Analysis: Will Hariri Drop the Tribunal?

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*By Tariq Alhomayed

I have listened a lot to Walid Jumblatt’s concerns regarding the consequences of the International Tribunal’s indictments, especially if Hezbollah are accused, to the extent that he considerers the Tribunal to be a source of trouble, implementing plans to divide the region. Today, Jumblatt is urging Saad Hariri to declare that “the International Tribunal has become politicized, and that he [Hariri] wants to dismiss it before indictments are issued”, further warning of a “return of sectarian clashes in the streets”.

Before commenting on whether or not to disband the Tribunal, we must first discuss some points here. If Jumblatt fears civil unrest in Lebanon today, why did he not express concern for the peace and stability of Syria in the past, especially when he says that the Tribunal is continuing an [earlier] division project? If Jumblatt fears sectarian strife in Lebanon today, why did he not express the same concern when Rafik Hariri was assassinated?

The reason is simple, of course. Rafik Hariri was never the leader of a militia, but a statesman, and therefore the law must fight for his right, and the right of his unarmed followers. It is also necessary put an end to assassinations in Lebanon, whatever the price. In 2008, Hezbollah did not fear the prospect of a country in chaos, but instead occupied Beirut, because of a dispute over cameras and communication networks. Hezbollah also did not fear civil unrest at the time when it besieged Jumblatt in the mountains. Why raise the issue of civil unrest today with those who were not deterred by it in the past? The situation today confirms that the Iranian project in the region and in Lebanon is a religion-based project, and what could lead to more civil –unrest in a country as diverse in terms of religions and sects like Lebanon then the Iran-sponsored project.

Whilst Jumblatt requests such action from Hariri, in order to discredit the Tribunal, arguing Hariri is not impartial in the process, as he is avenging a blood relative, Hezbollah claims today that the ball is in Hariri’s court, and he must put the [Lebanese] wagon back on track, in statements attributed to the group after the meeting between the Lebanese Prime Minister and Ahmadinejad. [To cancel the International Tribunal] would not be political suicide, as those close to Hariri say, but it would be a shot of madness, and a complete destruction of Rafik Hariri’s state-building project.

In the case of increased pressure on the Lebanese Prime Minister, or in the case of an impasse, Saad Hariri would rather submit his resignation as Prime Minister, so as not to harm the credibility of the Tribunal. This would leave others the responsibility of disabling the Tribunal, and facing the Lebanese citizens, who see it as a safeguard protecting them from assassinations, and the influx of arms that transformed Lebanon into a Wali al-Faqih state.

What the Lebanese Prime Minister has to remember today is that Rafik Hariri offered concessions during his leadership, most notably the extension of Emile Lahoud’s presidency, and despite this he was unable to form a government. On the day when he famously offered his resignation, he said: “I entrust to God the Almighty, this beloved country of Lebanon, and its good people…” He then returned home, only to be assassinated a few months later. This is what his son remembers today, and thus he will not submit to concessions. It is not a matter of his personality, but his project, and the project of his father, which is in the interest of the future of Lebanon.

*Tariq Alhomayed is the Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat,

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9 responses to “Analysis: Will Hariri Drop the Tribunal?”

  1. Thank you the for great article Tariq and I agree with you Saad Hariri must not give up the STL or give up his position. Stay strong and steadfast and in the end Truth will win. Even if Saad gave up the STL, Syria is already indicating it wants to drop many of his advisers and give up lots in the process in order to have his say in the gov’t. Who needs that and may as well go down fighting rather than give it up. If the STL was to given up then he will be backstabbing his father and many others who died in vain then..The forces of evil will win and they will even become more arrogant and believe they can continue to kill and have their without anyone stopping them. Can you imagine if the STL was dropped how much it will increase the moral of these criminals and thugs? if the Lebanon with the help of the international community cannot stop these criminals, then who’s to say what they will do next? Many March 8th supporters want to trust hezbollah but how can we after all they’ve done and threats and destructions they have inflicted on Lebanese and Lebanon in general. We’re not saying give up to Israel, but if they truly love lebanon and not Iran. Then give up those thugs and Hariri indicated he will look the other if the members were indicted and I am sure he will still deal with Hezbollah and many other Lebanese will. Then they will be trust and mutual respect and beliefs that the country avoided civil strife all because Hezbollah, Syria and Iran trying to protect each other from being accused of crimes so clearly they have committed. I think it goes beyond Hezbollah Members and it goes thru Damascus and all the way to Khomeini himself. That’s the only way we can explain all the forceful protection and maniacal daily threats by Hezbollah, Syria and Iran the snake..

