I take refuge in Allah from the stoned devil. In The Name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Most Merciful. Peace be upon our Master and Prophet – The Seal of prophets – Abi Al Qassem Mohammad and on his chaste and pure Household, his chosen companions and on all prophets and messengers.
Your Eminence the scholars, deputies and ministers! Brothers and sisters! Peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessing.
First, I would like to welcome you in this ceremony in which we mark a solemn, great and holy occasion in the present time, the past and the future of the nation.
The last Friday in the holy Month of Ramadan is no doubt the greatest day in the greatest month. Besides all what it stands for and what it carries from divine, earthly, moral, religious, jihadi and human concepts, Imam Khomeini (May Allah glorify his holy secret) announced it Al Qods International Day more than 30 years ago.
In many of the previous occasions, I have talked about this link, this election and this choice of time and its significance and implications. So we will not repeat. However the importance of this day is manifested year after year. With the developments, events, conspiracies, risks and threats which Al Qods and Palestine are confronting, the importance of this announcement 30 years ago is being asserted as well as the importance of this assertion after the decease of Imam Khomeini (May Allah glorify his holy secret) when Imam Sayyed Khamenai (May Allah prolong his life span) renewed and reasserted continuing on the very track, path and commitment towards Al Qods, Palestine, the conflict with the Israeli enemy and confronting the US-Zionist project for our region.
No matter how great and solemn causes are, it is feared they would be lost with time – in the judiciary system, there are such laws. But indeed there are not such laws in the Islamic judiciary system. In the civil judiciary system, after the passage of some time, a cause would be over. We are before a cause which we fear we will be over with time, connivance, feebleness, abandonment, international conspiracy, depression, frustration and weakness. Consequently we are before a cause as important as the Palestinian cause while Al Qods is collapsing, effacing and vanishing with time.
Our nation can’t ignore and forget this cause because it is part of our religion, our religious commitment, our culture, our civilization, our morals and values and our past history, present time and future. Thus we must remind of it always and in every occasion. We must innovate occasions to keep it present in the awareness, conscience, responsibility, project of the nation and the movements and activities of governments and peoples. This is the central goal meant by Imam Khomeini (May Allah glorify his holy secret).
Al Qods Day is the day of asserting constant positions and not announcing constant positions. The constant positions are already announced. Many martyrs, prisoners, wounded, demolished houses and millions of displaced and much blood, sacrifices and pains were offered for that. Today Al Qods Day is the day for asserting constant positions. It’s the day of reiterating rights. As we, during the Month of Ramadan, recite the Book of Allah again and again and reiterate the very supplications and glorifications we learnt some 1400 years ago, Al Qods Day is the day of reiterating constant positions before the world peoples to tell them that the challenges, risks, difficulties and sufferings will not change one aspect of these constant positions even if some changed their positions or fell midway.
The constant positions say that Palestine from the sea to the river is the possession of the Palestinian people, the right of the Palestinian people and the right of the Arab and Islamic nation. No one have the right to give up one span of its land, one grain of its sacred sand, one drop of its water or one letter of its name.
Al Qods Day is the day for announcing this ideological, legal, historic true constant position. Anything else is but lying, falsification and distortion of history and truths. On this day we make the announcement that neither Al Qods nor even one of its streets nor even a neighborhood of its neighborhoods – and not only all of Al Qods - may be an eternal capital for the so called state of Israel. Al Qods is the capital of Palestine, and as we have said in the past, it is the capital of earth and the capital of heaven one way or another.
One of the constant positions is that Israel is an illegitimate, illegal, inhumane and immoral state. It is the state of an entity that was found on usurp, killing and massacres and consequently it can’t gain legitimacy no matter whoever acknowledged it and no matter whoever recognized it.
This is the logic of Al Qods Day. It is the logic of righteousness and of saying what is right without any courtesies or comments and without submitting to the regional and international situations and without submitting or being influenced with the intellectual terrorism of the feeble and the fallen.
