Saudi Columnist: Bring Nasrallah to Trial before an International Tribunal

"Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese Hizbullah, has lately begun to stage [media] events in order to threaten Lebanon and warn the Lebanese people that trouble and disasters will befall them unless they stand by Hizbullah, along with their institutions and authorities, [and help it to] evade justice as embodied by the international tribunal for the Al-Hariri assassination. Nasrallah threatened to blow up the situation in Lebanon, which would lead to a military takeover of the country by Hizbullah. Whoever follows [Nasrallah's] statements in his weekly speeches finds that the man presents the Lebanese people, and the other Arab countries, with two options: either to dismantle the international tribunal or to have [Hizbullah] occupy Lebanon...

"If, after the publication of the tribunal's indictment, Hassan Nasrallah and his party act hastily and defend the Hizbullah members implicated [in the crime], that will be a dangerous move indeed. Hizbullah will not find an Arab or international umbrella to defend it after spilling Lebanese blood. If that happens, even the missiles it is stockpiling in south Lebanon for its resistance against Israel will not avail it.

"The secret is out. Nasrallah has exposed his shame with his own two hands. Instead of fighting Israel – [a goal] that does not really interest him – he is stockpiling [weapons] in order to attack the Lebanese people, and especially those who oppose [Hizbullah's] hegemony over the country. Hizbullah is apprehensive about the indictment [soon] to be published by the international tribunal's, which will be backed with information, evidence, testimonies, and documents... implicating its operatives.

"Nasrallah is trying to persuade the Lebanese that the international tribunal will lead Lebanon to ruin. But the truth is that [something else] – namely the murderers' evading international justice – is guaranteed to spell Lebanon's destruction.

"I hereby firmly announce that Nasrallah's effort to [discredit] the tribunal is doomed to failure. The attempt to discredit the tribunal is [actually an attempt] to discredit the legitimacy of the international [community] and the Security Council. Hizbullah's insolent [attempt] to bring chaos upon the Lebanese people and the international community is a war crime that is punishable under international law. It warrants establishing another international tribunal to try those who are assisting Hizbullah in this coup against the Lebanese state...

"Let Hizbullah do as it likes. [Let it] defy the Lebanese people and international justice, as well as the countries of the region and the world, and discover what happens to it in the Arab and international arena. One day later, Nasrallah will no longer know even an hour of rest... If he insists on challenging the tribunal and undermining Lebanon's security, it will not sabotage the tribunal but [rather] his own organization, causing it to go from one crisis to another, even worse [than the last]. It will certainly not help those who were involved in the assassination, and those who assisted them, to evade prosecution by the international [court]."

"Nasrallah and His Allies Should Be Prosecuted for the Crime of Taking over Beirut in May [2008]"

"Moreover, if Nasrallah works to blow up the situation in Lebanon and undermine its stability and security, I believe that the Security Council and the international community will establish a new tribunal and bring personal charges against him, because he has decided to stage a coup against the Lebanese legitimacy and deal a severe blow to Lebanese security. Instead of prosecuting Hizbullah members – should they be proved to be involved in the Al-Hariri murder – it is Nasrallah and his allies that should be prosecuted for the crime of taking over Beirut in May [2008], and for the crime he means to commit when the international tribunal publishes its indictment against members of his organization...

"Why doesn't Nasrallah follow the example of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, who [promised] that any Syrians proved to be guilty [of involvement in the assassination] would be prosecuted for grand treason in a Syrian [court]? There seems to be a difference between the responsible head of the [Syrian] state – which cooperated fully with the international tribunal – and Hassan Nasrallah, who is behaving vis-à-vis the tribunal like a sectarian leader trying to impose his rule over his partners in the homeland.

"This is evident from the fact that, in his last speech, Nasrallah announced he had proof that Israel was behind the Al-Hariri assassination. The question is – why has he kept silent all these years? There is only one possible answer. When Syria was accused [of being behind the crime, Nasrallah] kept silent because he hoped for an all-out war between Syria and its leadership [on the one hand] and the Sunnis in Lebanon and in other Arab countries [on the other]. Nasrallah blatantly exploited the conflict between the Sunnis in Lebanon and the Syrian leadership and people. He also exploited the disagreement between Syria and Saudi Arabia on the Lebanese issue... in his attempt to take over [Lebanon].

"As for his evidence and proof of Israel's involvement in the assassination, [Nasrallah] should present them to the international tribunal, which is the body authorized to investigate these allegations... Presenting them to the Lebanese people does not help the tribunal, because Nasrallah is [only] a politician, who does not represent international justice or [preside over] a court that can rule on broad issues.

"In my opinion, his goal in accusing Israel of the murder is to push the Lebanese into a tight corner, [and then argue] that whoever supports the international tribunal and the U.N.'s legitimacy is necessarily on Israel's side..."