“Mufti Qabbani to Palestinians: we don’t want you as guests” Franklin Lamb send me this translation
On June 15, the pro-parliamentary majority daily Al-Akhbar carried the following report: “Very soon, the Fatwa house will be issuing a statement where it will recall the struggle of the Palestinian people and where it will allude to the right of these people to have dignified life.
This praising of the Palestinians that is to be carried by the Fatwa house does not come [for free]. It will actually try to fix the problem that resulted from the meeting held between the mufti of the republic, Mohammad Rashid Qabbani and a Palestinian delegation. The meeting took place last Saturday at the Fatwa house.
“According to the minutes of the meeting that were obtained by Al-Akhbar, the mufti had told the delegation – which included leaders of the popular committees and the secretaries of the Palestinian factions in Beirut: “We have hosted you. But we do not want you anymore.” The members of the delegation also received – from the part of the mufti – accusations of “attacking and extorting the lands of the [Sunni] endowments. You are traders and I will defend the endowments even if this costs me everything.”
“The anger of the mufti and the insults that he directed at the delegation of the Palestinian factions were “surprising” according to some of the persons who participated in the meeting. Indeed, the delegation had come in order to solve a dispute that had taken place between the director-general of the Islamic home for the elderly, Azzam Houry, and the President of the Islamic Makassed Organization, Mohammad Amin Daouk. The dispute concerned a piece of land at the Daouk center, which is adjacent to the Shatila Camp.
“According to the Palestinians, Daouk donated the disputed piece of land to the Palestinian refugees in 1952 and he invited them to use this land until their return to their own land. In 1966, a court order was issued that affirmed this matter. However, the Islamic home for the elderly believes that this land belongs to the endowments and that the Palestinians are using it in an illegal manner.
“…The Palestinian delegation went in to see the mufti. One member of the delegation told the mufti that the statements of Daouk and Houry concerning the [stealing] lands are not quite correct. Then, the mufti yelled at the people present and said: “No, their statements are correct…” One of the persons present tried to calm him down but the mufti yelled: “I am no longer afraid of your weapons.” Someone else interrupted him and said: “We are here so that you act as a referee. No one said anything about the weapons.”
“The mufti replied: “I am no referee. I am a side in this and I have a sword.” Another person interfered and said: “Sir, we are guests here.” The mufti replied: “We have hosted you but we no longer want you as our guests. Go away.” One of the participants of the meeting said: “We tried to calm him down…but each time we did that, he would become even angrier…”” - Al-Akhbar Lebanon, Lebanon
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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