LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
April 15/09
Bible Reading of the day.
John 4/34-38: Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me,
and to accomplish his work. 4:35 Don’t you say, ‘There are yet four months until
the harvest?’ Behold, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and look at the fields,
that they are white for harvest already. 4:36 He who reaps receives wages, and
gathers fruit to eternal life; that both he who sows and he who reaps may
rejoice together. 4:37 For in this the saying is true, ‘One sows, and another
reaps.’ 4:38 I sent you to reap that for which you haven’t labored. Others have
labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
Free Opinions, Releases, letters &
Special Reports
Nasrallah has erred in gauging the current regional dynamic-
The Daily Star 14/04/09
Lebanon's defense strategy -
Release 2. By: Karim Ghaoui/Ya Libnan 14/04/09
The days of serial blood murders-By Yaron Harel.
Ha'aretz 14/04/09
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for April
14/09
U.S. Embassy: Washington will
Provide Lebanon with 12 Unmanned Aircrafts-Naharnet
Fadlallah Says Iranian-U.S. Cooperation Possible under Obama-Naharnet
Lebanese Shiite cleric: US and Iran can cooperate-The
Associated Press
Inmates at Lebanon’s largest prison take drama to
heart-Christian
Science Monitor
US to donate unmanned military aircraft to
Lebanon-AFP
Nasrallah loses the sympathy of the
Egyptians.
Future News
Abul
Geith Promises 'Surprises' when Facts on Hizbullah Cell Are Disclosed-Naharnet
Al-Kataeb: Hezbollah’s foreign
policy is responsible for the political crisis with Egypt.Future News
Shehab confesses receiving orders
from Hizbullah. Future News
Massive Manhunt for Suspects in
Deadly Ambush on Army Patrol-Naharnet
Lebanese top officials condemn the
vicious attack on the army.Future News
Retired Army Officer Arrested for Collaboration with Israel-Naharnet
Tripoli's Coalition to be Settled, Ongoing Negotiations between Hariri, Jamaa
Islamiya-Naharnet
Espionage to Foreign
Country Added to Sami Shehab-Naharnet
Ban to Issue Report on
1559 on Eve of Elections-Naharnet
Aoun: I Am in Charge of
Directing the Opposition at This Stage-Naharnet
Lebanese-Swedish Man
Accused of Terrorism Faces Trial in New York-Naharnet
4 Lebanese Army Soldiers
Killed, Several Injured in Attack in East Lebanon-Naharnet
On Jumpy Lebanon-Israel
Frontier, A Quiet Drug War-Naharnet
Edde: Hizbullah Is Placing
Lebanon at Risk of another Israeli Attack-Naharnet
Hamas Backs Hizbullah
against Egyptian 'Campaign'-Naharnet
Syria to Host Conference
on Lebanese-Syrian Ties-Naharnet
Egypt-Hezbollah tensions mount-United Press International
Egyptian Security Forces Scour The Sinai For Hezbollah Agents-Voice
of America
Hamas 'surprised'
by Egypt's Hezbollah charge-Independent Online
Hezbollah plot in Egypt
highlights shared interests with Israel-Jewish
Telegraphic Agency
Cairo labels Hizbullah chief 'war criminal-Daily
Star
Gunmen kill four army soldiers in Bekaa Valley-Daily
Star
Hizbullah-hit Americans sue North Korea-(AFP)
Berri hails Lebanon's diversity, calls for state-building effort-Daily
Star
Crowds queued at ministry to remove sect from ID-Daily
Star
Lebanese leaders continue to unveil candidate lists ahead of elections-Daily
Star
US wants to boost military aid to Beirut - report-Daily
Star
Israel Army on High Alert
on Egypt Border-Naharnet
Tehran: U.S.-Iranian Journalist
Tried Behind Closed Doors-Naharnet
Report: Israel, U.S. to
Hold Missile Intercept Drill-Naharnet
THE INTERNATIONAL LEBANESE
COMMITTEE FOR UNSCR 1559
RE: Hezballah threat to Egyptian Security
Dear Ambassador Abdelaziz,
The International Lebanese Committee for UNSCR 1559 fully supports the efforts
of your government to bring justice to terrorists unleashed on Egyptian
territory who have threatened to wreak havoc and destabilize the authority of
the state. As they have done in Lebanon, so to will be the fate of Egypt in the
absence of strong state action.
The ILC for 1559 was created by Lebanese nationals and those in the Lebanese
Diaspora to assist the United Nations in the full implementation of UNSCR 1559
so that the Lebanese state can regain its monopoly over the use of force. No
state can survive with armed militias and terrorist groups operating outside the
rule of law and the control of the state. Such has been the situation in Lebanon
over the past twenty-five years with Hezbollah and other armed militias. As
Hezbollah has proclaimed in its charter a pan- Islamic call to Jihad sponsored
and financed by Iran, other neighboring states such as Egypt are clearly within
its sights.
The strong action of Egyptian government in apprehending these Hezbollah
operatives sends a strong message of deterrence to its leadership and to all in
the region that Egypt will not be drawn into the chaos of terrorism. The ILC for
1559 will follow up with the Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki Moon on this matter
by and stands ready to assist your office in any way possible. Until Hezbollah
is disarmed and reintegrated into Lebanese society as no more than a political
organization that rejects violence it will threaten the safety and security of
the whole of the Arab World and beyond.
Sincerely,
Tom Harb,
Secretary General
ILC UNSCR 1559
CC: UN Members
Nasrallah loses the sympathy of
the Egyptians
Future News
Egyptian security forces surrounded 10 Lebanese and three Palestinians in the
region of Nakhal in Egyptian in an attempt to arrest them for being members of a
group, operating in Egypt to smuggle arms to Palestinian factions in Gaza strip
under orders from Hezbollah.
Security sources in Al-Arish city said that “the 10 Lebanese escaped from the
border with Gaza with the assistance of Bedouins, after Egypt announced of
arresting the commander of the group Sami Shehab (Lebanese) and other members,
noting that “The police also used Bedouins to track the ten Lebanese in the
mountainous region.”
Other sources expected that “the interrogation with the detainees accused for
planning security operations against Egypt will finish late at night.”
The first defendant Sami Shehab said in his detailed confessions, that he "came
to Egypt in 2005 on behalf of Hezbollah to establish a unit of the party to help
the Palestinians, and the unit has succeeded in smuggling weapons, fighters and
ammunition into Gaza through the Egyptian border and that he travelled to
Lebanon in order to receive Help from the leader Mohammed Kabalan, who has
worked in Sudan for the recruitment of fighters in exchange for two thousand
dollars per fighter.”
The second defendant, Nasser Khalil (Abu Amra) Palestinian nationality, said in
his confession that "Hezbollah has been active in Egypt since 2000 and succeeded
in recruiting some members through its relationship with Sami Shehab". The legal
editor in the “Akhbar” newspaper Jamal Hussein described this work as
"espionage," adding that the Secretary-General of "Hezbollah" Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah "lost a lot of sympathy, which was still present among the Egyptian
people since the July war. And now has no support in the Egyptian and Arab world
after the operation he operated.”The Egyptian Shoura Council strongly condemned
"Hezbollah" during its meeting, and the deputies stressed that “Nasrallah’s
confession is evidence of his involvement in the plot, which represents a
serious threat to national security”, calling the Interpol to arrest and hand
him over to Egypt. L.F.