In as much as Al Qods Day is a day to assert constant positions, it is an international occasion to shed light on what Al Qods, Palestine and the Palestinian people are being subject to; what Al Aqsa Mosque is being subject to – namely the risks we hear of daily; the judaization Al Qods is being subject to as a holy city with Islamic and Christian holy sites; what Al Qods citizens are being subject to, to the effect of displacement and expulsion, home demolition and land confiscation; what the West Bank is being subject to, to the effect of the advance of settlement which will not be halted even through the trivial negotiations which commenced yesterday; what the territories occupied since 1948 are being subject to, to the effect of the US-Israeli-western attempt to impose it a pure Jewish state; what Gaza is being subject to, to the effect of the siege imposed on its people and the starvation and oppression they are suffering from; and what millions of Palestinians - who were displaced from their homes, lands and field and left in exodus - are being subject to. So it is an occasion to put these subjects before the international, Islamic and Arab public opinion so that everyone would assume his responsibility.
Al Qods Day comes this year amid two important events:
The first event is the announcement of so called direct negotiations in Washington
The second event is the US pullout from Iraq.
Some considered that the occupation of Iraq had come to an end, and indeed this is not true. Others called it a partial pullout. I believe that this is an underestimation of the Iraqi resistance which helped making this achievement. It is better to call it (a semi-pullout or a three-fourth pullout.) We must search for an term that expresses better the truth.
As for the first event, these negotiations were born dead. Their political and media aims are clear. The US political investment and the US political electoral need for these negotiations are clear. The Israeli need for them is clear, and unfortunately, the Arab need – the official need of some Arab nations – for them is clear. The last party with which these negotiations are concerned and to which these negotiations resort is Palestine and the rights of the Palestinian people.
I say that these negotiations were born dead. The overwhelming majority of the Palestinian factions announced their refusal, condemnation and denunciation – even the factions who do not argue over the principle of negotiations. You know that as political forces in the Arab world, there are two positions over this point:
Some people have a position on the principle of negotiating with the Israeli enemy, and we are among them.
Others don’t have a position on the principle of negotiations. They rather argue on the authorities, ceilings, timing, representation and the like. Even the factions who do not argue the principle announced their refusal of these negotiations. All the polls that were circulated by the media showed that the majority of the Palestinian people announced their opposition and refusal of these negotiations.
So these negotiations have no value even from the internal Palestinian perspective. Disregarding the argument over the principle, the experience proved also – the experience of those who sat yesterday on the negotiation table and made by speeches on the TV - disappointing frustration of 17 years of negotiations. What new will these negotiations bring about?
Unfortunately, negotiations in particular with this haughty arrogant and tyrannical Israeli enemy which possesses this level of US and western support will not lead except to increasing the life span and legitimacy which is illegitimate to this entity and to this occupation.
On the second event, the US pullout from Iraq is for sure a topic of failure and defeat. No one in the US administration dared to give one speech of victory. What was delivered was rather closer to a speech of defeat as it gave pretexts for the withdrawal. Even when some talked about an achievement, they talked about a lame and humble achievement. We all know that the Americans came to Iraq to stay and to control and not to pullout after several years. Yet they were surprised. They imagined something else. They talked about enormous blunts in the strategic reading of the Iraqi domain. They were shocked by the factor of resistance which came early. When I talk about the resistance and my Iraqi brothers listen to me, I must discriminate and say in a decisive final way: Resistance means that jihadi heroic operations which to target the occupation forces. As for the operations that to target the Iraqi people of all factions and nationalities, mosques, churches, schools, international ministries, markets, these are criminal terrorist operations. They are organized collective killing operations. They are war crimes which cannot be mistaken by resistance operations. The resistance can’t be held responsible for such operations.
The resistance factor stunned the US occupation. The size of US losses was greater than it being tolerated by the US people and administration. The size of expenditure to confront this resistance and to assert the military presence was greater than it being assumed by the US treasury. So the only available choice before the Americans was gradual pullout. Still there is another element which is very important and in fact is not less important than the factor of resistance. It is the steadfastness, tolerance and patience of the Iraqi people.
For several years, there were many factors and very dangerous intelligence apparatuses which worked to push the Iraqi people towards a civil war, sectarian sedition, factional and racial struggles and Shiite-Sunnite, Arab-Kurd and Turk-Turkmen fighting. Here we really must salute with solemnity and admiration the endurance of the Iraqi people.
