SPEAKING FREELY US envoy arrives as Scrooge
By Franklin Lamb
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Surely we should all have known better. It was just too good to last. It seemed
to some Americans in Lebanon that nearly all the Lebanese and their political
leaders were ready to try to more or less work together for the good of the
country. Many even seemed to be getting excited about Christmas. Several of the
diverse sects' zaims (leaders) were seen on TV enjoying attending public
lightings of Christmas trees, praising the new unity government and humming
their favorite holiday tunes during family visits to
places like crowded Beirut and city malls.
New Prime Minister Saad Hariri admitted that he relished presiding over the
ceremony for the lighting of the "national" Christmas tree in downtown Beirut
this week and was inspired by fond memories of his student days at Georgetown
University, when he liked to walk over behind the White House and watch the US
president pull the switch and see the huge tree light up to a chorus of "ohs"
and "ahs" from kids and their relatives.
The ceremony here was almost the same, and it seemed to this outsider that the
Lebanese have way more relatives than Americans do or at least they get
together more often. Given all the electricity problems Lebanon's population
has to endure, with daily power black outs ranging from three hours per day in
the more posh Hamra district to more than 12 hours of daily cuts in some areas
like the Palestinian refugee camps and sometimes no power at all for days up
north in Tripoli, Akkar and over east in the Bekaa Valley, some gathered at the
huge tree waiting for Hariri to pull the switch, joked that it would be a real
miracle if all those trails of tangled wires actually worked.
Just as one Saudi student was overheard explaining to his English girlfriend
that even in Wahhabist Saudi Arabia, it is OK to wish Western visitors "Merry
Christmas", the giant tree lit up brilliantly as Hariri pulled the switch and
he and the crowd beamed with childlike delight.
The "peace on earth, goodwill towards humans" spirit also seemed to permeate
politics. By a historic vote of 122 to 1, the new "unity" parliament voted its
confidence in the new "unity" government. The question of Hezbollah's arms was
generally believed to have finally been put to rest with Article 6 of the
cabinet's policy declaration, which accepted them as necessary and legitimate.
Meanwhile, nimble minds discussed various formulae to unite the National
Lebanese Resistance's military prowess with the Lebanese army in order for
Lebanon to finally have a real defense force able to end 60 years of Israeli
attacks. Signs of unity, pride and hope were popping up all over.
President Michel Suleiman returned from candid talks with US President Barack
Obama where he reportedly gave his hosts a realistic assessment of Lebanon's
politics, and explained that Hezbollah was an equal partner in Lebanon's
government and should be engaged by Washington. Lebanon's problems, he told his
hosts, included the continuing Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory, and
its daily violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 as well as serial
threats of attack.
The Lebanese president also informed Obama, US National Security Advisor James
Jones and the US Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, that UNSCR 1559, regarding
decommissioning militia arms, was now fulfilled as far as Lebanon was
concerned. He implied that it should be scrapped.
Suleiman is too smart to believe that any US administration will give Lebanon
weapons that will deter Israeli attacks but he asked for some nonetheless and
Washington agreed to meet with Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr next year
to talk more about the subject. Congressional sources reported that Suleiman
was shown a lot of respect and appreciation for the positions he took and the
Obama administration gave its full support for Lebanon's national dialogue
achievements.
Regarding Hezbollah possessing weapons, one US Senate Foreign Relations
Committee source reported that several congressional analysts she has spoken to
agree with the recent statement of member of parliament Mohammad Raad that
"Hezbollah agrees that the state must take the responsibility for defending its
people but when the state is incapable, it is the duty of every Lebanese to
help build a strong and just state that can equip its army to face up to
Israeli violations". Regarding Suleiman's visit to Washington, Raad stressed
that "everything the president said in Washington should have been said".
Things seemed to be going quite well for Lebanon this Christmas season.
However, no sooner had the tree lighting crowd dispersed than the atmosphere
literally changed and the following days brought sustained heavy rains and
flooding with many Lebanese stuck in homes and cars with heavy thunder and
lightning. Some are blaming the foul weather on global warming.
Others ascribe it to the return of Jeffrey Feltman, the assistant secretary of
state for Near Eastern Affairs, who last month announced from Washington that
US officials are staying away from Lebanon lest they be blamed for trying to
interfere in Lebanon's internal affairs by choosing its new government.
It did appear that the scowling Feltman appeared to ride in on the dark clouds,
via the airwaves, to frighten little children with his patented threats of old.
As though he had never been absent from Lebanon, Feltman tried his best to stir
up the now quiet Lebanese political pot. First, he announced on al-Jazeera TV
on December 16 that "Hezbollah endangers the Lebanese people and does not
comply with international resolutions and exerts its power in areas where the
government has no control".
Critics quickly countered by asking Feltman about the more than 60 UN
resolutions that Israel has ignored, more than half with US diplomatic cover,
including UNSCR 1701. Concerning Hezbollah “exerting power in areas where the
government has no control”, analysts point out that Hezbollah asserts its power
in parliament and the cabinet, which is exactly the seat of government control.