Shehab confesses receiving orders from Hizbullah
Date: April 14th, 2009 Source: Al Ahram The Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram reported
Tuesday that Mohammad Youssef Ahmad Mansour known as “Sami Shehab”, a Lebanese
Hezbollah member detained by Egyptian authorities confessed to have plotted to
attack the internal institutions in the county.
The paper said that the leadership of the Hezbollah party directed Mansour to
plot for terrorist attacks and suicide bombings at Egyptian institutions and
Israeli tourists, particularly in Sinai region, Dahab, Taba and Nwaibeaa where
the majority of tourists are Israelis.
The paper added that the first terrorist operation aimed at executing three
explosive attacks against Egyptian and Israeli targets in three vital touristic
locations, whereas the Hizbullah leadership would later claim responsibility for
the operation in revenge for the slaughter of its military leader Imad Mughnieh.
A sequence of orders was followed. The Secretary-General of the Hizbullah party,
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, gave orders to his deputy Naim Qassem, who transferred
them to Mansour through Mohammad Kabalan, according to the paper. The paper also
said that the party’s leadership recruited Sudanese men to participate in
smuggling arms through Egyptian borders for the terrorist operation. The
Egyptian prosecution stated that Egyptian authorities would arrest 24 people
involved in the cell, including Kabalan, the intelligence responsible in the
party. The independent newspaper “Egyptian today” said that it received a
message from Mansour through his attorney Montaser al-Zayyat. The message stated
“Tell Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah that we would follow him everywhere. We apologize
for the capture of his soldiers who should have been more vigilant and
responsible just like we were taught to.”Al-Zayyat quoted Mansour saying,
“Mansour did not deny his role because supporting the resistance is an honor
according to Hizbullah’s doctrines.”
Al-Kataeb: Hezbollah’s foreign policy is responsible for
the political crisis with Egypt
Future News/Al-Kataeb party expressed its concerns towards the recent crisis
between Egypt and Hezbollah, considered that the reason which caused this crisis
is that some believe that an armed group in the Lebanese territory has the right
to make its foreign policy and defense strategy, ignoring the state and without
considering the negative consequences that may affect this group’s relations
with any country, especially the Arab countries.
Al-Kataeb questioned how could March 8 forces call for partnership in the
Government and homeland, while events and facts show that this group takes
fateful decisions on its own, adding that the partnership which March 8 calls
for is only an election maneuver to influence the Lebanese and trick the voters.
The party condemned, during its periodic meeting in Bekfaya chaired by President
Amin Gemayel at his residence, the crime that targeted the Lebanese army in
Bekaa, resulting in 4 martyrs from the army and an officer who is severely
injured, considering what happened a crime that affects the security of the
country and all the Lebanese. The party called the Lebanese army to firmly
impede everyone who assaults or attacks the military institution which is
entrusted with the security of people and the homeland and its institutions.
The party added that considering the Doha agreement or any other agreement held
outside Lebanon as a reference to accord or partnership is no longer consistent
with the aspirations of the Lebanese who are eager to an agreement made in
Lebanon. The assemblers also wished that the dialogue table held in Baabda and
under the auspices of the Lebanese authority is the convenient way to reach an
agreement that reliefs the Lebanese from their suffering and be a step towards
the strong state the provides them the security which they demand.
In the electoral concern, Al-Kataeb party discussed the results of the recent
contacts which are held by President Gemayel and March 14 and the allies,
stressing on the importance of unity and support in this phase between all the
components in order to run the electoral battle. The party also discussed the
semi-final version of its electoral program and put the final touches it, before
the announcement of this program and the names of the candidates at a press
conference this week, to be followed by a festival to introduce the candidates
of Al-Kataeb. Al-Kataeb party also expressed its concern from the continues
delay of the administrative appointments of the parliamentary elections,
particularly those relating to the appointment of Governors of the North and
Mount Lebanon and the Director-General for Political Affairs in the Interior
Ministry, considering that the great achievements made by the Minister of
Interior and Municipalities Ziad Baroud to date are not sufficient alone to
ensure the requirements of a transparent and democratic electoral process.L.F.
Espionage to Foreign Country
Added to Sami Shehab
Naharnet/Egypt has added "espionage to a foreign country" to the charges against
Hizbullah agent Sami Shehab and 49 other Hizbullah members arrested in Cairo, a
manner tantamount to a life sentence. The suspects face several other charges,
including helping a foreign military force carry out attacks in Egypt, weapons
possession and forgery, in addition to plotting to destabilize the country.
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has rejected the accusations, but
confirmed over the weekend that he had sent Shehab to Egypt -- a rare
acknowledgment that Hizbullah was operating in another Arab country.
Egyptian security forces were on Monday searching a mountainous region of the
Sinai Peninsula for 13 men believed to be members of a Hizbullah cell.
Security officials in Egypt said the men's names came up during interrogation of
the 49 suspects who have been arrested over the past five months.
They said among the wanted men were 10 Lebanese and 3 Palestinians whose names
came up in questioning.
Interrogation with Shehab continued in the presence of his lawyer Muntaser al-Zayyat,
pan-Arab daily Al Hayat said Tuesday.
Zayyat told the paper that a confrontation between Shehab and Nasser Abu Amra, a
Palestinian, and two other Egyptian suspects – Ihab al-Sayyed and Abdel Latif
al-Manakhili – took place at the prosecutor's office. He said Shehab admitted to
knowing Abu Amra and the two Egyptians, saying trade relations have developed
between regarding support of Gazans and smuggling explosives to the Gaza Strip
via smuggling tunnels. Zayyat said the three detainees denied accusations raised
against them, insisting there was no relationship between them and Shehab. But
Shehab held on to the statements he made. Beirut, 14 Apr 09, 10:18
Abul Geith Promises 'Surprises' when Facts on Hizbullah Cell Are Disclosed
Naharnet/Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Geith promised "big surprises"
when facts about a Hizbullah cell will be disclosed by Egypt's state prosecutor
following completion of investigations. He said the facts will "uncover the size
of the conspiracy against Egypt."
