For Immediate Release

July 12, 2006, Boston - Massachusetts

With another escalation of hostilities along the Lebanese-Israeli border, the New England Americans for Lebanon (NEAL) raises again the issue of the power duality existing today in Lebanon because of Hezbollah’s hijacking of the national will from the sovereign authority of the Lebanese State.

What happened over the past 2 days is precisely the scenario against which NEAL has time and again warned the Lebanese political establishment, particularly major political parties as the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) of General Michel Aoun who have unreservedly backed Hezbollah’s “Resistance” platform against the will of the Lebanese people and the international community, and who have struck political alliances with Hezbollah that were supposed to have only a short-term tactical objective, but which evolved since last January’s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the FPM and Hezbollah into a long term-strategic alliance. NEAL has in fact severed its ties with Aoun’s FPM specifically over the issue of this mutation in the FPM’s endorsement of Hezbollah’s “Resistance” platform.

Hezbollah is the only extant private fundamentalist Shiite Muslim militia to remain armed and operational after the end of the Lebanese War and the withdrawal of the Syrian occupation forces in April 2005. Hezbollah, funded and armed by Iran and Syria, and a member of the Lebanese government, maintains an autonomous base of military power that runs parallel to the Lebanese government and its legitimate armed forces, and controls large swaths of Lebanese national territory over which the Lebanese government is denied any exercise of sovereignty. 

This situation, along with the support and cover provided to it by such political parties as the FPM, has emboldened Hezbollah to drag the entire country into hostilities and confrontation with Israel whenever it chooses, for its own selfish interests, and with complete disregard for the higher interests of the Lebanese State and the nation. This is tantamount to treason and is a gross violation of the Lebanese constitution and of all international resolutions that have attempted over the past 2 years to lift Lebanon out of the Arab Nationalist and Moslem fundamentalist grip that Syria had imposed on the country for over 30 years.

When asked yesterday by the press to comment on the Hezbollah-triggered Israeli attacks against Lebanon, PFM opposition leader General Michel Aoun declined to comment until such time as the government of Prime Minister Saniora takes a stance. How, we ask, can the opposition movement of General Aoun defer to the government in a matter of such gravity? How can General Aoun not have a position on the impending invasion of his country by Israel because of actions taken by Hezbollah, General Aoun’s foremost ally on the ground in Beirut?

With an already devastated Lebanese economy seeking some relief with tourism at the beginning of this summer season, the Hezbollah-caused hostilities with Israel will certainly deal a fatal blow to the business and economic climate in Lebanon, not to mention the destruction that will be inflicted on the infrastructure by the Israeli retaliation. This is only one instance of how devastating the actions of one freelance armed militia can be on the entire nation.  NEAL demands that the FPM openly declare its distance from Hezbollah’s actions and abrogate the Memorandum of Understanding between the two sides, until Hezbollah demonstrates in deeds that it will disarm and cede all sovereignty to the Lebanese State.

New England Americans for Lebanon

Contact: Joseph Hitti – joehittimass@yahoo.com – 617-817-0674