Sayyed Nasrallah: Forget not May 7, lest the stupidity of May

The Secretary General of Hizbullah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah spoke at the 21st Annual University Graduation Ceremony for education mobilization, which carried the title of 'al-Radwan', in the Sayyed Shouhada complex in Beirut's southern suburb of Ruwais.

The following is the full text of that speech:

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Thanks and Praise be to Allah, Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds. Peace and prayers be to the last prophet, Prophet Muhammad, his infallible progeny, his chosen companions and all the prophets and messengers...

Brothers and sisters,
Peace and God's mercy and blessings to you all;

On this blessed event and specifically at this present time, there are many titles and issues that need addressing, but on this occasion and owing to the nature of the ceremony, I would like to speak in a certain focus.

There are issues of high importance I will be talking about on Monday night God willing, on Al-Manar TV, on the 'Nakbah' (catastrophe) commemoration that befell this nation, when Palestine fell victim of occupation and rape, and I will talk about the Nakbah and "Israeli" maneuvers and the obligations towards them. Tonight I will not be talking about the "Israeli" spy networks in Lebanon all that is linked to "Israel" which I will cover on Monday as I promised before.

The nature of the subject of the 'Nakbah', the maneuvers and spy networks is better suited for a television message rather than a public ceremony speech.

Today I want to talk to you not in television-message style, because many look at television address and say "the Sayyed appears very calm", but when I give a public speech they say "the Sayyed is furious"... in reality I am neither "furious" when I speak publicly, nor am I "calm" in television addresses. Each medium has its purpose.

Television addresses and speeches given to large public gatherings are different in their nature.

Today, I want to speak about you, 'the Radwan group'... about the brothers, sisters and the parents... about Lebanon and Lebanese affairs and the elections, since we are in this important elections phase; I will also conclude the word with a necessary position on May 17th and May 7th.

First, I would like to congratulate all the graduates, the brothers and sisters, whom we celebrate today.

Congratulations to them on their success and academic accomplishment which was the outcome of determination, willpower, faith, perseverance, persistence, effort, Jihad, and sitting at classroom desks... According to religious Islamic thought, education is jihad in the name of God Almighty. Certain Hadiths (Prophetic words) say 'the angels lower their wings to the knowledge seeker.'

On behalf of the brothers and sisters in the Hizbullah procession, I announce our pride and joy at your accomplishments and would like to extend my thanks and high appreciation to the parents-the dear fathers and mothers as in all the graduation ceremonies, for their persistence and support of their sons and daughters to continue on the path of academic achievement, through university and fields of specialization, and for bearing the burdens that accompany such decision.

We know that the vast majority of Lebanese citizens and Lebanese families live in poverty, on the poverty line and, many, below it. However, we see that fathers and mothers make the efforts and bear great burdens and responsibilities to provide for their children the opportunity of education and specialization and the chance to make a real future.

I bow down to the Mujahideen fathers and mothers, because the persons working hard for their dependents, are as Mujahideen on the path of God... this labor is not only to fill the stomachs of their dependents far from hunger, but to feed, educate and raise the status and livelihood of their offspring in this life here, and safeguard their afterlife...these are Mujahideen on the path of God.

I must give thanks to a segment of our society we usually pay little attention to: the spouses.

The number of sisters graduating is more than the brothers. This is a healthy phenomenon since many of them continue their education after marriage. Many husbands allow their wives to continue their study, and of course, a wife who continues with her higher education, imposes a certain type of burden on the husband and the household who must bear in the process. But thank God, we see that this phenomenon is spreading and growing in our environment and it is a healthy phenomenon.

Wives, too, help their husbands on furthering their study despite the demands placed by maintaining a marital home. This joint cooperation and endurance lead to such good results. Thus, today, I want to devote a special thanks to the spouses who facilitated for their husbands and wives, the opportunity to continue their education and academic achievement, in spite of all the resulting consequences.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Your group of graduates carry 'al-Radwan' name, the name of the cherished martyr commander Hajj Imad Mughnieh-Hajj Radwan God bless his soul...here I want to point out something not many people know, which is that al-Hajj, May God have mercy on his soul, throughout assuming his Jihad and command responsibility, had always encouraged the Mujahideen brothers working under his command not to abandon academic pursuit. This was his concern and I know he always sought it and tried to secure the financial and organizational facilities to give a large number of our brothers and sisters the university study opportunities... This was not just his personal desire, but it was based on a strategic vision, this vision embodied in the resistance and the resistance movement...