Then Feltman insisted that the Lebanese army assert the government's authority
over all the country's territory. He also stated that his country respects the
independence and sovereignty of Lebanon and accepts the right of the Lebanese
to freely elect their representatives to parliament. However, he added, "The US
will not have contacts with Hezbollah or any party that does."
Feltman also dredged up the old discredited bromide that his country's
animosity with Hezbollah dates to the 1980s, when, according to him, "Hezbollah
killed a number of US citizens in Lebanon." Some saw this as a desperate smear
by Feltman, since former Central Intelligence Agency agent Robert Baer, who led
the three-year CIA investigation of that charge, and others who have thoroughly
and repeatedly investigated events of the early 1980s, before Hezbollah was
even coherently organized or released its public "Open Letter" in 1985, found
no evidence to link Hezbollah to acts targeting American civilians or even its
military.
Various acts were carried out by more than a dozen newly formed secretive
militias during this period. The only thing some of these groups had in common
was their goal to expel the occupying Israeli forces and those who were arming,
supporting and assisting in their killing of Lebanese civilians.
According to Lebanon's human-rights ambassador, Ali Khalil, "If Feltman has
proof of Hezbollah involvement in the killing of Americans nearly 30 years ago
let him come clean and hold a news conference and present his evidence.
Otherwise he must immediately apologize to Hezbollah and to the people of
Lebanon. Feltman should understand that nobody in Lebanon has to engage in wild
speculation about the US role in arming Israeli to kill thousands and thousands
of Lebanese, for the past 30 years until today. The facts are clear, available
and well documented. Where are his?"
Some expected Feltman to also bring up the discredited "Ohmygod, Hezbollah will
create an Islamic republic in Lebanon and Hezbollah believes in the Wilayat al
Faqih Guardianship of the Jurists!" scare tactics. Those charges were reserved
for Feltman's friend, the anti-Resistance (anti-Hezbollah) member of parliament
Dori Chamoun, who minutes after Feltman announced them during an interview with
al-Massira magazine, adding that Hezbollah "is politically immature". When
asked by the interviewer what that meant, Chamoun declined to comment.
In an interview with OTV on December 16, Free Patriotic Movement leader
parliamentarian Michel Aoun asked Feltman, "How do Hezbollah's weapons pose a
threat to [the US] if we are defending our nation?" Aoun added that he does not
trust Washington, because "it has sacrificed us too many times ... Hezbollah's
weapons will be kept until Palestinians return [to their country]." Aoun
reiterated that he is against Palestinian naturalization in Lebanon, which is
currently being pushed by the US and Israel.
Another reason Feltman has resurfaced is the rumored withdrawal of Israeli
forces from the Lebanese village of Ghajar. He promised almost exactly one year
ago that he had a Christmas present for the then-Lebanese prime minister, Fouad
Siniora. The Christmas present was that Israel would be forced by Washington to
withdraw from the Lebanese village of Ghajar before the New Year. There was one
catch. Siniora, a leader of the March 14 US-Saudi team, had to himself figure
out how to assure that his team got full credit for Israel's withdrawal from
Ghajar and to prevent Hezbollah from being given credit by the Lebanese public.
That, Feltman explained, would ruin the approaching June election results.
The same applies this Christmas. As it stands now, Feltman is concerned because
most Lebanese believe that Israel would not leave Ghajar were it not for
Hezbollah's pressure, which is the only reason Israel is still not occupying
nearly 600 villages in Lebanon today.
Meanwhile, life in Israeli-occupied Ghajar deteriorates. Najib al-Khatib,
spokesman for the population and their municipal council, explained, "The
services offered to the northern section of the village on the basis of the
Blue Line will officially remain in Israel's hands. However, the people are not
getting the basic services today, let alone when the village is actually
divided into small sections."
In statements to al-Jazeera.net, al-Khatib pointed to the refusal of the fire
department, ambulances and the phone and electricity companies to enter the
northern section of the village, under the pretext that it was "outside the
border", adding: "Last month, an ambulance refused to enter this section, which
entailed the death of four-year old Hayat Jaber."
Moreover, the population in the northern section cannot bury its dead until
after the deceased is brought to the Israeli checkpoint at the entrance of the
village to get the authorization of the police. "They are depriving the people
of a decent living and preventing us from dying with dignity. Imagine that the
family of the deceased has to wait with the corpse in the street for long
hours, until the Israeli officer arrives, checks the identity of the deceased
and writes the burial authorization."
Al-Khatib reported that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
wants Israel out before UNIFIL's current commander, Claudio Graziano, departs
next month. Israel could easily be pressured by the White House to leave
Ghajar, just as Feltman offered Siniora last Christmas. But Feltman still has
no assurance that Hezbollah will not get the credit when Israel leaves and he
must find a solution. And so, the Israelis remain in Ghajar, life worsens for
the Lebanese under its occupation, and Feltman ponders.
Franklin Lamb is a Beirut-based researcher on Lebanese affairs.
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Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have
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