Who can tolerate such level of terrifying bombarding daily or on semi-daily basis and over several years without being dragged to fighting? They are bombardments coupled with rumors, fiery speeches, readymade accusations and media outlets that do not sprinkle salt on wounds but rather sheathe daggers on wounds. Still this oppressed Iraqi people could with awareness, will and determination and following directions from their religious authorities and religious, cultural and social leaderships frustrate this conspiracy.
The Israelis and the US intelligence apparatuses are linked to the bombardments that took place and are still taking place in Iraq. They are also linked to the suicidal groups. If this is the level of Israeli infiltration in Lebanon, what do you think is the level of Israeli intelligence infiltration in Iraq under the US occupation of Iraq? Iraq today is a domain open to Israeli Mosad, Israeli Mosad station and Israeli recruitment. We all know that Israel has a red line which is a strong united integrated Iraq… an Iraq that stands along with this nation and backs the causes of this nation. This is what we all look forward from Iraq and this is an Israeli red line. Thus it perpetrates all these killings and disintegration.
The Iraqi people are so far steadfast. Despite all of these frightful massacres, they could transcend this stage. When the scheme of a sedition flopped and the costs of occupation became expensive, there remained no choice before the occupiers except to pull out. This is Allah’s line of conduct on earth all through history. These are the realistic and factual choices whether in Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Vietnam and in every country around the world.
This issue is not related to any religion or a definite culture or civilization. It’s a divine line of conduct in any country which is occupied even if by great international forces. If this people have a will for steadfastness, challenge, resistance, giving, sacrifice, endurance and confrontation and the resistance that gathers all these topics, this people must gain victory even if the sacrifices were great. What is taking place in Iraq is a great achievement, and the resistance choice and no other choice deserves it. Now as a presentation and to assert that many of the groups which practice suicide terrorist operations are related to the intelligence apparatuses and have nothing to do with Islam or the Islamic project, see what took place today in the Pakistani city of Queta. People were staging a demonstration. Pakistan has 20 million devastated people and 4 million people who had lost their homes and wealth. In some of the cities of devastated Pakistan, people were demonstrating in support of Palestine, Al Qods and Gaza. Then a suicide bomber blew himself up among these demonstrators. Before I entered the studio, news was reporting 42 martyrs and more than 100 wounded. These are the martyrs or Al Qods and Palestine. They are the martyrs of setting priorities correctly. They are the martyrs of the greater cause. As for the suicide bombers they are the blind, the deaf and the dumb whom the devil has blinded their hearts and has control over them, and they are led by the intelligence bodies to kill here and there.
Yes brothers and sisters! If we examine the scene with scrutiny, no doubt we are amidst this struggle. There are difficulties in Palestine. There are difficulties facing the resistance which was re-launched and which renewed its blessed activities in the West Bank in the holy month. But if we looked from another perspective – i.e. from a wider and more comprehensive perspective – I would like to say briefly that the axis of opposition and resistance – if compared to the other axis – i.e. the western Israeli axis which some Arab moderate states show solidarity with – they are not compatible on the level of size, capabilities and number. Still, in the past few years - in the recent decade - this axis could make a great historic achievement on the level of the region and have its reflection on the level of the world.
In brief, following September 11, the neo conservatives in the US administration came with a project to the whole region. America which mounted the throne of the world and became the only great power in the world after the collapse of the USSR gathered its fleets and dismantled many of its military bases around the world and dispatched them to the Middle East – our Arab and Islamic region – where there is oil, gas and enormous natural resources.
America came with a project which was later called the Neo Middle East. This project was supposed to establish the Israeli entity in a final and eternal way on the political sense of the world through a settlement that would be imposed by the Palestinians after being sealed by a comprehensive Arab signature. This project was brought along to the region. They brought along a project that aimed at absolutely liquidating the Palestinian resistance. So it is not only armed resistance but also the popular resistance and even the political resistance and the cultural resistance. It was supposed that an Israeli-Palestinian settlement be concluded, and whoever objects on it would not be silenced but would rather be beheaded.
