Fadlallah calls on officials to support the resistance

Source: Daily Star, 23-9-2006
BEIRUT: Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah called on the government Friday to preserve national stability, while urging leading politicians to put an end to their personal disputes.
"The government should be keen on preserving Lebanon`s security, while officials should maintain its stability by rejecting negative and irresponsible statements," the senior Shiite cleric said during his weekly sermon.
"You [officials] should support the resistance that made Lebanon and the Arab world enter a new phase of history after `Israel` confessed ... that it had been defeated," he added.
Fadlallah also called on all Lebanese to be aware of "Israel's" continued violations of Lebanese territory.
"`Israel` is stealing our water, violating our skies and overstepping the Blue Line without being prevented by the UN peacekeepers," he said.
"We want the UN and international forces [in the South] to assume their responsibility in terms of defying the `Israelis`" he said.
Meanwhile, the vice president of the Higher Shiite Council called on the Lebanese to unify their scattered stands and promote cooperation.
"The victory we have witnessed was not dedicated to Hizbullah, the Amal Movement or the Shiites alone; it was a victory for all Lebanon," Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan said.
The sheikh said that this victory gave the Arab and Islamic world the green light to form its own resistance.
"This small country succeeded in defeating the "Israeli" enemy. Could any other country face the Zionists who occupied several lands in a few hours or days?" he asked.
"Despite the fact that many people were killed and the country`s infrastructure and buildings were destroyed, `Israel` was defeated ... Even the `Israeli` officials have recognized this," he added.
Speaking during his weekly sermon, Qabalan urged all Muslims to fast during the coming holy month of Ramadan.
Qabalan also called on the government to begin reconstruction and development projects in the capital`s southern suburbs, the South and the Bekaa Valley. "Construction works should be carried out around the clock to ensure the return of the displaced to their hometowns," he said.
He demanded that the government approve "immediately" compensation packages for the victims of the month-long war with "Israel".