Because, brothers and sisters, it is true that since its foundation till today, our resistance has been based on knowledge, faith, resolve, determination, intent and sacrifice, but it has also been defined by education, knowledge, specialization and bright minds... this has been acknowledged by our enemies on the battlefields and in more than one area of confrontation, in security and psychological warfare, military combat, in the development of capabilities, in tactics, through the formation of a special military combat school, neither Western nor Eastern but the school of Islamic resistance in Lebanon, made by Mujahideen from Lebanon...

Therefore, for your group to carry this title is a source of pride and honour, just as the martyr, from his heavenly place, commander Radwan would be when you declare his the name of your group and continue on his path and Covenant with his blessed blood of and that all the martyrs who have gone before.

Dear brothers and sisters,
Such a large number of male and female graduates from the heart of this faithful procession of Jihad is but one of the true faces of this procession being presented to Lebanon and the world, one of the shining faces that reflect the resistance march in Lebanon, and its faith, humanity and patriotism, its sincerity and dedication, its diligence and perseverance, its knowledge and labor, and its great hope in the future it seeks...

...today you provide the world with a picture of the faithful believer not hindered by poverty and deprivation to seek knowledge, success and progress, a picture of a believer unhindered by fewness, fewness of supporters, or frail equipage for Jihad and resistance... in his quest for dignity and freedom, the image of the faithful believer whose ultimate quest is achieving justice among the people, and the smile he dreams to see on all their lips, and the joy he dreams would fold their hearts, the dream of all the prophets throughout history.

Today you also serve a strong scene and a clear message to all those who doubt the opposition forces' abilities to manage all fields and disciplines of Lebanon, who gamble on the opposition's failure to run the affairs of the country, who say "if the opposition wins the majority, we do not want to participate in governance", not out of asceticism or modesty, but out of gambling on the opposition's failure...

...I say to all those gamblers 'we like you to govern in partnership with us, as we are proponents of partnership, but if you choose not to, and we win the majority, we will not implore you to...if you are gambling on the failure of the opposition, the only answer is this, with these 2883 graduates in all fields of specialization graduating tonight, in this one ceremony of many during and this one phase of many, are part of the hearts, minds, souls, resolve and determination that defeated the strongest army and the strongest country in the region-backed by the strongest tyrant in this world...they are more capable of managing a country a hundred times larger than Lebanon.

How can some people accuse us of wanting to establish a regional empire accuse the opposition of not being able to govern 10452 square kilometers?!!

As we have been able to liberate our land and prisoners and protect our country with Lebanese minds and hearts, with Lebanese willpower and sacrifices... we are able or are the ones in the better position, God willing, to build our country and nation and uphold development.

Today, I say to you we are interested in a new phase and must bear the full responsibility, not from a disconnected or edgewise position, the responsibility to build our country, homeland and the strong and just State, because strength without justice is destruction, dictatorship and injustice; and justice without strength has no protection or means for implementation.

We look forward to Lebanon, a home to all its sons and families, all equal in rights and obligations, a homeland of one unified people and unified state; one Lebanese people who have no problem talking about our pluralistic multicultural society.

In the past, some of the elite, intellectuals and thinkers used indulge in long debates about whether 'what we have is multiplicity or diversity?'

There no issue about which terminology is used, since essentially pluralism and the multi-cultural, religious and intellectual diversity is a gift and a blessing, which we can turn into the most important component of strength in our country as well as the world, beginning from our homeland.

We are one people, in one land, we speak the same one language, we have the same interests of security, stability, freedom, sovereignty, independence and social welfare, science, education, economy, finance and all of life's affairs pertained to individuals, families, political parties, groups, religious confessions and regions.

Our interests are the same when viewed in-depth, we may differ in the expression and diagnosis of these interests, but we are essentially one people, who should be long finished with the prejudiced spirit of who are 'the quality or quantity nationals.'

