Free Israel Now!

Friday, April 01, 2011

Kurds under racist apartheid Syrian Arab Republic

Kurds under racist apartheid Syrian Arab Republic

..Like Gaddafi today, seven years ago Assad deployed his air force against the Kurds.

Scores were killed and thousands were arrested. Many of those arrested were tortured by Assad’s forces.

The discrimination that Kurds have faced under Assad and his father is appalling. Since the 1970s, more than 300,000 Kurds have been stripped of their Syrian citizenship. They have been forcibly ejected from their homes and villages in the north and resettled in squalid refugee camps in the south. The expressed purpose of these racist policies has been to prevent territorial contiguity between Syrian, Iraqi and Turkish Kurds and to “Arabize” Syrian Kurdistan where most of Syria’s oil deposits are located.

The Kurds make up around 10 percent of Syria’s population. They oppose not only the Baathist regime, but also the Muslim Brotherhood. Represented in exile by the Kurdistan National Assembly of Syria, since 2004 they have sought the overthrow of the Assad regime and its replacement by democratic, decentralized federal government. Decentralizing authority, they believe, is the best way to check tyranny of both the Baathist and the Muslim Brotherhood variety. The Kurdish demand for a federal government has been endorsed by the Sunni-led exile Syrian Reform Party.

This week the KNA released a statement to the world community. Speaking for Syria’s Kurds and for their Arab, Druse, Alevi and Christian allies in Syria, it asked for the “US, France, UK and international organizations to seek [a] UN resolution condemning [the] Syrian regime for using violence against [the Syrian] people.”

The KNA’s statement requested that the US and its allies “ask for UN-sponsored committees to investigate the recent violence in Syria, including the violence used against the Kurds in 2004.”

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=214197

What is Mr Blair’s Mission? KurdishMedia.com – By Dr Kamal Mirawdeli 01/11/2001 00:00:00 … It seems that Mr Blair has not even known or even discreetly mentioned to his hosts that Syria is occupying a part of Kurdistan in which one million Kurds are living who are subject to the most appalling racist apartheid policies of oppression and assimilation. 150,000 of them are even deprived of having passports, being considered as ‘foreigners’ with no right, legally, to enter into employment or marriage. Syria does not allow the Kurds or to call their children Kurdish names.

Syria does not allow the Kurds to use their language for education and promote their art and culture, or to have their own legal political organisations. That is despite the fact that the Kurds are Muslims! But being Muslim for Arab racist regimes that use Islam as an Arabising racist ideology, is equivalent to being an Arab – full stop.

http://www.kurdmedia.com/article.aspx?id=8259

What happens when your oppressors are next-door neighbors … 14 Jun 2006… I raise my palm for Turkey, Syria, Iran and even Iraq…. and that Apartheid didn’t just melt away on its own, …

http://www.kurdmedia.com/article.aspx?id=12624

Tags: Apartheid, Arab belt, Arab racism, Arabism, Arabization, Arabs, Israeli Arab conflict, Kurds, Middle east, Minorities, Muslims, Syria

Labels: arab apartheid, Kurds, Syria

Saturday, November 22, 2008

U.S. convicts (Syrian Arab) “Prince of Marbella” of arms deal

U.S. convicts (Syrian Arab) “Prince of Marbella” of arms deal

reuters Nov 20, 2008

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. federal jury convicted a Syrian arms dealer and a co-defendant on Thursday of conspiring to sell $1 million in weapons…Monzer al-Kassar, 62, a longtime resident of Spain known as the “Prince of Marbella” for his lifestyle in the glitzy seaside town… Kassar has been selling weapons since the 1970s to the Palestinian Liberation Front and clients in Nicaragua, Bosnia, Croatia, Iran, Iraq and Somalia.

In 1995, Kassar was tried and acquitted of supplying arms that were used in the 1985 hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship of the coast of Egypt. That resulted in the death of a wheelchair-bound Jewish-American, Leon Klinghoffer.

Klinghoffer’s two daughters, who sat through Kassar’s trial in New York, told reporters they felt vindicated by the verdict.

“Even though this case was not about the Achille Lauro, I wanted everyone there to know that my father was in the courtroom,” Lisa Klinghoffer said.

