Egypt’s election results: Palestinians Win & Zionists Lose?

Franklin Lamb

Beirut

Graphics by Alex

AL manar

The official results of the first round of the historic Egyptian presidential elections, the first ever in Mother Egypt where the results were not known in advance, present an encouraging snapshot of “new democratic Egypt” given that close to 50% of Egypt’s approximately 50 million eligible voters, some standing in line to vote in scorching heat for hours, will not be officially announced until late May.

But it appears, based on exit polls, that the two candidates who will face each other in the June 16-17 final round of voting will be the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammd Mursi (25%) facing Mubarak-era Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq (24%). Both finalists will carry substantial political baggage into Round Two. While Mursi will have the vast Muslim Brotherhood organization getting out the vote for him as well as the support of Islamist parties, his candidacy still faces pervasive voter doubt over having the long outlawed MB control both the Egypt’s Parliament and its presidency, thus effectively eliminating checks and balances to offset its pledge to enact Sharia law and remove Egypt from military rule.

Moreover, Israel and the US will back Mr. Ahmad Shafiq in various ways and he represents Egypt’s military, many of the countries wealthy and powerful voters, the business community, Coptic Christians, (ten percent of the voters) who understandably seek security above all else, and many others who will vote for what they calculate to be the lesser of two evils.

Yet barring surprises such as ex-President Hosni Mubarak being found innocent of all charges on June 2 when the verdict is to be announced in his case, which many lawyers are predicting is exactly what will happen, Mohammad Mursi will very likely prevail in the mid-June run-off and become Egypt’s first democratically elected President.

This will be good for Palestinian refugees in the diaspora, those under Zionist occupation in their own country, and will be welcomed by all who view the Palestinians full Return to their still occupied country and the dismantlement of the last 19^th century colonial enterprise, as a long overdue historical imperative.

The Prime Minister of the Palestinian government in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, declared on Thursday that “The Egyptian presidential election results will have a very positive affect the course and future of the Palestinian cause as well as the role and place of the Muslim people in the world.”

Haniyeh knows that the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Hamas evolved, is highly sophisticated politically and while it tries to avoid attracting condemnation, or worse, upon itself and its allies from Washington and Tel Aviv, the MB intentions regarding Camp David, giveaway gas and other deals with Israel, and diplomatic relations with the occupiers of Palestine are clear. They will all eventually be discarded as will the remaining 19^th century colonial enterprise itself. And the Egyptian people overwhelmingly agree.



Rashad Bayoumy:
"Is it a pre-condition to recognize Israel
in order to govern?"



Speaking with MB representatives in Cairo and Beirut over the past several months, the party’s position expressed to this observer is that the common thread that stitches together all the continuing regional uprisings can be described as a fundamental quest for dignity and the casting off of humiliation either from western imposed despotic regimes or from their illegitimate and aggressive agent, Israel.

Even before the completion of Egypt’s first democratic elections, which long-time election monitor Jimmy Carter has just labeled “very encouraging”there is broad recognition in Egypt that basic dignity demands the return of Palestine and its holy places, not just to the 1.5 billion Muslims and nearly as many Christians worldwide, but to all people of good will.

While no official MB decisions have been published regarding relations with Gaza and occupied Palestine, signs are everywhere from non-enforcement of Mubarak-Israeli-American pressures on Rafa, Gaza, travel and trade prohibitions that full normalization of relations between Egyptians and Palestinians under occupation is imminent.

Rats desert a sinking ship, fools ride

And Israel and its American lobby know it and are preparing.

On Capitol Hill, and among the more than 60 intensively active and well-funded pro-Zionist organizations in the US, a campaign has already begun to neuter the Egyptian voters choice next month as surely as was achieved during the three decades of Mubarak rule.

A couple of examples. AIPAC has launched a campaign to have the Obama administration, during the run-up to the coming election, now barely six months away, demand three things from the Mursi government:

Mr Powell started in Damascus with
a strong and clear message to Syria's
President Bashar al-Assad that
Washington expected change
including an end to Syria's support for
militant Palestinian and Lebanese
groups classified as terrorists.

• that is scrap elements of its political program and disassociate itself for “Islamism”,
• that it publicly pledge to fight“terrorism” i.e. the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance, and
• that it pledge to fully honor the Camp David accords.

When measured against what the MB stands for, and the Egyptian publics pleas to restore Arab and Muslim dignity, these demands are patently absurd.

Yet, empires and their agents do not easily abandon their goals.

Ever in the service of Israel, Elliot Abrams, writing in the Zionist Islamophoic Weekly Standard is proposing an approach that appears as fanciful and misguided as his WMD 2002-3 schemes to get the US to attack Iraq on behalf of Israel or his continuing five year campaign to get the US to bomb Iran for Israel.

Abrams is arguing, apparently seriously, that since the MB will be Egypt’s new government, Israel can still prevail if his advice is followed. Obviously unhappy with the prospect of the Muslim Brotherhood governing Egypt, Abrams does what he is paid to do for Israel, i.e. he paints Pigs hoping they will look like Princesses.

