Hezbollah pulls out of Lebanon Gov't (Breaking)

[Scotteq]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110112/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_hariri_tribunal

By ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press Zeina Karam, Associated Press – 9 mins ago
BEIRUT – Lebanon's national unity government has collapsed after Hezbollah ministers and their allies resigned over a U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the assassination of Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The state-run National News Agency announced Wednesday that 11 ministers were stepping down from the 30-member Cabinet headed by Western-backed Saad Hariri, the slain prime minister's son.

Hezbollah needed the backing of more than a third of the ministers to bring down the government.



THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.



BEIRUT (AP) — A Lebanese official says Hezbollah ministers and their allies have resigned from the Cabinet, bringing the government to the brink of collapse.

Energy Minister Jibran Bassil told a news conference Wednesday that 10 ministers are pulling out. They need just one more minister to resign in order to force the government to fall and an 11th minister could resign later in the day.

The ministers are stepping down from the 30-member Cabinet over tensions stemming from a U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the assassination of a Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

So - From that last sentence, are we to believe that Hezbollah were involved in Rafik Hariri's assasination?

 

[Scotteq]

The NewYork Times has an earlier article that adds more background detail:


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/world/middleeast/13lebanon.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=world

Lebanese Government Is a Step From Collapse
By NADA BAKRI
Published: January 12, 2011


BEIRUT, Lebanon — Hezbollah and its allies threatened to withdraw from Lebanon’s government on Wednesday, a move that would force it to dissolve and deepen a crisis over a United Nations-backed tribunal investigating the assassination of a former prime minister.

The threat returned Lebanon to familiar terrain, where Hezbollah and its foes have wrestled over the direction of the small Mediterranean country since a former prime minister, Rafik Hariri, was killed in a bombing along Beirut’s seafront in 2005. Twenty-two other people died in the attack. Since then, the tribunal has investigated his death and is now widely expected to indict members of Hezbollah, the country’s powerful Shiite Muslim movement.

Hezbollah has denied involvement and denounced the tribunal as an “Israeli project.” It has urged his son, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, to reject its findings. Mr. Hariri, who was in Washington on Wednesday to meet President Obama, has so far resisted the pressure.

A withdrawal by Hezbollah’s ministers and their allies from the government would mark the worst crisis in Lebanon since 2008, when an agreement reached in Qatar achieved a truce to end sectarian clashes that killed 81 people and brought Lebanon to the brink of a renewal of its 15-year civil war, which ended in 1990.

“We were committed but they were not,” said Ammar Houri, a lawmaker with Mr. Hariri’s bloc. He added that Mr. Hariri’s allies were meeting to decide the next step.

There was a sense of inevitability to the resignation threat. For months, Hezbollah has warned that it would not stand by as its members were accused of involvement in the assassination of Mr. Hariri’s father. Though it is technically part of the opposition, Hezbollah joined a unity government formed after elections in June 2009. It has emerged as the single most powerful force in the country, aided by its alliance with a powerful Christian general and the fracturing of its foes.

(continues - Please follow the above link for the rest of the article)

 

[Lemon law]

In terms of asking who killed Harri, I doubt we will ever know.

But sadly, IMHO, the UN can't be trusted to be unbiased in its investigations. Maybe another entity could, and this time its near collapsed the fragile Lebanon Government.

Should Hezbollah be permitted to hold that kind of investigation Veto power? Should Israel be able to thumb its nose at UN doctrine for 43 years? Did the UN get Iraq

 

[bamacre]

But sadly, IMHO, the UN can't be trusted to be unbiased in its investigations.

...

Should Israel be able to thumb its nose at UN doctrine for 43 years?

You expect Israel to bow down to an entity you just said you don't trust?

 

[EagleKeeper]

In terms of asking who killed Harri, I doubt we will ever know.

But sadly, IMHO, the UN can't be trusted to be unbiased in its investigations. Maybe another entity could, and this time its near collapsed the fragile Lebanon Government.

Should Hezbollah be permitted to hold that kind of investigation Veto power? Should Israel be able to thumb its nose at UN doctrine for 43 years? Did the UN get Iraq

UN biased?

Say it is not so?