(Additional reporting by Grant McCool; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Anthony Boadle)

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE4AJ79J20081120

Tags: Palestinians, war on terror, Jihad, Islamofascism, Muslims, Arabs, Hamas, PLO, History, Islam, Syria, achille lauro, alkassar, kassar, klinghoffer, leon klinghoffer, monzer al-kassar, spain Posted in History, Islamofascism, Israel, Palestinians, war on terror

Labels: Achille Lauro, financing terrorism, Leon Klinghoffer, PLO, Syria, war on terror

Monday, October 27, 2008

Monstrous Syria

Syria, Iran harboring terrorists - Jul. 21, 2003 http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/07/21/bush.terror

A NATION AT WAR: INTELLIGENCE REPORTS; Syria Harbors Iraqis and Grants Transit to Hezbollah, U.S. Asserts... a major terrorist threat to American and Israeli interests around the world. ... [Published: April 15, 2003]
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02EEDD113BF936A25757C0A9659C8B63

Syria: A 101 Course in Mideast Dictatorships - SPIEGEL ONLINE ...When his powerful father died in 2000, Bashar al-Assad promised the end of political repression in Syria. But ... [2005]http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,343242,00.html

Cleric's Slaying a Rallying Cry for Kurds in Syria - Los Angeles Times The death of the mild-mannered sheik robbed Syria’s Kurds of a ... He called for rights; he spoke out against the imprisonment and torture of Kurds. ...
http://articles.latimes.com/2005/aug/14/world/fg-kurds14

The ascent of radical Islam is, perhaps, the natural culmination of a century's worth of failed political systems in Muslim countries that were driven by morally bankrupt ideologies, led by cruel dictators, or both.In the 1930s, German-style fascism appealed to Arabs in Palestine and Egypt. Soviet-style communism had sympathetic governments in Afghanistan, Algeria and Yemen. Baathism took hold in Syria and Iraq. The secular Egyptian dictator Gamal Abdel Nasser promised a new pan-Arabism that would do away with colonial borders that divided the "the Arab nation." Then there is the more pragmatic authoritarianism that survives in Muammar el-Qaddafi's Libya or in the petrol-monarchies in the Gulf.Radical Islam may be as totalitarian and as morally bankrupt as any of these past or mostly defunct "isms," but its current appeal isn't hard to figure out. Unlike fascism or communism, radical Islam is locally grown, and not plagued by charges of foreign contamination. Indeed, Islamists claim to wage jihad against the modernism and globlization of the outside, mostly Westernized world. Such a message resonates in stagnant, impoverished Muslim countries....
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/12/why_radical_islam_and_why_now.html

Nuclear Weapons Programs - Syria It appears that the Syrian nuclear program came as a surprise to both the ... The United States was concerned about Syria's nuclear R&D [research and ...
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/syria/nuke.htm

'USAF struck Syrian nuclear site' Middle East Jerusalem Post Nov 2, 2007 ... By JPOST.COM STAFF ... The September 6 raid over Syria was carried out by the US Air Force, ...
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1192380718519

Report: IDF raid seized nuclear material before Syria air strike http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/906334.html

BBC NEWS Americas Bush expands sanctions on Syria Feb 14, 2008 ... Syria continues to undermine Lebanon's sovereignty and democracy... and sponsor and harbour terrorists... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7244088.stm

Source: Intel shows N. Korea-Syria nuclear link - CNN.com US intelligence officials will tell members of Congress on Thursday that North Korea was helping Syria build a nuclear facility http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/23/syria.nuclear/index.html

Reports: CIA to brief Congress on nuke ties between Syria, North ...Apr 23, 2008 ... [they] also will say that though U.S. officials have had concerns for years about ties between North Korea and Syria...
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/04/reports-cia-to.html

U.S. offers evidence of North Korea-Syria nuclear plant - Los ...US intelligence officials showed satellite images, classified photos and other evidence ...
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/apr/25/world/fg-ussyria25

Syria planned to supply Iran with nuclear fuel, Israel says ...Jun 25, 2008 ... Strategic expert says idea was to share plutonium from site bombed by Israel last September.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/25/syria.iran

Barbara Walters: Syrian Dictator 'Charming,' 'Intelligent ...Jul 7, 2008 http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/justin-mccarthy/2008/07/07/barbara-walters-syrian-dicator-charming-intelligent