In an interview with the daily Asharq al-Awsat published Tuesday, Abul Geith
stressed that "Iran has been using Hizbullah for several years to carry out its
objectives in the region." "I am looking forward to the moment when I see the
faces of all those who dictate (instructions) inside and outside Iran, inside
and outside Egypt, to see how they are going to open their mouths in surprise
when they read the report by the state prosecutor," he said. Abul Geith said he
was not surprised at Iran's reaction "because Hizbullah has long ago revealed
that it carries out Iran's policy entirely." He said the issue of the Hizbullah
cell in Egypt has revealed "new dimensions," pointing to a desire by "Iran and
its followers in the region to turn Egypt into a runner-up for Iran when it
enters the Middle East." "Egypt will not be a runner-up for anybody," Abul Geith
stressed. In an indirect reference to Hizbullah, the Egyptian FM believed the
resistance should be present at the border "to fight the enemy, and not in
alleys and hidden tunnels and the suburbs. This is not resistance." Egyptian
security forces were on Monday searching a mountainous region of the Sinai
Peninsula for 13 men believed to be members of a Hizbullah cell. Security
officials in Egypt said the men's names came up during interrogation of 49
suspects who have been arrested over the past five months and accused of
plotting attacks on Israelis in the Sinai on behalf of Hizbullah. They said
among the wanted men were 10 Lebanese and 3 Palestinians whose names came up in
questioning. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday that the
original suspects' alleged ringleader, a Lebanese man identified as Sami Shehab,
was a Hizbullah agent tasked with smuggling weapons to Palestinian militants in
Gaza. Police suspect the wanted men may be hiding in an inaccessible mountainous
area near the town of Nakhl which is used by Bedouin drugs smugglers, officials
said. Beirut, 14 Apr 09, 09:01
Massive Manhunt for Suspects in Deadly Ambush on Army Patrol
Naharnet/Lebanese troops have launched a massive manhunt for the suspects behind
a deadly Monday ambush on an army patrol in east Lebanon that left four soldiers
killed and one army officer critically wounded. All the victims were from
northern Lebanon. The wounded officer, identified as Maj. Allam Dunia, was being
treated at a Beirut hospital. The Lebanese army sent reinforcements to the scene
following the 11:30 am attack on a military vehicle in Riyaq. Convoys of
military commandos with small arms and military equipment were seen heading to
Sharawneh and Dar al-Wasaa in Baalbek via Dahr el-Baidar. The daily As Safir on
Tuesday said the armed culprits fled to the barren mountains of Hermel ahead of
the army crackdown. An Nahar for its part said troops raided overnight the house
of Hasan Abbas Jaafar in Sharawneh. Military sources told An Nahar that the
manhunt would continue until Jaafar and the rest of the perpetrators are caught.
According to information obtained by the paper, Hasan Jaafar is the brother of
Ali Abbas Jaafar who was shot and killed at an army checkpoint in Shlifa in east
Lebanon March 27. Jaafar is said to be the mastermind of Monday's ambush. At
least three other men are allegedly involved in the attack. They were identified
as M.F.A. from Brital, H.A.G. from Baalbek and A.A. from Hor Taala. An Nahar
said Maj. Dunia was the target of the attack. Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji
called on Dunia after surgery, vowing not to slacken in efforts to search for
and arrest the criminals. Beirut, 14 Apr 09, 08:07
Retired Army Officer Arrested for Collaboration with Israel
Naharnet/Security forces have arrested retired Brig. Gen. Adib A. in Beirut's
Dekwaneh district under suspicion he was collaborating with the Israeli Secret
Service, the Mossad. Al Akhbar newspaper on Tuesday quoted a security official
as saying the arrest was made on Saturday after three months of monitoring
activities of a "group of suspects" on suspicion of collaboration with Israel in
areas east and north of Beirut as well as southern Lebanon, particularly south
of the Litani River.
The official said the detained officer admitted to collaborating with Israel
more than 10 years ago, saying his role was to collect information.
The retired brigadier general, however, denied his involvement in carrying out
any assassination or bombing attacks, but confessed to meeting Israeli officials
in Europe.
His wife was also summoned on suspicion of complicity. She uncovered information
that was withheld by her husband, according to al Akhbar.
Adib used to work for the Director General of the Public Security before he
retired in 1998 to run his own maids service office in Dekwaneh
Al Akhbar quoted a senior security official as saying that the retired general
used his office as cover-up of his "intelligence mission." Beirut, 14 Apr 09,
10:45
Tripoli's Coalition to be Settled, Ongoing Negotiations
between Hariri, Jamaa Islamiya
Naharnet/The next 48 hours will be decisive in terms of announcing the coalition
list in Tripoli, sources told An Nahar daily, as negotiations between Saad
Hariri's al-Mustaqbal movement and Jamaa Islamiya continued. The agreement on
the Tripoli list between Hariri, Former PM Najib Miqati and Minister Mohammed
Safadi could see light soon, al-Liwaa newspaper said. The Western Bekaa list of
the March 14 forces will be announced after the Tripoli ticket while Zahle will
be left for later.
The March 14 forces also agreed on the Batroun list which will include MPs
Boutros Harb and Antoine Zahra. The ticket will be officially unveiled Saturday
afternoon in Batroun. As for Kesrouan, March 14 sources told al-Liwaa that the
coalition will enter the electoral race with an incomplete list headed by
National Bloc Party leader Carlos Edde. Two seats will be left vacant for former
MPs Mansour Ghanem al-Bon and Farid Haykal al-Khazen. The same applies to Jbeil,
whereby March 14 General Secretariat Coordinator Fares Soaid will possibly be a
single-seat contestant although the door will be left open for independent
candidates. The same sources said the March 14 list in the Metn was finalized
after it was agreed to give Lebanese Forces candidate Eddy Abi Lamaa a place in
the ticket at the expense of Pierre Ashkar. Announcement of the ticket awaits
final arrangements that MP Michel Murr is making with his allies, particularly
Ashkar. Meanwhile, Jamaa Islamiya's deputy secretary general Sheikh Ibrahim al-Masri
told al-Liwaa that a meeting between the grouping and Hariri did not come up
with major results. "No progress has been made yet but we hope to achieve
positive results," he said. Masri said, however, that more than one meeting was
held Monday with the Mustaqbal movement to discuss electoral alliances in
several districts, adding that both sides were not in a hurry to reach a final
decision. Beirut, 14 Apr 09, 10:56
Ban to Issue Report on 1559 on Eve of Elections
Naharnet/U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon decided to issue his report on the
implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559 in May, one month ahead of
the Lebanese parliamentary elections, al-Mustaqbal daily reported on Tuesday.
Ban was scheduled to issue his six-month report to the U.N. Security Council
this month but well-informed diplomatic sources told the newspaper that the new
date will be an opportunity to unveil the international community's stance on
the parliamentary elections.
Resolution 1559, adopted in September 2004, called for the withdrawal of the
Syrian army from Lebanon, the holding of elections without foreign intervention
and the disbanding of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias in Lebanon. Al-Mustaqbal
said the article in 1559 on free elections does not only mean presidential polls
but also parliamentary elections. The report is expected to stress on Lebanon's
sovereignty and independence, discuss the issue of disarming militias and call
for continuing all-party talks in order to reach agreement on a defense
strategy. Ban will welcome the establishment of diplomatic ties between Beirut
and Damascus, the opening of embassies and the appointment of ambassadors. The
report, drafted by U.N. envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, will also focus on the
demarcation of the Lebanese-Syrian border and arms smuggling. In his last report
on 1559, the U.N. secretary-general praised improving ties between Lebanon and
Syria, but expressed concern about the emergence of extremists in the north and
the continued challenge of militias to the consolidation of the Lebanese
government's authority. Beirut, 14 Apr 09, 08:47
Aoun: I Am in Charge of Directing the Opposition at This
Stage
MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday said he was in charge of directing the minority at
this stage and voiced confidence in his victory in Metn without striking an
alliance with MP Michel Murr." "I am responsible for directing the opposition at
this stage up until it reaches proper participation" in government, Aoun said
following the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform bloc. Candidates for the
Free Patriotic Movement "are named in Rabieh only," Aoun said adding his party
"adheres to certain standards when it comes to nominating contenders in various
tickets."Aoun said the "2009 elections in Metn will surprise everyone with his
victory although he did not form an alliance with Murr." He said the FPM does
"not sell parliamentary seats to anyone" insisting that he enters electoral
battles with the intention of wining.