The resistance in Lebanon was supposed to be liquidated so that Lebanon be eternally within the US-Israeli project. It was supposed that the resisting opposing regime in Syria be toppled. It was supposed that absolute hegemony and control be practiced on Iraq so that the Iraqi people would have no real will. It was supposed the Iran be besieged and isolated after plunging it in seditions and devastation until after all Iran be hit and the Islamic regime in Iran be toppled. Thus the entire region will be under the US-Israeli project.
I hope that this note would be taken into consideration. I claim that this project had enormous capacities over the past 10 years which no other hegemonic project had all through history.
I claim that: armies, the enormous military machinery, the so called international community (though it does not exist; there isn’t anything called the international community; there is America only which is leading the world behind it), money and economy, and the greatest and the most dangerous media capacity ever known in history through the evolution of communication, satellite, internet… They exploited to this project the greatest armies, the strongest economies, the most influential psychological wars and intelligence apparatuses. However, in few years it was confronted by the resistance and opposition axis. You know what this axis is: the resistance in Palestine, the opposing resistance in Lebanon, Syria, Iran, the resistance in Iraq and the rest of the supporting political currents and forces in the Arab world. True they are few in number but they are right and Allah is with them and truthfulness is with them. Thus where is the other project if we are to evaluate it?
This project flopped. This project was defeated. When I say it flopped and it was defeated, I don’t mean that the struggle is over. We rather moved to another form, domain or viewpoint of struggle. But this project was defeated and it retreated. It flopped and is moving towards more defeat and failure. See the military and security repercussions. See its political, economic and fiscal repercussions on America and Europe on which all economic and strategic experts unanimously say all attempts to address these crises will fail, and in the coming few years we will witness great developments on this level.
America is not able anymore. It is not launching new wars because it is incapable of launching new wars and not because it amended its moral codes or because it reviewed its stances towards human rights and towards the rights of people or because it made a moral review. Never! It’s rather because it is suffering from economic, social and political crises and it is incapable because of its failure in the massive hegemonic attack it launched against this region.
Why did this axis gain victory and that project fell? It’s because of the steadfastness of the Palestinian people especially in Gaza, the steadfastness of the Resistance in Lebanon and especially during July War, the steadfastness of the national political will in Lebanon and it not being subject to US-Western dictations over five years, the steadfastness of Syria, the steadfastness of Iran, the steadfastness of the Iraqi people and the resistance of the Iraqi people. All of these factors which showed steadfastness could make this achievement.
Today we are called upon to carry on our show of steadfastness, opposition and resistance. Despite difficulties – and I said a while ago there are difficulties in more than one domain but these difficulties are but details of the general scene – we feel that we are approaching victory more than any time in the past. Let’s examine Israel. Is Israel in 2010 the same Israel as on the eve of July 12th, 2006? Is it the same Israel as on the eve of its aggression against Gaza? Is it the same Israel as on the eve of May 25th? Is it the same Israel as on the eve of 1982? Indeed Israel in 2010 is different. Great Israel has gone. Greater Israel has gone too. Israel which we are facing today is suffering from many crises and challenges. I don’t want to go into details now.
We are called upon to show more steadfastness, to carry on our resistance, opposition, unity and integration. We are all concerned more than any time in the past to back and support the Palestinian people and the Palestinian resistance. When our brethrens in Hamas staged the two bold operations in the West Bank, they became in need of every voice in the Arab and Islamic world to bless their operations which were condemned by Barak Obama, the Americans and the British.
All forms of moral and material solidarity with the resistance must carry on because the true bargain to liberate Palestine and Al Qods is on the resistance. In this framework, I would like to usher to the second part of my speech which comprise Lebanese causes which I think are closely related to this context.
In Lebanon we always stress on the equation which some call the golden equation while others call the diamond equation which is the army-people-resistance equation. I will take every aspect of this equation as a topic to comment on as briefly as possible.
