Bolton not amused by Hezbolla's western-style protest

US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton gave sarcastic praise to Hezbollah for using western tactics in an attempt to bring down the Lebanese government. "Well good for them," he said referring to Hezbollah's rally of nearly one quarter of the Lebanese population in Beiruit.

Christian leaders joined Hezbollah calling for the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and his US-backed government. The largely peaceful protest was reminiscent of the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine, which brought down the Russian-backed government of Viktor Yanukovych amidst allegations of electoral fraud.

Hezbollah's popularity soared after it fought a brutal, thirty-four day war with Israel this summer, which leveled parts of Lebanon and killed scores of civilians. The Israeli offensive had the tacit backing of Washington, but was ultimately condemned by much of the world. Israel is presently under investigation for war crimes for using cluster bombs in Lebanese civilian areas.

Outside the UN in New York on Friday, Bolton tried to differentiate the protest in Beirut from similar, pro-western rallies. Bolton said "the point is that the government of Lebanon is democratically elected". But "so was Hamas" shot back Trish Schuh of The Muslim Weekly. Bolton then called Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

But like the western-dubbed terrorists of Hamas, Hezbollah has widespread support among its people. Student protester Mohamad Dakdouk said that "Hezbollah is helping people with reconstruction, the government has done nothing," in an interview with USA Today journalist Jeffrey Stinson.

A brief editorial follows

The recent rise in anti-western sentiment among Arabs in the Middle East correlates directly with a lopsided US foreign policy in the region. The US recently went so far as to veto a UN resolution condemning Israel for what all accounts appears to be the deliberate shelling of civilians (terrorism) in Gaza by Israeli forces. Though probably not official Israeli policy--it was more likely an act by a distressed tank commander than a "technical failiure," as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert alleged--the result was the same.

Events like these only cement feelings of distrust and hatred toward the west among Arabs. The United States should look to other, more moderate groups in Israel and the Middle East when formulating foreign policy and vetoing UN resolutions. Catering to Israeli extremists is and has been detrimental to US interests, the interests of Israel, and most obviously, as demonstrated by recent events in Lebanon and Gaza, the interests of Arabs.

After Bolton bolted from the press stakeout at the UN, Trish Shuh spoke to a CNN journalist about the deeper issues. She felt that AIPAC (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee), the highly influential lobby group influencing US foreign policy in the Middle East, may need to be exposed for promoting extremist policies. After asking CNN correspondent Richard Roth if "CNN Presents" would ever consider doing a story on AIPAC, Roth said he'd rather cover a sex scandal.

Full CNN Story
cnnexposed.com/story.php?story=26

Hezbollah tent city rises in Beirut in mass Siniora protest
POSTED: 9:38 a.m. EST, December 2, 2006

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Thousands of Hezbollah supporters camped out in tents in central Beirut Saturday as the Shiite Muslim guerrilla group and its allies kept up the pressure on the U.S.-backed government of Fouad Siniora to resign.

Hezbollah officials said their campaign, which has disrupted life in the capital's commercial district, will not stop until their demand for a national unity government is fulfilled. But the government showed no sign of backing down in a confrontation that has the potential to turn violent and tear apart the country.

Siniora reiterated he would not step down as long as his government enjoyed Parliament's backing. "The only way to solve the problem is to sit together behind a table and discuss all our differences," he told reporters Saturday.

The street action has been largely peaceful so far. On Friday, hundreds of thousands of Hezbollah supporters flooded downtown Beirut, the Lebanese capital, in a massive demonstration, chanting nationalist slogans and songs just outside the main government offices.

Barbed wire and armored vehicles separated the demonstrators from government headquarters where Prime Minister Siniora and some of his ministers have hunkered down.
Chants of 'Siniora out!'

Following the demonstration, participants set up hundreds of white tents across the downtown area -- a dozen of so just 50 meters (yards) from Siniora's offices.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar television station said about 500 tents were pitched in central Beirut.

On Saturday, the demonstrators kept up the noisy, carnival-like protests with occasional shouts of "Siniora out!"

Hezbollah supporters set up water tanks and portable latrines and distributed sandwiches, tea and coffee to those camped out. Young men sprawled lazily on mats in and outside their white tents under the bright, warm sun. Some read newspapers, others smoked waterpipes. Dozens of white-capped Hezbollah workers swept the streets, littered with leftover food and drink from the night before.