As the president of Kurdistan National Assembly of Syria, an umbrella organization of Syrian Kurds, I admire your efforts on behalf of human rights globally. I must however express my concerns with your views on having dialogues with Syria's dictator Bashar Assad.
Dear Senator, the Middle East Conflict extends beyond the Arab-Israeli conflict. I would like to bring to your attention the Plight of Kurds in Syria. Senator, we seek your support in resolving the Kurdish question in Syria peacefully and through dialogue. You should know however that President Assad or Assad Regime has consistently and gravely violated the human and the national rights of the Kurdish people of Syria for the last five decades.
The Assad regimes of Hafez and Bashar deliberately Arabized the Kurdish region of Syria as a national policy. The result of Arabization rendered 300,000 Kurds "stateless foreigners" (ajanibin Arabic) and subject to oppression...
http://www.kurdishaspect.com/doc042508SA.html

September 28, 2008 No. 466 Mass Killings and Human Rights Violations in Syria... policy of oppression, physical aggression, and killing. ...
http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=ia&ID=IA46608

Officials try to deport man with link to Syrian terror groupNational Post, Canada - Sep 30, 2008... officials are trying to deport a London, Ont., adult education teacher because he was once a member of a Syrian political party involved in terrorism. ...
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=851308

Mass Killings and Human Rights Violations in Syria: Report By O ...Sep 29, 2008 ... Syrian human rights activist George Salim recounts the torture he endured ... Kurds in Syria often speak Kurdish in public, unless all those ...
http://ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2008/9/syriakurdistan151.htm

OPEC Regimes: The "Change They Need" in US Foreign PolicyHuman Events, DC - [Oct 26, 2008]In the ranking of Human Rights abuses around the world, Angola’s MPLA-controlled government ranks only 157 ahead of Syria, Venezuela, Iran, Libya and Cuba...
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=29192

Lebanese prime minister alerts US to Syrian terror plot as pretext ...DEBKA file, Israel - Oct 6, 2008The prime minister said the tip-off he received uncovered a Syrian conspiracy to stage a major terrorist operation or assassinate a Lebanese figure...
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5633

Syria Created It's Own Terror Problem CBS News [0ct 17, 2008]http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/17/opinion/main4528930.shtml

Technorati - 'palestinian' terrorism 'palestinians' Israel IDF 'palestinian' Apartheid Zionism Anti Israel bigotry Islamic Apartheid War on terror Terror victims 'palestinian' propaganda jihad Genocide bombing Anti Israel bias Arab racism Jews IDF Anti Israel racism Islamofacsism Conflict Israel "Palestine" "Palestinians" Israelis Civilwar Arabs Muslims Jihad Terrorism Fatah non-Muslims Christians Arab Christians Lebanon Hamas Gaza Terrorism Islamofascism Jerusalem Muslims Arafat Yassir Arafat Yasser Arafat Indoctrination Child abuse Human bombst Huamn shields Jerusalem bombing Jerusalem massacre Netanya bombing Refugee camps Assassination Tel Aviv bombing Damour massacre Hajj Beer Sheva bombing Dolfinarious Mike's Place Passover massacre Dolfinarious Death cult Syrian occupation Syria

Labels: Baathism, Syria

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Iran’s Arch-Terror Master Killed in Syria

Iran’s Arch-Terror Master Killed in Syria NewsMax.com

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/Iran_terrorist_Mugniyeh/2008/02/13/72415.html

Hezbollah to hold mass funeral for slain commander http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2008/02/13/africa/OUKWD-UK-LEBANON-HEZBOLLAH.php

Slain Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh had long history of attacks - International Herald Tribune http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/13/africa/ME-GEN-Lebanon-Mughniyeh-Profile.php

Hezbollah: Top US Target Killed Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/13/AR2008021300494.html?hpid=topnews

Terror suspect's mysterious death mirrored life
Newsday -
BY MOHAMAD BAZZI. February 14, 2008 Imad Mughniyeh lived much of his life in the shadows, changing his appearance through plastic surgery and traveling on forged passports.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/ny-womili145575974feb14,0,6227164.story

The hit / Not merely revenge http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/954049.html

Bomb kills top Hezbollah commanderSwissinfo -Moughniyah is thought to have been commander of Islamic Jihad, a shadowy pro-Iranian group which emerged in Lebanon in the early 1980s...

