Hezbollah warns Lebanon faces 'dark tunnel'

[BoogyMan]

Essentially Hezbollah is telling Lebannon "Don't you dare investigate the murders of Rafiq Hariri or Pierre Gemayel or we will get you!"


SOURCE: Link Here (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061126/wl_mideast_afp/lebanonunrestpoliticshezbollah)

BEIRUT (AFP) - Powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah has warned that Lebanon risked plunging into a "dark tunnel" after the pro-Western cabinet pressed ahead with a controversial emergency session against the objections of pro-Syrians within the regime.

Saturday's meeting of the 17 anti-Syrian ministers who remain after the withdrawal of six pro-Syrian colleagues two weeks ago was dismissed as unconstitutional by both parliament speaker Nabih Berri and President Emile Lahoud.

Prime Minister Fuad Siniora called the meeting to take the next step in the ratification of an international court into ex-premier Rafiq Hariri's 2005 murder amid outrage over Tuesday's killing of anti-Syrian cabinet colleague Pierre Gemayel.

"Mr Siniora knows very well the constitutional procedures which should be respected," said Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah Sunday, referring to charges that only the president had the authority to approve an emergency cabinet meeting.

"And what he is doing is a blatant violation of the constitution, either by calling on his political grouping for a meeting, or by adopting unconstitutional decisions," he said referring derisively to Saturday's meeting of the rump cabinet.

MPs of the militant group, which fought a devastating summer war withÂ*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Israel, said they were ready to give the prime minister a little longer to return to the power-sharing arrangements that have been respected since the 1975-90 civil war before taking action.

They said the anti-government factions would wait until the end of the customary mourning period for Gemayel next Thursday before pressing ahead with their threatened campaign of street protests for a national unity government that they had postponed after Gemayel's murder.

"The ruling majority has a chance until the mourning period ends, and it should seize that opportunity, or else they will get themselves into a dark tunnel," warned the head of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc, Mohammed Raad.

"So we will wait for a few days. But we are still determined to carry out the actions that we had planned when the mourning period ends."

Raad warned that the six ministers who quit would not return until the prime minister began respecting Lebanon's national charter, which provides for the sharing of power between all of the country's myriad religious groups.

"The ministers who resigned will not return on their resignation without a guarantee for a full participation in political decision-making," he said.

"We do not consider that there is a constitutional government because we do not believe in its legitimacy.

"Let the ruling majority bear the responsibility for their hegemonic rule."

One of Hezbollah's two resigning ministers Mohammed Fneish said the movement's opposition was not to the principle of an international tribunal but to the pro-Western cabinet's riding roughshod over other factions.

"Agree to our participation in a national unity government and you will see whether we are ready to discuss the tribunal or not," he said in comments carried by the Lebanese press.

"We have accepted the principle of a tribunal but it's our right to discuss the details."

[Labrocca]

It looks like Hezbollah is getting entrenched in Lebannon now. I guess they raped the Palestinians enough they felt they needed somewhere else to pillage. What criminals these people are. Sad. If I lived in Lebanon I would get out asap.

[Alonzo]

It seems like they're complaining of having no say in how this proceeds. I'm not familiar with the lebanese constitution so I can't say whether it's a legitimate concern. But at the bottom it states that they accept an investigation into his death.


It looks like Hezbollah is getting entrenched in Lebannon now.Â*Â*I guess they raped the Palestinians enough they felt they needed somewhere else to pillage.Â*Â*What criminals these people are.Â*Â*Sad.Â*Â*If I lived in Lebanon I would get out asap.


? Hezbollah was founded in Lebanon in response to the Israeli occupation and has had immense power for a while, particularly since 2000. They've never operated in Palestine.

[BoogyMan]

They've never operated in Palestine.

Hi Zo.Â*Â*I don't know that you can stand behind this assertion.Â*Â*The PLO and Hezbollah have been comrade in arms organizations for quite some time.

Their Wikipedia page is here: Link Here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezbollah)

Notice one of the statements by Hassan Ezzedin, a Hezbollah spokesperson.

the Hezbollah campaign to rid Shebaa of Israeli troops is a pretext for something larger. 'If they go from Shebaa, we will not stop fighting them," he told [the New Yorker]. 'Our goal is to liberate the 1948 borders of Palestine

[Alonzo]

That's rhetoric. They claimed they were doing it for Palestine when they attacked Israel, even though Hezbollah had pledged to carry out the attack over a year ealier and it was likely little more than coincidence that the plans were ready at the time. Middle East PR rule #1 is to find a way to support the palestinians.

They've been allies with the PLO, but they've never actually carried out operations in Palestine or operations that weren't targetted at some goal for Lebanon.

[BoogyMan]

I really want to know where you have gotten definitive proof for that assertion Alonzo?

[Alonzo]

So you want me to prove a negative? It's usually up to the person claiming something exists to provide the evidence.

[BoogyMan]

So you want me to prove a negative? It's usually up to the person claiming something exists to provide the evidence.

I have made no claim. I simply pointed out that the two organizations are definately comrades in arms with goals that align, and asked you to support your assertion that Hezbollah has never operated in Palestine. I am still waiting. :)

[Alonzo]

Boogy, again, what evidence am I to provide that shows something never occurred?

I never murdered anyone, but there's no way I can prove it. What you're asking me to do is impossible. You want me to prove a negative.

