In Praise of the other “Foreign workers”

Most Lebanese bloggers are now concerned with the political ramifications of the Kaslik bombings. I trust they’re going to do a great job; this is why I’m going to say something else, something that needs to be said.

I want to say a big THANK YOU, to all our brothers and sisters the Srilankis, Indians, Philipinos, Eritrians, Ethiopians, Pakistanis and other precious souls who have contributed greatly in making the Lebanese live a better and more prosperous life.

These brave people traveled to the ends of the world so that their children could have a promising future. They assist us with the jobs nobody else wants to take, we pay them peanuts, and still, they answer with hard work, smiles, and now, their lives.

We hope the lives that were lost in the kaslik bombing won’t be gone in waste…

(this post originally appeard on The Beirut Spring )

Fly me to the moon

This flyer is been distributed in Lebanon at night.
We, in the beirut spring , think that it is unfair that people who have, ermm, decent causes, face satellite TVs and Newspapers with flyers, so we decided to give them a hand, the flyer is now on the world wide web:


DISCLAIMER: the flyer below is purely for the sake of sarcasm and should be not taken for real (can you believe some people actually advised me to write this??)


(if you have a slow connection, please wait till the image loads)

UN finds evidence of official cover-up in Hariri assassination

By Robert Fisk in Beirut

14 March 2005

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/story.jsp

As the United Nations' Irish-led special investigation team here prepares to report that the Lebanese authorities have covered up evidence of the murder on 14 February of the former prime minister Rafik Hariri, his two sons have fled Lebanon after hearing that they too are in danger of assassination.

Mr Hariri's elder son, Bahar, has flown to Geneva while Saad has left hurriedly for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after warnings that they could be the next targets of their father's assassins.

President George Bush is expected to announce on Wednesday that Syrian - and perhaps Lebanese - military intelligence officers were involved in Mr Hariri's death; the bombing killed 18 other civilians.

The UN's Irish, Egyptian and Moroccan investigation team has now been joined by three Swiss bomb experts following the discovery that many of the smashed vehicles in Hariri's convoy were moved from the scene of the massacre only hours afterwards - and before there was time for an independent investigation. Yesterday, frogmen were sent into the sea off the Beirut Corniche to recover the wreckage of the one car in the Hariri convoy that was not taken away by the authorities because it was blasted over a hotel wall into the Mediterranean by the force of the explosion. If they successfully recover parts of the vehicle, they may be able to discover the nature of the explosives. First reports that Hariri was killed by a car bomb are now being challenged by evidence that the explosives - estimated at 600kg - could have been buried beneath the seafront avenue.

A unique photograph handed to The Independent in Beirut - which is now also in the hands of the UN investigators - was taken on the afternoon of 12 February, about 36 hours before the bombing. It shows a drain cover in the road at the exact spot where the explosion was to tear a 30-foot crater in the highway, instantly killing Hariri and many of his bodyguards.

The section of roadway is marked off by "no parking" signs which have been left there innocently by staff of the nearby HSBC bank. But a mysterious object can be seen on the left edge of the drain cover. Both the metal cover and an extensive area of roadway around it were atomised by the bomb.

The picture also shows two buildings which the UN police officers are investigating as possible locations of the bomber who detonated the explosives: one is on top of the circular building in the centre of the photo - which houses a Beirut hotel as well as a Lebanese army retirement fund office - and the other is on top of the war-damaged Holiday Inn (far right) which has been empty for more than a decade. The balloon in the centre of the photograph regularly takes tourists on sightseeing tours of Beirut.

Some members of the Hariri family have been told that the report of the UN inquiry team will be so devastating that it will force a full international investigation of the murder of "Mr Lebanon" and his entourage, perhaps reaching to the higher echelons of the Syrian and Lebanese governments.

Hariri opposed the continued Syrian military presence in Lebanon and many Lebanese have blamed the Syrians for his murder. The UN investigators have become convinced that there was a cover-up of evidence at the very highest levels of the Lebanese and Syrian intelligence authorities.

In their search for information, at least one Irish police officer has now interviewed Brigadier General Rustum Ghazale, the senior Syrian army intelligence officer in Lebanon, at his headquarters in Aanjar. He is believed to have pointed out to the police that his job was only to safeguard Syrian forces in the country - an assertion which will require more than a few grains of Syrian salt to be believed.