"Yesterday's demonstration was just the beginning. There are a lot of other surprises on the way," said Ali Ammar, an 18-year-old who had just woken up. "This government lost the trust of the people a long time ago, and we will not stop until it goes," the information technology student added.

Outside a nearby tent, men were performing their prayers on the pavement.

"If Siniora had one ounce of feeling, he would resign," said Aya Mughniyeh, a 20-year-old Hezbollah supporter dressed in black from head to toe.

A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the sit-in will continue until its goals are achieved.
Hezbollah wants a third of Cabinet seats

Friday's protest was the opening volley in Hezbollah's campaign of open-ended demonstrations. The event could be a watershed for the future of Lebanese politics, torn between anti-Syrian politicians who control the government and pro-Syrian forces led by Hezbollah.

Hezbollah and its allies demand a third of the seats in Siniora's Cabinet -- enough to veto its decisions -- and have vowed to continue their campaign until the government falls. They cite Lebanon's constitution, which says the Cabinet should represent all the country's religious groups.

Siniora and his supporters call the campaign a coup attempt led by neighboring Syria and its ally Iran, a stance echoed by Washington. Hezbollah and its allies contend the real fight is against American influence, saying the United States now dominates Lebanon in the interests of Israel.

Lebanon is one of a number of areas in the Middle East where the United States and Iran are vying for influence.

"We do remain very concerned that Hezbollah and its allies, with support from Syria and the Iranian government, are continuing to work to destabilize Lebanon," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said. "The demonstrations are aimed at toppling Lebanon's legitimate and democratically elected government."

John Bolton, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, said the Hezbollah demonstration was "part of the Iran-Syria-inspired coup d'etat."

Siniora also has French backing. In a telephone call, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin told the embattled Lebanese premier he had "France's full support," de Villepin's office said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.

Syrian state-run newspapers, meanwhile, voiced support for the Hezbollah protest action with one daily calling it "the most sincere expression" of Lebanon's reality and national unity. "Will the government respond, or is it determined to lead Lebanon into the unknown?" it asked.
Siniora insists only Parliament can change government

Lebanon now faces a dangerous battle of nerves that could last for days. Siniora and his allies appear determined to hunker down until Hezbollah abandons its protests. The pro-Syrian camp aims to paralyze the country until Siniora is forced to resign and form a new government.

Even as both sides urge restraint, many fear the standoff, if it drags on, could erupt into street clashes. At the very least, the protests exacerbate tensions between Lebanon's divided communities. The government is largely backed by Sunni Muslims and Christians, while Shiite Muslims support Hezbollah, along with Christian allies.

Siniora has insisted only Parliament -- where his allies hold the majority by five votes -- can change his government. The only other way the government would fall is if two members of his Cabinet resign. New Parliament elections are due in 2009.

Hezbollah's support among Shiites skyrocketed after its strong showing in the summer's war with Israel, and that has in part emboldened the group to demand a greater role in government.

www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/12/02/Lebanon.protests.ap/index.html

You'd think that saving the country from an Israeli invasion and planned occupation would guarantee them some say in the running of the country.

Huge Beirut rally demands change

Demonstrators gather at the prime minister's offices in Beirut

Enlarge Image
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Hezbollah and its pro-Syrian allies have held a mass rally in Beirut to protest against Lebanon's government.

As night fell, several thousand set up tents outside PM Fouad Siniora's office for an open-ended sit-in.

The opposition says it will keep up the pressure until the government resigns.

The protest follows weeks of rising tension in Lebanon, with the killing of a leading anti-Syrian politician and resignations from the cabinet.

Protest camp

The huge crowd turned central Beirut into a sea of red and white Lebanese flags.

Hezbollah leaders had asked people not to wave the yellow flag of their movement, which features a fist holding a Kalashnikov rifle.


We appeal to all Lebanese, from every region and political movement... to rid us of an incapable government

The noisy but peaceful crowd filled Riad Solh Square, in front of Mr Siniora's office, says the BBC's Simon Wilson in Beirut.

Mr Siniora and some of his ministers were inside, just metres away, and will have heard the deafening music and speeches, our correspondent says.