On the FPM platform, Aoun said it will be made public on May 7, the anniversary
of his return to Lebanon from France. He said the platform includes projects for
the judicial, education and economic sectors. He said he represents democracy
telling those who "can never lose will never be able to govern properly because
their rule would be oppressive." On Monday's attack on the army, Aoun said the
incident was not politically-motivated and was carried out by a family seeking
revenge.
Aoun said an agreement between the FPM and other parties in the minority
"prevented the outbreak of another war during the incidents of Mar Mikhail."
He urged the Lebanese to make a choice between "living in a sectarian cocoon and
between open-mindedness and coexistence."
On Hizbullah's standoff with Egypt, Aoun said he does not "interfere in
Hizbullah's private affairs and they do not interfere in ours. This is why we
will wait for the facts." Beirut, 13 Apr 09, 19:44
Lebanese-Swedish Man Accused of Terrorism Faces Trial in
New York
Naharnet/Jury selection began on Monday in the trial of a Swedish citizen of
Lebanese origin accused of trying to set up a terrorist training camp in the
northwestern U.S. state of Oregon. Oussama Abdullah Kassir, 43, faces multiple
charges, including supporting terrorism and al-Qaida, by attempting to establish
the camp in Oregon in 1999. Jury selection began at a New York federal court
Monday and opening statements in the trial could come this week. Kassir was
arrested in 2005 by Czech authorities in response to a U.S. request to Interpol
while he was at an airport stopover between Stockholm and Beirut. According to
prosecutors, the camp in Bly, Oregon "was to provide a place where Muslims could
receive various types of training, including military-style jihad training, in
preparation for a community of Muslims to move to Afghanistan." However, the
training facility was never put into operation.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 14 Apr 09,
06:50
Lebanese-Swedish Man Accused of Terrorism Faces Trial in
New York
Naharnet/Jury selection began on Monday in the trial of a Swedish citizen of
Lebanese origin accused of trying to set up a terrorist training camp in the
northwestern U.S. state of Oregon. Oussama Abdullah Kassir, 43, faces multiple
charges, including supporting terrorism and al-Qaida, by attempting to establish
the camp in Oregon in 1999. Jury selection began at a New York federal court
Monday and opening statements in the trial could come this week. Kassir was
arrested in 2005 by Czech authorities in response to a U.S. request to Interpol
while he was at an airport stopover between Stockholm and Beirut. According to
prosecutors, the camp in Bly, Oregon "was to provide a place where Muslims could
receive various types of training, including military-style jihad training, in
preparation for a community of Muslims to move to Afghanistan." However, the
training facility was never put into operation.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 14 Apr 09,
06:50
Lebanese mark start of Civil War with calls for awareness
Civil society groups want citizens to face their past in order to not repeat it
By Dalila Mahdawi and Karah Byrns
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
BEIRUT: The sun beat down oppressively on Martyrs Square on Monday, bathing in
blinding light a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the outbreak of the
1975-1990 Lebanese Civil War and to launch the first national memorial for its
victims. The event was organized by Memory for the Future, a civil peace
association that says it is motivated by the idea that "the past remains
present" as a source of division in Lebanese society. The association works
toward a "policy of sound memory" in order to reconcile the Lebanese with their
history, so that they can begin looking together in solidarity toward a national
future.
During the ceremony, which was attended by Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud, the
organization unveiled a massive sign marking the spot where the memorial would
eventually stand. It read: "This war caused more than 200,000 dead, 17,000
missing, and 400,000 wounded. Remember." One minute of silence was observed at
midday to honor those victims, a symbolic act that Memory for the Future hopes
to see become an annual tradition, along with the designation of April 13 as an
official "Remembrance Day" on the national calendar.
Although the association is the first to have the Lebanese government approve a
war memorial project, it is one of several organizations advocating real closure
to Lebanon's bloody Civil War days. "Each confession and community has mourned
alone, but there has been no collective mourning," Alfred Tarazi said. He is one
of five artists known as the Feel Collective who have been working on a national
memorial project for the last three years. They hope to erect, even if only
temporarily, some 200,000 steel poles in Martyrs Square to commemorate those who
died or disappeared during the war.
Like the monument planned by Memory for the Future, The Feel Collective project
was, in essence, "about raising national awareness" about the Civil War in the
hope that its horrors would never again be repeated.
The need for such a memorial was especially urgent today as current events in
Lebanon hinted at the possibility of renewed civil violence, Tarazi said. "It's
something that needs to be addressed - especially for the young generation of
Lebanese who didn't live through the war and all the kidnappings. It's important
they know about what the war caused, because they'll be the first ones to take
up arms" in the event of a new conflict, he said.
Tarazi's words were echoed by several others attending the ceremony, including
Baroud. Melhem Khalaf, co-founder of peace-advocating organization Offre-Joie,
similarly told onlookers that Lebanon's "future is in our children ... our unity
will be our salvation." The organization also invited hundreds of Lebanese
children of all ages and origins to watch the ceremony.
Almost two decades after the war's end, there has been little effort by the
Lebanese government to address its recent history. "There is a refusal in
Lebanon to deal with the past under the pretext that if you open the files of
the past, it will incite new violence. But I believe it is obvious that not
dealing with the past has not prevented new violence from happening," said
Monika Borgmann of the UMAM Documentation and Research organization, which
strives to create debate on national memory through the building of a war
archive and related public events. The organization will host a two-day
conference later this month to discuss the issue of reparations and restorative
justice to victims of the war.
Many activists say that the Lebanese authorities have in fact actively hindered
reconciliation efforts. After the 1989 Taif Accord ended the war, the government
declared an amnesty law for all crimes perpetrated before March 1991. Two
subsequent amnesty laws were also passed. Consequently, the fate of the
disappeared has been left unsolved and most perpetrators of violence have not
been brought to justice.
"The politicians are not helping us with this issue because they were involved,"
said Michel Aoun (no relation to the Free Patriotic Movement leader), whose
father Najji disappeared in 1985, when he was just three years old. "One
politician I spoke to about my father told me, 'Go and pray for your father and
forget him - this is what happens in war.' Then this politician lost his son in
an assassination and now he's fighting for justice," Aoun said.
Aoun sees only one way to give closure to the families of the missing. "The
politicians have to stand up and tell the truth. They have to say honestly who
they sent to Syria and who they killed here."
The families would be able to forgive those behind the enforced disappearances
of their relatives, he believed. "All these mothers want is to finish with this,
but they need to know the truth about what happened."
Assaad Chaftari, a former member of the Christian militia group the Lebanese
Forces, is one of few people to have come forward about his role in Lebanon's
tumultuous civil conflict. He said he was motivated by personal, not political,
reasons to go public about his actions, but some have nevertheless labeled him a
traitor. "I did some very wrong things and I don't want my children to make the
same mistakes that I made," Chaftari told The Daily Star.