Eliot is publicly blaming the US for not sticking with the Mubarak regime like the Russians are with Syria’s government. He declared “Had Mubarak and the Army played their cards better, Shafik might have been Mubarak's successor without the harmful uprising that Egypt has experienced and Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel with all its blessings would be secure. Now, unless Shafik wins, it is finished but we (Israel?) still have some excellent options.”

Abrams and elements of the Zionist lobby is telling Congress that “srael must support Egypt’s "liberals" meaning, people who believe in democracy, liberty, and the rule of law rather than Islam as the guiding principles of Egypt and that the predicate must be that the electorate believes the MB had a clear chance and failed them.” He continued,“ If Shafik were to win many Egyptians will believe the elections were stolen by the Army and the old regime's machine, and in any event power will be divided between the MB on one side and the Army and president on the other. There will be no clear lesson to learn when conditions in the country then continue to deteriorate given that the previous annual 6.5 billion foreign infusion into Egypt’s economy has reversed to an annual 4 500,00 out flow and tourism in down by 40%.”

Abrams and other spokesmen for AIPAC and the Zionist lobby are arguing that Mubarak’s most recent Prime Minister, Ahmad Shafiq’s victory next month is not necessarily something Israel and the West should favor. Given that the MB is the leading party in parliament and with the Salafists having an Islamist majority there, Abrams claims that this is actually good for Israel since its lobby will organize Congress to push the idea that with the MB controlling both parliament and the presidency is dangerous and , “we can hold them and all Islamists in Egypt absolutely responsible for what happens to Egypt with its myriad problems and thus 100 percent of the responsibility for Egypt's fate will drop on the MB.”

Abrams continues, “If the MB’s Mursi wins and he will, the MB will be in charge--and be forced to deliver. And when they fail, as they will give Israel’s key friends in the international business community, it will be absolutely clear who was to blame and this is good for Israel. What is in Israel’s interest is to support Egypt’s military which it has worked closely with for years and encourage the army to fight with all its tools for its interests”.

Abrams summarizes his thesis in an AIPAC email to donors: “So as far as Israel is concerned, a Mursi victory should not be mourned; given the situation in Egypt, in this election we can assure that the loser will pity the winner. Two cheers for Mursi! Now let’s get to work.”

Franklin Lamb is doing research in Lebanon. He is reachable c\o fplamb@gmail.com

He is the author of The Price We Pay: A Quarter-Century of Israel’s Use of American Weapons Against Civilians in

He contribute to Uprooted Palestinians Blog

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Murr Scared: Hezbollah Wants to Assassinate Me!

Local Editor

Day after another, new scandals are revealed by the famous US cables, known as WikiLeaks…

On Monday, Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar published new cables, showing how some so-called March 14 officials did not waste any opportunity to defame the Resistance without making use of it.

For instance, the cable quoted Defense Minister in the caretaker government Elias Murr as claiming that he, alongside the Future Party leader Saad Hariri and former Prime Minister Fouad Saniora, was threatened of assassination by… Hezbollah!

The WikiLeaks cable dated May 14, 2008 reported about a meeting between Murr, General Martin Dempsey, Major General Robert Allardice, Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy for the US Military Central Command, and former US Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison.

HEZBOLLAH WANTS TO SHIFT BALANCEMurr allegedly told his guests that there is not an army in the world that can conduct a coup d’état in 12 hours without significant preparation. The surveillance cameras that were placed at the airport by Hezbollah, used in conjunction with radios, were part of a larger plan by Hezbollah to shift the balance of power in the government, he claimed. For previous political assassinations, he explained, Hezbollah has typically spent two to three months monitoring its target, and then the last few weeks in closer scrutiny before attacking.

Murr noted that the airport cameras, stolen in September 2007 from Transportation Minister Mohamad Safadi's private aviation business office and installed on April 23, 2008, were positioned to watch private jet traffic. They were providing intelligence for an imminent assassination attempt.

HARIRI, SANIORA TOP TARGETSHe expressed belief that March 14 Sunni leader Saad Hariri (whose name is often mentioned as the next prime minister) and current Prime Minister Fouad Saniora (also Sunni) were the top targets, and he himself was next on Hezbollah’s list. He noted that all three had been likely to travel in the next few weeks.

The coup indicates that Hezbollah wanted to do something to bring down the Sunnis, Murr claimed. If Saad were killed, the Hariri dynasty would be over, and Sunni fighters would take to the street. He continued, Hezbollah would have a reason to use arms to defend itself because it will have pointed to Al-Qaeda as the mastermind of the assassination.