A LIST OF ATTACKS

Moughniyah was implicated in the 1983 bombings of the U.S. embassy and U.S. Marine and French peacekeeping barracks in Beirut, which killed over 350 people, as well as the kidnapping of Westerners in Lebanon in the 1980s.
Israel accuses Moughniyah of planning the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people and of involvement in a 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in the Argentine capital that killed 28.
The United States indicted him for his role in planning and participating in the June 14, 1985, hijacking of a U.S. TWA airliner and the killing of an American passenger.
"The world is a better place without this man in it. He was a cold-blooded killer, a mass-murderer and a terrorist responsible for countless innocent lives lost," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
"One way or another he was brought to justice," he said.
Iran blamed Israel for his assassination. Syria described it as a "terrorist attack".
Several Palestinian and Lebanese allies of Hezbollah called on the group to avenge Moughniyah's death. Hezbollah has only said its conflict with Israel was "a very long one".
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the group that has a strong political and military force in Lebanon, will address the crowd at the funeral via a video link.
On Wednesday, Moughniyah's coffin, draped in a Hezbollah flag and flanked by four men in military uniform, was laid in a hall where his family and the group's leaders received condolences.
Moughniyah is thought to have been commander of Islamic Jihad, a shadowy pro-Iranian group which emerged in Lebanon in the early 1980s and was believed to be linked to Hezbollah.
Islamic Jihad kidnapped several Western hostages, including Americans, in Beirut in the mid 1980s. The group killed some of its captives and exchanged others for U.S. weapons to Iran in what was later known as the Iran-Contra scandal. Among those killed was the CIA's station chief.
Moughniyah's brother was killed in a car bomb in Beirut in 1994. Reports at the time suggested Imad had been the target. Moughniyah had spent much of the 1990s in Iran.http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/international/Bomb_kills_top_Hezbollah_commander.html?siteSect=143&sid=8737038&cKey=1202934488000&ty=ti

Death of a terrorist
... guidance to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives inside Gaza and the West Bank." Mugniyeh operated against the US and Israel from Lebanon, ...
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1202742151496&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Mastermind's death a 'major, major blow' to Hezbollah National Post, Canada A short, chubby Islamic revolutionary, Mugniyeh began his career guarding Yasser Arafat during the Lebanon civil war and then went to work for the Iranians, ...
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=306565

Hezbollah Militant Accused of Plotting Attacks Killed NPR
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18956279

The murderous world of Imad Mugniyeh
The death of Hezbollah's miitary commander (2nd from left) brings to a close his long campaign of violence against the West, from Lebanon (US Embassy, Marine barracks) to Argentina (Israelie mbassy, AMIA center). ...
http://digg.com/world_news/The_murderous_world_of_Imad_Mugniyeh

Good Riddance: Imad Mugniyeh - by Max Boot
Great news from Syria. Imad Mughniyeh, one of the world’s worst terrorists, has been killed by a car bomb in Damascus. He is all but forgotten now, but Mughniyeh, a leader of Hezbollah, was the original Osama bin Laden—a terrorist ...
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/boot/2459

KILLER MUGNIYEH DEAD! Booya! http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/02/killer-mugniyeh.html

Technorati - Freedom 911 Al Qaida Mugniyeh Al Qaeda Bombing AMIA Mosque Bombing Bin Laden Islamofascism Mahdi Hezbollah Hezbullah Islam Apes and pigs Terrorism Terrorist oganization 'palestinians' Al Aqsa Oppression Egypt Christians Copts Al Aqsa Muslims Christians Jews Arabs bombing Infidels Israel US Security Iraq Iran Ahmadinejad Syria Jihad West

Labels: Hezbollah, Iran, Syria, war on terror

Monday, December 17, 2007

The Islamic Arab 'PALESTINIAN' & SYRIAN occupation's bloody hands in targeting Arab Christians in Lebanon

The Islamic Arab 'PALESTINIAN' & SYRIAN occupation's bloody hands in targeting Arab Christians in Lebanon

Lebanon probes al Qaeda link - CNN.com Hajj led a military campaign that crushed an al Qaeda-inspired militant group ... Islam in Nahr el-Bared, a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon. ...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/12/14/lebanon.ap/index.html -

Counterterrorism Blog: Lebanon's officers under "axis" Terror attack?
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/12/lebanons_officers_under_axis_t.php

Lebanon questions 4 over deadly blast... Hajj led a three-month military campaign that crushed an al-Qaida-inspired militant group known as Fatah Islam in Nahr el-Bared, a Palestinian refugee camp ...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22252963

Bush warns against Syrian interference in Lebanon
International Herald Tribune, France - Dec 13, 2007
Perhaps it was al Qaeda-type militants striking in payback for Hajj's role in the army's summer onslaught on fighters based in the Palestinian refugee camp ...
http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2007/12/13/africa/OUKWD-UK-LEBANON.php