  2.  Avatar

    Thank you the for great article Tariq and I agree with you Saad Hariri must not give up the STL or give up his position. Stay strong and steadfast and in the end Truth will win. Even if Saad gave up the STL, Syria is already indicating it wants to drop many of his advisers and give up lots in the process in order to have his say in the gov’t. Who needs that and may as well go down fighting rather than give it up. If the STL was to given up then he will be backstabbing his father and many others who died in vain then..The forces of evil will win and they will even become more arrogant and believe they can continue to kill and have their without anyone stopping them. Can you imagine if the STL was dropped how much it will increase the moral of these criminals and thugs? if the Lebanon with the help of the international community cannot stop these criminals, then who’s to say what they will do next? Many March 8th supporters want to trust hezbollah but how can we after all they’ve done and threats and destructions they have inflicted on Lebanese and Lebanon in general. We’re not saying give up to Israel, but if they truly love lebanon and not Iran. Then give up those thugs and Hariri indicated he will look the other if the members were indicted and I am sure he will still deal with Hezbollah and many other Lebanese will. Then they will be trust and mutual respect and beliefs that the country avoided civil strife all because Hezbollah, Syria and Iran trying to protect each other from being accused of crimes so clearly they have committed. I think it goes beyond Hezbollah Members and it goes thru Damascus and all the way to Khomeini himself. That’s the only way we can explain all the forceful protection and maniacal daily threats by Hezbollah, Syria and Iran the snake..

  3. There is no need for this analysis for the below reasons:

    1. Saed Hariri cannot drop the STL even if he wanted to, it is not a personal or a local tribunal, this is an international tribunal that has the UN controlling it. In Lebanon’s case it is financed 50% by the international community and 50% by the Leb. Gov. Even if the Leb. Gov. stopped paying it’s share Saudi and USA will cover Lebanon’s part as they have previously committed themselves for so in case the Leb. Gov. couldn’t manage to do so on its own.

    2. Saed Al Harir is not Rafic Al Hariri whether we like it or not, but he is man enough not to sell his father’s blood or compromise on an investigation that might lead to his father’s killers. For Allah’s sake I am a Lebanese and I am not related by blood to Rafic El Hariri and would not let go of the STL no matter what….you honestly think the son of this great man would?????

    3. The STL has become a symbol of the search for the truth at least for March 14 coalition (should be for every true lebanese too), it is also a symbol for the search for the truth that we owe to every Lebanese who died as a result of a political assasination even since before Rene Muawwad….the STL is bigger than a person called Saed El Hariri or his late father Sheikh Rafic El Hariri.

    I pray to Allah that He protects our homes and lands after before the STL and way after the STL is over.

    A message to HezbuAllah:

    I have grown up in the South of Lebanon watching your heroic fights against Israel in the 80s and 90s, I have also watched your courage in defying Israel in 2006 regardless whether I am with you politically or not, you as HezbuAllah has managed to make one of the world’s strongest armies Neil to their knees and scream in fear on our grounds which is something that never happened before….you made every real ARAB proud and happy to see ISREAL Troops fleeing away and failing over and over to gain inches of our land and for that I salute you. I also Salute you for making half of the Zionists sleep in shelters for 33 days rather than sit relaxed in their houses watching their troops slaughtering our people….they lived in fear too for a change..you did make every Arab proud up till 2006 war was over.

    NEVERTHELESS, shame on you on the day you invaded part of Beirut that I refuse to call the Sunni areas as it is a Lebanese area just like Daheya or any other area in Lebanon….but you did target an area in Lebanon and intimidated and shot on innocent people who were basically armless and untrained compared to your troops that were heavily armed and hardened by fights against Isreal. Shame on you for pointing your guns and tongues toward fellow Lebanese Muslims and Non Muslims.
    Shame on you for failing our trust in you as a pure resistance at one point to a militia that wouldn’t hesitate stepping on the Goverment that is elected by the PEOPLE in order to impose your demands.

    It is really sad to lose the dream of having heroes that would protect every inch of Lebanon and replacing it with a nightmare of a militia holding arms and threaten our future and the future of our kids.

    Salam

  4. There is no need for this analysis for the below reasons:

    1. Saed Hariri cannot drop the STL even if he wanted to, it is not a personal or a local tribunal, this is an international tribunal that has the UN controlling it. In Lebanon’s case it is financed 50% by the international community and 50% by the Leb. Gov. Even if the Leb. Gov. stopped paying it’s share Saudi and USA will cover Lebanon’s part as they have previously committed themselves for so in case the Leb. Gov. couldn’t manage to do so on its own.

    2. Saed Al Harir is not Rafic Al Hariri whether we like it or not, but he is man enough not to sell his father’s blood or compromise on an investigation that might lead to his father’s killers. For Allah’s sake I am a Lebanese and I am not related by blood to Rafic El Hariri and would not let go of the STL no matter what….you honestly think the son of this great man would?????

    3. The STL has become a symbol of the search for the truth at least for March 14 coalition (should be for every true lebanese too), it is also a symbol for the search for the truth that we owe to every Lebanese who died as a result of a political assasination even since before Rene Muawwad….the STL is bigger than a person called Saed El Hariri or his late father Sheikh Rafic El Hariri.