Murr supported this hypothesis by revealing that he had received reports that Al-Qaeda was preparing an attack on a plane over Beirut International Airport. Murr highlighted that these intelligence reports were coming from the LAF G-2 (military intelligence) office in Dahiyeh, the southern suburb of Beirut. Murr concluded that someone was feeding false information to the G-2 to prepare the atmosphere.
An alibi was further established when Al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is purportedly financed by Iran, announced last month that Lebanon "will play a pivotal role in the fight," Murr posited. Then, when the Cabinet responded to the cameras on May 5 by transferring the head of airport security, Hezbollah seized the opportunity to launch its coup, he claimed.

ARMY DID NOT DO JOB"The LAF did not do the job like it needed to," Murr assessed. He said that the army cannot enter into a civil war because it would be split. Another weak point, according to Murr, is that the LAF's current commander, General Michel Sleiman, is also the only presidential candidate. Once a general has his eye on becoming the president, Murr said, he can no longer take a stand against any single group. "He will play the hero to the end," Murr continued. Sleiman was playing two roles, Murr relayed, he was first trying to make a balance between the victorious Shia and the defeated Sunnis, while also serving as an army commander afraid of Hezbollah and of splitting the army.

Murr qualified his assessment of the LAF by recounting past LAF achievements, most notably Nahr al-Barid, and concluded that the LAF can be counted on again, if the internal political process is functional. He added that its future success is further guaranteed if the next LAF G-2 Intelligence Director, LAF commander, and Defense Minister are allies.

"I can't say I am disappointed (with the LAF's performance) because I always knew what I could expect. Besides, every army goes through a turbulent period," Murr said. "I could take one of two approaches now. I could criticize the LAF and explain its faults to the world. Or, I could acknowledge that the LAF had a difficult moment, and now it is time to equip, train, and develop a forward-looking program."

MURR DISAPPOINTED

Murr relayed that he had heard from politicians, LAF officers, and ordinary citizens that they are disappointed in what they see as a lack of support from the US. Some believe they have "been left in Saigon," Murr added. He said that he himself had not been expecting more because he understands how the "US agenda can't move according to Saad and Walid Jumblatt's agendas." Nevertheless, he said he was realistic and with his feet on the ground, it is time to move forward.

Murr urged Dempsey (whose next meeting was with Sleiman) to give the impression to Sleiman that the US is very serious about Lebanon and will continue to train and equip the LAF. Tell him that this "incident" will not change US policy towards the LAF, Murr encouraged. If the LAF doesn't have hope, it will go to Hezbollah, he warned. Right now, we need to have hope, a positive morale, and more time in order to survive and ultimately win, Murr rallied.

MURR WANTS WEAKENED HEZBOLLAH

In response to Dempsey's interest in what would prompt the LAF to stand up to Hezbollah, Murr outlined three possible regional scenarios which would result in a weakened Hezbollah, and consequently enable the LAF to take control. First, he described, Iran announces it has nuclear weapons and the international community conducts military strikes taking out its nuclear facilities. Additionally, the US (or international community) threatens or attacks Syria. Hezbollah is consequently weakened without its power and funding sources and the GOL will feel emboldened to discuss Hezbollah arms, he claimed.

Second, Murr continued, war could break out again between Israel and Hezbollah, and Hezbollah is defeated. The LAF takes over in the south and the GOL is again ready to discuss disarming Hezbollah. Murr commented that he did not see the likelihood of this scenario.

LET’S MOVE HEZBOLLAH TO GROUP OF GANGSTERS!

The third scenario takes a long-term approach during which the LAF is strengthened step-by-step while "waiting for better days." Murr cautioned that Hezbollah is also brainstorming now about its strategy, and this long-term approach could be a reinforcement race. "The best day for Lebanon will be when we move Hezbollah from a resistance movement to a group of gangsters." The goal of this scenario is to wait until the dynamics have changed to favor the GOL and the LAF, and then the empowered GOL and LAF would take on Hezbollah. However, Murr warned, this strategy would take a long time.

In these three scenarios, the premise is for Hezbollah to be weakened by external events while at the same time, the LAF has been strengthened, Murr said. With GOL resolve, the LAF can then take on Hezbollah, he added. When asked whether the LAF would use attack helicopters, if the US provided them, against Hezbollah, Murr responded, "The stronger the LAF is, the weaker Hezbollah is."

HARIRI INEXPERIENCED

Having argued that a strong LAF could ultimately stand up to Hezbollah, Murr continued laying out his strategy, focusing on the GOL's role. Murr said that Saad Hariri, who could be the next PM, is inexperienced and would need strong ministers in key positions in the new government, "or else he will fail."

According to the cable, Murr seemed to accept the ten-ten-ten formula for dividing the cabinet, if ten seats are for "strong" majority candidates and the president's ten are for "respectable, strong" individuals. = According to Murr, the opposition is determined to install its own people as the ministers of defense and interior so "there's no one who can say 'no' to any strategy to strengthen the LAF." He explained that the defense strategy is proposed to the Ministry of Defense, which then has the final word. Therefore, he deduced, it is less dangerous to give the opposition the Ministry of Interior than Defense.

