 - the good old 9-11 days - when Fouad Siniora was the Lebanese finance minister:

Wednesday, November 07, 2001


Lebanon Not to Freeze Hezbollah's Assets: Official

Lebanon will not freeze Hezbollah's assets as it is a resistance movement instead of a terrorist organization, Finance Minister Fouad Siniora said Tuesday.

"We insist that resistance movements should be differentiated from terrorist groups because they fight for liberating their occupied lands," the minister was quoted by the official NNA news agency as saying.

Washington last week announced a terrorist list of 22 organizations, including Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). The U.S. also urged all countries to freeze those groups' assets.

(emphasis mine)

So let's recap, as Lebanese finance minister Fouad Siniora considered Hezbollah a "resistance movement" and he refused to freeze Hezbollah's assets. As Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora gave a speech to the Lebanese parlament defending the right of Hezbollah guerrillas to resist Israel. And on CNN he told Wolf Blitzer Hezbollah is "a Lebanese party" which was quite effective in empowering the Lebanese.

So why in the hell is Fouad Siniora and the Lebanese government washing their hands of Hezbollah once the heat is on? It's duplicity.... with a big fat capital "D".

 

[webfusion]

D for dummy

Now the Lebanese DM is declaring that he is preparing to join the Lebanese armed forces with Hezbollah and fight Israel together.

http://online.wsj.com/public/articl...X1jlOAoFgQ_20060820.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top
Wall Street Journal Online quoting Lebanon's Defense Minister Elias Murr (on Al-Jazeera television). 7-20-06