President Bush's expected remarks on Wednesday will follow two extraordinary days of public demonstrations in Beirut. In the first, today, opposition politicians will try to gather a million followers to protest against the government's failure to resign and to reveal the truth about Hariri's murder - as well as to dwarf last Tuesday's half-million strong Hizbollah rally in support of Syria. The second, by pro-Syrian demonstrators, is planned to march to the US embassy in the Aukar suburb of east Beirut.

All this is being organised while violent rumours sweep Beirut. One says that the Syrians have been handing out weapons to pro-Syrian Palestinians in the refugee camps of Sabra and Chatila in Beirut and Ein el-Helwe in Sidon.

Investigations by The Independent strongly suggest that this in untrue; the Palestinians have quite enough weapons without being resupplied, and many of them would like to be disarmed to end lethal inter-Palestinian factional fighting. But on Saturday night in the Sabra camp, someone knifed to death an elderly Syrian fruit-seller in what was an obvious attempt to provoke violence.

Samir and Burns

Just Remember Guys, Mr Samir Franjieh is one of the good guys :)

One more thing, did you sign the petition demanding that the airport be named after Hariri?

Breaking news just now from Beirut: it seems Mr Karami has accepted all of the oppositions' demands,

Mustapha
http://beirutspring.blogspot.com

Hariri Reportedly Assassinated To Make Way For Large US Air Base In Lebanon

By Wayne Madsen

Online Journal Contributing Writer

3-12-5

http://www.rense.com


According to high-level Lebanese intelligence sources-Christian and Muslim-former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was reportedly assassinated in a sophisticated explosion-by-wire bombing authorized by the Bush administration and Ariel Sharon's Likud government in Israel.

 

There are also strong indications that the Hariri assassination was carried out by the same rogue Syrian intelligence agents used in the 2002 car bombing assassination of Lebanese Christian leader Elie Hobeika, who was prepared to testify against Sharon in a Brussels human rights court. That case involved the Israeli Prime Minister's role in the 1982 massacre by Israeli troops of Palestinian refugees at the Sabra and Chatilla camps in Beirut. The Hariri assasination used wire-bombing technology because Hariri's security personnel used electronic countermeasures to fend off a remote control bomb using wireless means. It has been revealed that the Bush administration has used Syrian intelligence agents to torture al Qaeda suspects through the program known as "extraordinary rendition."

 

Hariri, a pan-Arabist and Lebanese nationalist, was known to adamantly oppose the construction of a major U.S. air base in the north of Lebanon. The United States wants Syrian troops completely out of Lebanon before construction of the base is initiated. Hariri's meetings with Hezbollah shortly before his death also angered Washington and Jerusalem, according to the Lebanese intelligence sources.

 

Washington and Jerusalem media experts spun Hariri's assassination as being the work of Syrian intelligence on orders from President Bashar Assad. However, a number of Middle East political observers in Washington claim that Hariri's assassination was not in the interests of Assad, but that the Bush and Sharon administrations had everything to gain from it, including the popular Lebanese uprising against the Syrian occupation.

 

Lebanese intelligence sources report that even without a formal agreement with Lebanon, the contract for the northern Lebanese air base has been let by the Pentagon to Jacobs Engineering Group of Pasadena, California. Other construction support will be provided by Bechtel Corporation.

 

Jacobs Engineering and Jacobs Sverdrup are currently contracted for work in Saudi Arabia for Aramco, Iraq for the U.S. occupation authority, Bosnia, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Yemen, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.

 

The Lebanese air base is reportedly to be used as a transit and logistics hub for U.S. forces in Iraq and as a rest and relaxation location for U.S. troops in the region. In addition, the Lebanese base will be used to protect U.S. oil pipelines in the region (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Mosul/Kirkuk-Ceyhan) as well as to destabilize the Assad government in Syria. The size of the planned air base reportedly is on the scale of the massive American Al Udeid air base in Qatar.

 

A number of intelligence sources have reported that assassinations of foreign leaders like Hariri and Hobeika are ultimately authorized by two key White House officials, Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and Deputy National Security Adviser Elliot Abrams. In addition, Abrams is the key liaison between the White House and Sharon's office for such covert operations, including political assassinations.

