By Anand Gopal
BADDAWI CAMP, Lebanon, Sep 5 (IPS) - There is a new look to the entrance of the Palestinian refugee camp Baddawi in northern Lebanon. Hanging above the armed man who guards the entrance are posters of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the slain spiritual leader of Hamas, and other fighters from the Palestinian guerrilla group. Nearby, a huge Hamas banner covers the side of a house, and down the road Hamas flags flutter in the wind.
Just months ago, such banners and posters would have been torn down by supporters of the rival Fatah party. But many residents here say that they have grown disillusioned with Fatah (known in Lebanon as Fatah Abu Ammar) after its defeat in Gaza in June and its handling of the crisis at the nearby refugee camp Nahr al-Bared.
When Islamic militants opened fire on Lebanese security forces in late May, the Lebanese Army entered Nahr al-Bared despite a longstanding agreement that allows Palestinian groups to police the camps. The ensuing battle between the Army and the militants completely destroyed the camp and displaced thousands of Palestinians.
Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) officials in Lebanon, led by members of the Fatah party, sided with the Army, despite what many here perceive as indiscriminate shelling of Nahr al-Bared.
On Sunday, the Lebanese Army declared victory, after more than three months of fighting, and everywhere Lebanese are waving flags and honking horns in support. But instead of rejoicing, many Palestinians here are angry with Fatah and the PLO for failing to protect civilians.
"These politicians allowed the Lebanese army to destroy the whole camp," said former Nahr al-Bared resident Abdel Salaam Khader, who lost a brother in the fighting. "We have been exposed many, many times to Israeli bombs, but even the Israelis destroyed certain places and not a whole camp."
He added, "They could have dealt with the fighters in a different way, not in a military way. The Palestinian leaders made an agreement with the government that caused us to lose our homes and possessions."
When fighting began and the first wave of displaced Palestinians arrived at the Baddawi camp, Fatah leaders promised funds for reconstruction, compensation for victims of violence, and talks with the Army to ensure that the camp would not be destroyed. But according to many of the displaced, the Palestinian leadership has not delivered on any of these promises. Locals also accuse Fatah and other PLO leaders of not preventing the Army from arbitrarily detaining and torturing Palestinians fleeing the violence.
"Fatah Abu Ammar did not protect civilians, and on the contrary they gave the Lebanese army and government all the help they needed," said a former Nahr al-Bared resident who asked not to be named. "Until now we don't have a clear timetable about the future, about the rebuilding of our camp, the date of our return, or what will happen to Nahr al-Bared. Fatah Abu Ammar didn't give us any help; they only went on TV and made grand promises. They only give money to those who belong to them. But Fatah Abu Ammar has given us nothing."
Samer Diad, another local resident, added, "While Abu Ammar (Yasser Arafat) was alive, we called them Fatah Abu Ammar. Now we call them Fatah of the Thieves."
Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps are home to over 400,000 Palestinians and a variety of political groupings. Many of the factions are grouped under the PLO, which includes Fatah as a leading party. The leadership of Fatah and other PLO factions came to Lebanon in the early seventies. By the end of that decade, Fatah became a powerful force in Lebanese politics and in the lives of Palestinians.
Palestinian refugees looked to Fatah for social services, jobs, protection, and as the leading force in the fight against Israel. After the Israeli Army invaded Lebanon and expelled the PLO leadership in 1982, a steady decline of the PLO began, and with the onset of the first Intifadah in 1987, the frontlines of Palestinian struggle moved to the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
Despite the PLO's decline, however, it always had a strong base in Lebanon. But with the ascendancy of Hamas in the Occupied Territories, Fatah's negotiations with Washington and Tel Aviv and the siege of Nahr al-Bared, many analysts contend that Fatah's support in the camps of Lebanon is at an all-time low.
Ashraf Ibrahim, analyst and community leader at the Njaz Community Centre in Baddawi, insisted that many people looked to Fatah to represent the Palestinian people in Gaza and in Nahr al-Bared, but in both cases Fatah failed.
"Fatah Abu Ammar wants to be the unique force in all of the camps," he said. "They want to crush the other groups and become the unique representation for the refugees. Therefore they have good relations with the government, but they don't talk about Palestinian rights."
