Analysis: Will Hezbollah be brought to justice in Lebanon?

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By Firas Maksad

Surrounded by joyful children, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri recently inaugurated the holiday season in glitzy downtown Beirut. It was a festive scene—but one that ignored the demons currently threatening that country’s fragile stability. Tensions in Lebanon are high. The U.N.-backed Special Tribunal, set up in the Hague to prosecute the killers of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister and Saad’s father, is preparing to issue indictments.

All indications point to members of Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group loyal to Iran, as the main culprits in the 2005 murder. If Hezbollah militants are indicted, it could lead to serious unrest between the group’s Shiite base and the largely Sunni followers of the assassinated prime minister. Regional actors including Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United States all have a stake in the outcome.

Many have called for scuttling the tribunal out of fear of the instability it could create. Lebanon is not prepared for justice, these voices claim. New York Times columnist Roger Cohen has argued that “Lebanese stability is precarious and tenuous: it trumps justice delayed, foreign and flawed.” And Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has questioned “the use for tribunal justice if it leads to slaughter.” True enough, the Middle East does not need another Sunni-Shiite conflict. But rewarding those who engage in assassinations by letting them walk free will only encourage more violence.

Justice is the only path to lasting stability in Lebanon. Without it, Sunni extremists itching to take on their Shiite counterparts will only grow in strength. Sunnis more generally will feel betrayed twice—first for having their leader assassinated and second for being denied justice. Thwarting the tribunal is a guaranteed path to further Sunni-Shiite tensions and a greater sense of anger in the country and the region.

For its part, Hezbollah is attempting to smear the tribunal, labeling it an “American-Israeli project.” But no one knows what evidence an indictment will put forward. Judgments about the court’s integrity should be withheld until then, and no one should be duped by Hezbollah’s misinformation campaign.

Most people in Lebanon already believe that Hezbollah has been exposed for what it truly is, especially after the self-proclaimed “resistance” against Israel turned its weapons against fellow Lebanese in the domestic troubles of 2008. An indictment with solid evidence will only further isolate the group within Lebanon and tarnish its carefully cultivated image in the broader Arab and Muslim worlds.

That said, Hezbollah’s overwhelming hold over Lebanon’s Shiite community will no doubt remain a key source of its strength. Unraveling this relationship will require a long-term strategy, including engaging with local partners to find alternatives to the extensive social services and patronage networks that the group has employed to capture Shiite loyalty since its 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut.

As for the assassination of Rafik Hariri, few Lebanese believe that Hezbollah would have acted without direction from—and coordination with—the Syrian forces that controlled their country at the time of the crime in February 2005. Collective Lebanese consciousness has been shaped by a long history of Syrian-inspired political killings, and Syria has long maintained close relations with Hezbollah.

It remains to be seen whether the evidence collected at the Hague will be enough to prosecute not only those who carried out the crime, but those who planned and ordered the killing. International pressure on the tribunal may spare the Syrian regime.

For those of us watching these developments in the relative safety of America, let us remember that what happens in the seemingly distant Middle East often comes to haunt us. As we prepare to usher in the new year, let us think of families who do so with genuine fear. And let us stand by those pursuing justice not only because it’s the right thing, but for the sake of our long-term interests and theirs.

Mr. Maksad, a consultant with the law firm DLA Piper, is an executive director at the Lebanon Renaissance Foundation, which seeks to strengthen U.S.-Lebanon relations and support a free, pluralistic Lebanon.

WSJ

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15 responses to “Analysis: Will Hezbollah be brought to justice in Lebanon?”

  1. Quick answer……NNNNNOOOOOO

  2. Quick answer……NNNNNOOOOOO

  3. Quick answer……NNNNNOOOOOO

  4. the search for those involved and bringing them to justice is the right thing to do— in my eyes anyway!

    But i am an Australian living in Lebanon at this time and every second that passes by is a relief that nothing has happened. Let’s just pray that nothing errupts as the innocent people are the ones that lose out in the end 🙁 while the high almighty politicians live to rule another day!

    I find lebanon to be the most beautiful country in the world and the smallest at the same time. And surrounding countries and politicians use it as a playstation game whenever they are bored. IT would be quite nice for the lebanese nationals to live at least one whole year without any political drama…if only!!

    rita.

    1. Rita your are absolutly right!!

  5.  Avatar

    the search for those involved and bringing them to justice is the right thing to do— in my eyes anyway!

    But i am an Australian living in Lebanon at this time and every second that passes by is a relief that nothing has happened. Let’s just pray that nothing errupts as the innocent people are the ones that lose out in the end 🙁 while the high almighty politicians live to rule another day!