 

"Abrams is the guy they [the Israelis] go to for a wink and a nod for such ops," reported one key source.

 

Wayne Madsen is a Washington, DC-based journalist and columnist and the co-author of "America's Nightmare: The Presidency of George BushII."

 

 

Lebanon's biggest party ever!!!
Maronites, Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants, Sunnis, Shi'as and Druze all united for Lebanon!(Hizballah by no means represents all of Lebanon or Lebanon's Shia population)

From Ali To Bahia, With Love...

Hello Madame, my name is Ali,
I am a Shia Lebanese and I like to think of myself as a proud Arab,
I come from a tiny pocket of Dahie, Southern Beirut,
I work as a carpenter and I hardly earn my living,
I watch Almanar and Aljazeera in my small place,
When I get sick, I go to a Hizbullah-funded charity hospital, These people are very good to me,

You know Bahia, the month that passed was really difficult for me,
I saw your brother being savagely murdered.
This made me worry about the future of my country.

What made me worry even more, Bahia, is the people your group has been surrounding itself with since then, I don't trust these people Bahia, what's wrong?

Why are you hanging out with people that were shaking hands with the criminals who killed a lot of my cousins, neighbors and friends? Bahia, these people speak French in their houses, not Arabic!

But now I understand..

I heard you talk today...

Now, Bahia, I can sleep again...

I heard the same voice of moderation that made your brother so special to me,

I heard you embrace my leaders and pride yourself of their contribution to our country's liberation,

I saw you equate the southern resistance with your brother's rebuilding of Beirut, and the Lebanese people.

Most importantly Bahia, I saw everyone around you cheer approvingly,

You know, I hate to say that, but maybe I was wrong about your new friends,

Maybe they do accept me for who I am, maybe they do love my country as much as I do...

Maybe the security apparatus is indeed bad for our country,

Maybe you and your people can protect me like the Syrians used to,

Thank you Bahia, Thank you,

It was very suffocating when everyone was referring to my brothers as traitors,

But now, I can sleep again, and maybe, just maybe, I can dream of a new and independent Lebanon,

Love,
Ali

(P.S, this letter is pure fiction and used only as an illustration)

(This piece also appears in The Beirut Spring )

Rafik Hariri International Airport

I have read in Time magazine what roughly means this: bloggers are most powerful when they concentrate on an issue, follow it through and build an online supporting momentum towards achieving the issue's goal. (for those familiar with American Politics, it was bloggers that uncovered the Trent Lott scandal that eventually led to the resignation of one of the most powerful men in American politics)

The follow up issue I'm focusing on now, is renaming Beirut International Airport as 'Rafik Hariri's International Airport- Beirut'; this idea was first proposed by ex-minister Najib Mikati in a letter addressed to the Lebanese Government on February 22nd.

How can you Help?

1- Sign the online petition
2- Encourage everyone you know to sign this petition; I don't support SPAM, so the best way to propagate the news is to write about it in your blog if you have one, or in personalized emails explaining the cause.
3- After the petition gains enough signatories, we will use all our means to let officials notice it.

so let's start the not-so-hard work guys!

(This piece is avialable with a slight variation on The Beirut Spring)

Some Advice to Opposition

I'm optimistic, lots of good things happening, but the opposition needs to be careful, my humble contribution, some advice to them:

-Always remind the people of what you have in common with hizballah
-Market the MPs visit to Europe as an effort to defend hizbullah (already done by Annahar newspaper today)
-Market Cardinal Sfeir's visit to the US in the same light (I am sure Mr. Sfeir is shrewd enough to say exactly that after meeting Mr. Bush)
-Welcome Mr. Karami's disclosure to alsharqual awsat newspaper today that he will allow an international observers team headed by ex US-president Jimmy Carter.
-Offer something in return for the above-mentioned
-Keep the movements in the street strictly non-confrontational and fun like the huge human flag of today (which I can't see why hizbullah followers wouldn't join, I would advise the opposition to lure them in), you have to accept that the numbers game is not our strong point.