The PLO recently reorganised its command structure in Lebanon. According to some local reports, the PLO is moving to strengthen its position in Lebanon in an effort to counteract the rising popularity of Hamas and other groups.
Dr. Kassim Subiyeh, a Fatah representative in Lebanon, said that "I feel that people's response to Nahr al-Bared is temporary. They expected more and did not get what they expected. Other movements and factions are using this against Fatah. But I am sure with a little time people will start using their mind and not their affections."
Leading PLO representative in Lebanon and Fatah commander Munir Maqdah told IPS that "(Nahr al-Bared) is not the fault of Fatah. People are coming to trust Fatah more and more. Fatah is a movement for all Palestinians. It comes from the womb of the Palestinian nation, so no one can remove it."
However, many Palestinians here in former Fatah strongholds are turning to Hamas. "Hamas is gaining influence here," Ashraf said, "because from the beginning they took the right position. They said we are against the military aggression of the Army. They said we will pressure the politicians to help our displaced and work until everyone is returned to their home."
Moreover, Hamas' takeover of Gaza in June and its insistence on demanding the right of return of refugees to the Occupied Territories has only increased its standing in the eyes of many in the camps. When asked about the issue of right of return, Fatah representative Subiyeh told IPS: "Leave it for hundreds of years."
For the Palestinians of Baddawi and Nahr al-Bared, many twice displaced and living eight to a room, this may be a hard pill to swallow.
Showing posts with label Fatah Al-Islam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fatah Al-Islam. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Can you guess where the Fatah al-Islam roots are?
The Arab extension of Fatah al-Islam
When the battle between the Lebanese army and the Fatah al-Islam militant group broke out on the 20th of May, pro-February 14 (supporters of Siniora and his Imperial bosses - VS) media outlets sought to exploit the incident and link the militant group to Syria, overlooking the diversity in the nationalities of its members.
Sultan Abul Aynain, the secretary of PLO factions said in an interview with the Sharq al-Awsat daily that the number of Saudis killed with Fatah al-Islam had reached 23, adding that they were all buried in mass graves inside the Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp, north of Lebanon. Abul Aynain also said that 20 other Saudis were still fighting against the Lebanese army in the camp. The PLO official's information crossed with what the Saudi daily Al-Hayat published about Saudi members of Fatah al-Islam, even if their numbers did not match the number given by Abul Aynain. Furthermore, burial ceremonies, during the last week of June, for dozens of people in the camp were delayed upon requests by Saudi Arabia and Tunis to retrieve their dead nationals. In a televised interview, the Minister of Defense in the unconstitutional government Elias el-Murr confirmed that Fatah al-Islam organization is linked to Al-Qaeda. El-Murr had earlier said that Fatah al-Islam was responsible for the Ain Alak bombing in Mount Lebanon, which killed 3 people and injured many others. He added that the group that carried out the attack comprised four Syrians and three Saudis, including Abdullah Bishi, the man whose repatriation was requested by Saudi Arabia.
The Lebanese government agreed to repatriate Bishi, however the approval of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud is still needed. Saudi Interior Minister Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz also called on the Lebanese government to repatriate Saudis still in Lebanese custody, among them is Fahed Meghames, the head of the Barr Elias cell, where three booby trapped cars and arms caches were found.
Moreover, three Saudis were among five gunmen killed in clashes with the Lebanese army in the town of Kalamoun, north of Lebanon last week. The two others were a Lebanese and an Iraqi.
Before the battle of Nahr el-Bared broke out, Syrian authorities killed on the 10th of last May four Fatah al-Islam gunmen on their way to Iraq, indicating that Lebanon was being used as a springboard for militants to the outside on the one hand and a resting place for the returning militants. Prior to this, the US Council of National Intelligence warned in February 2006 against the return of those militants saying they would become the new Arab Afghans in Lebanon. Accordingly, Fatah al-Islam is an organization that comprises members from various Arab nationalities, not to mention Bengali and Chechen members.
However the February 14 ruling bloc still insists on linking this organization to Syrian intelligence services, without proof or convincing facts. According to the Lebanon News Agency, eight Saudi cadres in Fatah al-Islam have been taken out of Lebanon; one of them is a financier who has close ties with Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, the head of the Saudi National Security Council.
