Lebanon ! What Will Happen After
The Assassination Of General Al Hajj?By Dr Salim Nazzal
18 December, 2007
Countercurrents.orgThe 35 kilograms of high explosives which were packed into an olive green BMW and killed General Francois Al Hajj on Friday has invoked great sentiments of unity among the Lebanese. This was reflected in the Lebanese media which most of its commentaries emphasized that the murder has created a feeling of unity among the Lebanese people eager to see their country finish with the two years of political instability. This was also obvious in the people's reaction. Along the road from Beirut to Al Hajj village in the further south, close to the Palestinian border, and despite the rainy weather, the Lebanese people from all sects and political stripes gathered to pay their respect to the murdered general, and to express their condemnation to the assassination which shocked the country since the target this time was the army which is viewed in Lebanon as the salvation rock particularly in the current insecure situation.
Against the tradition of the lebanese army which is usually neutral towards the domestic politics the leader of the army staff told the mourners in Hairsa church in the presence of leaders from both camps, the 8th and the 14th of March that it is time that the lebanese political leaders take a "historic stance" and to build "bridges of trust" between rival parties and achieve reconciliation and consensus rapidly, without setting pre-conditions.
Indeed, it is very obvious that the assassination of general al hajj has pushed more voices towards pressing the politicians to act. The Maronite Christian cardinal called for an immediate election to the president and the Shia Muslim scholar think that most political leaders "failed in terms of strategic vision. It is noteworthy however to mention that the American and French speeches, which called for an immediate election has seemingly worried the opposition already skeptical to the American and French role which is viewed as being biased and not neutral.
A Lebanese source near to the opposition told me that the opposition strongly shares the eagerness of the Lebanese to see their country with a president but he wonders about the reasons behind Sarkozy warning to the Lebanese that Monday is the last chance for the Lebanese to elect their president. In his view the Lebanese people are capable, provided they are free from these pressures and deadlines to find a solution which matches with the accordance democracy of Lebanon. He also expressed his suspicion about the sudden visit which US envoy David Welsh paid to Lebanon on Saturday saying that the Americans could not be more concerned to elect a Lebanese president than the Lebanese people themselves. The American envoy echoed Sarkozy in urging the Lebanese to elect a head of state very soon.
However despite of the black smokes which appeared after the assassination, many observers think that the problem now is still as was before focused on the approach of ending the crisis. In other words which approach must be used to address the crisis, the gradual approach which means to address the problems in all sides and to move on solid platform or to be satisfied in electing the president, leaving the problematic issues to a later period, or perhaps to find a way to combine both approaches?
Nevertheless, according to media sources in Lebanon the coming hours can be decisive towards reaching or none reaching of a solution. Either there will be a solution which could be a result to a regional and international agreement, which would be reflected positively on Lebanon or, there would be an American veto on current efforts which would return the situation before the Lebanese parties agreed on Suleiman as the future president.
Yet despite the swinging between optimism and pessimism the ever optimistic leader in Lebanon Nabih Birre has promised the Lebanese good news during the time when the Lebanese are celebrating the Adha Eid and the Christmas. Lebanon which is made up basically of Muslim and Christian communities the accordance of both celebrations is usually seen as an indication of unity and as a sign of hope towards a brighter future for the country which long for peace and stability.
Dr. Salim Nazzal is a Palestinian-Norwegian historian in the Middle East, who has written extensively on social and political issues in the region. He can be contacted at: [email protected]
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