    I find lebanon to be the most beautiful country in the world and the smallest at the same time. And surrounding countries and politicians use it as a playstation game whenever they are bored. IT would be quite nice for the lebanese nationals to live at least one whole year without any political drama…if only!!

    rita.

    1. Rita your are absolutly right!!

  6. What Justice? Hezbollah is innocent and everyone knows that the enemies of Lebanon are trying to frame these people who have done nothing wrong for their political gain. They want to run our country for us. Don’t forget that Hezbollah’s men shed their blood for all of us to defend Lebanon.

    Lebanese people unite against the enemy and against the people who wish you harm.

    Has everybody forgotten what Israel did to Lebanon in 1982 and the many times Israel assaulted Lebanon and violated our air space, sea and land? They took our farmers and our young Lebanese men and put them in their jails for nothing.

    Wake up Lebanon and unite for the sake of your country we are all one family, make the enemy fail in their attempt to destroy our country our reputation and our economy.

    Don’t ever think that the West and Israel loves you, history has proven otherwise. Love each-other and you will come over the obstacles the outside world has created for you. We are all the same people Shia, Sunni, Druze, Christians we all share the same DNA.

    You just have to look at the many surnames in Lebanon that is shared by many different religious group we are one family.

    1. nabilabuzaid Avatar
      nabilabuzaid

      Wafa if they’re innocent then they have every means to prove themselves instead of resorting to violence to prove their points. That’s not innocent party when it behaves like thugs in the streets? create war with its deadly enemy to free some jackass terrorists like Samir quntar. or kill people because they want to control the communications in and around the airport. Or do sit-in for 2 yrs to destroy Lebanon economy. Or kill a Lebanese pilot because heaven forbid he flew over their area. And even after the other pilot who remained alive was taking hostage by them until negotiated to be freed. What about the attacks on Ahbash? what about sending their thugs to celeberate Ashura in Christians areas and as they were leaving they were calling the local resident “Filth”. You’re insulting and killing all of us when you say these murderors are innocent. There are no different between Hezbollah and Israelis. We will unite after you submit those assassins to the STL. We can be united if you’re truly sincere and not deceitful. How many agreements was put in place and HA and their allies never followed it. Of course the latest riots from March 14th side do not look good but the people are outraged at what HA has been doing and still doing to them. The ecomoney sucks and you blame the whole thing on Hariri as if HA and their allies in the gov’t didn’t stall every project out there. If you’re innocent then prove yourself in the court of Law. if there were determined that you were innocent, I for one will follow you to death. Otherwise let us be united on good terms and with all honesty. It takes two to tangle and the only ones HA want to tangle is with Syria and Iran. They have no good interest for Lebanon just like the Israelis, Iranians and Syrians. To us they’re all the enemoies of Lebanon and you’;re too..

    2. nabilabuzaid Avatar
      nabilabuzaid

      Wafa if they’re innocent then they have every means to prove themselves instead of resorting to violence to prove their points. That’s not innocent party when it behaves like thugs in the streets? create war with its deadly enemy to free some jackass terrorists like Samir quntar. or kill people because they want to control the communications in and around the airport. Or do sit-in for 2 yrs to destroy Lebanon economy. Or kill a Lebanese pilot because heaven forbid he flew over their area. And even after the other pilot who remained alive was taking hostage by them until negotiated to be freed. What about the attacks on Ahbash? what about sending their thugs to celeberate Ashura in Christians areas and as they were leaving they were calling the local resident “Filth”. You’re insulting and killing all of us when you say these murderors are innocent. There are no different between Hezbollah and Israelis. We will unite after you submit those assassins to the STL. We can be united if you’re truly sincere and not deceitful. How many agreements was put in place and HA and their allies never followed it. Of course the latest riots from March 14th side do not look good but the people are outraged at what HA has been doing and still doing to them. The ecomoney sucks and you blame the whole thing on Hariri as if HA and their allies in the gov’t didn’t stall every project out there. If you’re innocent then prove yourself in the court of Law. if there were determined that you were innocent, I for one will follow you to death. Otherwise let us be united on good terms and with all honesty. It takes two to tangle and the only ones HA want to tangle is with Syria and Iran. They have no good interest for Lebanon just like the Israelis, Iranians and Syrians. To us they’re all the enemoies of Lebanon and you’;re too..