Today, education in Lebanon crosses all confessions, so does poverty, honor, dignity, betrayal and, unfortunately, collaboration. The concept of 'qualitative and quantitative nationals' must be finished with as of now. We must look at our citizens as one people although there have been certain fissures or severe disunity. Still, we all must cooperate and collaborate together in addressing these divisions or fractures.

We look forward to a unified-state-Lebanon, as I spoke earlier of the unity of the people and the territorial integrity of the State. Therefore, we in Hizbullah have always rejected Lebanon's partition and we will stand against any partitioning plans for Lebanon that may cross anyone's mind today or in the future.

To my surprise now, after the failure of all past partition plans and regional and international gambles, that there are still some people thinking of partitioning Lebanon. But I tell you frankly, a partition plan duplicate still tantalizes the minds of some political players in Lebanon. I know these are not mere dreams but actual hopes being talked about and planned for in some private domestic sittings, under the title of 'federalism'!

Such plots will find no place in Lebanon.

We want Lebanon a unified country, a unified people, land, State and system; Lebanon cannot stand any form of federalism, which we only see as a step towards partition. It's interesting how those currently accusing us of wanting tripartite-rule, are themselves working for federalism?!

We also look forward to Lebanon as a Lebanese nation par excellence, free of racism whereby some classify themselves as being ‘more Lebanese' than others, free of feelings of racial superiority which have no basis in logic, law, or in the values of the surrounding environment we live in, particularly our neighbouring Arab world, and in our relations with each other.

We look to a Lebanon of Arab identity, but without fanaticism, because racism and fanaticism are obscurantism with no connection whatsoever to reason, religion, knowledge and humanity.

Concerning the state and the system, I do not think the Lebanese differ over many of these titles, but they may differ in their interpretation, or ways and means to achieve them.

According to the political system we put forward in our electoral platform, and as stated in the Taif Accord, we call for the higher national authority for the abolition of political sectarianism.

We applied caution with our electoral platform; we did not say we want to abolish political sectarianism, since no one yet has approached the item mentioned in the Taif Accord dedicated to the formation of the higher national authority for the abolition of political sectarianism.

What we are asking for is the formation of this supreme body, which is required to sit and study this issue, however long this takes even if it takes years, unless we wish to continue with the existing sectarian formula?

If the study result is to continue on with the existing formula, then so be it. But then there are some developments, improvements and amendments that can be discussed and agreed on.

On the other hand if the Lebanese, through the higher national body for the abolition of political sectarianism, reach the result of wanting to abolish sectarianism from our system of governance, then we need to put in place an implementation plan and organise and reach agreement on the alternative.

On this point particularly, we do not call for any urgency or for imposing the choices of some Lebanese over other Lebanese, because any substantial amendment in the system must be based on a national debate that is real, deep and serious... coupled with genuine national consensus, because scuttling change or imposing the will of some over others, when it comes to changes in system structure, might have far more serious repercussions and consequences than it would be to continue with the existing current formula, despite its defects which we all agree on.

This is one point.

Another point is that we look forward to a unified country, and I do not want to defend Hizbullah here, but I assure you that since our foundation we have been in support of the ‘one state'; as a result over all the past years we never practiced any governing in the so-called, in parentheses "the spheres of authority", even after the liberation of the border zone. I stood in the town of Bint Jubeil, like the coming few days nine years ago, and I said 'we are not a substitute for the State or the authority, we do not have a judiciary, nor do we want to put people on trial, even collaborators who killed us, shed our blood, hurt and jailed us, who whipped the skin on our backs and destroyed our homes'; we left them to be tried by the State of Lebanon.

We do not offer ourselves as a state or an authority. Meanwhile, during the past three decades, others, who now exaggerate their talk about wanting a single unified State, have actually practiced local statehood, canton and local government... we never did this in the past, nor do we do this anywhere now, in spite of all the media misinformation targeting certain areas, especially the southern Dahiyeh suburbs.

We are for a unified capable State, with a strong government and a strong and decent parliament, which properly represents the will of the Lebanese people, we are also for an independent and strong judiciary, a strong army and strong security organs.

In this we do not differ with others.

