The Truth Can Reveal What Lies Beneath the Controversies
It’s all about Rafik Hariri’s assassination tribunal. Since his son, Saad Hariri, stated that the tribunal is going to reveal the truth about the assassination of his father, the wave of fury roaring in Lebanon cannot but leave one thinking that those behind the commotion know the key perpetrators of the assassination, and are trying to suppress the truth with their clamor.
Two distinctive entities are behind the commotion. One is Hezbollah and its Secretary-General Sayyid Hassan Nasrullah. Whatever their reasons, they need to be attended to. But there are others who want to take advantage of the current situation; people like Jamil al-Sayyid who have suddenly remembered to hold press conferences and provoke an uproar once they noticed that they can exploit the situation.
From the first angle, that is, Hezbollah’s stance, the case needs study. The truth is that Sayyid Hassan Nasrullah is unhappy with the names of his party members appearing as suspects in the murder of his old friend Rafik Hariri. We know Sayyid Hassan. He has always endeavored to keep Hezbollah away from sectarian strife and dirty political games. When Saad Hariri told him that some loose cannons in Hezbollah had a part in the assassination of his father, Sayyid Hassan went into a fit of apoplexy. He never wants to hear that his subordinates were accomplices in the murder of his friend. Photos of Sayyid Hassan Nasrullah and Rafik Hariri smiling are still kept in the albums of many politicians. That is the reason behind Sayyid’s anger.
But Sayyid Hassan Nasrullah is suspicious about another issue too. Behind the tribunal, he has seen something that is not acceptable to him. He smells a rat. But who is plotting? When some high-ranking functionaries in Lebanon’s telecom were arrested, it became clear that there are traitors busy in the Lebanese government. These traitors have been occupied with their duty for long. It was from this point that Sayyid Hassan sensed betrayal. When he insisted on investigating Israel’s involvement in Rafik Hariri’s assassination, it was because he had the feeling there was a conspiracy and betrayal. The feeling still lingers in him. That is why he has tried to drag Israel to the tribunal. He has revealed documents to prove that a betrayal is going on. But the question is why and how did Israel partake in the assassination of Rafik Hariri? The answers to these questions may appear later.
Jamil al-Sayyid, the man who remained in prison until 2008 on charges of involvement in Rafik Hariri’s assassination, looks at the story in another way. Gameel’s charges were never proven, and we are not denying that he may be actually innocent. However, his story turned interesting when instead of vindicating himself, which was his right, he accused others of manipulating the tribunal. He even accused Prime Minister Saad Hariri of plotting to influence the course of his father’s assassination tribunal without even providing a single-page document. Interestingly, he has asked for 10 million dollars, later reduced to 7.5 and then 5 million dollars, from Saad Hariri to stop his controversy. Is al-Sayyid trying to abuse the situation? Maybe he is thinking that it would be a waste of time if he used legal channels to reclaim his rights, so it would be better to pull himself up by his bootstraps, and who better than the well-off Hariri family? Isn’t this the truth Mr. al-Sayyid?
However, amid this controversy, what is not clear is the reason Hezbollah supports al-Sayyid. We know that al-Sayyid is trying to take advantage of the situation, but why is Hezbollah supporting him? The upcoming days may reveal some facts.