The army and police mounted a large security operation, closing off the prime minister's office and other key buildings with barbed wire and armoured vehicles.

'Attempted coup'

During the afternoon, the huge crowd listened to Hezbollah songs and speeches.

Lebanese army in front of government building in Beirut
Lebanese troops were placed at key government buildings
Police estimated its size at 800,000 people, but Hezbollah claimed it was larger, the Associated Press news agency said.

Speaking from behind a bullet-proof glass screen, Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun told the cheering crowd that the current government was unconstitutional and should resign.

He said they had "made corruption a daily affair".

Mr Siniora's government has vowed to stand firm against what he has called an attempted coup.

"Lebanon's independence is threatened and its democratic system is in danger," he said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, US State Department spokesman Tom Casey expressed concern, saying "Hezbollah and its allies, with support from Syria and the Iranian government, are continuing to work to destabilize Lebanon".

US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton called the Hezbollah demonstration "part of the Iran-Syria inspired coup".

Under Lebanon's constitution, the death or resignation of another two ministers will automatically topple it.

'Syrian troops'

Hezbollah has been demanding a bigger share in the cabinet that would give it the power to veto government decisions.

Fouad Siniora
Mr Siniora warned any attempt to topple his government would fail
The government came to office last year in the first election held after the withdrawal of Syrian troops originally stationed in Lebanon during the civil war.

Syria was forced to withdraw its military presence after massive street protests and international pressure, triggered by the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.

A UN investigation has implicated several Syrian officials in the killing, although Syria has denied any involvement.

The government in Beirut has also accused Damascus of ordering the assassination on 21 November of anti-Syrian cabinet minister Pierre Gemayel.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6197992.stm

The story ignores that the more numerous voices in the country accuse the Mossad and/or CIA in the killings of both Hariri and Gemayal.

Corporate Media Uses Fuzzy Math to Minimize Size of Lebanese Demonstrations
Kurt Nimmo

December 2, 2006

As usual, here in America, the corporate media has a problem counting. "A siege on Lebanon’s American-backed government continued Saturday with tens of thousands of demonstrators sympathetic to the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah militia and its allies packing downtown Beirut and calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and his cabinet," reports the Mercury News.

Meanwhile, closer to the "siege," actually a widespread call for the neolib sponsored government of free trader (or free plundering by international financiers) Siniora to step aside, the counting is a bit more realistic.

"Hundreds of thousands of opposition protesters crammed into the heart of Beirut Friday and besieged the headquarters of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s government in a peaceful show of force to bring down the ruling Cabinet," reports the Daily Star, a Lebanese newspaper. Some observers put the number well over 800,000.

It is interesting, as well, the corporate media prefers to use the word "siege" to characterize the demonstrations.

My dictionary defines "siege" as "the act or process of surrounding and attacking a fortified place in such a way as to isolate it from help and supplies, for the purpose of lessening the resistance of the defenders and thereby making capture possible," and "a series of illnesses, troubles, or annoyances besetting a person or group," in other words, there is nothing positive to say about the massive demonstration, obviously representative of a large segment of Lebanese society.

It is an illness, an attack, an attempt to capture the government of Lebanon, all at the behest of Syria and Iran. Hezbollah, naturally, is a sucker for Syria. "Early last month, a White House spokesman said there was evidence that Syria and Iran were planning to overthrow Saniora’s government."

As usual, it’s all about Iran and Syria, two targets figuring prominently on the target list of the Israelis and their neocon fellow travelers. It has nothing to do with the Lebanese people sick and tired corruption, neoliberal gangsterism, and the fact Siniora cannot protect the Lebanese from the predatory and psychopathic Israelis to the south, able to dispense a million cluster bombs and landmines with ease.

For all the predictable reasons, the corporate media has not bothered to mention that a majority of the population supports Hezbollah. According to a poll conducted on July 26 by the Beirut Center for Research and Information, "support for Hezbollah soared to 87 percent and crossed all religious lines" after Israel attack last summer. Even Christians believed Hassan Nasrallah was more of a leader than the pathetic neoliberal Fouad Siniora, who openly sobbed during his address to Arab League diplomats in Beirut as the murderous Israelis killed civilians with uranium-based weapons and phosphorous bombs, latter proudly admitted, much the same way a serial killer brags about his perverse exploits.