Yes. There is a point of contention with some: the issue of the resistance and its weapons and the defense strategy.

This point has a great deal of controversy and debate. We will discuss this matter as we continue, but given the developments that are happening all around us, we still do not see incompatibility in Lebanon between having a strong resistance and a strong State.

The strong State is the one capable of delivering Lebanon to a stage when it can be said to the resistance that 'Now Lebanon is a State, capable of protecting its people, land, security and stability, and you in the resistance, can now go back to your school benches, factories, fields and to your normal lives.'

This is the natural route.

In this context as well, we look forward to a State that exercises real administrative reform, good effective and productive governance, free of corruption and bribery.

We, therefore, call for the implementation of administrative decentralization as stated in the Taif Accord.

We call for a modern election law that allows the best representation of the society's segments and wholeheartedly support the proportional representation law.

We call for a State that is able to address the social and living crisis. A State that gives these issues real and serious priority, not what we have been witnessing throughout the past years.

We call for a State that is genuine about balanced development, one we believe has the restoration of the Ministry of Planning in its natural order, to place Lebanon's capabilities, resources and needs in an overall comprehensive view, making equal and balanced plans, and implementation mechanisms that take into account this quantitative and qualitative balance.

Therefore, I say to the graduating brothers and sisters: you stand before a challenge to join the work force, and employment opportunities, to make use of the accreditation and specializations you have just acquired.

Here, you face two pathways: the personal partial path, related to how each one of us finds a job placement for his son or daughter, through an association, institution, leader or party.

The other path is to have a government in the near future that places the pains, hunger, poverty and the unemployment problems of the people at the forefront of its concerns, "and not spend another four or five years" struggling to achieve political heading, as they (current majority) had planned, but fail to achieve since they have known from the start that they will fail, regardless of the political, military, security and media means they employ in their attempts.

We look forward to assisting in the formation of a government that is earnest, sincere and honest, a government of the people, from their midst, from their hunger and deprivation... in order to bring serious and sincere solutions to the social, financial, economic, development, and employment issues.

We also look forward to a strong and independent judiciary, free from the influence of politicians and all official and unofficial political positions.

What we have in Lebanon is not a judicial authority, even if the Supreme Judicial Council says we do...we have fair and honest judges, the corrupt as well, the free and independent in their decision making, as well as the subordinate who are held in pledge to others.

Otherwise what image does this judiciary have, when it (lightly) punishes Zionist spies and collaborators who worked and collaborated with "Israel" for decades, committed high treason against their homeland?

What is and who is this judicial system that gives these collaborators sentences of one or six months, or a year, then to be released later and return to spy networks... conversely who is this same judicial system that places four senior officers in prison for three years and eight months without investigation or any evidence!

Is this an independent or fair judiciary?

This is shameful; those who collaborated with "Israel" for many long years go into prison for two or three and come out again.

Since the beginning we have pledged to hand collaborators over to the Lebanese judiciary, and never did what any resistance in history has done.

All resistance movements in history held field trials and punished collaborators and traitors, nationals of their own homeland except in Lebanon...

...Some years back I said to the French Ambassador after Jospain the-then French Ambassador visited occupied Palestine and the subsequent event that happened to him in Bir Zeit University, as a result of his description of Hizbullah as a terrorist party.

A few months after that incident, the liberation took place. By then I had read about the French Resistance, and I did say to the French Ambassador at the time: 'Give my greetings to your Prime Minister and say to him that the resistance in Lebanon is more civilized, humane and moral than the French resistance, because yours back in its time held field trials, executed thousands of French nationals without trials, accused of collaborating with the Nazi army, when we in Lebanon did not even kill a chicken from Antoine Lahad's Army.'

We put our trust in the state and the judiciary. Now some from 'March 14' may come out and say 'that judiciary was in a period under Syrian administration and tutelage.'

1. The judiciary at any time and at the present time under your guardianship acts in the same order. We had pledged not to harm those collaborators and to accept the rulings of the Lebanese judicial system, and many of these collaborators returned to their homes and villages; and I say to you we have our pledge and none of those is to be harassed unless proven guilty through proper process. We look forward to a truly strong independent judicial authority to govern with justice to implement the law and this is what we look forward to.