[Elrathin]

I simply pointed out that the two organizations are definately comrades in arms with goals that align, and asked you to support your assertion that Hezbollah has never operated in Palestine. I am still waiting. :)


Where is the evidence that they HAVE operated in Palestine?

As alonzo said, you can't prove that someone didn't do something when no evidence has been provided that they did.

[BoogyMan]

I simply pointed out that the two organizations are definately comrades in arms with goals that align, and asked you to support your assertion that Hezbollah has never operated in Palestine.Â*Â*I am still waiting. :)


Where is the evidence that they HAVE operated in Palestine?

As alonzo said, you can't prove that someone didn't do something when no evidence has been provided that they did.


Good evening Elrathin,

Read the wikipedia post and the spokesman's comments from my previous post. If you read those comments honestly you will see that Hezbollah operation in Palestine cannot be definitively ruled out.

I did provide Hezbollah's own spokesman's words to substantiate my point that you cannot be dogmatic in saying that they never operated in Israel.

[Elrathin]

If you read those comments honestly you will see that Hezbollah operation in Palestine cannot be definitively ruled out.

I did, but just because I can't rule out that Aliens have landed on Earth, that doesn't mean it is true either.


I did provide Hezbollah's own spokesman's words to substantiate my point that you cannot be dogmatic in saying that they never operated in Israel.


Again, it isn't evidence of operating in Palestine. That is the point. You can say that you think it is probable or that you think it may have happened, but you CANNOT say it HAS happened without evidence of such which you haven't provided. Now do you see the point?

There is a difference in saying you THINK something happened and you KNOW something happened.

[BoogyMan]

Again, it isn't evidence of operating in Palestine.Â*Â*That is the point.Â*Â*You can say that you think it is probable or that you think it may have happened, but you CANNOT say it HAS happened without evidence of such which you haven't provided.Â*Â*Now do you see the point?

There is a difference in saying you THINK something happened and you KNOW something happened.


I didn't say I thought it happened either. You are trying desperately to create an argument where none exists. I simply said that it could not be ruled out, and I am correct in this based on Hezbollah's own statement.

The point of this whole set of commentary is to show Zo that his assertion that it never happened could not be portrayed as truth, just conjecture.

[Alonzo]

boogey, there is no reason to believe it has, especially with the reluctance of palestinian groups to allow internationals to fight for them. It's virtually impossible to prove that such a connection does not exist. There's really nothing that's going to prove that, and the only evidence that it has is the complete lack of evidence to the contrary. And, considering the quality of intelligence that comes from Israel, it would be very suprising if an organization like Hezbollah could carry out operations in Palestine without anyone knowing.

Make as many guesses as you want, but when there is a total lack of evidence for one thing, and plenty of opportunities for that evidence to arise, it casts significant doubt on whether it occurs.

I just want someone to show me that the u.s. did not intentionally supply India with technology to make nuclear weapons.

[BoogyMan]

boogey, there is no reason to believe it has, especially with the reluctance of palestinian groups to allow internationals to fight for them. It's virtually impossible to prove that such a connection does not exist. There's really nothing that's going to prove that, and the only evidence that it has is the complete lack of evidence to the contrary. And, considering the quality of intelligence that comes from Israel, it would be very suprising if an organization like Hezbollah could carry out operations in Palestine without anyone knowing.

Make as many guesses as you want, but when there is a total lack of evidence for one thing, and plenty of opportunities for that evidence to arise, it casts significant doubt on whether it occurs.

I just want someone to show me that the u.s. did not intentionally supply India with technology to make nuclear weapons.


Nice attempt at diversion of the discussion Zo, when you make a dogmatic statement such as "never operated in palestine" it tends to make me think you feel you have proof of such an assertion. I gave you sources that could be used to consider that they might cooperate but you refuse to support your claim. I am simply quoting Hezbollah's own commentary.

[Alonzo]

Boogy, you asked someone to provide evidence that something does not exist. How exactly is anyone supposed to do that with something like this? What do you want me to do? Post thousands of articles and point out how each of them do not mention hezbollah operating in palestine?

And the comment is not evidence that Hezbollah has carried out operations in palestine.

[BoogyMan]

Boogy, you asked someone to provide evidence that something does not exist. How exactly is anyone supposed to do that with something like this? What do you want me to do? Post thousands of articles and point out how each of them do not mention hezbollah operating in palestine?

And the comment is not evidence that Hezbollah has carried out operations in palestine.


You don't seem to be willing to try and grasp the idea that I didn't say it was proof that they did, but it could rule out the possibility that they never have.

[Labrocca]

I get Hezbollah and Hamas confused for one second and you guys go off on a tangent.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1908671.stm


Hezbollah - or Party of God - emerged in Lebanon in the early 1980s and became the region's leading radical Islamic movement, determined to drive Israeli troops from Lebanon.

In May 2000 - due partly to the success of the party's military arm - one of its main aims was achieved. Israel's battered and bruised army was forced to end its two-decade occupation of the south.

Hezbollah now serves as an inspiration to Palestinian factions fighting to liberate occupied territory.

Hezbollah has embraced the Palestinian cause

The party, in turn, has embraced the Palestinian cause and has said publicly that it is ready to open a second front against Israel in support of the intifada.

Hezbollah was conceived in 1982 by a group of clerics after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. It was formed primarily to offer resistance to the Israeli occupation.


I am sure Hezbollah has done SOME dirty work in Palestine even if it's just providing arms.

Anyways this is getting off topic now.