31/12/2010 In only a few hours, the year 2010 will close its last page…
In only a few hours, Lebanese will "celebrate" the "end" of the year 2010, without any "regret," paving the way for another year to continue the difficult path…
The year 2010 might not be of the best that Lebanese witnessed in the last decade. Indeed, and despite the fact that the year 2010 wasn't hit by a series of blasts or political assassinations, it was characterized since its beginning by "catastrophes" from all kinds, natural but also political ones.
The year, which ends with a "dark" picture despite a "window of hope", has portrayed the Lebanese State as "powerless" and "ineffective" as Lebanese are just wishing their "paralyzed" government could hold a session and take a decision over a sensitive issue such as the false witnesses’ file.
Thus, the general picture with the end of the year 2010 seems to be as follows: a "conflict" between settlement and chaos, the final indictment in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri is believed to be released "very very soon," the Saudi-Syrian efforts to resolve the Lebanese crisis have reached their semi-final stages, the false witnesses continue to enjoy a Lebanese and international "protection" until further notice…
This is the general picture with the end of the year 2010, the year which began with a "catastrophe" on January 25 with the collapse of the famous Ethiopian plane and which ended with tens of question marks over the future of the country…
SPECIAL TRIBUNAL FOR LEBANON: TALK OF THE TOWN
During the year 2010, the so-called Special Tribunal for Lebanon turned to be the "talk of the town" in the country after being the essence of all debates and conflicts. The STL, which aims by definition to find the killers of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, didn’t seem in 2010 to be a uniting factor in the country after its political aspect was uncovered.
The STL officials sought during the year to defend their tribunal as its Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare ended the year claiming that allegations of politicization are groundless and that such claims are made by "people who may fear the outcome of the tribunal's decision or of the tribunal's effort to uncover the truth."
Lebanese, however, weren’t convinced by Bellemare’s statements that the final indictment would be supported by credible evidence especially that a large majority of them believes that the verdict is already written and awaits the suitable political timing.
HEZBOLLAH BATTLE AGAINST STL POLITICIZATION
This conclusion was made by Lebanese thanks to the campaign launched by Hezbollah throughout the year against the tribunal’s politicization. The starting point was made on March 31 when Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah announced, during an exclusive interview with Al-Manar Television, that the Attorney General office contacted 12 people who have close ties with Hezbollah and requested they appear before judicial authorities as witnesses.
After a long break, Sayyed Nasrallah raised the issue again on July 22 in a press conference in which he warned that Lebanon has been pushed into a very sensitive and complicate stage from the gates of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. While expressing belief that the indictment had been written, before the investigation, Sayyed Nasrallah revealed that Prime Minister Saad Hariri has visited him and told him an indictment will be issued and it will implicate ‘undisciplined members of Hezbollah’, not the whole party.
The battle entered a new stage on August 9 when Sayyed Nasrallah held a press conference with one bold headline: Israel behind Rafiq Hariri’s assassination. During the conference, his eminence the Israeli enemy of involvement in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, presenting tangible proof and evidence of an Israeli potential role in the crime as well as other crimes that hit Lebanon during the few past years.
The Israeli hypothesis was ignored as expected by the STL officials, who were engaged on October 27 when a team of investigators entered a gynecology clinic in Southern Suburb of Beirut and demanded the archives of a number of patients, sparking dispute with women there. In response, Hezbollah Secretary General called on October 28 called for boycotting and ending cooperation with the international investigators affiliated with the international tribunal, warning that cooperation with these investigators was the same as facilitating their mission and attacking the Resistance.
On November 11, Sayyed Nasrallah announced that the party’s members and Mujahideen were believed to be a red line. During his speech, Sayyed Nasrallah said that whoever believes that the Resistance might accept that any of its Mujahideen or leaders be accused of involvement in the assassination is mistaken regardless of the degree of the threats and pressures exerted on the Resistance, adding that any hand that would seek to arrest any of Hezbollah members would be cut off.
The final Hezbollah position towards the tribunal was declared by Sayyed Nasrallah on December 16 when his eminence said loudly that conspiracy of the STL will go with the wind just like the fate of previous conspiracies, days after Hezbollah has opened the legal confrontation with the tribunal through a press conference held on December 8 by the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Mohamad Raad and the legal expert Salim Jrayssati.