We are advocates of partnership in governing and cooperation, in the various components or representatives of the various components of the Lebanese society in managing the country's affairs. We are advocates of a national unity government, an experience that has not proven a failure, when others work on presenting it as a failed experiment. The equation they are working on these days is this 'either you submit to their will or they consider the government a failure.'

This national unity government, if the parties act with conviction and sincerity, would not be a failure, but better for Lebanon.

Because any government that ignores key components of the Lebanese people under the pretext that they got a majority of half + 1 or 2 MPs, which does not work in Lebanon, whether such majority is claimed by the opposition or the loyalist.

If we all say that Lebanon has a certain idiosyncrasy we must work according to the requirements of this idiosyncrasy, and if there is no idiosyncrasy there, then let us start a debate from now...and if we decide on having a democracy, then let the formula be one for full democracy and the best formula of a full democracy that could deliver us to democratic rule in Lebanon, is to for a parliament to come out of democratic elections, that are based on an election law of relative representation and Lebanon being one electoral constituency.

We accept the full democracy, but if we do not go for full democracy because it may affect certain sectarian, denominational and Lebanese demographic features, we then must take into account these specifications through partnership and the non-cancellation of anyone at all.

As for the story of the obstructing-third in Cabinet, which they say disrupts the country when in fact it does not...but here I must call on our brothers in the Future Movement especially, to review out of a sense of duty, the martyred Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri's experience, and ask all those who were close to him about the difficulty he met in the process of forming the governments he used to head, and the reason he did not preside over the last government prior to his assassination.

You (the brothers in the Future Movement) will find that the reason - this topic PM Hariri and myself had discussed during lengthy meetings during the months before his martyrdom - he used to say to me: "I will not form or head a government I do not have or name one third of its ministers myself...let them form that government themselves without me."

That is why in all the governments he presided over, he always sought to have a third of the ministers from the various denominations, and when he was not able to do that in the last government before his martyrdom, he announced his apologies in the known statement he had made, PM Omar Karami was then appointed for the task of forming government at the time.

The real reason why PM Hariri did not form the last Government was because he was unable to nominate a third of ministers.

They can ask Martyr Hariri's friends and associates that this is a normal thing in the country for anyone to want to be a real partner.

I am not saying Hizbullah wants a third of the government, but I say the opposition was demanding a third, the opposition formed from a variety of spectra and currents, which have been representing half of the Lebanese people in the past years, and this is natural.

But to return to the tone of tripartite rule, I tell you what that story is...

This concept was fabricated by them, a lie, they lay this lie-egg, which hatched into chick they fed and raised, until it became rooster now standing on podium stands crowing: "tripartite Governance."

No one spoke about this "tripartite rule" in the opposition, it has not crossed our minds nor do we understand what they mean by it.

Is it confessional tripartite rule, tri-sectarian government or tripartite political alliances?

I, as a Lebanese citizen, when you ask me about what I understand of the tripartite they are speaking about, I tell you by God I do not understand their precise intent.

There are many hypotheses on this subject; they proposed the subject of tripartite rule only to put the opposition on the defense. I wish the opposition forces including the brothers in Hizbullah would ignore this fabrication.

All they want is for us to be on the defense.

Why should we have to negate or confirm the tripartite concept they fabricated at every one of our speeches, or even talk about it, they want us on the defense, when as far as we are concerned that whole concept was not raised or proposed by us, so let us just drop it right here, since it is without basis in the truth at all.

Yes, I tell you there is another goal in their raising the tripartite subject, it is to target the Christians of the opposition, I will explain ...

...today, when we say that certain political forces in the opposition, for example the Shiaas, if they wanted tripartite rule-by which they would mean confessional tripartite- and that since Lebanon is shared equally today between Muslims and Christians, a confessional tripartite would give a third each for Shiaas, Sunnis and Christians respectively, rather than the current half share the Christians currently enjoy in the current denominational governing structure.

The Druze will be considered part of the Muslims' share in one form or another.

Hence, they (current majority) suppose that if offered, the Shiaas would accept a third share in political partnership in a tri-sectarian rule, carved out of the current equal halves (shared equally by Muslims and Christians, wherein the Muslim half is made up of Shiaas and Sunnis) ...

