Jdnews.com
Run Date: 06/29/2003
Important victory in Beirut lawsuit
The lawsuit filed by survivors and relatives of victims of the Beirut bomb blast, in which 241 Marines and other
servicemen met their deaths, is much more than just an empty judicial gesture - it's empowerment.
Oct. 23, 1983, is a date Onslow County won't forget. Early that Sunday morning, word came from across the Atlantic
Ocean that a contingent of Marines had died when a suicide bomber struck the Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon.
Sleeping servicemen suddenly found themselves engulfed in the building's rubble. Many died. Others were dug out of
the debris, injured, unconscious or both.
The attack was a blow to both to the Marine Corps and the Camp Lejeune community, where the majority of those killed
were stationed.
Onslow County also felt the after-effects of the attack. Men who were familiar figures in the community - in church, as
volunteers and as neighbors - were suddenly more than just deployed. They were gone forever, never to return to their
homes, families or lives again.
The years passed. A monument was constructed from private donations to honor the men who went to Beirut as
peacekeepers. Every year a ceremony takes place commemorating the day when a hole was torn in this community. But
the passage of time doesn't heal all wounds or make those who lost their fathers, brothers, sons and husbands forgive
and forget. If anything, time makes them even more acutely aware of what they're missing.
Several years ago, survivors and family members of the Beirut bombing filed a lawsuit against the Iranian government,
alleging that it bankrolled and enabled Hezbollah to carry out the terrorist attack that killed so many Camp Lejeune
Marines and sailors. Iran, according to the court's recent ruling, has continued to support Hezbollah through financial
support and encouragement.
Hezbollah, it should be noted, is one of the most unconscionable and morally bankrupt of the terrorist groups operating
today in the Middle East. Staunchly opposed to any type of peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, Hezbollah's
single-minded viciousness continues to hamper forward movement of the peace process. Many innocent people have
died and continue to perish at the hands of the Hezbollah terrorists. That any country or regime could perpetuate such
single-minded terrorism is difficult to fathom.
But the U.S. justice system, while sometimes cumbersome and slow-moving, continues to prove its worth by offering
alternatives to the types of violence so rampant in the Middle East. The court's May ruling paved the way for Beirut
bombing victims' families and survivors to possibly collect damages by way of locating and freeing up Iranian assets in
the United States.
Although that's obviously a challenge that lies ahead, the ruling accomplishes something else - it points the official
judicial finger at those who've subsidized killers: the repressive Iranian government.
It's no secret that the Iranian ruling party has long loathed the Western influence of countries such as the United States.
And the antagonism between the Islamic fundamentalist rulers of Iran and Western nations has, if anything, increased
over the years. Iran's continuing support of terrorist operations like Hezbollah does great harm to an already poor
relationship.
Although the lawsuit's plaintiffs have a long way to go - and possibly may never receive anything as a result of the ruling
- they've already scored a resounding moral victory.
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