EGYPT CONVICTS 26 HIZBALLAH AGENTS

AP: Egypt: Life in jail for Hizbullah men

Marks 1st time country has prosecuted members of the guerrilla group.

An Egyptian court on Wednesday convicted 26 men of spying for Hizbullah and plotting attacks in Egypt, and gave them prison sentences ranging from six months to life.

Three of the defendants, including the group's Lebanese leader, Mohammad Qiblan, were convicted in abstenia and received life sentences. The rest of the group — including Egyptians, a Sudanese, West Bank Palestinians and Lebanese nationals — was handed sentences ranging from six months and 15 years.

The verdict cannot be appealed.

The group was charged with planning attacks on tourists and shipping in the Suez Canal, and sending operatives and explosives to Gaza to aid terrorists there.

The courtroom erupted with cries of shock at the sentences and chanting when Judge Adel Abdelsalam Gomaa pronounced the verdicts at Cairo's emergency court.

The trial, which started in August 2009, is the first time Egypt has prosecuted Hizbullah members. In April of that year, Egyptian security officials said they had uncovered a Hizbullah cell plotting to destabilize the country.

Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah has admitted to sending an agent to supervise weapons shipments to Hamas in Gaza, but he has denied seeking to undermine Egypt's security.

NYT:

The decision not to issue death sentences was seen as a calculated effort by Egypt to avoid inflaming relations with Syria, a prime sponsor of Hezbollah, a militant, social and political organization in Lebanon, regional experts said. Egypt and Syria have been at odds for several years over the handling of the Palestinian crisis and over Syria’s relations with Iran.

“This is a sign of an Egypt that is interested in de-escalating and finding moderate solutions for an issue that loomed very big in the background in its relations with Syria and Lebanon,” said Amr Hamzawy, regional director for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Beirut.

As the verdict was read in a packed Egyptian courtroom, 22 defendants sat behind bars in the prison dock. They shouted “Allahu Akbar,” or God is great, when the verdicts were read.

The other four defendants, including the leader of the cell, Mohammed Qublan, were tried in absentia. Mr. Qublan and two others who were on the run were given life sentences.

The case against the group arose as relations between Egypt and the Hezbollah chief, Hassan Nasrallah, grew extremely heated. Mr. Nasrallah had publicly criticized President Hosni Mubarak, saying that Egypt was not doing enough to aid the Palestinians during the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip in late 2008. Mr. Nasrallah effectively called for a popular uprising against the president, while Egypt accused Hezbollah of being a proxy for Iran.

OBVIOUSLY, EGYPT AND ISRAEL BOTH WANT IRAN WHACKED. SO DO THE SAUDIS.

WHAT'S STOPPING THIS FROM HAPPENING, THEN!?!?!

OBAMA.

WHY?

CUI BONO?

THE FAKE-ISTINIANS. THE LONGER WE WAIT THE STRONGER IRAN GETS - AND THE STRONGER THEIR STOOGES: SYRIAN HAMAS AND HIZBALLAH. THESE ARE ISRAEL'S WORST FOES RIGHT NOW.

IOW: I THINK OBAMA IS MOTIVATED BY A DEEPLY HELD ANTI-ZIONISM.