When the battle between the Lebanese army and the Fatah al-Islam militant group broke out on the 20th of May, pro-February 14 (supporters of Siniora and his Imperial bosses - VS) media outlets sought to exploit the incident and link the militant group to Syria, overlooking the diversity in the nationalities of its members.
Sultan Abul Aynain, the secretary of PLO factions said in an interview with the Sharq al-Awsat daily that the number of Saudis killed with Fatah al-Islam had reached 23, adding that they were all buried in mass graves inside the Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp, north of Lebanon. Abul Aynain also said that 20 other Saudis were still fighting against the Lebanese army in the camp. The PLO official's information crossed with what the Saudi daily Al-Hayat published about Saudi members of Fatah al-Islam, even if their numbers did not match the number given by Abul Aynain. Furthermore, burial ceremonies, during the last week of June, for dozens of people in the camp were delayed upon requests by Saudi Arabia and Tunis to retrieve their dead nationals. In a televised interview, the Minister of Defense in the unconstitutional government Elias el-Murr confirmed that Fatah al-Islam organization is linked to Al-Qaeda. El-Murr had earlier said that Fatah al-Islam was responsible for the Ain Alak bombing in Mount Lebanon, which killed 3 people and injured many others. He added that the group that carried out the attack comprised four Syrians and three Saudis, including Abdullah Bishi, the man whose repatriation was requested by Saudi Arabia.
The Lebanese government agreed to repatriate Bishi, however the approval of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud is still needed. Saudi Interior Minister Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz also called on the Lebanese government to repatriate Saudis still in Lebanese custody, among them is Fahed Meghames, the head of the Barr Elias cell, where three booby trapped cars and arms caches were found.
Moreover, three Saudis were among five gunmen killed in clashes with the Lebanese army in the town of Kalamoun, north of Lebanon last week. The two others were a Lebanese and an Iraqi.
Before the battle of Nahr el-Bared broke out, Syrian authorities killed on the 10th of last May four Fatah al-Islam gunmen on their way to Iraq, indicating that Lebanon was being used as a springboard for militants to the outside on the one hand and a resting place for the returning militants. Prior to this, the US Council of National Intelligence warned in February 2006 against the return of those militants saying they would become the new Arab Afghans in Lebanon. Accordingly, Fatah al-Islam is an organization that comprises members from various Arab nationalities, not to mention Bengali and Chechen members.
However the February 14 ruling bloc still insists on linking this organization to Syrian intelligence services, without proof or convincing facts. According to the Lebanon News Agency, eight Saudi cadres in Fatah al-Islam have been taken out of Lebanon; one of them is a financier who has close ties with Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, the head of the Saudi National Security Council.
Monday, June 25, 2007
The inside story of Fatah al Islam’s leader Shaker al-Absi
Here is an interesting, if clearly hostile, biography of the leader of the Fatah al-Islam, the Lebanese subsidiary of Al-Qaeda which seems to be supported by the so-called Welch Club and the USA and Saudi Arabia following the "redirection" of US foreign policy in the Middle-East.
The Inside Story of Fatah al-Islam's leader by Sami Haddad for the website Ya Libnan
Beirut, Lebanon - A look at the history behind Lebanon's leading face of terror - Shaker al-Absi. After starting out his professional life as a pilot of Russian MIG fighter planes, he switched to training revolutionaries with all types of weapons.
His brother Abdel Razzak el-Absi, a surgeon in Amman, Jordan, recently revealed telling details of Shaker al-Absi (pictured right). According to Abdel Razzak, Shaker excelled in school and moved to Tunisia to join the medical school, but the medical field was not really what he aspired to. Instead he wanted to get involved in liberating Palestine, one way or the other.
Shaker al-Absi then joined the Fatah organization of Yasser Arafat, which sent him to Libya to study and train to become a pilot. He succeeded in this and piloted MIG 23 fighter planes when Libya attacked Chad.
Shaker visited his brother Abdel Razzak in 1980, who was studying at a medical school in Cuba, on his way to Nicaragua where he intended to help the Sandanistas. He remained with the Sandanistas for 4 to 5 months his brother recalls.
In 1982 when Israel invaded Lebanon Shaker fought in the Bekaa valley area of Lebanon with Fatah, because the organization did not own any fighter planes. Then from Lebanon he returned to Libya and from there he went to Yemen and then to Damascus, Syria where he finally settled.
