Earlier this month Hezbollah, Hamas and their friends held a conference in Beirut titled “Arab International Forum for the Support of the Resistance”.
You can read Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s speech on Inayat Bunglawala’s “iEngage” site. It was more of the usual bile for Israel and America:
Steadfast Gaza drove the occupation out through resistance. The Israeli anger and rancour against Gaza reached so great an extent that they wanted Gaza drowned in the sea. God willing, it will not drown in the sea but it will drown them in the sea [applause].
…
The name of the project, the offensive, and the battle was the New Middle East, whose birth pangs were mentioned by Condoleezza Rice at the beginning of the July 2000 war. Once again, the plan of resistance, opposition, and steadfastness, and the people of the resistance, opposition, and steadfastness – and you are part of them – were able to realize great historic achievements. The resistance movements in all arenas remained steadfast against all wars and all attempts at physical and morale liquidation. The governments of resistance stood firm in the face of all pressures, isolation, and sanctions, and our people adhered to the culture of dignity, freedom, and jihad, and therefore, they became more determined to reject oppression, humiliation, and capitulation. The negotiations over a settlement in the region went into a coma, and many incompetent doctors are now trying to resuscitate them. The new Middle East plan has collapsed, thanks to the fists of the mujahidin, the awareness of the upcoming salvation, the sacrifices of the people, the blood of children, women, and crippled people, and the huge destruction which, through steadfastness and resistance, turned into huge victories.
Though Nasrallah does seem to be worried about his flanks:
A discussion is going on concerning the resistance’s feasibility and consequences -this is related to what happened in Lebanon and Gaza; namely, the talk about the martyrs and the destruction, despite the clear and obvious victories of the resistance.
They accuse the resistance of committing crimes that the resistance does not have anything to do with; indeed the resistance denounces them on every occasion. It is accused of immoral dealing in drug trafficking and such things. Its symbols, leaders, factions, and frameworks have been disparaged. It has been described as sectarian and denominational, and accused of being under the influence of regional states. They are accused of being at the beck and call of Iran and Syria, to whom the resistance has always voiced thanks and gratitude for their unlimited and unconditional support [applause] to the resistance, even though the resistance movements in our countries today are the most honourable movements in history and the noblest nationalist movements in the world. [Applause]
They are being branded as terrorists and are accused of promoting the culture of death, by which they mean the culture of jihad and martyrdom, as opposed to the culture of capitulation that they call the culture of life. They are trying to drag the resistance movements into internal struggles which the resistance refuses to join. They are exercising pressure on the resistance movements to change their priorities, and are trying to deceive the ummah into substituting an enemy for a friend, and become an enemy to Syria and Iran. They are besieging the resistance, stifling its voice, and preventing its legitimate, reasonable, human, faithful, noble, and clear stands.
…
To our utter regret, brothers and sisters, many Arab media and writers who call themselves Arab, backed by huge technical and financial resources, are employed in this war against the resistance movements.
The cheek of some people – even Arabs! – criticising a culture of death.
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal was also in Beirut:
As for Hamas’ Khaled Meshaal, he stated his total support for the resistance, and thanked Iran for the support it has been giving. He also referred to the state in Gaza, calling upon the international community to take part in the current aggressive situation in Gaza, taking into consideration the current building of the illegal Egyptian steel wall.
As was this voice for the Iraqi “resistance”:
Iraqi representative Hareth Al Dari, talked about the current situation of the Iraqi resistance, stating the importance of the resistance by all its means in order to get rid of the enemy invading the different countries.
And another:
Chairman of Association of Muslim Scholars Harith al-Dhari said that the Iraqi resistance’s priority since the beginning of the occupation has been the liberation of Iraq, restoring its sovereignty whole, not being drawn into other conflicts, preserving the unity, identity, security, stability and resources of Iraq, and restoring it to its people to be an element of security and stability in the region.
He stressed that the resistance foiled the American plot to control Iraq, and that resistance is the correct and only way to liberate Iraq and save it from the unprecedented occupation, destruction and chaos it is suffering from, adding that all laws and legislations give the right to defend one’s land and self.