While acknowledging that both positions were considered essential and it would be a "catastrophe" if the opposition held both, Murr downplayed the Interior Ministry (which oversees many of the politicized issues including electoral law, voter registration, and the Internal Security Forces). He told his guests that when he was previously the Minister of Interior, his sister lost an election by one vote, concluding, "Trust me! The Minister can't change election results! It's hard to cheat, I know!"

Moreover, he said, there should be international observers for the summer 2009 parliamentary elections. "Ideally, we win the parliamentary elections, and have a strong LAF Commander and G-2," he hoped. He concluded by stressing that it is an investment in the future to strengthen the LAF, regardless of what is happening on the ground.

This strategy requires teamwork, Murr stated. "You don't want to invest in the LAF if it is between the hands of Hezbollah," he said. The cable noted that while a Hezbollah-controlled Defense Ministry is a red line for Murr, he said he is unsure if he is willing to trade the Interior Ministry for Defense because the Interior Minister could impose conditions on the LAF.

Wikileaks: Murr: "These are Sleiman's three C's; caution, coward, collusion..."

Via LLC

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 000681
SUBJECT: LEBANON: MINDEF MURR MEETING ON 11 MAY 2008
(...)
3. (C) Murr set the stage for our early Sunday morning by
telling us about his newest neighbors. Evidently, Free
Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Michel Aoun has received 200
new body guards to protect his residence in Rabieh which is
not far from Murr's home. These fighters had infiltrated into
Rabieh on dirt tracks that were not guarded. Now, according
to Murr, his nine year old daughter asks him, "who are those
dirty men with beards outside?" (Comment. If Murr were really
in distress about this new development, it is unlikely that
he would still have his two children in the house while his
ex-wife was out of the country. End Comment.)....

5. (C) Murr, clearly upset with the LAF's lack of
performance, told Charge that Sleiman was a "coward." Charge
recalled USDP Edelman's question to Sleiman about a lack of
LAF action leading to questions of either caution or
collusion on the part of the LAF. Murr agreed saying , "these
are Sleiman's three C's; caution, coward, collusion."...

Posted by G, M, Z, or B at 4:34 PM

WikiLeaks: Murr Says Sleiman Will Fight Hezbollah!

Another WikiLeaks cable revealed on Saturday that Defense Minister in the caretaker government in Lebanon Elias Murr has told the Americans that President Michel Sleiman was set to fight Hezbollah till the end.

SLEIMAN WILL FIGHT HEZBOLLAH
According to the cable, Murr told then US ambassador to Beirut Michele Sisson that the president was disappointed that the independent Christians were choosing not to run in the election, citing prominent industrialist Nemat Frem inparticular.

Sleiman reportedly conveyed to Murr his “frustration” with Hezbollah, and said he would fight Hezbollah to the end. Murr said he sensed a change in Sleiman's attitude toward Hezbollah from when he was LAF Commander and believes that Sleiman is feeling increasingly hindered by Hezbollah, hence the hardening of his attitude.

Murr posited that Sleiman had expected Hezbollah would not compete strongly against the President's former aide, Nazem Khoury, for a seat in Jbeil district. Sleiman realized now, however, that Hezbollah would not make such an agreement and would strongly support its political ally Michel Aoun against Christian candidates, including Khoury, the cable quoted him as saying. Sleiman saw that Hezbollah’s only “gift” to Sleiman was the presidency, Murr said.

Murr claimed that his colleague in the cabinet, Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, had been making frequent visits to Michel Aoun's residence, which is near Murr's. When he passed thisinformation on to Sleiman, Murr said, the president threatened Baroud with making him resign.

MURR FEARS HEZBOLLAH, FPM ATTACK

During the same meeting, which took place on the eve of Murr’s visit to Washinton, the Defense Minister discussed the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) many successes and credited US military assistance. He made a plea for an additional close-air support deliverable to demonstrate to so-called moderate Lebanese Christians (whose votes key swing districts are expected to determine the outcome of the June 7 parliamentary elections) and continued US support for the moderates in Lebanon.

Murr noted that he would be the first Christian political figure from the Middle East to go to Washington since Obama's election. Appreciative of the anticipated May shipment of military equipment from the US (Ref C) and the impending arrival of the Caravan, Murr made a plea for the announcement of an additional close-air support deliverable from the US during his trip.

Murr requested "some sort of aviation to sell to Christian voters during the elections." He clarified that he knew it was unreasonable to expect an actual deliverable before the June 7 parliamentary elections, but argued that an announcement of something to come from the US would be ideal in demonstrating continued US support for the moderates in Lebanon. He also suggested that a US push for UAE provision of 10 Hawks (from the UAE's inventory of 30 Hawks to be retired) would be welcome.

Murr feared Hezbollah and Free Patriotic Movement opposition Christian leader Michel Aoun would attack him in the headlines if he returned from the US "empty-handed."