In 2002 Syria arrested Shaker and sent him to jail for his activities with a restricted Islamist organization and accused him of plotting against the Syrian regime. Shaker remained in jail for 3 years, during which he was sentenced to death in absentia by Jordan for participating in planning and executing the murder in 2002 of Lawrence Folly the US ambassador to Jordan at the time.
In 2005 Shaker was set free by Syria and moved to Lebanon to head up Fatah el-Intifada, a Syrian Intelligence-backed splinter group of the mainstream Fatah movement based out of the Shatila Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut.
Few months later Shaker decided to join a strict Islamist group of about 100 other members and settled at the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp. There he formed the Fatah al-Islam extremist Islamist movement.
Blind Extremism
In march 2007, Shaker told the New York Times newspaper that he believes in and fully supports the ideas of al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden, adding he is not afraid of being called a terrorist.
Shaker added that he ”has the right to target American and Israeli civilians anyplace in the world."
He continued, “doesn’t America come here to kill our innocents and children. We have the right to attack them at their homes just like they attack us in our homes.”
His brother Abdel Razzak said: “My brother has chosen the strict Islamic way because he was desperate and depressed."
He added “we were all raised as Muslims like everyone else . We are also believers, but Shaker adopted the strict and extremist Islamic way after losing hope.“
Abdel Razzak went on to justify his brothers actions, “After 60 years of Israeli occupation what happened to the Palestinians? Nothing. The Palestinians adopted various ideologies in their attempts to liberate Palestine, as nationalists, Marxists, Leninists etc...but what did they accomplish? Nothing... only more despair.”
“My brother is one of those people who think extremist Islam has all the answers and could lead to liberating his country. Everything else failed, so he things this is the only road left,” Abdel Razzak added.
Denial, Denial, Denial
Abdel Razzak did not mention the fact that his brother Shaker is killing Lebanese soldiers in Nahr el Bared. He and his group started the conflict by attacking and slaughtering 27 soldiers during their sleep.
Abdel Razzak did not also mention that the Lebanese people have endured and protected the Palestinians for 60 years, despite the Israeli invasions of Lebanon.
Abdel Razzak did not mention that the whole problem with his brother started when his organization Fatah al-Islam bombed 2 busses and killed 3 innocent Lebanese and wounded another 20 in the Ain Alaq town of the northern Metn province in Mount Lebanon.
Abdel Razzak did not mention the fact that Fatah al-Islam robbed a Lebanese bank the night before the conflict started and stole $125,000.
Abdel Razzak did not say that the road to Palestine is not Nahr el Bared, nor is it by killing Lebanese soldiers. If any Palestinian wants to fight for Palestine, the place is Palestine and not Lebanon.
Shaker al-Absi's past is a telling account of the making of a terrorist, and unfortunately how peaceful countries like Lebanon have to suffer the consequences. Obviously al-Absi is severely misguided. Instead of saying thank you to a country that adopted him, he is killing those same people that protected him - the Lebanese soldiers and the innocent Lebanese people.
Al-Absi is the story of a sick mind that blames his own failures on others.
Al-Absi is the story of a coward, who is dangerously manipulating Islam and the Palestinian cause to achieve his own evil ambition.
Friday, May 25, 2007
More info on the Lebanease crisis: Who's Behind the Fighting in North Lebanon?
Inside Narh al-Bared and Bedawi Refugee Camps
By Franklin Lamb
Tripoli, Lebanon.
Wearing a beat-up ratty UNCHR tee-shirt left over from Bint Jbeil and the Israeli-Hezbollah July probably helped. As did, I suspect, the Red Cross jersey, my black and white checkered kaffieyh and the Palestinian flag taped to my lapel as I joined a group of Palestinian aid workers and slipped into Nahr el-Bared trying not to look conspicuous.
Our mission was to facilitate the delivery of food, blankets and mattresses, but I was also curious about the political situation. Who was behind the events that erupted so quickly and violently following a claimed 'bank robbery'? A heist that depending on who you talked to, netted the masked bandits $ 150,000, $ 1,500 or $ 150!
