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Assassination of al Hajj: A Vote for Suleiman
Asharq Alawsat,
UK, December 15, 2007
By Tariq Alhomayed
It seems that
whoever decided to assassinate the head of army operations
in Lebanon and the expected candidate to take over as army
chief, General Francois al Hajj, had taken this decision as
the acceptance of General Michel Suleiman’s nomination to
the presidential post in Lebanon became imminent.
The involvement
of the Lebanese army in the Lebanese political scene via the
presidential post, in this case, and its timing, has caused
political upheaval for all Lebanese parties and their
affiliates. This involvement has placed [Michel] Aoun in an
awkward position and disturbed Hezbollah along with its
Syrian and Iranian wings and the majority has used it as an
opportunity to counter its opponents in a calm manner.
Following the
Israel-Hezbollah war and the Nahr el Bared operations, the
Lebanese army has gained confidence and credibility both
within and outside of Lebanon. It was evident that the army
represented Lebanon in its entirety, with all its various
sects; it backed Hezbollah against Israel and confronted
terrorism in Nahr el Bared in spite of the sectarian,
ideological and political implications of both crises.
It became clear
that the wisdom of the Lebanese army had manifested itself
in General Michel Suleiman who adopted an impartial position
towards all parties in Lebanon. The ambition and confidence
of the Lebanese army, later on, was clearly demonstrated in
the late General Francois al Hajj who adopted a firm stance
as well as a desire to uphold the army’s word and its
prestige. The best example [of this] was his desire to
re-establish military control over southern Lebanon, as well
as his loyalty to General Michel Suleiman. From here, we may
begin the attempt to understand the motives behind the
assassination of General Francois al Hajj.
With the
proposal of General Suleiman as a possible candidate for the
presidential post in Lebanon, the chances of General
Francois al Hajj becoming army chief increased. This meant
that General Suleiman would enter Baabda’s presidential
palace with the support of the military; therefore there
would have been harmony between the palace and the military
barracks instead of the recent harmony between the palace,
the militia and the representatives of Syria and Iran.
The
assassination of General al Hajj sends the following message
to the Lebanese army: Entering the political arena is
equivalent to taking one step closer towards death. You and
the politicians are one and the same!
The other
message is one to His Excellency, the imminent president
General Michel Suleiman telling him that he is not far from
the reach of those who seek to control Lebanon and impose
their dominance upon it. Thus, they have issued their
warning for him to beware!
But what is
worse than this is that the assassination of General
Francois al Hajj, like the assassination of Ahmed Shah
Massoud, may bear a warning that the worst is yet to come,
in addition to the elimination of a leading figure that
could be agreed upon thus avoiding any surprises in case
General Suleiman is himself assassinated. Therefore, it
allows all bets to return to normal in that there would be
no “wild cards”, such as the nomination of Major General
Suleiman to presidency.
This is not a
completely hopeless situation or an elaboration upon a
conspiracy theory; this is a realistic interpretation of the
rationale that manages the crisis in Lebanon; it is a
mentality that can only speak the language of death. It is
an understanding of this “mafia” mentality that pulls the
strings in Beirut and which will continue to do so
as
long as it still has not paid the price for everything that
is has done so far. |