The conference statement was a literal call to arms:
In its closing statement, the forum called for resistance to occupation and aggression, stressing the right of people under international law and the UN Charter and the norms enshrined in people’s struggles against occupation and aggression around the world throughout history.
The statement stressed that the right of people to resist via all forms, particularly armed struggle, stems from a fundamental principle of self-defense and the right to liberty, dignity, sovereignty and equality among the peoples of the world, and emphasized that resistance is in fact a necessary condition for the establishment of a just international order, to prevent aggression and occupation, and to end colonialism and racism.
The statement pointed out that resistance is the logical road for people to reach their goals, paying tribute to the heroic resistance in Lebanon and Palestine as outstanding models for resistance values and ethics in confronting the terrorism perpetrated by the Zionist enemy, as well as the role of resistance in Iraq in confronting U.S. occupation and hegemony.
Americans at the conference included 9/11 troofer and Israel hater Cynthia McKinney and fascist lover Ramsey Clark.
And the UK? Two members of the Muslim Council of Britain’s Europe and International Affairs committee were there.
One was Mohammed Sawalha, a fugitive Hamas commander, signatory (pdf) of the Istanbul Decalaration, president of the British Muslim Initiative, and trustee of the North London Central Mosque, which is of course the mosque “saved” by Robert Lambert and his Islamist mates.
Sawalha, middle left, meeting Hamas leader Abu Marzook in Damascus on behalf of the latest Viva Palestina convoy
The second was Sabah al Mokhtar, one of George Galloway’s sidekicks and a former trustee of Viva Palestina. He says The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a foul antisemitic hoax, is an insightful guide to our times. He is also a 9/11 troofer.
Sabah al Mukhtar, on Galloway’s right, in Gaza during the first Viva Palestina convoy
George Galloway also attended the conference.
While in Beirut, Sawalha was interviewed by Al Intiqad, a mouthpiece of Hezbollah. Echoing Hezbollah leader Nasrallah, he made the purpose of the conference and the Viva Palestina convoy for Hamas too very clear:
Sawalha, who spoke with our website at the The Arab-international Forum for Support of the Resistance said: “What makes this conference so special is that it transforms the issue of resistance [muqawama] into a general conception and culture of the nation [umma]”, explaining that “not everyone is able to practice resistance directly, however people are able to help it in its different forms”. “The nation today”, added Sawalha, “is divided into two cultural trends, one is the resistance trend, and the other is the trend of submission, which holds most of the gates, institutions and parties; behind it stand many countries supported by the West”.
Sawalha further added that “there is the trend of resistance, which awakened the masses of the nation, and now needs to be better coordinated and more active, especially as this trend practically includes most of the cadres and masses of the nation”, explaining that “the most important issue that this conference embodied is bringing together the various ideological and cultural leaders of the nation, aspiring to connect and [improve]
communications between them so the perception of resistance becomes a mass creed, prevailing throughout the entire nation.Regarding the aid convoy to Gaza, Sawalha said that “the Lifeline Convoy [Viva Palestina] tries to gather the free people of the world to bring them all together in service of the idea of resistance and the people’s right to resist the occupation”, and “therefore we are proud to have had around 540 people from around 17 nations entering Gaza together, with no exception, with the Lifeline Convoy; they came from various countries and donated lots of what they have to help the steadfastness of the community in the Gaza Strip”.
Sawalha concluded by saying that the purpose of such initiatives is transforming them into a popular international movement to further the right of peoples to resist, and the peoples’ right for independence.
When the government restored relations with the Muslim Council of Britain earlier this month, it noted:
“The Muslim Council of Britain has made a commitment to Government to examine their internal processes and ensure that the personal actions of all members, including senior leaders, remain true to the organisation’s agreed policies, avoiding a repeat of the issues which arose after one member signed the Istanbul Declaration.
“The MCB has stated its categorical opposition to attacks on British defence interests and confirmed its unwavering support for British troops across the world.
“It has also made clear that it stands firmly against anti-Semitism and other forms of racism.
Well, Sawalha and al Mokhtar merely attended a terrorist jamboree packed with Jew haters.
Only a fool would expect the MCB’s “internal processes” to put a stop to that kind of activity.
Hello Mr Denham.