I will start with the resistance first. There are two points. The first point is that few days ago was August 31rst. It was the anniversary of the kidnapping and the detention of His Eminence Imam leader Sayyed Mussa (May Allah return him safe and sound). With him were kidnapped and detained His Eminence Sheikh Mohammad Yaqoub and Mr. Abbass Badriddine. Imam Sadre is the leader of the resistance. This is one of the many points on which Hezbollah and Amal Movement agree. We all view Imam Mussa Sadre as the leader of the resistance, the founder of the resistance as well as our father and our leader. It is he who led us to this way and pointed with his hand and sighed with beautiful eyes to Al Qods. He taught us how to love Al Qods and fight and fall martyrs on the way of Al Qods. All of us know that Imam Mussa Sadre and his companions were hosted by the Libyan regime and that they were detained in Libya. On this cause Speaker Nabih Berri talked several days ago. Today I do not want to reiterate but rather I want to stress on every word said by Speaker Berri to this effect whether on the judicial or on the political level.
On the judicial level, the judiciary system must assume its responsibility of Lebanese citizens and even Lebanese leaders who were kidnapped and detained in an Arab country. We – i.e. all those who consider themselves concerned with the cause of Imam Sadre and on the first level his family and then all the brethrens - did not resort in the past and not even during the past few years to the option of the International Tribunal or the international investigation. That’s because we know that the International Tribunal in this community and in this world will make the cause subject to few billions of dollars. The family of Imam Sadre and Speaker Berri were offered very high prices – money wise – to address this cause. They were offered billions of dollars. But we do not sell our leaders and not even our young children with billions of dollars. We did not resort to the International Tribunal or to the international investigation as concerning the cause of Imam Sadre. We know how this kind of tribunals and investigations are run. The family of Imam Sadre thus resorted to the national Lebanese judiciary system which must assume its responsibility in detail as Speaker Berri mentioned several days ago.
On the political level, we strongly back boycotting any call for any Arab summit in Libya. In the previous summit there was an argument in the government what led to the participation of the ambassador or the charge d`affaire. What is the use then? How did this participation serve the cause of Imam Sadre? What did it move in the cause of Imam Sadre? Thus as for the cause of the leader of the resistance I say we have one position on the judicial level and on the political level. We have one word: Imam Sadre and his companions are alive and are detained in Libya and they must be set free and returned to their field of jihad and to their families and people and homes. That’s it. The cause does not search for levels or deals and it can’t be neglected or forgotten or wasted. At the same time, we want them to return to their fields and we do not want to get engaged in any struggle with anyone. We want them to return, nothing more and nothing less.
The second point under the topic of resistance is the international investigation and the International Tribunal. I do not want to go into details. I only have two words: We said weeks ago that the resistance is being aimed at from this gate. We presented several ideas and several indications. Prosecutor Bellemare commented on the indications (It is good that he opened his mouth and started talking in the media) saying they are incomplete indications and there are still things which Hezbollah did not hand to us. I want to say the following: We have said previously that we are not concerned with the International Tribunal and the international investigation. Consequently we are not concerned to answer the questions or respond to the demands of the STL General Prosecutor. We submitted the indications we have to the Lebanese judiciary system pursuant to a demand from the Lebanese judiciary system. I reiterate: in case the Lebanese judiciary had some questions and or follow up requests which concern it as the Lebanese judiciary system which it wants to investigate, we’re ready. But in case, the role of the Lebanese judiciary was only to mediate between us and the general prosecutor of the STL, we’re not ready then because we’re not concerned with the STL and the General Prosecutor. In case the Lebanese judiciary system is concerned and interested in these indications and data and in investigating with the collaborators and the false witnesses - and this is its job and responsibility-, we are ready for every kind of cooperation. If the general prosecutor is interested in the indications we offered or not this is his concern. But his concern or unconcern will be an important indicator which will be taken into consideration in any evaluation of the conduct and behavior of the general prosecutor and the international tribunal. (I will stop at this extent in my talk on this point).