In the terrible wake of Israel’s illegal and immoral invasion, the Siniora government was nowhere to be found when it came to rebuilding efforts, while Hezbollah immediately launched a "Construction Jihad," which included participation from the Christian Free Patriotic Movement Party, also known as the "Aounist Current." As to be expected, any American who offers assistance in the Hezbollah effort to rebuild Lebanon will be prosecuted as a supporter of terrorism.

Such cooperation horrified the neocons, prompting Elias Bejjani, a Maronite Catholic and head of the Lebanese-Canadian Coordinating Council, who supported Israel’s targeting of Shia civilians as "a legitimate form of self-defense," to declare cooperation between the Christian Free Patriotic Movement as a "bizarre and groundless marriage of opportunism," never mind the effort the shelter the homeless who paid a heavy price, as usual, for Israel’s "self-defense."

Facing nearly a million demonstrators yesterday, Michel Aoun declared "Siniora must resign and be replaced by a Sunni prime minister who better understands the Lebanese social fabric. We do not criticize him because of his ethnic origin, but due to his deficient performance. He must go, and his ministers must go, in order for a unity government to be established," according to Yedioth Internet, an Israeli news source.

Of course, the Israelis and the Americans, or at least neocon Americans, no shortage of them Israel Firsters, don’t give a whit about the Lebanese social fabric.

In 1982, when Israel invaded Lebanon, "Israel’s Likud government coalesced around three objectives: the destruction of the Palestinian infrastructure in Lebanon, the redrawing of the political map in Lebanon, and the reduction of Syria to manageable proportions," explains Nasser H. Aruri in the foreword to Livia Rokach’s Israel’s Sacred Terrorism. "The 1982 'operation,’ as well as its predecessor, the 'Litani Operation’ of 1978, were part of the long-standing Zionist strategy for Lebanon and Palestine…. [a strategy] formulated and applied during the 1950s [and] envisaged at least four decades earlier."

Siniora and the Arab version of "free traders" are unable to protect the Lebanese people from such vicious provocations, as they are more interested in selling the country wholesale to their bankster associates.

As Sami E. Baroudi writes, the "neoliberal ideology (or orthodox neoliberalism)" has a "great hold … over the minds and actions of the Lebanese political and economic elite," part of a growing process throughout "the Arab world" where "one sees growing evidence of the rise to dominance of neoliberalism in inter alia: the yearning for open markets … the reduction in governmental social spending and the broadening of the tax base, the welcoming of advice and intervention from the World Bank, and the breaking of old alliances between regimes and labor in favor of new alliances with local and foreign entrepreneurs."

In essence, this is what 800,000 people encamped outside the office-turned-residence of PM Fouad Siniora is all about, not the facile nonsense pedaled in American newspapers about nefarious Syrians and Iranians pulling the strings of Hezbollah.

Siniora will not be saved by his military or commiserating "German and British foreign ministers and calls of support from a host of Arab leaders and Western officials," as Reuters puts it. "Although the dispute is political, many Lebanese fear the situation could spark sectarian violence. Tension between Sunnis and Shi’ites is high, in addition to bad feeling between Christians who support leaders allied to the rival camps."

Obviously, this would be a preferable situation for the Israelis and neocons, who have managed to reduce Iraq to a bloody quagmire of sectarian violence and insanity, but such is not a foregone conclusion in Lebanon.

Hopefully, the Lebanese will get rid of their neoliberal beholden government and send a message to both Israel and the United States.

www.uruknet.com/?p=m28711&hd=&size=1&l=e

Massive anti-government protests continue in Lebanon
By Tom Lasseter
McClatchy Newspapers

BEIRUT, Lebanon - A siege on Lebanon's American-backed government continued Saturday with tens of thousands of demonstrators sympathetic to the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah militia and its allies packing downtown Beirut and calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and his cabinet.

The demonstrators filled the roads surrounding the center of Beirut, where the prime minister's office is located, effectively shutting down the capital. Hezbollah gave every indication that it is prepared for the long haul: setting up long rows of tents, portable bathrooms and handing out cups of water and sandwiches. Groups of men tended charcoal pits to keep a regular supply for their hookah pipes.

