Hizballah Terrorist Samir Kuntar Basks in Freedom While Syria Tortures Innocent Lebanese
By Andrew Cochran

On July 16, I posted a report from CTB Newslinks Assistant Editor Phillip Smyth on the release in Lebanon of convicted terrorist Samir Kuntar. Here is a follow-up report from Phillip.
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As the number one star in the Hizballah “Divine Victory” lineup, Samir Kuntar has been the flaming sword that Hizballah holds aloft to show the Lebanese and the world that Nasrallah is in charge. Promising to strike Israel again, Kuntar said, “I return today from Palestine, but believe me, I return to Lebanon only in order to return to Palestine.” Kuntar went beyond just attacking the “Little Satan” (Israel), and moved onto criticizing the “Great Satan” (the United States of America). While attending a ceremony honoring the recently assassinated Hizballah terrorist-extraordinaire, Imad Mughnieh, Kuntar let his true feelings be known. "We swear to God...to continue on [Mughnieh’s] same path and not to retreat until we achieve the same stature that Allah bestowed on you." Mughnieh was implicated or accused of organizing operations such as the hijacking of TWA Flight 847, the Beirut Marine Barracks bombing, and the 1983 bombing of the US embassy in Beirut.

The prisoner swap also had broader repercussions on internal Lebanese politics. Riding the wave of Hizballah’s victory, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), largely discredited in many Christian circles for standing by their Hizballah ally during the May fighting, has started justifying their choice in having pro-Syrian allies. Lebanon’s telecommunications minister Jibran Bassil (a senior FPM member), stated that following the prisoner exchange, Israel would randomly harass Lebanese, “The phone would ring, the person would answer and they would hear a message saying, "This is from the state of Israel. Abandon Hizbullah or there will be another war, like there was in 2006.'" Funny, considering many in March 14th were saying (publically and privately) that if the FPM didn’t abandon their Hizballah ally that it could embolden Hizballah into another 2006 style war.

While Lebanon was shut down for celebrations yesterday, how did the new Lebanese president treat the newly arrived Kuntar? Other than congratulating and praising Samir Kuntar, he did refer to Lebanese prisoners abroad, albeit, in a pro-Syrian political posture. He deliberately neglected to inform the audience which state these prisoners were held: Syria. In reference to these prisoners, President Sulieman used the ambiguous term, “al-mafkoud”or, “the lost”. Where were these people “lost” and why? A friend in Lebanon quipped, “what was he referring to? [Sulieman makes it sound as if] A Lebanese was going for a hike and [just] got lost in a place like Canada or Panama.”

The real knock-out punch didn’t just come from Lebanon’s new president’s cowering to Syria. Unbelievably, the number two official in the Lebanese Forces, the smiling George Adwan, was in attendance at the “welcome home” celebrations for Kuntar. This is a far cry from Adwan’s statements during the funeral for assassinated anti-Syrian journalist Gibran Tueni in 2006, “hold on to Gebran's dream and don't go for half solutions or compromises.” Interestingly the LF’s leader, Samir Geagea did offer his criticism of the Kuntar affair, saying, “[only] when prisoners are freed from Syrian jails and when those who sought refuge in Israel return to their homes,” can Lebanon can be truly celebrate.

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