Source: Al-Manar TV, 23-1-2009

The Lebanese Forces of ‘March 14 bloc' figure Samir Geagea refused to remove an "Israeli" intelligence ad from its website.

In a statement, the LF said that there were no provisions in the Lebanese law that obliges it to remove the ad. The Lebanese Forces statement was issued after Al-Manar broadcast a report on the "Israeli" intelligence ad on the LF site. The ad is about missing "Israeli" soldiers, mainly Ron Arad, the "Israeli" pilot whose fighter jet was downed in the 1980's. The ad on the LF site includes a "contact us" button and a $10 million prize for any piece of information on the missing soldiers. The ad also guarantees total secrecy for information providers.

The Lebanese Forces justified keeping the ad on its internet site and said in its statement that when ‘Google' is given an area for ads on any site, it (Google) preserves the right to place its ads alternately.
However, the "Israeli" intelligence ad at the bottom of the Lebanese Forces site seems fixed and nonmoving.

Moreover, internet experts said that the image shown by the LF site was clearly and poorly manipulated as the dimensions of the pasted window does not conform with a similar window for Google as right above it. Moreover the location of the "Google ads" sign at the bottom of the pasted window is clearly different than the same "Google ads" sign on the window above it, suggesting that the manipulator has done his job in a hurry.

Patrick Bassil, the FPM site manager told Al-Manar that "Google allows any internet site to bloc undesired ads, and this is what we have done because they ""Israel"" always attempt to infiltrate Arab internet sites through Google ads."
The Lebanese Forces then claimed that MP General Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement internet site had placed a similar ad.

When the link on the FPM site was clicked, there were nothing other than ‘Google" ads pertaining to sports, tourism and jobs in UAE, suggesting that the site managers have acted responsibly and blocked undesired ads, unlike the Lebanese Forces ads.

Internet experts said that the image shown on the LF site was clearly and poorly manipulated as the ad that was pasted over the original ad on the FPM site failed to meet the original shape of the Google ad.

The LF also said in its statement that there were no laws that govern web operations in Lebanon site.
Yet, does an "Israeli" ad on a Lebanese internet site need legislation to ban it, particularly that Lebanon officially and legally considers "Israel" as an enemy state?