In addition to a truth commission, Chaftari said Lebanon was in dire need of "a
government project to deal with the past, to archive it, document it, and to
prevent future conflict." The memorial planned by Memory for the Future was part
of this process, he said, as "people would remember it is supposed to unite us."
Memory for the Future has not yet decided on a design for it's landmark
memorial, but will launch a competition among Lebanese designers in the hope
that the contest will jumpstart the process of awakening public consciousness
and inspiring constructive dialogue about the Civil War.
As Maha Yahya, a founding member of the organization, said: "It is not so much
to unify our memory as it is to open a discussion about that memory, and to
honor the victims to mark a progression toward setting the foundation of a
sustainable peace."
Positioned slightly behind the ceremonial stage, evidence of another civil
society initiative drew the audience's attention. A large map dotted with the
identity papers of Lebanese citizens who decided to remove their sect from their
national identity card stretched up toward the Martyrs monument. Organized by
Students of the Democratic Left Movement, the message of the map was to
underline the need for removing sectarian affiliation from the realms of
politics and work, and to show support for the formation of a civil society and
state.
"Sectarianism has led to many disastrous things, among them the civil war," said
movement member Rana Khoury. "We also wanted to publicize that the only thing
people need to do to take their sect off of their identity card is to fill out
an application, or to write on a piece of paper 'I want to remove my sectarian
affiliation from my identity card,' sign it, and submit it to their local
municipality office," she added.
In a speech, Memory for the Future president Amal Makarem called on all Lebanese
to recognize their commitment to their country not only in name, but in action.
She stressed that "we always say Lebanon first, but I say Lebanon second, after
the democratic values that it was founded upon."
In a related commemoration of the Lebanese Civil War anniversary on Monday,
Offre-Joie broadcast a live television program about "heroes of peace in times
of war" from the steps of Beirut's National Museum. During the program,
religious and civil society leaders discussed ways to prevent future conflict.
Lebanon's defense strategy - Release 2
Published: Sunday, 12 April, 2009
By: Karim Ghaoui
Special to Ya Libnan
The Lebanese Armed Forces' primary mission is defending Lebanon and its citizens
against aggression, confronting threats against the country's vital interests,
maintaining internal stability and security, engaging in social development
activities and undertaking relief operations in coordination with public and
humanitarian institutions.
The LAF consists of roughly 72,000 active personnel with the Ground Forces
consisting of approximately 70,000 troops, the Air Force consisting of about
1,000 personnel and another 1,000 in the Navy. Lebanon has the 6th largest
percentage of military expansion in terms of personnel recruitment. What has
triggered this trend? Could it be the very few other employment options
available? How many of those individuals could contribute more productively
without having to lay dormant for months at a time, awaiting the next bloody
conflict?
Lebanon’s equipment is severely outdated due to an intentional lack of funds.
But why is it that the availability of foreign funds that should determine
Lebanon’s possession of arsenal? For an unknown reason, a local plan to develop
hardware to cater for Lebanon’s tactical and geographical needs is presently an
inconceivable idea. How is it that Israeli minds can, whilst we are so
incapable? How is it that we can’t even include a USD$10 million fire-fighting
aircraft in the national budget whilst our politicians have transferred our
airport into a private jet pit-stop?
Any levelheaded person will admittedly agree that Lebanon’s frustratingly unique
internal politics has been marked with distrust and corruption. This has been
the reason Lebanese governments have purposefully kept our armed forces small
and weak. Our fear of each other, Christians of Muslims or vice versa is why we
are so vulnerable to relatively unopposed invasions by our neighbors. We have
always had the fear of using our weapons against our own. Aside of the two major
conflicting views, prominent Lebanese politicians of differing religious
denominations have been feudal warlords commanding their own private militias
and fearing that a strong army would endanger their personal power. For this
reason, Lebanon has never spent more than 4% of its GNP on the military budget.
Our political and religious problems have remained unchanged throughout modern
history, so what makes us think that we can increase the capability of our
defense force now?
Lebanon’s strength and pride lies in its ground forces and it is by far the
largest of Lebanon’s military branches. Our ground forces are equipped with 11
or 12 Mechanized Brigades divided into our 5 regional commands. The Lebanese
Forces are excessively proud of their commando regiments, airborne regiments,
and navy SEALS regiments as part of the Lebanese Special Forces. All which
receive specific and intensive training in harsh mountainous and snowy terrain.
Some receive more advanced training in the US or France. It’s encouraging to
hear of such bravery and dedication yet how many of Lebanon’s battles have
involved engaging an enemy in our snowy terrain? What is it that the US and
France can provide in terms of physical training that Lebanese individuals
cannot? Is it possible that Lebanon’s defense budget may one day account for
this so that vital funds are not wasted on overseas trips but rather on more
pressing needs?
85% of Lebanon’s hardware is US made whilst the rest is contributed mainly by
the French, British, or the Russian governments. The Lebanese Army still uses
old and outdated equipment, mostly received through donations. Lebanon’s pride
is the M113 which is commonly found with every regiment and brigade. A list of
awaited equipment is continually growing and includes Leopard 1/A5 tanks, M60
Patton tanks, and M198 Howitzers. All are deemed useless considering the form of
aggression the Lebanese nation has faced in recent history. A Russian promise to
supply Lebanon with T-90 tanks has been in discussion. Other hardware in the
pipeline includes 10 modified Soviet MIG-29s. The question remains, how
worthwhile are they compared to the hundreds of Israeli fighters, or is this
simply another cold-war PR act on behalf of the Soviets?
The navy, which currently lacks the suitable amount of equipment, has a number
of approximately 50 vessels of various sizes and roles; however, the navy is
trying to modernize itself, and increase its size. The Lebanese Air Force
currently has a number of helicopters including the UH-1H Bell Huey, Gazelle,
and various others. In 2008, the Lebanese Army started establishing the Special
Operations command in order to group the Army's elite units. These Special
Operations forces will include the key Regiments, and the Counter-Sabotage
Regiment of the Military Intelligence. The initial size of the force will be
less than two brigades, around 5,000 troops, but the plan is to enlarge it up to
three brigades.
Despite all these cosmetic upgrades, the week-long clashes that occurred at the
beginning of the month of May 2008 in Lebanon, the army did not prevent rival
Lebanese groups from fighting each other because this would have resulted in a
division of the military along sectarian lines, something that happened during
the civil war.
Traditionally, when fighting stops in an area, the LAF deploys to enforce peace.
On May 13th 2008, the Army threatened that if fighting did not end by the next
morning, it would have intervened and used force to stop the clashes.
Unfortunately, this had already been too late for many unarmed young lives,
protecting their livelihoods, villages and families. How does such a defense
force maintain integrity and expand despite the current deplorable political
constitutions and structures?
Let’s look at Israel’s defense structure. They do not simply acquire obsolescent
hardware. They employ Israeli citizens in Israeli public and private industry.
Surely they draw international contracts and treaties, but who doesn’t? What
contracts are the LAF going to draw upon receipt of our MIG-29s? Will Lebanese
be servicing those aircrafts? Can Lebanese manufacturing develop spare parts?
