Comments on: Updated (2): Fath al-Islam Reality & Palestinian Refugees Misery

By: Jay

Jay — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 09:06:06 +0000

The Middle East needs fewer people who are convinced they know the ‘reality’ of the situation. My personal reaction to the title ‘Fatah al-Islam reality’ is to reject the author since he is claiming an authority he cannot possibly have. Read the Seymour Hersh interview carefully. He does not claim to know a final version of who or what Fatah al-Islam is. Seymour Hersh is a journalist with great credibility, but we must remember that his very useful investigative report is partial and only as good as its sources. And who ever said that sources always tell the truth? Franklin Lamb, on the other hand, has great credibility as an eye-witness but no credibility as an investigative journalist. I would file his reports alongside US State Department press releases. Well worth reading, but with a massive grain of salt. His claims about a US air base put him alongside a fake aljazeera site, which contains a section entitled ‘Conspiracy Theories,’ in believing Wayne Madsen’s earlier claims.

By: Kris

Kris — Tue, 29 May 2007 09:06:11 +0000

What needs to be recognized is that the Palestinian refugees in Southern Lebanon did attempt to expel the extremist elements from their ranks… but the task proved difficult. Now they are paying for it as Lebanon lashes out.

By: Haitham

Haitham — Tue, 29 May 2007 07:43:39 +0000

Batir Wardam,

Well, Hersh can be wrong, CounterPunch too. What about the Lebanese official who said the same thing on TV? All what you need to do is look at alternative news sources, including different Lebanese TV channels and newspapers and you will hear it.

The truth is burried under more layers of deception.

This is no-theory too, just like the official untold-theory, which adds nothing, yet, none denied Hersh version!

Mustapha,

I’m just surprised at the excessive reliance on Hersh and counter punch. Where is the variety of resources?

Which is? What others are saying and WHO says it?

And why is too little focus is given to the families of the Lebanese soldiers who were stabbed in the back and slaughtered, for the simple fact of being lebanese soldiers?

I think you missed parts of my post as well missed the point. I have no sympathy to these terrorists and I said that very clear several times, and I feel sorry for all the losses, Palestinians as well Lebanese and I said that too, but this is not the point here.

By: Batir Wardam

Batir Wardam — Mon, 28 May 2007 21:03:08 +0000

I have to agree with Mustapha. In fact, while reading Hersh’s views I got very shocked and my previous trust in his opinion was shaken. I can never see the Americans or Hariri stupid enough to creat a new sunni monster fundamental group. On the Other hand, I also do not buy the Syrian linkages with fateh Al Islam. The truth is burried under more layers of deception.

By: Mustapha

Mustapha — Mon, 28 May 2007 20:16:21 +0000

I don’t have anything against haitham. In fact, I was once a globavoices author, and haitham was, in a way, my boss :)

I’m just surprised at the excessive reliance on Hersh and counter punch. Where is the variety of resources? And why is too little focus is given to the families of the Lebanese soldiers who were stabbed in the back and slaughtered, for the simple fact of being lebanese soldiers? One of them, Mohammad darwish from Akkar (a sunni btw), was about to get married. His mother was preparing for a wedding, she got a funeral instead.

Our prime minister and our armed forces repeated endlessly that the palestinians are our brothers and our guests and we will do our best not to put them in harm’s way. To Mr. Sabbah, that’s a “non opinion”

I’m just asking you to be reasonable and represent all sides of the story. Do not blindly follow the path that the Jazeera chorus , which fixates on Palestinians to the point of skewing the real issues.

By: desertpeace

desertpeace — Mon, 28 May 2007 18:31:38 +0000

Mustapha, it’s obvious that you do not visit this Blog very often (if at all)
Sabbah is one of the most dedicated people working tirelessly to bring justice not only to Palestinians, but to the entire world.
Go through his archives, read what he has said during the past year, especially during the period of the war in Lebanon last summer.
If your opinion of him doesn’t change then, something is blocking your computer screen, or you just can’t read.

By: Global Voices Online » Palestine: Refugees’ Plight

Global Voices Online » Palestine: Refugees’ Plight — Mon, 28 May 2007 17:30:44 +0000

[...] blogger Haitham Sabbah sheds light on the fighting in Lebanon here, focusing on the plight of Palestinian refugees. Share [...]

By: Haitham

Haitham — Mon, 28 May 2007 15:09:09 +0000

You might be right, Mustapha. I respect your point of view, but please note that I didn’t choose to live “comfortably in Kuwait” (in fact I live Bahrain) as you said, nor the millions of other refugees living around the world, including in Lebanon.

I’m not going to defend Nasrallah, but I have no reason to defend Harriri or Saniora either. However, Nasrallah didn’t kill the Palestinians in Lebanon, but others in “the club” did before, so I won’t be surprised if they do it again.

Hersh and CounterPunch has credibility and accountability that speaks for themselves, however, I think it is not fair to put me or anyone who don’t support “the club” or agree with their “no-theory” as haters of Lebanon.

“Either you are with us, or against us” is not on my agenda, and I hope it is not on yours too.

Anyway, thanks for your kindness!

By: Mustapha

Mustapha — Mon, 28 May 2007 14:03:36 +0000

Of course you can chose to trust Nassrallah living comfortably in Kuwait. But I bet you the moment terrorists like him (guess what? I’m a Sunni muslim too) start upsetting the lifestyle of kuwaitis and undermining the national army, the entire Kuwaiti society will turn against them.

But why do you care? let lebanon rot, the “cause” prevail and idiots like Hersh (who by the way, alongside the counterpunch article have been the only quasi-credible sources that every single lets-hate-lebanon-and-its-army crowd uses)poison your minds