The second part of the golden-diamond equation is the army. We have called and are still calling and we back and support the call for equipping the national Lebanese Army and enabling it to defend the Lebanese sovereignty, the Lebanese territories and the Lebanese people. We hope this file will find its serious track on application and will not remain in the framework of zealous speeches and slogans. We believe this file is taking its track seriously. We presented a suggestion in the media and in the government. We remind that we call on the government to form ministerial delegations to ask for Arab assistance. Some said they do not need Arab assistance but we want to equip the army from our own budget. But where is this budget? It is known that you don’t have money. When we searched for the easy way they started saying so. I am afraid some will say tomorrow that we do not want aids from anyone. We want to get the money from the Lebanese people to equip the Army. Then the political forces will show up and say the Lebanese people can’t tolerate new and more taxes. Then because we refuse having new taxes we will not equip the army.
We hope the case of equipping the Lebanese Army is a serious national moral truthful case apart from biddings and internal political disagreements which we at times feel is filthy.
What’s wrong in asking for help? It’s not shameful at all. On the contrary, it’s their duty to help Lebanon. Lebanon raised the head of the Arabs and the nation high. Lebanon is the reason making every Arab proud of his Arabic identity. What’s the problem then? It’s their duty to help us. Consequently we must form delegations and go and ask for the arms piled in stockpiles and are about to rust or had already rusted. Let them give them to us? What are the Americans giving us except their weapons which were in their barracks in Germany and in other countries which are 20 or 30 or 40 years old? We said we will help in asking for Iranian assistance. Our brethrens in Iran made haste and announced their readiness to help pursuant a call from the Lebanese government. Indeed it must be a detailed and not a general request. That means the Lebanese must make a definite request of this kind of weapons or that kinds of capacities or such and such systems. Consequently the brethrens in Iran say this is what we can offer. What is funny is that Lebanon on which US and western conditions to the effect of armament were imposed and despite the fact that we in Lebanon say we don’t want any armament conditions, when we talked about Iran’s arming of the Lebanese Army, some people showed up to put conditions on Iran. That means we accept Iranian assistance but without conditions. If the condition is that the assistance is unconditional we will accept. But some started putting conditions on Iran. For example, I heard a genius saying: We accept Iranian assistance under one condition that it stops its support to the resistance in Lebanon. How great! What a genius!
The opportunity is open today before Lebanon. The Iranian government announced its readiness. Iranian President Ahmedi Nejad will come in few weeks. Let’s be ready for a serious discussion on the issue of equipping the army.
The third element in the equation is the people. When I talk about the people in Lebanon, in fact it stands for the Lebanese people and also the Palestinian refugees are also our people and dear ones and they also are present on Lebanese territories. Thus I will tackle two topics briefly as I believe I must talk about.
The first topic is the incident of Burj Abi Haidar. We have issued a joint statement with the Islamic Projects Association in which we said it was a very tragic incident. It was really tragic. These were our emotions and the emotions of all our brethrens. It was a very tragic incident. I told the brethrens not only two martyrs fell for us. Three martyrs fell for us in the incident. What took place in Burj Abi Haidar does not need any stubbornness. In evaluation, it is absolute loss. It is absolute loss without any gain or loss anywhere. Some people tried to make some analyses to find any gains. No. Never! I am telling you it is absolute human, moral, security and human loss on all levels. Also we assert for you that it is an individual incident which developed in a grievous, unfortunate way. It also has no backgrounds. All political analyses you heard later - those who considered the incident of Burj Abi Haidar as an expression of the Iranian-Syrian struggle – are fruitless. These people are frustrated. They have small roles in a great project. It’s not I who is saying as so about them. There are those who say so about them. One of the Lebanese leaders said about them: They are small tools in a big project. The great project fell and nothing is left for them to bet on. In what do they want to bet? Are they to bet on the Americans who are withdrawing and pulling out and on the defeated who had become bankrupt? On whom are they betting? Are they betting on Israel and on an Israeli war which Israelis reconsider a thousand times and a hundred thousand times before they stage an aggression against Lebanon? On whom are they betting? Are they betting on animosity with Syria? They still have the STL, and I believe we are able to confront this challenge Inshallah. What is being left for them?
