Shaaban Bilal, Dina Mahmoud (Capitals)
With the second anniversary of the horrific explosion that hit the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, an opinion poll conducted by the famous Gallup Foundation for measuring public opinion revealed that the severe slowdown, which mars the ongoing investigations in this file, is due to pressure from the “Party of America” militias. The terrorist organization and its allies led to the collapse of the confidence of the Lebanese in the judicial system in their country.
The poll showed that the party placed obstacles in the way of these investigations, whether by filing lawsuits to abort them or threatening those responsible for them, led to only 16% of the Lebanese expressing confidence in the judicial system.
Gallup, which conducts opinion polls in more than 140 countries, indicated that the majority of Lebanese support the continuation of the investigation, which is currently being conducted by the judicial investigator, Tariq Al-Bitar, in clear defiance of attempts to prevent uncovering the circumstances of the explosion, which killed more than 215 people. And regarding 7 thousand wounded, and losses estimated at 15 billion dollars.
The families of the victims of the explosion accuse the Lebanese authorities of turning a blind eye to Hezbollah’s attempts to undermine the investigations, in light of evidence that the terrorist party is directly or indirectly responsible for this disaster.
This comes as independent experts from the United Nations called on the Human Rights Council to launch an international investigation “without delay” into the explosion in the port of Beirut.
Experts considered that the economic reconstruction following the explosion and the severe financial crisis is closely linked to the political reforms that gain Lebanon confidence in the International Monetary Fund, as it is the only way to recover from one of the largest financial crises in its history.
Dr. Nabil Sorour, a Lebanese political researcher, told Al-Ittihad that the Beirut port incident showed the fragile reality inside the country in its true form, and revealed the depth of the crisis and its political and sectarian complexities.
Sorour pointed out the material losses of the explosion and its huge repercussions on the whole reality. The rift has deepened among the Lebanese, and the politicians started throwing accusations and responsibilities regarding the perpetrators and disagreed regarding the reasons that led to the fateful explosion.
He added that the sectarian difference and the desire to seek the assistance of an external investigation into the incident showed the lack of confidence in the Lebanese judiciary and the seriousness of the investigations conducted by the local investigators.
Sorour expressed his belief that the previous data will not make the investigations yield serious results regarding the identity of the party responsible for the explosion, and the perpetrator will remain unknown, as is the case in most crimes that occur in Lebanon, and there will be bad scenarios if the Lebanese do not decide their options towards a specific destination, especially regarding the future of their country and their economy.
In the same context, Lebanese political researcher Amin Qamouriya told Al-Ittihad that Lebanon is living in a very dangerous situation, and the country is facing a multi-faceted political, economic, social and cultural crisis, all of which are not the product of the hour. It began since the end of the civil war, and the foundations were not laid. Necessary to re-correct the path.