LEBANON WILL NOT ACCEPT MIG-29S BEFORE 2040
According to the cable, dated April 4, 2006, Murr relayed that the Russian Defense Minister wants to visit Lebanon. He added that the Russians have been asking when the LAF officers would go to Russia for training on the MiG-29s it offered to the LAF in December (Ref D).

Murr said he had already begun hinting to the Russians that he did not want the fighter aircraft. He reiterated to the Ambassador that Lebanon would not be accepting the MiG-29s for a long time. "Not before 2040!" he stressed.

Wikileaks: Michel Sleiman to Jeffrey Feltman: "Elias Murr is the best choice for the Ministry of Interior because he antagonizes Hezbollah"

Wikileaks

"... Two days after the meeting, Feltman had dinner with Michel Suleiman. It lasted three hours in the officer's club at Yarze. Feltman explained the 'call' (07BEIRUT1641) as an attempt by Suleimann 'to correct the bad impression left by his performance during his meeting with Adelman'. Suleiman expressed his displeasure with the charge against him as a 'Syrian agent' and expressed  his fears that Damascus was concocting bad things for Lebanon..... Suleiman talked with admiration of Elias Murr, and  Saad Hariri. He added that the Sunnis 'discovered the Lebanese army' thanks to Hariri...  Suleiman wanted to leave a strong impression in Feltman's mind that he is 'independent from Syria', .....   Suleiman also spoke very negatively of President Emile Lahoud, in terms (according to Feltman, November 24, 2007, 07BEIRUT1852) that were never used in Diplomatic cables ,.... . At the end of this meeting, Feltman saw that Suleiman succeeded in convincing the Americans that he is not a 'Syrian agent'. But as far as presenting himself as a candidate for the presidency, Feltman goes on to say that Suleiman failed....

12 days later (07BEIRUT1723,  October 30, 2007), Feltman noted that 'Suleiman's positions evolved' significantly. Feltman visited him to inform him that the U.S. government was poised to impose sanctions against any individual who'd accept  appointment to a second government formed by President Emile Lahoud. Suleiman commented by saying that this was 'clear and good', .... Suleiman often reminded Feltman of his 'evolution' and stressed his conviction that the army should NOT remain neutral should one of the parties decide to change the status quo by force. Feltman believed that the 'evolution' in Suleiman's position was due to  three things: (1) the intervention of  Elias Murr has, and (2)  a threat by Walid Jumblatt that the Druze officers would not stand idly by and (3), Suleiman's 'ambitions'.... Suleiman saw that Hezbollah's declared support for his candidacy was to 'burn' him.... Suleiman saw that once Hezbollah & Syria's allies support a candidate, the later loses his appeal as people will brand him as a 'Syrian lackey'...  When Feltman asked for Suleiman's advice for any future President whether to keep Elias Murr in the Ministry of Defence, Suleiman replied that the Ministry of Defense is not important, especially if the relationship was good between the President and the government and the commander of the army......  but the presence of Murr, a rival for Hezbollah, in the Ministry of Interior, was thus essential..."

Posted by G, M, Z, or B at 11:11 PM

March 14 Wanted Russian Fighter Jets to ‘Scare’ Hezbollah!

Local Editor

Day after another, a new scandal is uncovered through the WikiLeaks documents…

The latest discovery in this context resides in the fact that the March 14 bloc wanted to get fighter jets out of belief such deal would “scare” Hezbollah, nothing more.

In 2008, while Lebanese were greeting with joy the announcement of a donation of ten MiG-29 Russian warplanes, believing it would strengthen the capacities of the Lebanese army against Israeli threats, the leaders of the March 14 bloc who were in power had in mind a completely different project.

Too simply, they wanted to exploit the Russian offer to weaken their political rivals, mainly Hezbollah!

This what was revealed by new WikiLeaks documents published on Friday by Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, detailing meetings that joined then US ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Hale with Lebanese officials, including the head of the caretaker government Saad Hariri, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and Defense Minister in the caretaker Government Elias Murr.

HARIRI WANTS TO WEAKEN HEZBOLLAH

According to the head of the caretaker government Saad Hariri, the Russian MiG-29 fighter jets would strengthen the March 14 forces and prevent Hezbollah from repeating the so-called May 7 incidents.

Hariri was speaking during a meeting with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Hale on December 17, 2008.

He reportedly said that the planes would further weaken one of Hezbollah’s “excuses” to hold onto its arms. “Hezbollah is feeling threatened by the MiG deal and the party's al-Manar TV station dealt with it (the issue) negatively,” Hariri claimed, without convincing the US ambassador who admitted that there was no negative reaction from the Resistance group on the MiG deal. "A Hezbollah representative has stressed in an official statement his support to arm the Lebanese military to confront Israel," Sison wrote.

MURR BELIEVES JETS BEST WAY TO DESTROY HEZBOLLAH

Anoter leaked US Embassy cable published exclusively in Al-Akhbar on Friday revealed that Defense Minister Elias Murr had initially rejected a Russian grant of 77 tanks and 50,000 of their ammunition, saying that the Lebanese had no need for them.