    3. Wafa, I love you first because you are a person and second because you are lebanese… I wish you can see our point of view. Ha is innocent until it is proven guilty…We have to put our faith in the law to protect us from within… Some lebanese would rather follow a blind ideology aim at changing lebanon into a satellite state at the service of an extrimist state, and they will impose it with violence and intimidation. If you don’t see it with all due respect you are blinded by your trust to a movement that won’t hesitate to kill other lebanese for the sake of their ideology…

      Like you I believe we should unite under one flag one nation and one army… This is the formula that will protect us from all enemies…

      Peace

  7. What Justice? Hezbollah is innocent and everyone knows that the enemies of Lebanon are trying to frame these people who have done nothing wrong for their political gain. They want to run our country for us. Don’t forget that Hezbollah’s men shed their blood for all of us to defend Lebanon.

    Lebanese people unite against the enemy and against the people who wish you harm.

    Has everybody forgotten what Israel did to Lebanon in 1982 and the many times Israel assaulted Lebanon and violated our air space, sea and land? They took our farmers and our young Lebanese men and put them in their jails for nothing.

    Wake up Lebanon and unite for the sake of your country we are all one family, make the enemy fail in their attempt to destroy our country our reputation and our economy.

    Don’t ever think that the West and Israel loves you, history has proven otherwise. Love each-other and you will come over the obstacles the outside world has created for you. We are all the same people Shia, Sunni, Druze, Christians we all share the same DNA.

    You just have to look at the many surnames in Lebanon that is shared by many different religious group we are one family.

    1.  Avatar

      Wafa if they’re innocent then they have every means to prove themselves instead of resorting to violence to prove their points. That’s not innocent party when it behaves like thugs in the streets? create war with its deadly enemy to free some jackass terrorists like Samir quntar. or kill people because they want to control the communications in and around the airport. Or do sit-in for 2 yrs to destroy Lebanon economy. Or kill a Lebanese pilot because heaven forbid he flew over their area. And even after the other pilot who remained alive was taking hostage by them until negotiated to be freed. What about the attacks on Ahbash? what about sending their thugs to celeberate Ashura in Christians areas and as they were leaving they were calling the local resident “Filth”. You’re insulting and killing all of us when you say these murderors are innocent. There are no different between Hezbollah and Israelis. We will unite after you submit those assassins to the STL. We can be united if you’re truly sincere and not deceitful. How many agreements was put in place and HA and their allies never followed it. Of course the latest riots from March 14th side do not look good but the people are outraged at what HA has been doing and still doing to them. The ecomoney sucks and you blame the whole thing on Hariri as if HA and their allies in the gov’t didn’t stall every project out there. If you’re innocent then prove yourself in the court of Law. if there were determined that you were innocent, I for one will follow you to death. Otherwise let us be united on good terms and with all honesty. It takes two to tangle and the only ones HA want to tangle is with Syria and Iran. They have no good interest for Lebanon just like the Israelis, Iranians and Syrians. To us they’re all the enemoies of Lebanon and you’;re too..

    2.  Avatar

      Wafa if they’re innocent then they have every means to prove themselves instead of resorting to violence to prove their points. That’s not innocent party when it behaves like thugs in the streets? create war with its deadly enemy to free some jackass terrorists like Samir quntar. or kill people because they want to control the communications in and around the airport. Or do sit-in for 2 yrs to destroy Lebanon economy. Or kill a Lebanese pilot because heaven forbid he flew over their area. And even after the other pilot who remained alive was taking hostage by them until negotiated to be freed. What about the attacks on Ahbash? what about sending their thugs to celeberate Ashura in Christians areas and as they were leaving they were calling the local resident “Filth”. You’re insulting and killing all of us when you say these murderors are innocent. There are no different between Hezbollah and Israelis. We will unite after you submit those assassins to the STL. We can be united if you’re truly sincere and not deceitful. How many agreements was put in place and HA and their allies never followed it. Of course the latest riots from March 14th side do not look good but the people are outraged at what HA has been doing and still doing to them. The ecomoney sucks and you blame the whole thing on Hariri as if HA and their allies in the gov’t didn’t stall every project out there. If you’re innocent then prove yourself in the court of Law. if there were determined that you were innocent, I for one will follow you to death. Otherwise let us be united on good terms and with all honesty. It takes two to tangle and the only ones HA want to tangle is with Syria and Iran. They have no good interest for Lebanon just like the Israelis, Iranians and Syrians. To us they’re all the enemoies of Lebanon and you’;re too..

    3. Wafa, I love you first because you are a person and second because you are lebanese… I wish you can see our point of view. Ha is innocent until it is proven guilty…We have to put our faith in the law to protect us from within… Some lebanese would rather follow a blind ideology aim at changing lebanon into a satellite state at the service of an extrimist state, and they will impose it with violence and intimidation. If you don’t see it with all due respect you are blinded by your trust to a movement that won’t hesitate to kill other lebanese for the sake of their ideology…

      Like you I believe we should unite under one flag one nation and one army… This is the formula that will protect us from all enemies…

      Peace

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