Technorati - 'palestinian' terrorism 'palestinians' Israel IDF 'palestinian' Apartheid Zionism Anti Israel bigotry Islamic Apartheid War on terror Terror victims 'palestinian' propaganda jihad Genocide bombing Anti Israel bias Arab racism Jews IDF Anti Israel racism Islamofacsism Conflict Israel "Palestine" "Palestinians" Israelis Civilwar Arabs Muslims Jihad Terrorism Fatah non-Muslims Christians Arab Christians Lebanon Hamas Gaza Terrorism Islamofascism Jerusalem Muslims Arafat Yassir Arafat Yasser Arafat Indoctrination Child abuse Human bombst Huamn shields Jerusalem bombing Jerusalem massacre Netanya bombing Refugee camps Assassination Tel Aviv bombing Damour massacre Hajj Beer Sheva bombing Dolfinarious Mike's Place Passover massacre Dolfinarious Death cult Syrian occupation Syria

Labels: assassination, bombing, Hajj, Lebanon, Syria, Syrian occupation, terrorism

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Arab racism must go! There will be no peace (in the ME) before Arabs view Jews as human beings

Arab racism must go

There will be no peace around here before Arabs view Jews as human beings

Jackie Levy Published: 12.03.07,
Despite all the ceremonial declarations uttered in Annapolis, my attention was drawn to a small story about the organizers tasked with planning the seating arrangements. As those were peace talks, and as all of us want peace, the organizers were warned about the need to ensure that no Syrian or Saudi official unintentionally encounters some Zionist pest.

This was indeed a large venue, but still, people (just like monkeys) sometimes have to go to the bathroom or wash their hands. In short, they may have to pass through a narrow corridor where, you never know, you may encounter one of those – well, here the speaker is supposed to venomously utter the word: “Zionist.”
Syria’s motives for attending the conference were quite clear. They came to score points and extricate themselves, as much as is possible, out of the axis of evil. In short, they came because of Syrian issues – all the rest didn’t quite interest them, and it was not easy for them as it is. But to bump into an Israeli?! A Jew! Face to face, with no Condoleezza or a sea of officials around. Just you and I. Now that’s way too much, being forced to exchange glances or even mumble something. This is where we draw the line.
After all, Arabs are honorable people, and the Israelis, on top of all the other trouble, have this bad habit of using such incidents in order to suddenly show friendliness, utter some kind of silly joke, and then tell everyone about it. Years after Annapolis, some Israeli minister or advisor could write in his memoirs how he made a quick comment to the Syrian official about the crappy American coffee, and yes, he thinks he saw a hint of a smile on the Syrian’s face – for a moment there, the Israeli will say, we were able to overcome the raging conflict and just be two men, Khaled and I, yearning for some good coffee.

The end of the story is that it was not easy at all to arrange the chairs. Sophisticated algorithms were utilized and multifaceted maneuvers previously only known in Astronomy were used, so that under no circumstances would an Arab and a Jew come in contact or some share kind of proximity that could hurt the feelings of the nation.

Our enemies are racist
Simply put, our enemies, among other things, are quite racist. As opposed to some stigmas, it turns out that arrogance is not an Israeli monopoly. It’s amazing how the Arab world managed to convince the West that the racist hatred is merely legitimate religious sensitivity that must be taken into consideration.
We should also take a moment to consider the fact that for us these things always sound like a silly joke. We treat it the same way we ridicule the Arab refusal to compete against Israeli athletes. None of us, with the exception of the margins of the far Right, have a problem meeting an Arab, shaking his hand, or showing sympathy for him.
The thing is, on their side it’s an absolutely serious matter. It’s hard to believe that anyone in the Arab media was joking about the seating arrangements.

For years we’ve been reprimanding ourselves over our attitude to Arabs and our racist jokes. Yet while we were busy reprimanding, we almost failed to notice that something changed around here. When was the last time you heard a derogatory term like “towel head” being used seriously, without any sarcasm? When was the last time an Israeli film featured an Arab character that was less than divine?
Meanwhile, the exact opposite is happening on the other side. And no, we’re not talking about a minor issue. Even if all the roadblocks will be removed, there will be no peace around here as long as Muslim Arabs don’t view Jews as human beings.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3478505,00.html

Labels: Annapolis, Arab racism, Arabs, conflict, Israel palestine 101, Jews, peace, racism, Saudi Arabia, Syria

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

[Update on Islamic persecution, massacre of Christians in Lebanon] Christians Killed in Lebanon blast

[Update on Islamic persecution, massacre of Christians in Lebanon] Christians Killed in Lebanon blast