The WikiLeaks cable spoke of a December 16, 2008, meeting between Murr and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov, during which the Lebanese official explained that Lebanon is in need of MiG fighter jets. The Russian official grew frustrated with Murr's request, eventually conceding to granting Lebanon 10 MiG-29 fighter jets for free.

Murr recounted the details of the meeting to then US Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison. He explained that he had no choice but to accept the offer because if he rejected it, he would have been labeled as a traitor who is following an American agenda. He went on to say that the Russian offer could be used against Hezbollah, noting that it could bolster the March 14 camp's chances of winning the 2009 parliamentary elections, according to the cable.

The MiG jets are the best way to combat and destroy Hezbollah, Murr claimed.

The December 22, 2008, cable revealed that Sison had opposed the MiG deal to which Murr responded that he will not reply to the offer before the end of 2009.

In a later cable, dated April 6, 2009, the minister informed the ambassador that Lebanon will reject the Russian offer, saying it won't accept it "before 2040."

GEAGEA ASSURES ISRAEL NOT THREATENED!

Even more, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea chose to offer guarantees to the United States that its ally, the Israeli enemy, would not be threatened by the Russian deal!

According to a WikiLeaks cable dated December 19, 2008, Geagea told US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Hale that Lebanese army pilots need hundreds of MiG-29 Russian fighter jets and tens of years of experience on the jets to “threaten” Israel.

Geagea reportedly warned during the meeting that MiG jets would "most probably complicate US efforts aimed at building support for the army inside Congress and with Israelis."

When Lebanese Promise to End Hezbollah, Say Israelis Friendly!

Local Editor

More scandals continue to be uncovered by the WikiLeaks documents of the July 2006 war, published by Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar.

HARIRI WANTS A CHANCE

On Friday, the daily published a cable about a meeting that joined the head of the caretaker government Saad Hariri and US ambassador in Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman in Qoreitem on August 20, 2006. According to the cable, Hariri promised Feltman that he would "abolish" Hezbollah once the Lebanese army is consolidated. He claimed that that as long as the army is weaker than Hezbollah, then it should be in a less threatening position. The US administration should consolidate Lebanese state institutions, particularly the army, he added.

SANIORA WORRIED

In another cable, WikiLeaks quoted the head of the Lebanese government at the time of the war Fouad Saniora as assuring the Americans, who had a major role in the war, that what he called claims of victory by Hezbollah were "empty words" given the large number of casualties in Lebanon. He expressed fears that Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah would seek to topple his cabinet.

In the cable dated August 16, 2006, Saniora told then US Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman that he was making every effort to deploy the Lebanese army as quick as possible in the south.

MURR: ISRAELIS FRIENDLY!
Then Defense Minister Elias Murr was not in a better situation.

According to a cable dated August 15, 2006, Murr told Feltman that the army's position in the South should be bolstered "as soon as possible" in order to destroy Sayyed Nasrallah's "rude and arrogant" rhetoric displayed during his August 14, 2006 speech.

Murr told the ambassador that the Israelis were "friendly, asking if the Lebanese army would deploy in the South" as soon as possible.

"The Israeli army's performance during the war was weak, especially during the past two days when tens of Israeli soldiers were killed, which left Hezbollah with a sense of victory," he noted. "The Israeli army has left us in a difficult position … They are the worst army in the world," he went on to say, with a regret sense.

Wikileaks: Elias Murr: "The Sunna want to fuck with the dick of others!"

Via-Friday-Lunch-Club

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 002665

SUBJECT: LEBANON: DEFENSE MINISTER AWAITS CABINET DECISION ON DEPLOYMENT

2. (C) Sitting in his study surrounded by a stunning collection of Greek Orthodox icons, Murr informed the Ambassador that senior LAF and IDF officers met on 8/14 at UNIFIL headquarters in the southern city of Naqoura to coordinate the deployment/withdrawal, noting that the Israelis behaved "sweetly" and asked if the LAF "could come tomorrow." Murr was amazed that the Israelis had already pulled most of their troops out of the South, even though the LAF and UNIFIL-plus might still be several days away from deploying. Murr complained that the vacuum left by the Israeli "defection on the ground" is being rapidly reclaimed by Hizballah. In addition, what he saw as the relatively poor Israeli military performance, especially over the last two days of conflict when dozens of Israeli soldiers were killed, had left Hizballah in a triumphant and uncompromising mood. "The IDF put us in a difficult situation," complained Murr, adding in a typical flourish, "They are the worst army in the world."......

