Lebanese court rules in cases of former Israeli-allied militiamen

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- The brother of Israel's first strategic ally in Lebanon has been sentenced to a year in jail, one of 11 ex-militiamen ordered jailed by a military court for collaborating with Israel during its occupation of south Lebanon.

Labib Haddad, 54, also was fined 400,000 Lebanese pounds ($266) for his dealings with Israel and for entering the Jewish state, the court said in a judgment posted Thursday on its bulletin board.

Haddad's brother, the late Maj. Saad Haddad, was the first Lebanese to publicly open contacts with Israel in 1976 and became its closest Lebanese ally until his death in 1984. He led Christian militias that formed the core of the South Lebanon Army, the Israeli-backed militia that collapsed after Israel withdrew its troops from south Lebanon on May 24.

Saad Haddad's wife and six daughters were among thousands of SLA members and their families who fled to Israel when it withdrew its troops.

Ten others were sentenced to prison terms ranging from three weeks to 15 years. The three receiving 15-year terms were sentenced in absentia.

A defendant who worked at the former SLA-run Khiam prison was sentenced to three years in jail at hard labor. Another was sentenced to two years and three were sentenced to one year each. Two were released for lack of evidence, the court said.

Lebanon, which is still technically at war with Israel, prohibits any dealings or contacts with the Jewish state.

The accused were the 24th batch of alleged collaborators to appear before the court since the Israeli withdrawal. The military court, whose verdicts cannot be appealed, has sentenced 950 people to jail terms of up to 15 years.

Some 2,200 members of the SLA, which once numbered 2,500 fighters, surrendered to Lebanese authorities or were captured after Israel withdrew. The rest, mostly ranking SLA officers, fled to Israel with their families.

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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