Lebanon Protests: ‘Outside powers exacerbated religious, ethnic differences’

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Ethnic and religious groups in Lebanon have been able to live peacefully together for a long time, according to Richard Becker of the anti-war Answer Coalition. Disputes between them have been ruthlessly exploited by Western states that are trying to control the Middle East country.

RT: Why is it now that we’re seeing these violent protests in a country that seemed fairly stable even at the time of the Arab Spring uprisings?

Richard Becker: I think that we can see that there is a great accumulation of frustration among the Lebanese people over a whole range of issues that include water, electricity and services like trash collection. This crisis is rooted in the system that still exists – the system of confessional government, confessional representation that was bequeathed to Lebanon by the French colonizers when they left, a system that really mixed together the elites of some of different communities and at the expense of the people. It is not really a democratic system at all. Of course there is a more progressive wing in Lebanon, but the dominant force in the government really represents the elite and those many billionaires in Lebanon and millionaires as well. People are reacting to what they view as a lack of attention to what their needs are.

RT: It took a rally over the collection of rubbish, just a day to turn into calls for the government to resign. How do you think the situation will look, let’s say, in a month?

RB:  It is very hard to say. It is in initial stage, and whether it expands into a more broad political demand or set of demands for changes in Lebanon – that remains to be seen. We understand today that the alliance that includes the Hezbollah representatives in the government, the Cabinet of Ministers has resigned. So that is a significant development. In all mass movements or incipient mass movements it remains to be seen whether or not it develops further. There are many problems, many deep crises that Lebanon is facing, including the fact that the Palestinians- there have not been allowed the right of return; that there is an influx of people particularly from Syria and Iraq, from the wars that are the direct result of US intervention in the region, and these problems of the provision of real services to the people. Lebanon is a very small country with very complex problems.

RT: Lebanon has 18 officially recognized religious sects. If the situation gets worse, how likely is it that we will see tensions between them?

RB: That is the way that the ruling elite and also the outside powers, particularly I would say the US, France, the former colonizer, and Israel have exploited and exacerbated the tensions within the country. I believe that left to themselves the Lebanese people are very tolerant people, have been able to work together, to live together for a long time. But these differences and ethnic and religious differences, as I said, have been ruthlessly and relentlessly exploited by those who do not have the interest of Lebanon at heart, but instead trying to control the country.

RT: There is no dictator in Lebanon but a weak state, even if the government steps down, is this likely to bring any real change?

RB: There have been many, many governments over the years and now Lebanon is a year passed the deadline for its presidential election. There are powerful political forces in the country. The US and outside powers have been trying to build up the Lebanese army to be the most powerful armed force in the country. But I think everyone still acknowledges- who follows the situation- that the resistance movement including Hezbollah and other parties, other forces are stronger. It is a very complicated situation, the one that we hope will not turn into another version of the civil war, and there is no reason I believe that that’s about to happen. But that was a great tragedy for the Lebanese people and one that was terribly exacerbated by the outside intervention of the US in Israel.

RT

Lebanon: “We Want Accountability” Campaign Vows More Protests

The movement organizing anti-government protests in down town Beirut vowed on Wednesday more protests to “give back the people their rights”.

Following “You Stink”, the organizers dubbed their new campaign “We Want Accountability”, a day after several protesters were injured in a scuffle with police over the trash crisis and corruption.

We wanted to send a message through our demonstration that we are ready to sacrifice ourselves to gain our rights,” said the “We Want Accountability” campaign spokesman at a press conference it held in Riad al-Solh Square on Wednesday.

Lebanon: “We Want Accountability” Campaign“The regime fears the people who are calling for their rights. That’s why it is assaulting them,” the spokesman Ayman Mroweh said during the press conference.

“Our battle is not with police but with the regime,” added Mroweh, as he called for the release of all protesters arrested on Tuesday.

After the press conference ended, the “We Want Accountability” protesters headed to Helou Barracks to demand the release of the detainees who were arrested earlier on Tuesday.

The Internal Security Forces said in a communiqué that it arrested 48 people who took part in Tuesday’s riots, but kept 18 of them in custody for further questioning.

Riad al-Solh Square, located outside the Grand Serail, has been the site of daily protests since Saturday, when thousands rallied against the government’s response to the waste crisis.

Al Manar

Ministers of Hezbollah, FPM Walk out Cabinet Session for ‘Lack of Partnership’

Ministers of Hezbollah, the Free Patriotic Movement and the Tashnag party stormed out of the cabinet session on Tuesday over the lack of respect for the principle of partnership and because of making decisions and signing decrees without the approval of ministers from Hezbollah and the FPM, Al-Manar correspondent said.

cabinet sessionThe session, which was intended to discuss the issue of waste disposal, witnessed debates about approving a large number of decrees with the absence of political blocks.

The cabinet’s emergency session continued with the rest of ministers who discussed the issue of tenders which was not approved and therefore were canceled.

Information Minister Ramzi Joreige, who read out the Cabinet’s official statement after the session, said the decision to reject the bids was based on the recommendation of Environment Minister Mohammad Machnouk. The ministerial committee responsible for handling the crisis was tasked with restarting the process with a new bid document and call for tenders.

Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hasan said as he walked out of the meeting that the decision to leave was made because political rivals would not “listen to calls for true partnership,” noting that the Cabinet recently passed 70 decrees without unanimous approval.

Al-Manar

Hezbollah Demands End to Waste Crisis ‘Farce’, Rampant Corruption

Hezbollah called for the end of the negative repercussions ‘farce’ to the crisis of waste and demanded ‘reasonable solutions’ that address the transition phase ahead of reaching a long-term strategic plan.

wasteIn a statement issued on Tuesday, Hezbollah affirmed the right of peaceful and reasonable protests, indicating that “just solutions would calm people down and pave the ground for actions in the people’s interest in this important issue.”

“The waste crisis clearly indicates who is responsible for it,” Hezbollah said, adding: “The extent of the popular explosion to demand a solution for it in all Lebanon proves the size of the environmental, social and moral disaster resulting from ill-management of such issue by the successive governments.” The statement was referring to the weekend protests led by the YouReek civil society campaign against the waste management crisis.

“The trash crisis is one of the faces of the accumulating and rampant corruption throughout the last two decades,” Hezbollah said. “We hoped that this sensitive issue would have been addressed positively, but unfortunately we were shocked by the scandal of the proposed prices of tenders” for the waste management.

Since the weekend, Lebanon has been plagued with the waste disposal crisis, with people bursting across the streets of the capital after being fed up with political corruption.

Al-Manar

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   

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