 

5. (C) Murr hopes that the disarmament issue causes the next Cabinet session, whenever it is finally held, to "explode." Unfortunately, he said, th粑 only people prepared to go face-to-face against Hizballah in the Cabinet are himself and non-Sunni March 14 members Joe Sarkis, Pierre Gemayel, Nayla Moawad, and Marwan Hamadeh. Otherwise, he lamented, "the Sunna have no knees and no experience" to go against Hizballah. "Saad (Hariri) should have been tougher from the beginning," Murr complained, while PM Siniora had asked Murr to be "firm but smooth" about the disarmament issue, and to "not cause him any problems." (Note. During the meeting Murr took a call from PM Siniora, who asked Murr to call back once the Ambassador had left. Inviting the Ambassador to stay, Murr called Siniora back after five minutes. The Prime Minister wanted to know what the Ambassador had said regarding the deployment. End Note). While the Sunni March 14 members want Hizballah to disarm, said Murr, they are unwilling to rock the boat for fear of exacerbating Sunni-Shi'ite tensions, and will let the Christians and Druze take the lead. Unleashing an arsenal of expletives, the Defense Minister complained that, "This is the problem with the Sunna, they want to f**k with the d**k of others."....  9. (C) Murr's comments on Sunni reticence to challenge Hizballah highlight a real concern in the current political bartering in Lebanon. Un粑ess Siniora and others from March 14 are willing to stand as one .......The one weak point remains the Sunnis -- as well as Nabih Berri who, though he hates Hizballah, is unlikely to openly confront the group -- and we will work on stiffening the backbones of PM Siniora, Saad Hariri and other Sunni March 14 members to join in the fray, if not publicly then at least in the Cabinet, to press Hizballah to disarm at least in the South now. As we will report septel, the Ambassador met with Siniora on 8/16 -- a day after the conversation with Murr -- and Siniora is moving to retake the initiative in a step-by-step approach to UNSCR 1701 implementation.

Posted by G, Z, or B at 10:24 AM

Wikileaks: Elias Murr: "Hizballah cannot launch a rocket from Solidere.... Let Hezbollah play with the Lebanese army... We'll shoot. No Joke!"...

Via Friday-Lunch-Club

C O N F I D E N T I A L  BEIRUT 002553

SUBJECT: TFLE01: DEFENSE MINISTER MURR CONFIDENT IN RAPID LAF DEPLOYMENT

3. (C) As to the potential for an escalation of the conflict, such as a Hizballah attack on Tel Aviv, Murr does not see that as likely. Murr said that the decision to strike Tel Aviv with Zilzal 1 and Zilzal 2 missiles would have to come from Tehran. Israel would have to strike downtown Beirut, which Murr thinks will not happen. When asked whether Hizballah might cynically move a rocket launcher into Solidere in order to draw Israeli aerial fire, Murr dismissed this as "impossible." Saying that he had 3000 LAF troops stationed in Beirut, Murr scoffed, "Hizballah cannot launch a rocket from Solidere. I have too many soldiers there." He also claimed that three days ago the LAF successfully interdicted a Hizballah-bound container of rockets and impounded them in the Ministry of Defense, refusing to release them to Hizballah.  ......... 

6. (C) Murr did not mention whether or not the LAF would assume Hizballah's weapons and positions in the South. When asked if he really thinks Hizballah will peacably accept this arrangement, Murr challenged, "Let them play with the Lebanese army. When we're in the South, anyone who moves, we'll shoot at. No joke." 

Posted by G, Z, or B at 1:22 AM

A Damning Wikileaks Revelation - The Story of Elias Murr, Saboteur

By RANNIE AMIRI

When Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers crossed into southern Lebanon and were caught snooping around the village of Ayta al-Shab on July 12, 2006, it was the pretext needed for Israel to launch a vicious 34-day land, sea and aerial assault on the country. The offensive’s principal objective—the destruction of Hezbollah—was not achieved.

Two years after the war’s end we now learn, thanks to WikiLeaks, that Lebanese Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Elias Murr gave Israel strategic military advice on how to finish the job.

The 2006 Lebanon War resulted in the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, primarily in the Shia Muslim-majority areas of southern Lebanon and southern suburb of Beirut known as the Dahiyeh. Of the 1,200 Lebanese killed and 4,400 injured, the vast majority were civilians. A full quarter of the population was displaced. Of the 160 Israelis killed, most were soldiers.

Evidence soon surfaced that the Lebanese government under the leadership of then-Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, was complicit in the Israeli attack.

Haaretz correspondents Amos Haren and Avi Issacharoff write in their book “Spider Webs – The Story of the Second Lebanon War” (2008, published in English as “34 Days: Israel, Hezbollah, and the War in Lebanon”):

“For the first time, we reveal … that moderate Arab states and the people close to the Lebanese government have conveyed messages to the Israeli government via different sides demanding Israel continue the war until Hezbollah was completely crushed.”

Cables to the U.S. State Department disclosed by WikiLeaks reveal the continued collusion of Lebanese government ministers with Israel.

Israel’s inside man
The diplomatic cable of note was first published in Lebanon’s leftist Al-Akhbar daily on Dec. 7 [1]. It recounts a March 2008 meeting that took place in Beirut between U.S. Chargé D'affaires Michele Sison (who later became ambassador to Lebanon) and Defense Minister Murr.

