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Hezbollah’s wise move

Now the ball is in the world body’s court investigating the high-profile killing, which plunged the region into chaos and uncertainty. Hezbollah’s earlier stance that it won’t cooperate with the United Nations tribunal, as it considers it as a ‘political enterprise’ of Israel, was unwarranted. This change of heart is welcome and might lead to dispensation of justice in an appropriate manner. The evidence, which reportedly compromises of video footage from reconnaissance planes of routes used by the deceased leader, cannot be dismissed as a stunt. The tribunal, which had thoroughly probed and even interviewed alleged suspects from Hezbollah, would be better advised to bring Israeli officials and its intelligence arm under investigation for a foolproof outcome of the issue at hand. Any bias and pre-conceived notions by the court of law will contribute to instability in the region, and at the same time result in denial of justice.

Now it remains to be seen what course the tribunal takes in days and weeks to come. Moreover, what impact the Hezbollah’s submissions will have is anybody’s guess. But one thing is for sure: It is bound to draw Israel’s ire, as any credence which comes to fore from Hezbollah’s testimony will be seen in the region as a success against the Jewish state. Similarly, it will come as a nightmare for Israel and its allies who had for long singled out Syria and Hezbollah for masterminding the murder. Hezbollah’s prudence in forwarding the relevant material, it had done in its possession, had made a point. At the same time, it has to a great extent relieved the Shia militia from being indicted in the Hariri assassination case, as the UN tribunal will now be duty bound to study and investigate the submissions as a matter of judicious principle.

The tribunal now has a challenging task at hand. While dispensing justice it should not be cowed down at the hands of geopolitical affairs. The very purpose of knocking at the doors of the world court is to unmask the perpetuators of the despicable act, and the court needs to uphold that aspect, come what may. The Goldstone findings, which squarely blamed Tel Aviv for war crimes in Gaza, are an example of professionalism and unbiased approach. Whoever is responsible for Hariri’s murder should be brought to book — no matter whether the blame comes on Hezbollah, Syria, Israel or any other conglomerate of conspiracy.