The points above should be part of a general 4-part strategy:

- Accept that hizballah IS a popular force
- Pursue rapprochement with them
- Isolate the Syrian/Lebanese security aparatus
- Convince the Lebanese people (in the middle) that the opposition is flexible and that it has Lebanon's ultimate benefit at heart

Good luck

(This opinion piece also appears in The Beirut Spring )

The Other Northern Winds...

When asked about whom he will nominate for the premiership, a loyalist MP answered wryly, in a reference to Karami: 'The wind is Northern'.

Today, the pro Syrian demonstration in Tripoli might be so large that it could actually dwarf the Beirut one.

When Mr. Omar Karami resigned under pressure, Tripoli was all but deadlocked in unrest and riots.

Should we conclude from the above that Tripoli is a hopeless case for the opposition?

It is tempting to dismiss the Sunni north as a strong Loyalist bastion. If Sunni Beirut and Saida joined the opposition because of their strong affectionate ties with Hariri, why should 'Tarablos al sham' (as Tripoli was previously known)?

Because of, among other reasons, the efforts of one person: Musbah al Ahdab.

Heir of an old political family in Tripoli, Mr. Ahdab abandoned the Tripoli political mainstream to join the calls for Syria to quit Lebanon.
Even before Hariri's murder, he took stands that any northern observer would consider imprudent at best.

When he was first elected as an MP, his critics dismissed his mandate as nothing but the result of his dashing good looks and some infatuated 'bird-brained' female voters.

How wrong they were. Underneath his soft-spoken style and snazzy attire lies a shrewd and cunning politician; with a Jumblatesque radar for political winds, he knew when to ally with Hariri's future movements, when to dissociate himself from them (while still making under-the-table electoral deals with them) and finally when to join the anti Syrian opposition.

It takes considerable courage for a Sunni to stand up to the Syrians. Remember, This is a regime that is known for its legendary brutality against the Sunnis, From the Hamah massacre to the assassination of the mufti Hassan Khaled to the assassination of Hariri. Still, Musbah al Ahdab was the first Sunni to join the opposition and the Bristol gathering. He voted 'No' for extending Mr. Emile Lahhoud's term as president, thus joining Annahar Newspaper's tiny 'Honor List'. Mr. Ahdab gained so much popularity that, a few days before Hariri's assassination, The Tripoli block, made of veteran Tripoli MPs, declared an electoral alliance with him.

Mr. Ahdab is the first notable in Tripoli to break the wall of fear against the Syrians. He has unleashed a political snowball, and lots of previously notorious pro-Syrians are now cozying up to him... He sparked the change of the political winds in Tripoli. This is why a lot of people think that he'd make a good assassination target for the Syrians.

As you watch the huge pro-Syrian demonstration today, remember that the people who will vote for Mr. Ahdab are probably going to have the last laugh...

PS: Although I'm from Tripoli and I'm voting for mr Ahdab, I am not in any away affiliated with him and have never communicated with him or with his aids.

(This opinion piece also appears on the beirut spring )

Concerning theories that claim Israel killed Hariri to destroy Syria and assert its hegemony on the region

I posted this opinion a few weeks ago in lebaneseblogger.blogspot.com; but unfortunately, I feel that it is now necessary to republish it in this blog.... For those of you who have already read it, please accept my sincere apologies....

These grand conspiracy theories sound great on paper. But then, when I look at what happened on the ground, I get a reality-check. How the hell are Mossad agents supposed to kill Hariri in the middle of $^#^&$ downtown Beirut without anyone knowing??? Taking into consideration the size and complexity of the operation - for God's sake it wasn't a sniper shooting - the likelihood that someone carried it out without getting the attention of the security services is virtually null.

Seriously!!! How in God's name can someone get 500-1000 kgs of TNT in a country as small as Lebanon without drawing attention to himself? Did Israeli commandos bring the explosives with them by boat? If so, then how big would the boat have been? Or how many times would they have had to unload their cargo on our shores before accumulating the needed amount of TNT? Need I remind everyone that the scene of the crime was between the largest Lebanese Navy base(in the Port of Beirut), and the Military Officer's Club in the Manara?