Maybe Syria should handle the investigation or even Iran!

 

[Scotteq]

UN biased?

Say it is not so?

Maybe Syria should handle the investigation or even Iran!

Naah - Syria and Iran have their own political agendas. So clearly Hezbollah should investigate it themselves.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

UN biased?

Say it is not so?

Maybe Syria should handle the investigation or even Iran!

Iran? Assuming a puppet string for each finger and both thumbs, with 10 ministers threatening to resign, Iran already has its hands full.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Iran? Assuming a puppet string for each finger and both thumbs, with 10 ministers threatening to resign, Iran already has its hands full.

One more appendage exists in order to f.ck over Lebanon though.

Seems perfect for the job

 

[SamurAchzar]

Here's one possible scenario:

1. Hizballah provokes Israel by another across the border invasion, like it did in 2006;
2. Israel responds;
3. Hizballah escalates, forcing Israel to retaliate on a large scale against Lebanon;
4. Chaos ensues in Beirut;
5. Hariri and co. are labeled "traitors" by Hizballah for not taking an active stance against Israel;
6. Syria moves into Lebanon to "stabilize the country", backed by Iran;
7. Ceasefire with Israel;
8. Syria and Hizballah now rule Lebanon.

We'll see how this one goes. The only thing that might stop this scenario is international military intervention against Hizballah, because the Syrians won't move an inch in such a case.

I read today that USS Enterprise is closing in on Lebanon, and France is sending some military too. Will Obama pull the trigger?

 

[Red Dawn]

Here's one possible scenario:

1. Hizballah provokes Israel by another across the border invasion, like it did in 2006;
2. Israel responds;
3. Hizballah escalates, forcing Israel to retaliate on a large scale against Lebanon;
4. Chaos ensues in Beirut;
5. Hariri and co. are labeled "traitors" by Hizballah for not taking an active stance against Israel;
6. Syria moves into Lebanon to "stabilize the country", backed by Iran;
7. Ceasefire with Israel;
8. Syria and Hizballah now rule Lebanon.

We'll see how this one goes. The only thing that might stop this scenario is international military intervention against Hizballah, because the Syrians won't move an inch in such a case.

I read today that USS Enterprise is closing in on Lebanon, and France is sending some military too. Will Obama pull the trigger?

I hope not.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

In terms of asking who killed Harri, I doubt we will ever know.

But sadly, IMHO, the UN can't be trusted to be unbiased in its investigations. Maybe another entity could, and this time its near collapsed the fragile Lebanon Government.

Should Hezbollah be permitted to hold that kind of investigation Veto power? Should Israel be able to thumb its nose at UN doctrine for 43 years? Did the UN get Iraq

LL, you DO know that the investigation is actually being performed by The Hague under mandate by the UN, not the UN itself, right?

You always seems to be all about the will of the International community, International law, and The Hague. Suddenly they can't be trusted?

 

[SamurAchzar]

I hope not.

I have no problem with that, but US military intervention could spare the lives of many Lebanese. What happened in 2006 won't happen again, Israel is many times more aggressive right now and just looking for a chance to go on a massive scale against Hizballah. I expect a full scale war this time, not just an "extended operation" like it's been in 2006.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

One more appendage exists in order to f.ck over Lebanon though.

Seems perfect for the job

 

[JEDIYoda]

But sadly, IMHO, the UN can't be trusted to be unbiased in its investigations.

**gasp** say it isn`t so......the almighty UN can`t be trusted........so much for Un mandates and resolutions....

 

[EagleKeeper]

I have no problem with that, but US military intervention could spare the lives of many Lebanese. What happened in 2006 won't happen again, Israel is many times more aggressive right now and just looking for a chance to go on a massive scale against Hizballah. I expect a full scale war this time, not just an "extended operation" like it's been in 2006.

PLO root out in Beirut wold be a perfect corollary.

 

[EagleKeeper]

But sadly, IMHO, the UN can't be trusted to be unbiased in its investigations.

**gasp** say it isn`t so......the almighty UN can`t be trusted........so much for Un mandates and resolutions....

In other wards; if it is not going to be in favor of Hezbollah up front (rigged), then it should not be done.