SAUDI-SYRIAN ALLIANCE IN LEBANON’S INTEREST
Hezbollah believed that the STL was nothing but a conspiracy targeting the region and the Resistance in particular. In contrast, the Resistance party has always announced its full support for the Saudi-Syrian efforts to resolve the Lebanese crisis through all means.
In this context, July 30 seems to be an exceptional day for Lebanon. In this day, Lebanon has received at the same time two exceptional leaders: Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and Syrian President Bashar Assad. They came together to Lebanon, delivering a clear message to all Lebanese and consolidating security in the country.
It was also the launching date of the Saudi-Syrian efforts which are still continuous with Syrian President Bashar Assad saying that they have reached their semi-final stage, and as press reports predicted that the Syrian-Saudi initiative’s outcome be released before January 15.
AHMADINEJAD IN LEBANON
Another exceptional date in the year 2010 was, without doubt, October 13.
On this day, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in an unprecedented exceptional and historic visit aimed at stressing unity of the Lebanese and Iranian peoples. The Iranian President, who was greeted by crowds gathered at the Airport Road, spent two days in Lebanon between the capital Beirut and the Resistant South, where he took part in a series of official and public ceremonies.
The Iranian President’s visit to Beirut, which was preceded by a phone call between him and the Saudi king, was hailed by all Lebanese parties, including those who earlier slammed the visit as "provocative," in a suspicious with the Israeli enemy’s state of alertness which was maintained until Ahmadinejad left Lebanon.
Other Arab and Western leaders visited Lebanon during the year 2010 as well, including Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who visited Beirut on 24 November, as well as Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa and others.
JUMBLATT FINALLY IN DAMASCUS
The main event of the year was, meanwhile, the return of excellent ties between Damascus and the head of the Democratic Gathering in Lebanon MP Walid Jumblatt.
The Progressive Socialist Party leader, who didn’t take part in 2010 for the first time in the festival organized by the so-called March 14 party in the anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, reconciled with all his former foes, including former President Emil Lahoud, Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun and, of course, Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The road to Damascus was not too easy for Jumblatt, who said on February 2 that he will not apologize. But on February 9, everything changed. He made his first confession, denying having called for Syria’s invasion, hoping that his clarification would delete the past’s insults. On February 23, he admitted that he has made mistakes. On March 13, he went on to urge President Assad to forget what he has said in the past and went on to say that personally, he will forgive and forget everything related to the past.
Finally, Jumblatt got what he sought to achieve. On March 15, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah informed him that the Syrian leadership will open a new chapter in its relation with him and that Syrian President Bachar Assad will receive him in Damascus at a date to be announced later.
Before the month of March saw its end, Jumblatt’s dream turned to be true and the PSP leader was visiting Syria and meeting with President Assad.
SEDITION… RED LINE OF 2010!
Sedition might be the most used word by Lebanese politicians during the year of 2010. All of them confronted it, all of them didn’t seek it, all of them believed it was the most serious threat endangering the country. But all of them warned it was very probable.
On August 24, a "stupid" clash could have paved the way for it. However, and thanks to Hezbollah and Association of Islamic Charitable Projects (Al-Ahbash) quick response, sedition didn’t triumph. After a clash which left three martyrs, including two Hezbollah senior members, both groups issued a joint statement in which they said that the incident resulted from a personal dispute and stressed that the incident has no political or sectarian background. The calm was restored between the two parties and was consolidated on August 30, when Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and Al-Ahbash chief Shiekh Hussam Qaraqirah met and agreed on forming a commission charged with compensating the people hurt by the clash.
Sedition also appeared through some sectarian statements made throughout the year by many March 14 politicians who didn’t hesitate to use sectarian expressions and to ignite Lebanese. Its threat was also manifested by a political TV show “Kalam An-Nass” over weapons.
NATIONAL DIALOGUE… MISSION ACCOMPLISHED?!
During the year 2010, the national dialogue returned with a new season at the Baabda Presidential Palace with new participants. However, the “unsuccessful” season seemed to have ended unexpectedly.