Will there be any contracts to advance Lebanese industry? Israelis at least,
primarily seek self-sufficiency. They also recognise there differences. The
Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has striven to be a unique army striving to fit
Israel's specific requirements. The IDF uses several technologies developed in
Israel, specifically to match the IDF's needs, such as the Merkava main battle
tank, Uzi submachine gun, and the Galil and Tavor assault rifles. It has close
military relations with the United States by whom it is heavily financially
aided. This has fostered development cooperation, such as on the F-15I jet, and
the THEL laser defense system. Meanwhile, Lebanon bargains with the US over
petty quantities of M16s. Israel spends 9% of its GDP on defense. That amounts
to over USD$10 billion per annum whereas we rarely exceed USD$0.5 billion. It is
also blaringly obvious that Arabs are incapable of developing military alliances
as nations so how do we plan to defend Lebanon from an invading aggressor alone?
Israel has compulsory national military service for all its minority groups.
Most are glad to participate in protecting their homeland. How do
Lebanese-Armenians help defend Anjar and the southeast? Why is it that the
Armenian presence in parliament far exceeds their representation in the defense
force? This is not an attack on Lebanon’s Armenian community, but simply a
typical example regularly seen across the board.
Can their not be a specific battalion that the local communities can trust and
support and can be made entirely of its ethnic population? Can Lebanon’s
Hezbollah supporters not defend their south if they are being asked to by a
Lebanese Military Commander In Chief rather than a Hezbollah figurehead? Why do
we not construct an LAF managed border police structure where former Hezbollah
militants and their stores are integrated into the LAF and armed by the LAF
where they may be responsible for security in heavy urban areas such as the
boundaries of the notorious Ain El-Hilweh? Or will that simply ease the flow of
illegal weapons into our refugee camps? Why does the country think I’m insane at
the last proposition, or does our distrust of our fellow citizens make us
dismiss such ideas? Why is it that we are so detracted to bring such matters out
into the open?
Israel has a structure where overseas volunteers, young, Non-Israeli Jews, who
can be trained in combat units. There are over 15 million Lebanese dispersed
world-wide, many also unemployed and very willing. Hypothetically speaking, will
Lebanon’s new defense strategy devise plans to train those that are willing to
contribute in times of need?
More recently, a promise has been made by the new US cabinet to supply Raven
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to patrol our borders. Is that our country’s Early
Warning System? Who and what will those crafts be monitoring exactly? What is it
that UNIFIL do then? Who will be the first to shoot down those UAVs, I wonder?
Here’s an idea! Wouldn’t we provide a better a service to the population if we
developed more effective means to defend our power plants? We all know where
Israel aims first when targeting Lebanon’s infrastructure. Or have we learnt
nothing from the last 30 years?
I won’t even begin to compare military arsenal as Israel may possess close to
400 nuclear warheads. I do not write this article in aim of humiliating my own.
But how do we defend ourselves without contemplating the bare facts. Our
military structure and the politics surrounding it are pre-Napoleonic. Much
needs doing before flaunting the idea of defending our borders militarily. I am
sure that our “Honor, Sacrifice, Loyalty” to our Lebanon is true. It is true
however in everyone’s unique ways. Stripping Hezbollah of their artillery is
another topic for another day. For now however, we are far from creating a
united defense structure that truly exists to defend Lebanon’s borders,
integrity, and its people as a whole. One thing is for sure, buying random
military hardware without a national objective does not comprise a defense
strategy.
Cairo labels Hizbullah chief 'war criminal'
By Nicholas Kimbrell
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
BEIRUT: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was slammed by Egyptian government officials and
press as a provocateur and "war criminal," days after the Hizbullah leader
admitted that Sami Shihab, a Lebanese national in Egyptian custody, was a
Hizbullah operative involved in arms smuggling to the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Egyptian security sources said Monday they were tracking 10 more
Hizbullah operatives hiding in the Sinai Peninsula.
Cairo has accused Hizbullah of plotting to sow political unrest in Egypt, by
planning attacks on Egyptian institutions and Israeli interests and tourists in
Sinai's popular Red Sea resort towns. During a phone call Sunday, Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak told Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora that Egypt
"will not allow anyone to violate its borders or destabilize the country."
Last week, officials in Tel Aviv warned of a "serious, immediate and concrete
threat" against Israelis in the Sinai area and called on tourists to leave the
area immediately.
Over the past five months, Egyptian police have reportedly detained a group 49
Egyptian, Lebanese and Palestinian nationals for belonging to what has been
labeled a Hizbullah cell operating out of Egypt. The men have been accused of
planning attacks in Egypt, and on Sunday Egypt's Attorney General Abdel-Meguid
Mahmoud said they would also be charged with espionage and plotting to
destabilize the country.
Security officials said on Monday that during interrogations the men in custody
had revealed the names of 13 additional operatives, 10 of whom are Lebanese.
Reports conflicted on whether the three other fugitives were Sudanese or
Palestinian.
The sources said Egyptian security forces were pursuing the men in a mountainous
region in Sinai near the town of Al-Nakhl. They were believed to be hiding out
with bedouin tribesman active in the area's drug smuggling operations, and
possibly trying to enter Gaza, only 200 kilometers to the north, through the
many smuggling tunnels linking Egypt to the impoverished Hamas-run territory.
In a rare admission, Nasrallah said Friday that Shihab was indeed a member of
Hizbullah but he denied all reports that the group was aiming to hit Egyptian
targets.
"Brother Sami is a member of Hizbullah, and what he was doing on the
Egyptian-Palestinian borders was a logistic mission to transport arms and
equipment to the Palestinian lands; all other accusations are false and full of
imagination and bluffs," he said.
"If helping the Palestinians whose land is seized and who are being killed and
besieged is an accusation, then I thereby declare that I am guilty of this
accusation," he added.
But in weekend editorials and news programs, the Egyptian press attacked
Nasrallah with a barrage of insults and accusations. "Egypt must start
proceedings to try him in an international court. He has admitted to the crime.
He must be handed to the Lebanese government as a war criminal," said the editor
of Rose Al-Yussef, a pro-government paper.
The state-owned Al-Gomhuria referred to the Hizbullah chief as "Sheikh Monkey"
and called him a "highway robber." Al-Ahram, another state-owned daily, said
Nasrallah had violated Egyptian and international law and should be arrested.
Tensions between Egypt and Hizbullah, an ally of Syria, Iran and Gaza's Hamas
rulers, swelled during Israel's three-week assault on Gaza in December and
January, with Hizbullah blaming Egypt for not opening a border crossing with the
besieged strip and calling for mass demonstrations in the country.
The lawyer representing the men in Egyptian custody, Montasser Al-Zayyat, said
last week the charges could be politically motivated. "My impression is that it
is a fabricated case created by Egyptian security in the context of bad
relations between Hizbullah and Egypt," he said on Wednesday.
But that insinuation was complicated by Nasrallah's admission Friday.
The Egyptian Information Minister, Anas al-Foqi, said Monday that Nasrallah's
speech had supported Egypt's claims. And the head of the Arab and Foreign
Affairs Commission said Hizbullah's actions, including forgery and plotting
against the state, constituted "a terrorist attack forbidden by Egyptian and
international law."
When asked to respond to the allegations, a Hizbullah source told The Daily Star
on Monday that Nasrallah had already addressed Egypt's charges. "The whole issue
has been discussed thoroughly by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah," the source said.
"There is nothing more to add at this point."
According to the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, Shihab told his interrogators that he
had operated a Hizbullah cell in Cairo since 2005 and that after the February
2008 assassination of Imad Mughniyeh, Hizbullah's top military commander, he had
been tasked with planning attacks against Israeli forces from Gaza and targets
in Sinai.
Hizbullah blamed Israel for the Mughniyeh hit and, on repeated occasions,
Nasrallah has vowed to avenge his death. Tel Aviv's call last week for Israeli
tourists to leave Sinai was only the latest in a number of warnings issued over
the last year.
Yisrael Katz, Israel's Transport Minister who is considered very close with
Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Sunday that Nasrallah "deserves
death."
In Lebanon, a leading March 14 politician questioned the wisdom of Nasrallah's
admission. The head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, said
Sunday that he thought the Hizbullah chief had made an "error" in claiming
Shihab, saying that the group, which heads the parliamentary opposition, was not
interested in inciting instability in Arab states. - With agencies
Hizbullah-hit Americans sue North Korea
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
WASHINGTON: US citizens in Israel injured by Hizbullah rockets on Friday sued
North Korea seeking more than $100 million, saying the communist state assisted
the Lebanese Shiite group. Hizbullah in 2006 fired thousands of missiles into
northern Israel, which launched a deadly month-long offensive against its
northern neighbor.
In a lawsuit filed in the US District Court in Washington, 30 Americans who said
they were injured in the rocket attacks accused North Korea of helping Hizbullah
build underground bunkers to safely store their Katyusha rockets.
"As a facilitator of the Hizbullah rockets, North Korea is financially liable to
all those Americans injured by the terrorists," lawyer Nitsana Darshan-Leitner
said in a statement.
"The lawsuit aims to secure a measure of justice for the terror victims and
teach North Korea that it cannot continue to support Hizbullah with impunity,"
she added.
Darshan-Leitner is well-known for filing lawsuits against Islamic militant
groups that have targetted Israelis or Jews.
The lawsuit on North Korea cites as its source for the allegations a paper by
the Congressional Research Service, a government-funded think tank that provides
briefings to members of Congress.
North Korea, one of the world's poorest nations, is believed to rely on arms
sales overseas as a key money-maker. Some experts say the communist state went
ahead with its defiant April 5 long-range rocket launch in hopes of exporting
the technology to the Middle East.
An Israeli air raid in 2007 destroyed a facility in Syria - a key Hizbullah
backer - which the US said was a secret nuclear reactor built with North Korea's
help. Both Damascus and Pyongyang denied the allegations.
But the US last year removed North Korea from a list of state sponsors of
terror, saying it was not involved in terrorism in the previous six months. -
AFP
Berri hails Lebanon's diversity, calls for state-building effort
By Therese Sfeir
Daily Star staff/Tuesday, April 14, 2009
BEIRUT: Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Sunday that Lebanon's diversity
served the country's interests and established interaction that would lead to a
better society. The speaker also condemned any "insinuation or statement that
says Christians are guests in the country."
Berri's comments came during the inauguration of Ain al-Zarqa irrigation
project, which was carried out by the Council of the South in the town of
Mashgara in the Western Bekaa Valley.
"The Christians are our brothers in the nation and in citizenship," Berri said.
He added that coexistence in Lebanon was an example of a Global Village, which
"is not a property of the Lebanese but has been placed in their care."
The speaker also called for a genuine "state building project," instead of a
"power building project."
The irrigation project, according to Berri, will provide potable water to 52
towns and villages in Western Bekaa and Rashaya.
He added that the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development would finance the
establishment of water channels inside several towns and villages benefiting
from the project.
Berri praised the studies conducted by the Council of the South to guarantee the
continuity of the project.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Ministers Ghazi Zeaiter and Fawzi
Salloukh, Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development representative in Lebanon
Mohammad Sadeki, and several MPs.
Berri stressed that efforts were being deployed to "remove all obstacles facing
the completion of a project to transfer water from the Litani River to South
Lebanon."
Commenting on the upcoming parliamentary elections, Berri said: "Let's make June
7 a date to make democracy a lifestyle and not just an election process."
He added: "Let the elections be a phase to reach a stable a secure country,
starting with the establishment of the Constitutional Council."
Berri called on politicians to stop any attempt to achieve political success "at
the expense of moral and values and by referring to intimidation means."
Berri also called for calm political rhetoric. "What we want is to achieve
victory for Lebanon and that Lebanese achieves victory," he stated.
He said Lebanon should strengthen its army, hold onto Hizbullah and support the
budget for the south and the Council of the South.
The days of serial blood
murders
By Yaron Harel
Haaretz 14/04/09
When he met Pope John Paul II in 2001, Syrian president Bashar Assad surprised
the pontiff when he said of the Jews, "They try to kill all the principles of
divine faiths with the same mentality of betraying Jesus Christ and torturing
him, and in the same way that they tried to commit treachery against the Prophet
Muhammad."
In order to understand the background to these accusations, one must go back to
the year 1986 when then-Syrian defense minister Mustafa Tlass, who was
considered an intellectual giant in the fields of the humanities and the arts,
published his book "The Matzoh of Zion." The conclusion of the popular book was
that the Jews had indeed murdered a Christian monk in 1840 as part of a ritual
murder, in one of the most important blood libels in Jewish history, known as
the "Damascus Affair."
The phenomenon of a blood libel against the Jews was until then an anomaly in
the lands of Islam. The Muslim majority lived under the Ottoman rule in Syria
alongside two minorities, the Christians and the Jews. The two minorities were
considered "protected citizens" (dhimmi) and were treated in tolerant fashion.
They were allowed to practice their religious precepts in return for paying a
tax, and recognizing that they had a lower legal and social status. But in
1831-32, the ruler of Egypt, Muhammad Ali, conquered Syria from the Ottoman
sultan, holding the territory until the end of 1840. The period of Egyptian rule
in Syria was perceived by the country's Christians as a golden era, since they
saw their rights increased. It's a period of great importance to any
understanding of the change that occurred in the attitude of Muslims toward the
Christians.
The rights that the Egyptian rulers granted to non-Muslims - including
appointments to government councils, acceptance to the regional administrative
system, the building and renovation of places of worship, permission to ride
horses in the cities and to wear clothes of colors that previously had been
permitted for Muslims only - hurt the feelings of Muslim subjects, arousing in
them grudges toward the non-Muslim population. Muhammad Ali was considered to
rule at the sufferance of the European powers, led by France, in return for
which he granted excess rights to non-Muslim minorities, particularly the
Christians. In addition, the local Christians were perceived as collaborators
with the European powers that were hoping to gain control of the Ottoman Empire.
As a result, the Muslims started developing a hatred for the Christians, who
were now perceived as political rivals.
Tensions and struggles between the Jews and Christians had existed from time
immemorial, for both religious and historic reasons, and were exacerbated by
competition over economic and commercial positions. In order to be successful in
the economic, administrative and public spheres, every minority required the
backing and support of the Muslim majority. Hence, each side tried to incite the
Muslims against the rival ethnic groups. The Muslims' hatred of, and hostility
toward, local Christians, and their relative sympathy toward the Jews, led the
Christians in Damascus to complain about the cruel treatment they received by
the qadis (Muslim judges). The fear that they would become victims of Muslim
violence when the Ottoman regime returned to Syrian rule also pushed the
Christians to seek new ways to incite the Muslims against the Jews. To this end,
they enlisted priests from such Catholic orders as the Franciscans and the
Capuchins. The priests brought with them to the Middle East not only the culture
of Catholic Europe but also the medieval myth according to which the Jews
required human blood for the Passover rites.
On February 5, 1840, a Capuchin monk named Father Tomaso, together with his
servant, Ibrahim Amara, disappeared. A short while later, rumors started
circulating that they had last been seen in the Jewish quarter of Damascus and
that they had been murdered by Jews so that their blood could be used for
Passover rites. The heads of the community, led by Rabbi Yaakov Antebi, were
arrested and tortured in order to force an admission of guilt from them. The
French consul, who wished to fulfill his duty as defendant of the Catholics,
effectively headed the investigation. A number of Jews broke down and supposedly
confessed, others died during torture while Hakham Moshe Abulafia, chose to
convert to Islam in order to escape his torturers. Later he emerged as the
state's witness and incriminated the Jews, claiming that they had ordered him to
mix Christian blood in their matzot and that he had been forced to take part in
the monk's murder at the order of Rabbi Antebi.
Through threats, tortures and false evidence, such as finding the missing monk's
bones in a sewer in the Jewish quarter, those who charged the Jews succeeded in
winning over public opinion. In a legal procedure, the Jews were found guilty
and sentenced to death. The affair was reported in the newspapers and word of it
reached Europe, where an accusatory finger was pointed also at the Jews in
western Europe. This aroused the Jews of western Europe to engage in widespread
public and political activity, aimed at influencing the various governments to
put pressure on Muhammad Ali to grant their accused co-religionists the chance
for a fair trial, at which they would have the opportunity to prove their
innocence. With this in mind, a Jewish delegation headed by Moses Montefiore and
Adolphe Cremieux left for Egypt to meet with the khedive.
And indeed, the widespread diplomatic activity led to the issuing of an order
granting them a pardon. In early September 1840, immediately after the order
reached Damascus, the prisoners were freed, without officially being exonerated.
The Jewish communities in the Diaspora and in Damascus itself celebrated the
release of the tortured detainees but their joy was premature. The release did
not have the force of a legal acquittal and public opinion continued to consider
the released Jews murderers who had been freed with the help of bribes paid by
their brethren in Europe. As a result, anti-Jewish ferment continued in Damascus
and throughout Syria for many more years, against the backdrop of accusations of
vile crimes for ritual purposes. A stone monument was erected in the Capuchin
monastery in Damascus with the inscription in Arabic and Italian: "Here are
interred the bones of the monk Tomaso who was murdered by the Jews on February
5, 1840."
The French consul in Aleppo also said later: "The Jews of Aleppo are part of a
cruel sect whose principles are secret and to which barbaric superstitions and
bloodletting are attributed. This is the same sect that is accused of using
human blood for kneading matzot instead of sacrificing a lamb for Passover as
written in the holy books of Moses."
Another libel almost every Pesach
During the years 1841-1860 there were at least 13 blood libels in Syria that
became known to the general public, 10 of them in Damascus and three in Aleppo.
Sometimes the Christians would use the threat of a blood libel as a means to
blackmail the Jews, so that the accusations of ritual murder could be heard
almost every year before Passover. The Christian incitement inspired Muslims to
invent their own blood libels. They, too, began attributing to the Jews
responsibility for the disappearance of a boy or girl from their home, whether
out of a desire to take revenge or to squeeze money out of them. Following the
events in Damascus in July 1860, when the Muslims massacred thousands of
Christians, the Christian community there was greatly weakened and consequently
the phenomenon of blood libels began subsiding. As the final decade of the 19th
century began, however, the bleak days of 1840 returned.
In the year 1890, the holiday of Easter fell during Passover. On April 7, the
second of the intermediate days of Pesach, a 6-year-old Christian boy
disappeared. The Jews were accused of murdering him, and of using his blood for
ritual purposes. As a result, riots broke out in the city.
The child's body was found two weeks later in a well. An autopsy revealed
several findings that supposedly confirmed that the Jews had murdered him for
ritual purposes. It was alleged that there was no blood inside the body, for
example, and there was a cut on one of his arms. Eventually, however, it was
established that the boy had drowned and not been murdered and that no Jews had
been involved. This was not sufficient, however, to calm either Christians or
Muslims, many of whom remained convinced that the Jews were responsible, and
that they had again escaped punishment thanks to the power and influence of
their co-religionists in Europe.
In the last decade of the 19th century, the Christian community in Damascus
regained its strength, both economically, and from the point of view of its
public status. This process continued until the eve of World War I, and was
accompanied to a certain extent by forcing Jews out of key economic positions
they held. The Jews were a central object of incitement in the Christian press,
which had its headquarters in Beirut. The weekly Al-Bashir, for example,
published an article aimed at proving the claim that the Jews used Christian
blood for Passover rituals. This weekly, the organ of the Jesuits in Lebanon,
contained reactionary and anti-Semitic French Catholic teachings, and
contradicted the neutral approach adopted by the official French consular
representatives.
Toward the end of the 19th century, two anti-Semitic pamphlets were distributed
in the region. One, published in Arabic in Cairo, was written by a Lebanese
Christian journalist who had settled there; the other, by a French priest, was
printed in Paris under the title "Murdered by Jews: A History of Ritual Murder."
The incitement from French Catholic quarters increased the ferment among the
Christian population and led to attacks on Jews, who found themselves beaten in
the streets of Damascus. A few days after Passover, two Capuchin priests in
Damascus incited the Christian masses to riot against the Jews. Jewish shops
were looted, many Jews were beaten and a young girl from the community was
abducted by one of the priests and locked up for interrogation.
Some of the frequent blood libels of the period were short-lived and drew
minimal attention, but others led to outbursts of violence. In the end, blood
libels spread to many other cities in the Middle East.
The Damascus Affair played an important role in modern Jewish history. It served
as a trigger for strengthening renewed Jewish national awareness and for the
re-establishment of ties between the various Jewish communities in the West and
East. Jewish national solidarity pushed forward the process that eventually
created the modern Jewish national ethos. But the Damascus Affair also led to
the creation of the anti-Semitic myth that the Jews controlled the world. This
myth, which found widespread expression in such anti-Semitic literature as "The
Protocols of the Elders of Zion," has taken hold anew in the past few decades,
and examples can be seen at book fairs and in the media of the Arab world.
Various drama series on Arabic-language television and articles in the written
press once again raise the issue of Jewish responsibility for ritual murders,
something that was inconceivable in the Muslim world before the intensive
European infiltration of the Middle East.
**Dr. Yaron Harel is a senior lecturer in Jewish history at Bar-Ilan University.
His book "Intrigue and Revolution in the Jewish Communities of Damascus, Aleppo
and Baghdad, 1744-1914" was published in Hebrew last year, and will be brought
out by the Littmann Library in English in 2011.