Britannia Radio

Special Dispatch | No. 2718, 2719 |December 29, 2009
Lebanon/U.S. & the Arab & Muslim World
Hizbullah Secretary-General Nasrallah in Speeches: Lebanon's Christians Must Learn from Their Failed Bets on the U.S. and Israel – And from the Situation of Iraq's Christians; The U.S. Is a Beast, One Bite by Our Nation and Israel Is Gone – Crowd Replies 'Death to America'
The following are reports from MEMRI Special Dispatches on speeches by Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah from the past week. To view the MEMRI TV page for Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/116.htm. To view the MEMRI TV page for Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, visit http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/115.htm. To view the MEMRI page for Hizbullah, visit http://www.memri.org/subject/en/88.htm.   Special Dispatch No. 2719 Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah Threatens: Lebanon's Christians Must Learn from Their Failed Bets on the U.S. and Israel – And from the Situation of Iraq's Christians   Several days ago, on December 23, 2009, former Lebanese prime minister and Kataeb (Phalangist) party chairman Amin Gemayel announced that his faction in the Lebanese parliament intended to appeal to the Constitutional Council over Article 6 of the Ministerial Statement of Sa'd Al-Hariri's government, which grants legitimacy to Hizbullah's weapons.[1] In response, Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, in a December 27, 2009 speech marking the 'Ashura, called on Lebanon's Christians to learn from the situation of Iraq's Christians – whom "not even the mighty U.S. army there can protect." He also called on them to consider their options for the future, and to learn from past disappointments when they had pinned their hopes on Israel and/or the U.S. Following are excerpts from Nasrallah's speech: [2]   Lebanon's Christians "Must Examine the Outcome of the Bets Some of Them Placed on the U.S. Administration" "I say to you on this day: We [Hizbullah] are men of patience, men of sacrifice, men of steadfastness. We cannot be provoked, and we will not be ensnared by the provocation of some of the political forces in the domestic Lebanese arena. "We understand the background and the circumstances [that led these forces to provoke us]. In the past, they wanted to attack Syria and the [Lebanese] opposition, and also attacked the resistance. [But] today they cannot attack Syria, [since,] Allah be praised, we have entered a new phase in relations [with that country]. Attacking the opposition in general is [also] somewhat difficult [today,] since the ministers of both the opposition and the coalition are in a single government. [Therefore], the [only] thing remaining for them is [to attack] the resistance and its weapons. "All right, we understand this situation, and we say that we will not be ensnared by any provocation or [attempt] to create tension in Lebanon's political atmosphere… "I want to address the Christians in Lebanon… I call on the Christians in Lebanon to conduct a calm discussion, far from the inflammatory speeches, inciting declarations and the like. [I call on them to conduct] a calm discussion amongst themselves regarding the options [that they will choose] for this [stage] and for the future. [I call on them] to benefit from past experience, to consider the experience of the previous decades, and [to examine] the outcome of the bets some of them placed… on Israel. Where did these bets lead Lebanon, particularly the Lebanese Christians? They must examine also the outcome of the bets some of them placed on the U.S. administration, and where these bets led Lebanon, particularly Lebanon's Christians."   To read the full dispatch, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3866.htm.   Special Dispatch No. 2718 Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah on Al-Manar TV: The U.S. Is a Beast; One Bite by Our Nation and Israel Is Gone – Crowd Replies "Death to America" The following are excerpts from a speech by Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, which aired on Al-Manar TV on December 25, 2009. In it, Nasrallah called the U.S. a "barbaric" country that regularly engages in wholesale slaughter and said that it is currently doing so in Iraq. To view the clip, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2314.htm. "There has Never been a Country … as Barbaric As They Are in the USA" Hassan Nasrallah: "They tell us that America is a civilized country. Blessed be Imam Khomeini for calling it "the Great Satan." Throughout the history of the human race, there has never been a country, a leadership, or an elite as barbaric as they are in the USA. You could not find an elite as hostile to the human race as the elite of the USA." Crowds: "Death to America. "Death to America. "Death to America. "Death to America." "Hiroshima and Nagasaki… [Were] Just a Walk in the Park Compared to Where the U.S. Administration is Taking the World" Hassan Nasrallah: "They don't kill people one by one. They kill them wholesale. Forget about Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This was just a walk in the park compared to where the U.S. administration is taking the world. The main obstacle preventing the international community from reaching an agreement about climate change is the U.S. administration and its policies. You should follow this, because I don't want to spend all my time on this. You should follow all the details, because this is about the future of the human race on this planet. But the Americans – they know how to wear their neckties properly, and know how to speak in diplomatic language, but there is a beast lurking behind their neckties and diplomatic language. This is the truth."   To read the full dispatch, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3865.htm. [1] Al-Safir (Lebanon), December 23, 2009. [2] Intiqadonline.com, December 27, 2009.
For assistance, please contact MEMRI at memri@memri.org. The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request. MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with proper attribution. MEMRI P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837 Phone: (202) 955-9070 Fax: (202) 955-9077 www.memri.org