The national dialogue table was reactivated with the beginning of the year 2010 and new figures took part in the new season, including the head of the Marada movement MP Sleiman Franjieh, the head of the Lebanes Democratic party MP Talal Erslan, the of the Syrian Socialist National Party MP Assaad Hardan and others.
Yet, nothing has been achieved throughout the year concerning the defense strategy, the main subject of debate. Therefore, the only achievement made by the table was its success in uniting the rival political leaders. This achievement, however, didn’t seem to be possible anymore.
On November 4, the political crisis in the country was reflected in the dialogue table, which was boycotted by the national opposition. Speaker Nabih Berri was the only opposition representative. The session was postponed after less than an hour of its beginning with a promise of a new meeting before Independence Day, meaning November 22.
Unfortunately, the year has ended without witnessing another session of the formal dialogue committee.
FALSE WITNESSES PARALYZED GOVERNMENT
The national dialogue committee was not the only paralyzed institution during the year 2010. The so-called national unity is exemplary in this context.
The government, which adopted the slogan of the “people’s priority,” didn’t seem to look at the people and their concerns. The false witnesses were its only preoccupation as March 14 ministers insisted in “protecting” them.
The government, which is unable to hold any session out of fear of settling the issue of the false witnesses, has opened their file on September 6, when Prime Minister Saad Hariri admitted that they were present and that they have harmed the Lebanese-Syrian ties. His acknowledgement was not reflected in the cabinet. In response, AMAL ministers decided on October 6 that they won’t take part in any cabinet session that would not tackle the issue of the false witnesses. The opposition was afterwards united and stressed the necessity of referring the false witnesses’ file to the Judicial Council, calling for resorting to the voting process since consensus was not reached, a principle that was rejected by President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
In addition to the false witnesses, two main challenges threatened the government’s unity in 2010. The first was Lebanon’s participation in the Arab Summit which was held in Libya, which AMAL and Hezbollah were rejecting. The government decided on March 24 to charge Lebanon’s ambassador to the Arab League to represent in the country, in what seemed to be an exist that satisfied all parties.
The sanctions against Iran threatened the government as well. While the opposition was calling for Lebanon to stand against the sanctions in the United Nations Security Council, the final decision was to stay “neutral” and abstain from voting. The decision was made on June 9.
Meanwhile, the municipal elections seemed to be the only semi-achievement made by the government in 2010, given that the government failed in adopting the new electoral law in the municipal polls.
ARMY-RESISTANCE-PEOPLE BALANCE…
The year 2010 was also characterized by the success of the golden balance of the Army-Resistance-People balance in defense of Lebanon.
On August 3, the Lebanese Army engaged in a heroic battle with the so-called undefeatable army, the Israeli one. But the Lebanese national army couldn’t remain quiet in the face of the Israeli provocations which violated all norms, given that the Israeli enemy was violating the Lebanese sovereignty day and night.
RESISTANCE AND ARMY ACHIEVEMENTS…
The cooperation between the Resistance and the Army was also reflected during the year 2010 through original achievements in the domain of confronting the Israeli spying activities in Lebanon.
On December 15, the Lebanese Army announced that it has dismantled two "espionage devices" that Israel had placed on top of two of the country's mountains, acting on an alert from the Resistance.
The Islamic Resistance has also announced on December 3 that it has succeeded in thwarting an Israeli spy attempt on its telecommunications network in Wadi al-Qaisiyeh near Majdal Silim in South Lebanon.
PSYCHOLOGICAL WAR CONTINUOUS…
The cooperation between the army and the resistance also paved the way during the year 2010 to arrest a number of Israeli Mossad spies in the country as part of the psychological which continued in 2010.
One of the most serious concerns of the year 2010 was that the Telecoms networks in Lebanon was completely violated, a fact that Lebanon highlighted before international institutions, getting international condemnations by Telecoms companies and gatherings.
LAST WORD…
Away from politics, one sad event took place in 2010…
In this year, and precisely on July 4, Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohamad Hussein Fadallah passed away after a conflict with illness, leaving behind them a complete and rich heritage for all coming generations.
Sayyed Fadlallah, who was mourned by all Lebanese as a huge loss to the country, died but is still alive in the spirits of all those who loved him and trusted him… 7:38:52 PM
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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