This supposedly serves the Shiaas of the opposition...and if the Sunnis too would accept such an offer, hence this tripartite would also serve the Sunnis in the opposition.

These two areas within the opposition are for many reasons not the target of their campaign; the target subject at hand is the opposition's Christians.

It is an attempt to tell Lebanese Christians that General Aoun, Ministers Franjieh and Skaaf, and other personalities from the opposition but especially General Aoun and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) made a deal with Hizbullah and the opposition, whereby he is happy with a tripartite rule...

In other words he wants to lower the Christians' share in governance from half to a third-share... this of course is not the first media, political and electoral injustice directed at our Christians allies of the opposition and will certainly not be the last.

Since this is a lie with no basis in truth, neither General Aoun nor the opposition's Christians think this way, nor has anyone else in the opposition mentioned or discussed such a topic, General Aoun did not even accept tripartite sharing in Jezzine constituency alone, how could he be accused of accepting it for the entire country?

Therefore, we should not stay on the defensive on this matter, but we must be clear about it. Yes, we are advocates of partnership, with all present and the implementation of the Taif Accord, to work quietly on the development of our political system on the basis of forming the supreme national political system relief council to discuss the abolition of political sectarianism.

We also look forward to a State, capable of protecting itself, its decisions, citizens, land and security, without the need for UNIFIL forces, who may as well not be there, with all due respect to them as our guests in South Lebanon, and without the need for external security apparatuses, and as Lebanese we have the military and security competencies that enable Lebanon to such a capable force.

Here, also out of respect for the memory and the commemoration over the next few days of the 'May 17 Agreement'.

It is very sad and very unfortunate that people forget who those who stood up against that May 17 Agreement are! We, the Lebanese, are not forgetful but that we are forced into forgetfulness, by the constant media pumping of problems, concerns and catastrophes.

Who stood against an Agreement signed by the Lebanese system at that time, from a position of weakness, defeat and humiliation, submitting to "Israel's" security, military and political terms?

Who is it that signed that agreement on May 17?

Who wanted to attach Lebanon to "Israel" through the 'May 17' Agreement?

Who is the leadership and political forces involved in staging the culmination of Lebanon a country forever belonging to the Zionist project?

And who is it who stood in the face of 17 May?

Who were the scholars, men and women, especially in Bir al-Abed from the Imam Reza (p) Mosque?

Whose blood was shed to announce the Lebanese People's rejection of the 17 May Agreement, other than martyr Mohamed Najdeh?

Who gave his blood for Lebanon to be independent from "Israel"?

Who is it who signed with his own ink the Agreement of humiliation with "Israel"?

Today those who wanted to forever attach Lebanon to "Israel" are claiming themselves symbols of independence, sovereignty and freedom, whereas those who sacrificed their blessed blood for the liberation of Lebanon are branded titles of subordination, collaboration and dependence on outside powers!

Is this not historical injustice?

Is it possible to forget that?

Now they come up to say 'the Sayyed has resorted to the accusatory language of betrayal.'

These are not accusations, these are facts of history, I am not issuing judgments here, and this history must remain at the forefront of our minds, to benefit from for the future, not for vengeance, but to stop our selves from being misled or lost again, to prevent the sale of our country in the new international slave markets.

We want a strong and able state that regains its land by its will, and not by pleading, to have a piece of our land returned as a favour from Netanyahu during an election season.

About this time of year, our people, the men and women in south Lebanon, were storming barricades, barb wire fences, and military posts in the previously occupied southern villages, making the historic liberation.
That is the Lebanon we look forward to, based on this I reach the point I wanted to highlight.

Yes we want the Lebanon the cooperative, fraternal and collaborative, a Lebanon far-away from conflicts and controversies.

A few days ago was the 'May 7' anniversary, in the opposition we have in one way or another adopted not to raise this topic as it may lead to added sensitivities, when this is the election season.

Unfortunately, the other side has been raising the issue before and after May 7, and they still do. They have been raising this issue in all the media, all platforms and speeches, cooking a storm, as if taking our silence and lack of comment on that incident as an indication of a sense of shame, weakness or embarrassment.