As for this whole hegemony thing... it is also kind of a shaky argument. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are definitely not militarily up to par with Israel, but they do have their weight, and can influence events in the region. Even Jordan was able to get weapons from the United States that Israel thought were too threatening, and tried really hard to prevent from happening. So these theorists do two things: they play on an inert fear of Israel, and completely ignore facts on the ground to make what would seem to be sound arguments.

In conclusion, I'll say the following:

1. The Syrians have no problem killing Lebanese (or anybody) who they perceive as a threat to their grip on power.

2. There is a huge difference between American hegemony (a reality that we are dealing with today) and Israeli hegemony (nonsense, considering Egypt, Saudi Arabia and even Turkey - all of which are allies of the USA).

3. Read the following article from Dier Speigel:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,343242,00.html

Red state/Blue state... Lebanese style

A country on a verge of a crucial election is divided into two very vocal opposing camps...
Both these camps organize large rallies... both camps are deeply distrustful of each other, both are very self-righteous, both accuse the other of being less nationalistic, both are very resourceful and both believe they're the majority... the rhetoric at both sides is virulent, and they both see nothing less than the future of the whole country at stake...

The first camp is roughly composed of the young, educated, intellectual, the liberal and the media...

The second is roughly made of large interest holders, religious conservatives, illiterates, traditionalists, older people, and gun holders...

Third parties, alarmed at the unprecedented level of partisanship, are trying to form, but their following is scant and negligible...

No, I'm not talking about America before the November 2004 elections, this is very much Beirut Yesterday.

Welcome to our own culture war American-style...

When Hassan Nassrallah of Hizbullah took to the podium yesterday, hundreds of thousands of crowds listened and cheered...
'Puppets!' screamed the opposition; 'traitors' answered the loyalists...

All this is scary stuff, but the Lebanese, like the Americans before them, need to remember that Democracy is a mess, and no matter how much we try to question the legitimacy of the other, both camps do exist and have support on the street.

So I propose that people start looking to the positive side of the story:

Both parties made peaceful demonstrations, both parties predominantly held the Lebanese Flag, and both parties are showing cautious trust towards each other (albeit marred by populist offensive comments every now and then).

My fellow bloggers should be screaming foul by now (we are the liberal media after all). They would say that I couldn't possibly put the Syrian stooges and the Nationalists on the same moral level...
To that I have an answer: Remember how The Europeans could not even imagine that George W. Bush had people that would actually vote for him? They thought no sane person would possibly vote for that war-mongering, superficial polluter, but yet, the American voters proved them wrong.

What I'm trying to say is that we should waste less energy on panicking and questioning intentions, and more on trying to secure a free and fair election next spring... The Syrians should withdraw fully and we should have international observers for the elections, but, that having happened, we should not, under any circumstances refuse the results...

As for you Mr. Nasrallah, don't be too smug; you have much more in common with George W. Bush than you'd like to think.

(This opinion piece also appears on The Beirut Spring )

Israel is NOT the issue here...

If you look at the positions of the two broad political coalitions in Lebanon, specifically with regards to Israel, you will not find much of a difference. Both parties agree on being the "last country in the Middle East to sign a peace deal with Israel." The opposition is calling for a return to the truce agreement that was signed after the 1948 war; Hizballah insists on not going there, but has participated in a de-facto truce since the Israeli withdrawal (with around 15 infractions - none of which were major incidents).

Hizballah's rhetoric indicates otherwise of course. But speeches to crowds should not be intepreted at face value, especially speeches from Hizballah. Their constituency is the most disadvantaged group in Lebanon. The Shi'as have suffered from poverty, displacement, constant Israeli harassment, and even scorn from fellow Lebanese. Reasons behind these conditions are geographic, historical (going back to the Ottoman Empire and beyond), as well as inherent political flaws that can be attributed to the formation of the Lebanese Republic.

This is not to say that Hizballah doesn't see Israel as its eternal foe. However, limiting our analysis to the "Arab-Israeli" conflict is too superficial. The Party of God would definitely beg to differ, and in doing so, they offer other Lebanese a tremendous favor by effectively channeling Shi'a frustration to an "enemy" that is outside of the country.

Therefore, although the political positions seem to revolve around how to confront Israel, there are other, more local, nuances at stake. The domestic message of the protests are "Hey, look at us: we're here! We count! We're saying that we hate Israel and love Syria; but what we really mean is: don't think you can ride the changing fortunes of regional politics without taking us into consideration - oh and by the way, we pretty much like things the way they were before Syria started packing up. Change (especially if it is tainted by anything from the 'West') is unwelcome."