They now are waiting. Perhaps this front which gained victory in the most dangerous historic battle through the past decade might disintegrate. This is what is left for them. They say perhaps they will disintegrate. Perhaps they will disagree with each other. One day they talk about an Iranian-Syrian struggle. I would like to tell you the Iranian-Syrian relations are now better and stronger than in any time in the past. That’s because this alliance proved its fruitfulness through all the past decades and especially in the past decade. Was it not for this alliance that project was not to be defeated and Israel was to be consecrated forever. Al Qods and Palestine were to be lost forever. The Iranian and Syrian leaderships are today more faithful of the necessity and rightfulness of this alliance.
As for the relation between the resistance and Syria, there are small children who want to mess with this relation. I would like to tell you: Not a day since the establishment of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the relation with the Syrian leadership and the brethrens in Syria was as firm and strong. Let them rest for a while and play another game. They want to be happy with themselves as those who sit in air-conditioned rooms and live desperate illusions and dreams. There is no problem in that.
What I like to comment on concerning this issue is the other side. First this incident was exaggerated to a great extent in the media. Even we during the first hours and on the following day were still taken by the incident. But when we discussed it and came down to the ground and formed committees and the Lebanese Army came and the investigation started and people were summoned, we realized the size of what took place. Indeed what took place is not trivial but it is not as huge as was depicted in the media. And always they anticipate investigations and issue sentences as what took place in great and small causes instantly. That means that there are persons in Lebanon – for example after the assassination of Premier Hariri in February 14th, 2005 and an hour later they carried out their investigations, issued statements, condemned, executed, jailed and made what they wanted. The same on a smaller scale was made with Burj Abu Haidar incident.
After all, there is an investigation, there are sides which are concerned and which are responsible and no one will run away from his responsibility.
So first there is exaggeration. Second there is exploitation and investment. Here I would like to offer an advice. We remained silent on the first day and on the following day. On the third day we were completely silent too. Because we are feeling the pain, we are wounded – we and our brethrens in the Islamic Projects Association. We as a resistance in particular know the size of the loss. On the contrary, how was the conduct? I am not talking about state men or about others. We are talking as Lebanese, as partners and as political forces. There is a minimum level of values which are demanded to control the relations between us. The incident was exaggerated to a great extent. They took it and attacked when the note was circulated. It’s the sms I talk about always. The note was circulated and they start their attack by media outlets, personalities and political forces. Instead of saying this is a fire, let’s try to put it off, they poured oil over it to ignite it even more. Instead of viewing it as a very dangerous issue which we must work seriously to address – especially as it is a sectarian issue – they started pouring gasoline and fuel over the sectarian issue. Is this national responsibility or a dangerous exploitation? I do not want to give it other descriptions. It was a very dangerous exploitation. What took place threatens security and does not preserve security. What took place threatens peace and does not protect peace. What took place disjoints and does not gather. I would like to express my emotions to those who made mistakes the days following the incident and did not address it in a good way. We do not blame some. But we blame others. We tell them you did not sprinkle salt on the wound. Since Tuesday we are still wounded in our hearts deep inside. You rather poured salt on the dagger and plunged it into our heart and started moving it to and fro. Let them know what they did and its size. The serious and sensitive causes in the country are not addressed as such. State men, politicians and leaders do not act as such. This is our evaluation of the issue. From the very first moment, we told the Lebanese Army, the Police, the judiciary system and the military police: let the Lebanese judiciary system summon and investigate. Let it take all the measures and we will all cooperate with it. No one wants to mislead the truth and no one wants to cover things up. We are before a cause with losses. We are before a cause – as all the fathers of martyrs said – that touches on one of the factors of the golden-diamond equation which is the people. Instead of gathering see have they started behaving?
The last thing which I would like to say under this topic is the wrong methodology not only in this cause but in all causes which are addressed in this country. An incident takes place. We seize the incident to open a very big file. We know that we can’t address that instantly.