    I pray to Allah that He protects our homes and lands after before the STL and way after the STL is over.

    A message to HezbuAllah:

    I have grown up in the South of Lebanon watching your heroic fights against Israel in the 80s and 90s, I have also watched your courage in defying Israel in 2006 regardless whether I am with you politically or not, you as HezbuAllah has managed to make one of the world’s strongest armies Neil to their knees and scream in fear on our grounds which is something that never happened before….you made every real ARAB proud and happy to see ISREAL Troops fleeing away and failing over and over to gain inches of our land and for that I salute you. I also Salute you for making half of the Zionists sleep in shelters for 33 days rather than sit relaxed in their houses watching their troops slaughtering our people….they lived in fear too for a change..you did make every Arab proud up till 2006 war was over.

    NEVERTHELESS, shame on you on the day you invaded part of Beirut that I refuse to call the Sunni areas as it is a Lebanese area just like Daheya or any other area in Lebanon….but you did target an area in Lebanon and intimidated and shot on innocent people who were basically armless and untrained compared to your troops that were heavily armed and hardened by fights against Isreal. Shame on you for pointing your guns and tongues toward fellow Lebanese Muslims and Non Muslims.
    Shame on you for failing our trust in you as a pure resistance at one point to a militia that wouldn’t hesitate stepping on the Goverment that is elected by the PEOPLE in order to impose your demands.

    It is really sad to lose the dream of having heroes that would protect every inch of Lebanon and replacing it with a nightmare of a militia holding arms and threaten our future and the future of our kids.

    Salam

  5. There is no need for this analysis for the below reasons:

    1. Saed Hariri cannot drop the STL even if he wanted to, it is not a personal or a local tribunal, this is an international tribunal that has the UN controlling it. In Lebanon’s case it is financed 50% by the international community and 50% by the Leb. Gov. Even if the Leb. Gov. stopped paying it’s share Saudi and USA will cover Lebanon’s part as they have previously committed themselves for so in case the Leb. Gov. couldn’t manage to do so on its own.

    2. Saed Al Harir is not Rafic Al Hariri whether we like it or not, but he is man enough not to sell his father’s blood or compromise on an investigation that might lead to his father’s killers. For Allah’s sake I am a Lebanese and I am not related by blood to Rafic El Hariri and would not let go of the STL no matter what….you honestly think the son of this great man would?????

    3. The STL has become a symbol of the search for the truth at least for March 14 coalition (should be for every true lebanese too), it is also a symbol for the search for the truth that we owe to every Lebanese who died as a result of a political assasination even since before Rene Muawwad….the STL is bigger than a person called Saed El Hariri or his late father Sheikh Rafic El Hariri.

    I pray to Allah that He protects our homes and lands after before the STL and way after the STL is over.

    A message to HezbuAllah:

    I have grown up in the South of Lebanon watching your heroic fights against Israel in the 80s and 90s, I have also watched your courage in defying Israel in 2006 regardless whether I am with you politically or not, you as HezbuAllah has managed to make one of the world’s strongest armies Neil to their knees and scream in fear on our grounds which is something that never happened before….you made every real ARAB proud and happy to see ISREAL Troops fleeing away and failing over and over to gain inches of our land and for that I salute you. I also Salute you for making half of the Zionists sleep in shelters for 33 days rather than sit relaxed in their houses watching their troops slaughtering our people….they lived in fear too for a change..you did make every Arab proud up till 2006 war was over.

    NEVERTHELESS, shame on you on the day you invaded part of Beirut that I refuse to call the Sunni areas as it is a Lebanese area just like Daheya or any other area in Lebanon….but you did target an area in Lebanon and intimidated and shot on innocent people who were basically armless and untrained compared to your troops that were heavily armed and hardened by fights against Isreal. Shame on you for pointing your guns and tongues toward fellow Lebanese Muslims and Non Muslims.

    Shame on you for failing our trust in you as a pure resistance at one point to a militia that wouldn’t hesitate stepping on the Goverment that is elected by the PEOPLE in order to impose your demands.

    It is really sad to lose the dream of having heroes that would protect every inch of Lebanon and replacing it with a nightmare of a militia holding arms and threaten our future and the future of our kids.

    Salam

  6. joseph_phdmath Avatar
    joseph_phdmath

    agree with jad on this article 100 %

  7.  Avatar

    agree with jad on this article 100 %

  8. Hariri won’t, no one in lebanon want it to be drop, what isn’t accepted is the fact that the tribunal is essentially foreignly supported, and weirdly quite-imposed.
    You must understand it.

  9. Hariri won’t, no one in lebanon want it to be drop, what isn’t accepted is the fact that the tribunal is essentially foreignly supported, and weirdly quite-imposed.
    You must understand it.

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