The international message, on the other hand, is very clear from the rhetoric: "Israel, America, and any other entity that opposes Hizballah, don't think you can get rid of it! It has real popular support, and is a legitimate force in domestic Lebanese affairs. Short of full scale war, it just ain't gonna happen!"

As always, I don't know how things are going to pan out. Lebanon seems to be divided into two camps: the Western and Eastern. Although Hizballah is powerful, its leaders probably don't want to over-play their hand and completely isolate the opposition. They're also aware that a considerable proportion of the Shi'a population doesn't necessarily agree with their vision for Lebanon - hence the wise decision to focus the demonstration on the rejection of 1559 and "Israeli/Western agression," something that all Lebanese are probably united behind.

On the other hand, it has been made obvious that the opposition will need Hizballah on board if they want to go anywhere. Both sides have now flexed their muscles and earned their seats on the table. It's time for them to take a look at what is happening around them, and move forward.

originally posted at http://lebaneseblogger.blogspot.com/

Wanted: The Opponent's Intellectuals

I've been browsing through the myriad of Lebanese Blogs that have recently been created, and one thing struck me: we all seem to see eye-to-eye on the Lebanese/Syrian Issue. The tones are different, some are more emotional and some are more rational, some are well informed and some rely on rumors, some have a big picture view and some are caught in details, some rely on photographs, others on words and others on numbers and statistics.
Yet, more or less, we all seem to agree on the crust of the matter: The Syrian's presence in Lebanon is pure evil and anathema to our feelings...

Throughout history, even the most oppressive and morally questionable orders and regimes had a driving philosophical and intellectual force behind them. Hitler had Frederick Nietzsche, Staline had Karl Marx, and the Bush team has Thomas Hobbs and Natan Sharansky. Even Saddam Hussein was said to be greatly influenced by Salheddin el Ayyoubi. These intellectuals have been the functioning cores of most rulers in history and are the single most reason why those regime seem to be behaving with such conviction and more importantly, having the ability to amass popular support.

Still, I am yet to find one single blogger that is willing, with conviction, to defend the 'Syrian Doctrine'.

Hey, intellectual opponent, I am begging you to show your face. I refuse to believe that hundreds of thousands of Lebanese are gathering today in Riad al Solh simply because they were intimidated, I want you to answer me: what drives them?

Hey, intellectual opponent, don't be afraid to be an agent provocateur; we do not want to replace a single-opinion regime with another, we cherish opinion diversity, we are all citizens and we believe in the universal suffrage...

Hey, intellectual opponent, don't be afraid to be outnumbered in the blogosphere; nothing enriches the ultra-liberal New York Times like their conservative columnist David Brooks, who incidentally is my favorite Op-ed Columnist... sometimes you might see things differently in a way that benefits our common well-being...

Hey, intellectual opponent, (and I'm not talking to you Nasser Kandil), who are you? What do you stand for? Why do you think we're wrong? Tell us, I challenge you to show your face.

Hey, intellectual opponent, Start a blog! talk to us!

We are all waiting...

(this opinion piece also appears on The Beirut Spring)

Focus on the economy?

My dream is that we, as Lebanese, whitness and participate in politics that focus on economic development and social welfare. There is a desperate need for the politics of our country to elevate to that level.

The sense I get from the opposition is that they do want to make that leap. Unfortunately there is a huge segment of the population - and politicians - who believe that the politics of confrontation and of identity (specifically "Arab" identity vs. other identities or sect vs. sect) must still be at the center of political discourse. Everything, in their view, must be held hostage to Lebanon's single-handed confrontation of Israel.

I almost feel like we are being pulled back by those who are scared they will be left behind in a new order; a new country. Why can't we lead? Why can't the educated, middle and professional classes lead the country? Why do we have to be led, or held back, by brutes who appeal to the basest instincts of the population?

Maybe we need a new political class. But then again, that's like wishing for pigs to fly. I'm starting to wonder how much will change in the comming months. Doubt is replacing hope; and all I can do is sit and watch....