"We have a target, ending the government, and we must achieve it," said Mohammed Khalil, a Hezbollah representative who was sitting with a group of men, all monitoring their walkie-talkies.

Asked if he expected the crowd to turn to violence, Khalil shrugged his shoulders and said, "it is up to them (Lebanese government troops), we want to demonstrate peacefully."

Saniora's government, mostly Christians and Sunni Muslims, has showed no sign of acquiescing.

While Lebanon is a sliver of a nation with a relatively small population of about 4 million, it has long been a battlefield for competing powers in the region. Between Beirut's glittering office buildings, there are still walls pocked by mortar shells, a reminder of the civil war that lasted from 1975 to 1990.

As is true in many other parts of the Middle East, there is in Lebanon an underlying friction: Will the country follow the American model of governance - preferred by Saniora - in which secular administrations pursue free market economies and work toward accommodation with Israel, or will it pursue something closer to Syria and Iran - preferred by Hezbollah - nations that resist U.S. influence and actively oppose Israel.

It is a question that shaped the comments of most Lebanese interviewed Saturday.

Many of those at the demonstration spoke not only about ending Saniora's government, but also of countering U.S. influence. And pro-Saniora officials interviewed Saturday said that they are trying to resist Syrian and Iranian influence.

Both sides agreed that there is potential for violence.

"I don't think the government will resign. I think we are going to see hard times in this country," said Mohammed Kabani, a Sunni Muslim parliament member who backs Saniora. "Whenever you have people in the streets, you cannot disregard the possibility of violence."

Leaning against a tent, and wearing a green ball cap, demonstration organizer Mohammed Marji said that the sooner the government resigns, the better.

"Our prime minister is doing the bidding of the Americans . . . he should leave as soon as possible," said Marji, a member of Amal, a Shiite organization aligned with Hezbollah. "If he doesn't, he will destroy this country, things will deteriorate badly."

The protests are the latest in a round of standoffs between Lebanon's U.S.-backed government and Hezbollah and other supporters of the Syrian government.

Syria was forced to withdraw its troops from Lebanon in 2005 after former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was killed in a massive bombing downtown. Anti-Syrian factions in Lebanon immediately blamed Syria for the killing and called for an international inquiry.

More assassinations of anti-Syrian figures followed.

Hezbollah's hand was strengthened in the Shiite community after a 34-day war with Israel this summer that ended in something of stalemate - counted by Hezbollah as a victory because it was able, with less advanced weaponry, to withstand Israel's missile and bombing strikes.

Saniora, on the other hand, appeared ineffectual during the combat, pleading on TV - weeping at one point - for both sides to stop.

Early last month, a White House spokesman said there was evidence that Syria and Iran were planning to overthrow Saniora's government.

Hezbollah cabinet members and their allies had been protesting against Lebanese government plans to approve a United Nations tribunal to investigate Hariri's death. They also agitated for more cabinet seats, wanting the power to veto government action.

When it became apparent they were not going to have their way, all five Hezbollah and Amal cabinet members resigned on Nov. 11, and about a week later, Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, called for street protests to bring down the government.

After Nasrallah's call to action, Pierre Gemayel, a high-profile cabinet member who opposed Syria, was killed in a hail of gunfire in broad daylight.

A protest of hundreds of thousands of Christians and Sunni Muslims followed, and late last month, the remaining 18 cabinet members of the original 24 approved the United Nations measure.

On Friday, Hezbollah and its allies responded in kind, flooding Beirut's downtown streets and bringing the government and businesses to a standstill.

At the demonstration Saturday, a set of loud speakers played recorded speeches by Hezbollah officials and their allies, and thousands of people waved their Lebanese flags and cheered. When Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's voice boomed out, "we will stand side by side," a roar went through the crowd that shook the air.

Wandering through the crowd, a McClatchy reporter was approached by young men dressed in black who seemed very eager to discuss Hezbollah's merits.

One of them, Fouad Assaf, explained: "During the war we fled our house and Hezbollah gave us food and money"

Lebanese troops stood nearby, behind two rows of concertina wire and flanked by armored personnel carriers.

Interviewed by phone later in the evening, Hezbollah parliament member Ali Mokdad said the demonstrations were only the beginning.

"We have many plans for the future," Mokdad said. "This is just our first step. It has been planned out, day-by-day."

www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/16150090.htm