In the conversation with Sison, Murr made suggestions and offered Israel advice on how best to defeat Hezbollah in a war he believed was imminent.

U.S. officials were quoted as saying:

“Murr told us that Israel would do well to avoid two things when it comes for Hizballah. One, it must not touch the Blue Line [the line demarcating the Israeli-Lebanese border] or the UNSCR 1701 areas [the buffer zone patrolled by United Nations peacekeepers] as this will keep Hezbollah out of these areas. Two, Israel cannot bomb bridges and infrastructure in the Christian areas. The Christians were supporting Israel in 2006 until they started bombing their bridges.”

Murr tried to determine how long the invading Israeli forces would take to “clean out” Hezbollah fighters from the Beka’a valley so he could determine the amount of supplies needed to support Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) troops stationed in an area sympathetic to Hezbollah:

“Murr was especially concerned for members of the 1st and 8th Brigades in the Beka’a valley. Murr thinks that these units will be cut off from HQ support while Israel is conducting operations against Hizballah in the Beka'a … The LAF will move to pre-position food, money, and water with these units so they can stay on their bases when Israel comes for Hizballah—discreetly, Murr added.”

It was amusing to note how he made clear that Hezbollah—who forced the mighty IDF to retreat from Lebanon twice, in 2000 and 2006—could not count on help from the woefully ill-equipped and under-supplied LAF.

He told then-LAF commander and current Lebanese President Michel Suleiman to stay out of the fighting “when Israel comes” but “take over, once Hezbollah's militia has been destroyed.”

Murr relayed to American embassy officials that he was not responsible for passing messages to Israel, but by giving military advice to their closest ally, he knew he was doing exactly that.
When confronted with the revelations, an aide to Murr said, “The information posted by WikiLeaks is not complete and is not accurate.”

“Operation Cedar Sweep”
WikiLeaks also exposed that the U.S. flew U-2 reconnaissance missions over Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, known as “Operation Cedar Sweep,” and used a British airbase in Cyprus to do so. 

In addition to expressing fears they might become de facto accomplices to torture should the U.S. end up capturing and interrogating Hezbollah members, according to Reuters, “British officials were also concerned that the Lebanese request for the intelligence flights, dubbed “Operation Cedar Sweep,” had come solely from Lebanon's Defense Ministry without endorsement from the government as a whole” (emphasis added).

The Los Angeles Times wrote: “Britain, U.S. diplomatic officials bristled, wanted assurances that the entire Lebanese Cabinet, which included Hezbollah, and not just Murr had signed off on the missions and that captured Hezbollah members would not be tortured” (emphasis added).

It is clear from the March 10, 2008 cable that even after Israel ravaged Lebanon in the July 2006 war, Murr was giving them tips on the best way to defeat Hezbollah when the next one erupts. He also displayed clear sectarian bias in advising Israel not to attack the Christian areas of the country while apparently having no qualms about bombs falling on the heads of Shia civilians:

“If Israel has to bomb all of these places in the Shia areas as a matter of operational concern, that is Hizballah’s problem,” he said.

(In another cable [2], Murr extols the virtues of Lebanese Christians soldiers, lauding their “trustworthiness and reliability” but said Shia LAF soldiers “… come to the Army for a salary and to eat. Christians come with a sense of community service …”).

He seems more suited to lead one of Lebanon’s Christian militias than Lebanon’s defense ministry.

Regardless of whether Murr’s advice was considered helpful, he nonetheless provided an enemy with guidance on how to attack his country, even if that meant Lebanese civilians ostensibly under his protection would be killed.

If there is any question why Hezbollah refuses to surrender its arms to the LAF, under the authority and command of defense ministers like Murr, WikiLeaks has given us the answer.

The unanswered questions
Who else in the government, then and now, knew about Murr’s actions? 

• What authority did he have in asking the U.S. to spy on Hezbollah locations in Lebanon without government approval?
• How much of what Murr said to Sison did then-Army Commander Michel Suleiman know? Was he aware that Murr passed on military advice to the IDF?
• What was Suleiman’s reaction to Murr’s instruction for the army to stand down should Israel attack?
• The cable read: “Defense Minister Murr told us that he promised Sleiman the political cover for LAF inaction.”
• Is Suleiman, Lebanon’s current president, also complicit?

There are petitions circulating calling for Murr to resign or be fired. When one betrays the defense of his nation to a foreign power, it does not call for a simple resignation letter or job termination. It requires a thorough judicial inquiry.

After the WikiLeaks memo is authenticated and its veracity confirmed, Murr must stand trial for treason.

Addendum

Shortly after this article’s completion, Al-Akhbar’s website was attacked and brought down, likely over their publication of WikiLeaks documents. Once functionality has been restored, the referenced cables can be read here:
[1] http://www.al-akhbar.com/ar/node/216464
[2] http://www.al-akhbar.com/ar/node/216466

Rannie Amiri is an independent Middle East commentator.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian