We Reap What We Sow.

What do you want me to say about Tripoli? That we are now reaping the harvest of 2 years of sectarian buildup? This is a classic case: Trying to eliminate a problem by creating a bigger problem. Then this bigger problem becomes autonomous and uncontrollable.



The two camps in Lebanon are now throwing allegations at each other, each sticking to the usual litany: The pro-Government group accuses Fateh al Islam of being Syrian agents, in charge of derailing the international tribunal by holding Lebanon hostage. The opposition describes Fateh al Islam as a creature of the Hariri group, brought in to oppose the Shi’a expansion on sectarian basis. They point to the fact that Mr. Fatfat, when he was Minister of Interior, gave official recognition to Hizb al Tahrir, a Sunni party fighting for the reinstatement of the Caliphate. Hizb al Tahrir became famous for its strong expression of dislike towards Danish cartoonists by burning churches in Ashrafieh.



I wonder who those Fateh al Islam are anyway. There has been so little transparency in reporting the events of the past 2 days that one is unsure what is and what is not true. Are they Palestinians? We hear that only part of them are, and that the group is mostly made up of Lebanese Sunnis from the squalid areas of the North, like Bab el Tebbaneh. Places like Bab el Tebbaneh are truly the poorest areas of Lebanon, only the Palestinian camps are worse. And Akkar is probably the most underserved part of Lebanon. Imagine how Nahr el Bared would be: a Palestinian camp full of people with no past, no present, and no future, located in the poorest area of the country. What a fertile breeding ground for radical Islam!



So our two noble parties (Government and Opposition) hurried yesterday to distance themselves from the events: Hizbullah praised the Lebanese army and condemned any attempt at weakening it, as if they had nothing to do with what is going on in the country. The Hariri group took it one step further. It organized a victory demonstration in Tripoli last night, as soon as the fighting lulled, while there was still smoke in the guns and blood on the walls. It was unbelievable: something like a wedding motorcade, with honks and chants for Saad and Abu Bahaa. And so unspeakably sad: there were 23 dead in the Lebanese army, young men who had never done war, and an equivalent number on the other side, some of whom, we are told, had blown themselves with explosive belts. And yet, politics imposed that people show cheerfulness, in order to make sure that everyone understands that there are no connections between Hariri’s Future Movement and whoever is on the other side. But the winner of the “lets dissociate ourselves” game has to be Syria: they closed their borders immediately. This is supposed to mean that they take no sides in this purely Lebanese matter.

I can’t wait to hear Jeffrey Feltman’s comments. I’m sure he will point the finger towards “foreign interfering regional powers”. Probably the same finger David Welsh raised a few days ago when he said that the US will not tolerate foreign interference in Lebanese affairs and then went on to give us the specs of our next president.



Fighting has not stopped today, and there is trouble stirring in Ain el Helweh.



Abu Ali.