In truth, although we have in Hizbullah accepted to stay out of debating this subject, I find it my duty to comment in honor of the blessed blood of the martyrs that fell on May 7, and so as not to get confused in Lebanon or outside Lebanon, and to bring some light back on the truth of the matter.

I will summon it up to memory, not to stir tension but to remind those talking about 7 May, as a reminder of what they did on May 5.

If we review the Winograd report which stated that 'Among Hizbullah's elements and points of strength "Israel" must work on, put an end to and dismantle is the telecommunications network Hizbullah established.'

Does anyone in Lebanon today have any doubt "Israel" eavesdrops on our mobile phone networks?

Is there any doubt "Israel" eavesdrops on our civil landline telephone networks?
Is there any doubt the "Israelis" eavesdrop on all the available means of communication?

There is certainly no doubt about that, the latest American and international telecommunication tapping technologies are found in "Israel".

Not one of the most important weapons of the resistance, but the most important weapon in the resistance, and I repeat to underscore the reminder I wish to highlight, the-most-important-weapon of the resistance in the July war was the telecommunications network, because to an extremely large degree it is immune against eavesdropping and against "Israeli" breaches.

On May 5 night or there about, the Lebanese government convened and from outside that meeting's agenda, it took the decision to dismantle the telecommunications network, to consider it operating outside the law, accusing it of misuse of public funds and violating the sovereignty of the State!

So they adopted a decision to refer all those connected with this network, to this (discussed earlier) judiciary.

Place these two scenes under a magnifying lens and view the situation...I will not make judgments in this situation.

The illegitimate former Lebanese government must notice that the 5th of May is a mark of disgrace stamped on its forehead and history, because it wanted to do what "Israel" failed to accomplish over thirty three days of war.

This is one point.

The second question; in the precedent few days, media leaks and video tapes aired on television the news of thousands of fighters who had been brought into Beirut from outside the city, in the lead up to the 5th of May...

Beirut's citizens who are being told to make their vote a response to the 7th of May... even though a large segment of Beirut's citizens already have their minds set on who they will vote for according to their political choices and inclinations and regardless of whether there was 7 May or not, as there are different trends according to which the people will vote.

But I want to address our people of Beirut and ask them to ask 'who is it that turned Beirut into a city for militias under headings of security companies, filled with centers for dispatching arms underneath these titles?

You can also ask 'who is it that brought thousands of fighters from outside Beirut and dispersed them throughout Beirut's neighborhoods, the mentioned centers and apartments, in synch with a political media campaign launched against Hizbullah and the telecommunications network, before making that Cabinet decision on May 5th?'

Are these legitimate questions or not?

After the media leaks over the past weeks, does anyone still doubt that thousands of fighters were brought to Beirut prior to the Government making this decision?

What was being planned?

And what was planned that on the 5th of May the government was to take such a decision? It was to see what Hizbullah's response would be?

If Hizbullah does not do anything, and settlers for a demonstration, a sit-in or a statement they will have succeeded, and it will form an introduction - as whoever confiscates the telecommunications wire, will confiscate the other weapons later, under similar headings -given Hizbullah allows them to remove the network...but if Hizbullah does not, a confrontation would supposedly have to ensue with the army, which is what their plan was.

Those who claim care for the army and the strong state, I say to you their plan in the last years has been to work on instigating conflict and fighting between the army and the resistance. They failed because here in Lebanon, we have a patriotic army with patriotic leadership, officers and soldiers.

This plan was set by foreign sides, which had carefully analyzed the Lebanese Army and studied whether its leadership, officers and soldiers, were willing and prepared to enter into a battle against the resistance.

The outcome they reached was that this army was not mentally, psychologically, culturally, patriotically, nationally, and by doctrine ...willing to fight the resistance, which is why they deprived it of all the assistance, because they consider it an army not to be trusted.

Not to be trusted over what?... The country? The elections? Or the political regime in power?

I say none, this army is not trusted to fight a resistance the army considers an honor...this is the depth of the safety, security and national guarantee the Lebanese army represents.

