Accusing Israel of Killing Hariri Doesn't Unify Lebanese?!

Hussein Assi

11/08/2010 Unfortunately, accusing the Israeli enemy of standing behind the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri didn't seem to unify all Lebanese…

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said it loudly. In his longest-ever press conference, Sayyed Nasrallah presented tangible evidence of an Israeli potential role in the crime as well as other crimes that hit Lebanon during the few past years.

His eminence clarified that these evidences do not constitute a "final verdict," but at least reinstate the Israeli involvement's hypothesis.

All this is true. Even more, Israel mobilized one agent who sought to delude former PM Rafiq Hariri since 1993 and make him believe that Hezbollah wants to assassinate him.

Israel didn't stop its intelligence operations in Lebanon following the year 2004, a truth confirmed by the testimonies made by the agents who were recently arrested by the Lebanese authorities. Israeli MK drones were caught monitoring the movements of Hariri prior to his assassination.

It's also true than an Israeli executive spy, named Ghassan Jedd, was on ground at the crime's scene on February 14, 2005, the unforgettable day.

All this is true. Yet, it's not convincing for some Lebanese politicians who weren't satisfied with Hezbollah Secretary General press conference. These politicians say that they were awaiting Sayyed Nasrallah's conference, hoping to find irrefutable and conclusive data, something that didn't happen.

Yes, Sayyed Nasrallah didn't convince these politicians. They want him to transfer his data to the international tribunal, no matter if he trusts it or not. What matters is that they're convinced that his revelations should change nothing in the balance. They want their own truth, the "relative truth" that would only convince those who set its scenario.

Israel, for instance, wants its own "truth." It wants a "truth" that could give it some "morale," and perhaps, achieve the unachieved goals since July 2006. They want a "truth" that pave the way for dismantling and disarming Hezbollah, according to their own words.

Israel set the stage's full scenario. It put the headlines of the "already written" verdict. Its leaders went on the reveal the "details of the details" of the verdict expected to denounce Hezbollah members.

Hezbollah violated the "scenario" once again. Its Secretary General surprised the Israelis with revelations that could change the whole balance.

Yet, Israelis didn't lose hope. While Israeli daily Haaretz admitted that Sayyed Nasrallah's speech received widespread and often enthusiastic coverage in the Arab world, it assured itself by the fact that, in Lebanon itself, the speech met with some skepticism.

"Mohammad Kabbara, a member of parliament from the anti-Syria March 14 faction, said it would convince no one but its authors. And Amin Gemayel, a Christian leader, said it contained no proof, and Nasrallah ought to share all his information," Haaretz went on to say.

Nevertheless, most reactions in Lebanon were in favor of the speech, calling for serious action.

In this context, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called on Lebanese authorities to take the "appropriate steps" with respect to the latest revelations made by Sayyed Nasrallah. "Those concerned know what they should do," he said.

For his part, the head of the Marada movement MP Sleiman Franjieh criticized, following a meeting with the head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc MP Michel Aoun, those who ruled out the theory that Israel was behind Hariri's assassination.

"Anyone who rules out the hypothesis that Israel is behind Hariri's assassination either is accusing ex-PM Rafiq Hariri that he had ties with the Israelis or is drawing suspicion away from Israel," Franjieh said. "How can a Lebanese camp condemn and destroy the country through false witnesses and data that does not exceed 1 percent while ignoring what Sayyed Nasrallah had provided?" Franjieh asked.

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