Lebanon's Funeral For Assassinated Government Minister, Pierre Gemayel

Mourners gathered Thursday in Martyrs Square in Beirut before the funeral of Pierre Gemayel, the Christian politician who was assassinated Tuesday. Image Credit: Ben Curtis/The Associated Press

Lebanon's Funeral For Assassinated Government Minister, Pierre Gemayel

On this Thanksgiving day, we at MAXINE are thankful for the many blessings we have here in tha United States.

We also extend heartfelt prayers to those who wish to have a stable, homogenious Lebanon.

Protester outside of Martyrs Square in Beirut before the funeral of Pierre Gemayel. Image Credit: Pajamas Media

Pajamas Media Postings -
Lebanon's Funeral For Assinated Government Minister, Pierre Gemayel
The Mideast, 215 (November 23, 2006) -- Pierre Gemayel's funeral turns into anti-Syrian rally

Funeral transformed: The mourning ceremony essentially became an angry political rally exposing the hatreds and schisms that have paralyzed the state and threatened an increasing cycle of violence, with crowds chanting slogans cursing the president of Syria, Bashar al Assad, cursing the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah,and cursing the Christian leader, General Michel Aoun, who has allied his party with Hezbollah.(NY Times)

Amin Gemayel, father of slain minister and former Lebanese president addresses the crowd: “The martyrdom of Prime Minister Hariri ignited the independence of Lebanon, and today we should commit ourselves for a second independence, and we should not stop until real change and reform is achieved by electing a new president…. The countdown has begun for the tribunal for all assassinations, not only of the persons killed but the whole people of Lebanon … the blood of Pierre and the blood of all martyrs…Today his soul is with all of us and will cement our determination until we achieve all the goals for which they sacrificed themselves.” (Liveblogged from CNN’s live broadcast translation)

Service ends, speeches begin: Outside the cathedral where the funeral took place, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt and Saad Hariri, son of slain Rafik Hariri, address the crowd. They are at a podium protected with thick bulletproof glass. Amin Gemayel, father of the late Pierre Gemayel, is standing at the podium with the other personalities, looking at the crowd and saluting. (al-Jazeera live coverage)

Look who showed up: Nabih Berri, one of the Shia leaders, is attending the funeral. “It remains to be seen if that is purely a condolence visit, or, hopefully, a political message (a further isolation of Hezbollah).” (Beirut Spring)

Liveblogging the funeral “Words cannot covey what I feel right now nor what I am seeing. I truly hope and pray to God that Sheikh Pierre Gemayel and Samir Chartouni will be the last martyrs ever in Lebanon. I doubt it but I do hope so….The coffins have just reached the church. May we all pray for their souls and the soul of every man/woman/child who died under aggression.” (Rampurple)

Casket carrying the body of Pierre Gemayel. Image Credit: Pajamas Media

500,000 people in attendance, according to the Lebanese Red Cross. (al-Jazeera live broadcast, no link)

Thousands in Streets to Honor Slain Lebanese Minister: Tens of thousands of Lebanese gathered Thursday to bid farewell to Pierre Gemayel, and his anti-Syrian allies turned his funeral into a powerful show of force against opponents led by Hezbollah militants and their backers in Damascus. The massive crowd rallied in Martyrs’ Square in downtown Beirut as Pierre Gemayel’s family and dignitaries prepared to hold a prayer service at a nearby cathedral. (AP/Breitbart)

Mehlis points finger: Former chief U.N. investigator Detlev Mehlis accused “pro-Syrian forces in Lebanon” of involvement in Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel’s assassination. The German prosecutor who led the investigation into ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s murder before handing over the U.N.-backed probe to Belgian prosecutor Serge Brammertz in January also said Tuesday’s killing was an attack on the United Nations. (Nahranet)

115 killed in Baghdad: A series of car bombs killed 115 people in the Shi’ite militia stronghold of Sadr City, Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said. (Reuters) — LATER: AP ups the death toll to 144.

France OKs shooting Israeli jets: French soldiers in Lebanon who feel threatened by aggressive Israeli overflights are permitted to shoot at IAF fighter jets, a high-ranking French military officer told The Jerusalem Post.

Too much: The new Marine Corps commandant said Wednesday that the longer than anticipated pace of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan is putting an unacceptable strain on his troops.

Talking with this enemy? Neo-neocon writes on what it means talking with Iran and Syria over Iraq.

We can work it out: The prime minister of Iraq will sit down for the first time next week with representatives of insurgent groups in his most concerted effort yet to quell the country’s sectarian war. (Fox News)

Peretz under fire, and we’re not talking Kassams: Pressure is growing on Israeli defense minister Amir Peretz to resign. (Haaretz)