 

[piasabird]

This is what happens when you allow terrorists to hold govt offices.

 

[Lemon law]

This is what happens when you allow terrorists to hold govt offices.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sadly it also explains the past and present behavior of the Israeli government. The former Israeli terrorists became the government of Israel. People like Begin directly linked to the bombing of the Kind David hotel became Israeli PM's. So did Goldie Mier.

The question i somewhat how creditable the current investigations, and if it simply an effort to find someone in Hezbollah to blame it on. At the end of the day the current investigation refused to even look a some somewhat credible evidence showing its equally probable that Israel may have done it.

A fair investigation would put everything on the table, and not just search for just one single politically correct for someone else explanation.

And while I am specifically saying at the get go its not meant as a thread deflection, if we look into the Warren commission conclusions on the assassination of JFK, about the only thing we can all agree on is that very few believe the Warren commission got it anywhere near right or conducted the investigation competently.

 

[Pulsar]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sadly it also explains the past and present behavior of the Israeli government. The former Israeli terrorists became the government of Israel. People like Begin directly linked to the bombing of the Kind David hotel became Israeli PM's. So did Goldie Mier.

The question i somewhat how creditable the current investigations, and if it simply an effort to find someone in Hezbollah to blame it on. At the end of the day the current investigation refused to even look a some somewhat credible evidence showing its equally probable that Israel may have done it.

A fair investigation would put everything on the table, and not just search for just one single politically correct for someone else explanation.

And while I am specifically saying at the get go its not meant as a thread deflection, if we look into the Warren commission conclusions on the assassination of JFK, about the only thing we can all agree on is that very few believe the Warren commission got it anywhere near right or conducted the investigation competently.

You are quite unbelievable in how quickly you try to spin things to support the palestinians and Hezbollah. Of course, everyone already knew that, so I guess this is just a rhetorical post.

Do you really think Hezbollah resigned because of fear that the investigation might come out in their favor? No? So you're saying both the UN AND the Hague are corrupt and just out to get Hezbollah, and that the investigation is a sham because it might find them guilty?

This is priceless. Yet you constantly complain that Israel has violated all sorts of UN resolutions.....

So the UN is only trustworthy when it goes after Israel. Got it.

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

Either way, Hisb'Allah is a terrorist organisation that will need to be dealt with sooner or later.

For the sake of an early peace i'd prefer sooner, not too soon though...

 

[Zorkorist]

Sounds like Lebanon is the winner here.

One less piece of crap gang with guns.

-John

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

Sounds like Lebanon is the winner here.

One less piece of crap gang with guns.

-John

Having a rouge well armed terrorist militia in your nation isn't better for Lebanon, it is surely better for Israel though because now Hisb'Allah will have lost all the credibility and state support they had and can be hit from two sides.

Operation dual hammer.

 

[Narmer]

This is none of our business. Let them kill each other.

 

[Lemon law]

Maybe it is time to put the case forward, who killed Harri? Although its a rather long read, here seems to be the UN case against Hezbollah.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/11/19/f-rfa-macdonald-lebanon-hariri.html

Which boils down to a great deal of proof that Hezbollah was monitoring the activities of Harri. Which might be equivalent to proof that the US press monitors the activities of the US president, maybe using secret networks to avoid being scooped by competing networks.

Meanwhile Hezbollah maintains those secret networks also had the job of looking at Mossad activity.

What seems missing in action in any UN commission evidence is any linking of anything to the truck bomb that actually killed Harri.

Or in other words, I think its fair to say is that there is no proof, but its possible to make a highly dubious circumstantial evidence case against Hezbollah.

But I invite the reader to see for themselves by reading the link.

 

[Freshgeardude]

i'd like to see this scenario:

hezbollah try and start a civil war.

then Israel, the US, and France will support hariri and his government.

they will eradicate hezbollah from lebanon.


the government will be in debt to israel, us, and france for their help, and a peace treaty can be signed with israel.


no more hezbollah in lebanon means no more threat to israel from lebanon.


syria would be close thereafter to sign a treaty with israel, since everyone else has and there have been talks already to possibly give back the golan heights in exchange for peace with them