Israel Matzav

Lebanon flotilla led by wife of Hariri murderer?

A flotilla of terror sympathizers is set to leave Lebanon this weekend for Gaza. The 'women's ship' is being led by the wife of one of four Lebanese Hezbullah members who spent four years in jail on suspicion of murdering Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

Samar Al-haj, one of the organizers of the new ‘Miriam’ flotilla, is the wife of an officer with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Lebanese Internal Security Agency who was jailed for four years on charges of involvement in the murder of former Lebanese PM Rafik Al-hariri. Syria and Hizbullah are accused for orchestrating Al-hariri’s murder.

Al-haj’s husband was released from prison a year ago. Three weeks ago, to mark the anniversary of her husband's release, the couple met with Hizbullah Chief Hassan Nasrallah. At the meeting, Al-haj thanked Nasrallah for standing by her and her husband during his imprisonment.

In interviews to the Arab media, Al-haj said that her group is composed of Lebanese women from all ethnic groups, and that their common denominator is, among other things, hatred for Israel. She denied that Hizbullah was behind the new flotilla, but said that she was motivated to organize the flotilla after the Hizbullah chief publicly called on the Lebanese people to organize flotillas to Gaza.

The ship ‘Miraim’ consists of approximately 50 women–30 of them Lebanese and the rest foreign. Three of the foreigners are known to be from Kuwait.

The Labenese flotilla’s head organizer, Yasser Kashlak, is a Syrian businessman of Palestinian descent, who operates in Syria and Lebanon. Kashlak heads the "Free Palestine" movement, and also serves as chairman of the Lebanese Institute of International Studies, chairman of the Palestinian Businessmen’s Club, the Syrian-Palestininan Investment house and other organizations. Kashlak is said to be close with the Syrian regime. Aged 39, he is a regular columnist in several Lebanese newspapers and is also a publisher of a small Lebanese newspaper.

What could go wrong?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:59 PM