Lebanon bomb kills senior army officer, 4 others
Reuters Canada, Canada -
By Nadim Ladki BEIRUT (Reuters) - A suspected car bomb in a Lebanese Christian town east of Beirut killed a senior army officer and at least four other ...
http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-12-12T064513Z_01_L12540081_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-LEBANON-EXPLOSION-COL.XML

Army general killed in Lebanon blast AFP - The standoff between pro- and anti-Syrian camps marks the country's worst political crisis since the end of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3m6swZF24n1EFhBo0Zs7iBl83Ew

Explosion kills four, including senior officer in Christian suburb ... The Canadian Press http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5h8GJr7a8uXZ7vN7bqFlkOufDw75w

Gen al-Hajj was chief of operations when Lebanon's army fought Islamic militants from Fatah al-Islam in Nahr al-Bared refugee camp earlier this year. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/click/rss/1.0/-/2/hi/middle_east/7139809.stm

Beirut blast kills a leading army officer and at least two deputies
Los Angeles Times, CA -
Lebanon's Christian community, from which the country's president is traditionally drawn, is also sharply divided, with some supporting the March 14 group ...
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-beirut12dec12,1,1808825.story?coll=la-headlines-world

CHRONOLOGY: Events in Lebanon since Hariri's killing
Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:03am EST

(Reuters) - A suspected car bomb near Beirut killed a senior military officer on Wednesday who was a leading contender to take over as army chief after the present commander becomes president.

Here is a chronology of some of the main events in Lebanon since former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri was killed, along with 22 other people, on February 14, 2005.

February 28 - Pro-Syrian Prime Minister Omar Karami resigns.

October 20 - U.N. investigators say high-ranking Syrian officials and their Lebanese allies were involved in Hariri's killing, in report to U.N. Security Council. Syria denies it.

December 12 - Gebran Tueni, anti-Syrian member of parliament and Lebanese newspaper magnate, is killed by a car bomb near Beirut.

July 12, 2006 - Hezbollah captures two Israeli soldiers in cross-border raid, setting off 34-day war in which about 1,200 Lebanese are killed.

November 11 - Five pro-Syrian Shi'ite Muslim ministers from Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal movement, resign after collapse of all-party talks on their demand for more say in government.

November 21 - Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel is killed by gunmen. U.N. Security Council approves plans for tribunal to try suspects in assassination of Hariri and subsequent attacks.

December 1 - Hezbollah, Amal and supporters of Christian leader Michel Aoun camp outside Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's office in central Beirut in open-ended campaign to topple government.

January 25, 2007 - Aid conference in Paris pledges more than $7.6 billion to help Lebanon recover from the war.

February 13 - Three people are killed in two bomb blasts near a Christian village northeast of Beirut.

June 13 - Anti-Syrian parliamentarian Walid Eido and five other people killed by a car bomb near a Beirut beach club

September 2 - Lebanese troops seize complete control of Nahr al-Bared camp after months of fighting with Fatah al-Islam militants. More than 420 people, including 168 soldiers, have been killed in the worst internal violence since the civil war.

September 19 - Car bomb in Beirut kills seven people, including anti-Syrian Christian lawmaker Antoine Ghanem.

September 25 - Parliament postpones a presidential election for the first of eight times in a bid to break a deadlock over a consensus candidate and end the political crisis. France leads mediation efforts for a deal on a presidential candidate.

November 23 - President Emile Lahoud leaves presidential palace

at the end of his term, without a successor.

November 24 - Siniora says his cabinet is assuming executive powers in the absence of a president.

Dec 5 - Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri says rival Lebanese leaders have agreed on General Michel Suleiman as president.

Dec 11 - Berri postpones parliament session to elect Suleiman to December 17 to give rivals more time to reach broad political agreement.

Dec 12 - Car bomb kills Brigadier General Francois al-Hajj, the army's head of operations, and a number of bodyguards in a Christian town east of Beirut.

(Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit)

March 5 - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad tells his parliament Syrian troops will start phased pullout from Lebanon.

April 26 - Last Syrian soldiers leave Lebanon.

June 2 - Samir Kassir, journalist opposed to Syria's role in Lebanon, is killed in Beirut by a bomb in his car.

June 16 - U.N. investigation into Hariri's killing starts.

June 19 - Lebanese parliamentary elections end in victory for anti-Syrian alliance led by Hariri's son Saad al-Hariri.

June 21 - Former Communist Party leader and critic of Syria George Hawi is killed in Beirut by a bomb in his car.