As for arms and the spread of arms in Lebanon, every house in Lebanon has arms. This is not limited to Hezbollah or the Islamic Projects or any side. Every house has arms. Every house has an RPJ and a PKC. There are houses which even have mortar 60 too. I am talking about houses and families and not political parties or forces. This file goes back to the 60s, the 70s or even to the 50s. Since a long time and before many of us were born there is a thorny file called arms. This file was complicated and it became more complicated during the Lebanese civil war. It was even more complicated with the Israeli factor and the emergence of the resistance. Such a file with such a level of complication and regional interaction - whether the Lebanese arms or the Palestinian arms - needs to be addressed with wisdom. We can’t in two or three days take decisions and see who will challenge these decisions. This is a wrong methodology. It’s not in such a way that the country's files are addressed. The arms file can’t be addressed in such a way. Neither the file of the labor demands is addressed as such, nor is the file of electricity addressed as such, nor is the file of political and administrative reform addressed as such. This is a wrong methodology.
In the past, the car used to have a steering wheel which needs additional effort from the driver to change direction to the left or to the right. In case there is a stone under the car wheel, the driver would always be able to have control over the car. Today the steering wheel is greased in a way that a stone under the car wheel makes the whole car change direction. I can see that the administration in Lebanon has a greased steering wheel. The country would be moving in one direction. Then, what is the story? The direction is changed. It goes to the right. An incident takes place and the direction is turned left. Another incident takes place and it carries on again. It all depends on reactions.
Now to meet and not to complain only, here I am calling for appeasement. Things took their time and the story is over. Still some people like to remain on the go. It’s up to them then. Today, I am announcing a unilateral initiative. I did not make an agreement with anyone. The case took its natural track. The investigation is moving. We formed a compensation committee. We and our brothers in the Islamic Projects Association are addressing the situation, and the Lebanese judiciary system has taken hold of the file. The story is over. Let’s put the case aside. After all, the people will carry on together. No one wants to annul the other, and no one wants to transcend the other, and no one wants not to acknowledge the other. So let’s meet and reach an agreement and put a methodology to run the files in the country. Let it be other than the methodology of reaction. Let it be the methodology of a steering wheel that knows how to drive and where to go. Let it be not a greased steering wheel. Let’s put a clear methodology to address the files and go and address them.
The last point has to do with the Palestinian rights. Allow me to say that the approach that took place recently concerning the Palestinian rights is an approach that needs discussion. The rights of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have always been a constant point in my speeches on Al Qods Day since 1992. The cause is 62 years old. In fact, I feel that lately the country was messed all over and we ran out of time. Thus things interacted. Any file that is conquered with fears, risks and overbids, will yield results as that of the civil rights of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. That applies to all files. That did not appeal to the Palestinian refugees and our Palestinian brethrens in Lebanon. That’s true and it is really unsatisfactory. But how are we to address that? I suggest that a Lebanese group is formed but not in haste. It may be any Lebanese group that volunteers. Perhaps Hezbollah, Amal Movement, The Progressive Socialist Party, the National Party or any other party may volunteer. As a Lebanese party, it will form a thinking cell to brainstorm ideas and approaches and meet with the Palestinian factions. Or else a Palestinian group would highlight Palestinian fears over their civil rights and the worried sides (and their worry is legitimate and not condemned). At times, some racial expressions are voiced and indeed this is condemned. So let them go and meet with these sides and discuss with them and appease and relieve them.
What was achieved in the Parliament is an important point on the way but it is not enough and unsatisfactory. Let one of the Lebanese or the Palestinians or a joint Palestinian-Lebanese group and make a discussion away from the media, the lights, political investment and political overbidding. Let a serious discussion take place in which fears are presented as well as the ways to address them and how to gather between the rights and the natural human needs and the risks and fears.
On Al Qods Day, we in the Resistance and in Lebanon and from the right position and the victorious axis feel today in 2010 that we are closer to Al Qods than in any time in the past 62 years.
The issue with the Zionist scheme as resistance movements in the region is only a matter of time, no more. According to divine, historic lines of conduct and the nature of things and the struggle equations, this entity is doomed to vanish. This is its fate with the presence of the popular will and the will of the resistance and its patience and challenge. The Palestinian people have endured for 62 years. They will not give up; they will not be frustrated or desperate. They are not ready to give up their land, sanctities and rights. These are among the most important elements of power which are depended on to decisively settle the battle with this project Inshallah. Hundred returns and peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings.