Then, if Hizbullah does not hush up and instead goes into civil disobedience and a confrontation in Beirut, thousands of those fighters would be ready for mobilization. Here I want to say something we did not say back then; at the time there was a plan in place, these fighters had their instructions about what to do, the areas they were to take over, areas they had to cut-off and segregate, the plan was to plunge Beirut into sectarian strife that was meant to continue for weeks.

These events were to be used as a spring board for outside forces to interfere upon a call under the title of 'Sectarian war in Lebanon', a call that was to go out to the world saying 'Please help us stop the war'... this is what was planned.

Back then they (ruling majority) said that "the decisions taken on the 5th of May were not made for implementation!"

If such decisions were not for implementation, then why did you stay up till morning before you issued them?

Why did you from inside the convened Ministerial Cabinet call Saudi Arabia, Egypt, U.S., France and others?

These things are no longer secret?

You (ruling majority) can just ask the ministers who were there with you in that Government, just hear what they have to say, I am not revealing secrets, the issue was not about decisions not for implementation, the previous illegitimate government made them to confront Lebanon with a sectarian war between Shiaas and Sunnis, and now they want put the opposition's response to that move on Hizbullah only, and we do have a good fit to measure for such accusations.

I say to all the Lebanese, especially Shiaas and Sunnis of Lebanon and particularly our dear people in the city of Beirut, what happened on the 7th of May, quickly put an end to a sectarian war they had been planning, and for which the had made preparations.

It brought a quick end to a plan to burn Beirut by sedition and civil war, it put a quick end to a major conspiracy that was been prepared for this resistance.

The 7th of May, spared Beirut from bloodshed, preserved the official institutions of Beirut, the homes and families of Beirut, which they wanted to burn on the 5th of May.

This is the 7th of May, and this is the greatness of the blood of our martyrs.

As far as we are concerned, throughout last year I was mindful and took great care not to raise this point, but faced with what I have heard in the past two weeks, I am announcing the 7th of May a glorious day of resistance in Lebanon.

In the final end the 7th of May is what placed Lebanon on the path to resolution, and brought Lebanon from the deadlock they had placed in its way, the 7th of May imposed on them to return to the dialogue table which they had previously rejected, the 7th of May led to the election of a consensus President and the formation of a national unity government... the relative stability the Lebanese have enjoyed during last year comes from the blessings of the 7th of May, thanks to the blood of the martyrs who fell on the 7th of May.

In the past two weeks I heard slogans say "We do not forget the 7th of May," and that "they will not forget."

They made speeches, talked and chanted slogans... this is great news, we do not want you to forget the 7th of May, oh dear brother, that is what is required... what is required is not to forget the 7th of May, so that none will repeat the folly of the 5th of May.

As for the people you had brought from different distant areas, I want to do them justice. It was said that thousands of fighters were bought in days before that time from the two regions of Akkar and Bekaa.

I want to do these young men justice, for we know the people of Akkar and the Bekaa are strong and brave men, on whom one can depend, and no one doubts that they are definitely not cowards at all, nor do they escape the battlefield, but you did not bring them to fight "Israel", try them in fighting "Israel"!

You brought them to fight their people and the resistance, which the people of Akkar and in the Bekaa consider a source of their honor, pride and glory.

You brought them to fight the resistance every Arab, whatever their religion or sect, - considers their glory and pride in this day and age.

Therefore they did not have the incentive and motivation to fight their folks and brothers in the resistance.

And those who brought them ought to know this.

Let no one say the people of Akkar or the Bekaa are cowards. Never. It is just that they were brought to the wrong battle, a battle they do not believe in at all, not for a moment.

Brothers and sisters,
yes, we do not want to found on the 7th of May nor on the 17th of May, we learn from past for the future, in spite of everything that happened, we call for cooperation and partnership, for overcoming the past to concert the efforts, to build our country together and bring it out of its various crises.

As I said to them as we victoriously exited the July war-a victory they still do not recognize until today-it does not matter anyway-I told them we have to put our arms together and work shoulder to shoulder to build Lebanon, whatever the outcome of the next parliamentary elections we need all this cooperation and coordination to build Lebanon together, to protect it together and together raise its name high throughout the entire world.

Brothers and sisters,
Once again we congratulate our brothers and sisters the graduates on their accomplishment and success...

Peace, God's mercy, and blessings be upon you all.