It seems that every Beirut media outlet has a different source of 'inside information' based on which Confession owns it and 'knows' the real culprits pulling the strings. But then, even we who are particularly obtuse have realized, as the late Rafic Hariri often counseled: "In Lebanon, believe nothing of what you are told and only half of what you see!"
My friends made we swear out loud that I would claim to be Canadian instead of American if Al Qaeda types stopped us inside the Camp. My impression was that they were not so worried about my safety but for their own if they got caught with me. It would not be the first time that I relied on my northern neighbors to get me out of a potential US nationality jam in the Middle East, so I ditched my American ID.
We were advised as we approached the Fatah al Islam stronghold that we would be in the cross-hairs of Lebanese army snipers from outside of Nahr el-Bared Camp as well as Fatah al-Islam snipers from the inside, and that any false move or bad luck could prove fatal.
After three days of shelling and more than 100 dead and with no electricity or water, Nahr el-Baled reeks of burned and rotting flesh, charred houses with smoldering contents, raw sewage and the acrid smell of exploded mortars and tank rounds.
Press figures of 30,000-32,000 are not accurate. 45,000 live in Bared! Contrary to some reports food and water still not being allowed in.
15 to 70 percent of some areas destroyed. Some light shooting this morning and afternoon. Army shelling at rate of 10-18 shells per minute from 4:30 am to 10 am on Tuesday. Army will not allow Palestinian Red Crescent to move out civilians because they don't trust them. Only the Lebanese Red Cross is allowed. It is possible to enter Bared from the back (east side). The Army taking cameras of journalists they catch. The Lebanese government is controlling the information and don't want extent of damage known yet. Still unrecovered bodies. 40 per cent of the camp population have been evacuated. The rest don't want to leave out of fear of being shot or that they are losing their homes for the 5th time or more for some.
No electricity and cell phone batteries are dying. Relatives who fled are telling families to stay because there are not enough mattresses at Bedawi Camp. Bared evacuees are living up to 25 in one room in Badawi schools etc. 3,000 evacuees in one school in Bedawi. UN aid is starting to arrive at Badawi but workers not able so far to deliver it to Bared due to attack on relief convoy on Tuesday.
I met Abdul Rahman Hallab famous for Lebanese candy factory in Tripoli. Helped him unload 5,000 meals to evacuees from Bared staying in Badawi. He is Lebanese not Palestinian.
The camp population all say that Fatah Al-Islam came in September-October 2006 and have no relatives in the camp. They are from Saudi, Pakistan, Algeria, Iraq, and Tunisia and elsewhere. No Palestinians among them except some hanger ons. Most say they are paid by the Hariri group.
Reports that Fateh al-Islam helps people in Bared are denied. " All they do is pray, one woman told me..and do military training.. They are much more religious than the Shia" she said.
Population of Badawi camp was 15,000 and as of of this morning it is 28,000. Four bodies arrived this morning at Safad, the only Palestinian Red Crescent Hospitals in north Lebanon.
I was told the army will have to destroy every house in Bared to remove Fateh al Islam.
I expect to stay in Bared tonight with aid workers. Some say FAI with die fighting others than a settlement could be negotiated. I may try the latter with NGO from Norway here. Not sure if anyone in government is interested. One minute ago a member of Fateh at_Islam walked into the medical office I am using at Safed Hospital and said they want a permanent ceasefire and do not want more people killed or injured.
They claim to have no problem with the army
Now some background about Nahr el-Bared. Like the other Palestinian camps in Lebanon, it is inhabited by Palestinians who were forced from their homes, land, and personal property in 1947-48, in order to make room for Jews from Europe and elsewhere prior to the May 15, 1948 founding of Israel.
Of the original 16 Refugee camps, set up to settle the more than 100,000 refugees crossing the border into Lebanon from Palestine during the Nakba, 12 official ones remain. The camp at Tal El-Za`tar was ethnically cleansed by Christian Phalange forces at the beginning of the 1975-1990, Lebanese Civil War and the Nabatieh, Dikwaneh and Jisr el-Basha camps were destroyed by Israeli attacks and Lebanese militia and not rebuilt. Those remaining include the following which currently house more than half of Lebanon's 433,276 Palestinian refugees:
Al-Badawi, Burj El-Barajna, Jal El-Bahr, Sabra and Shatilla, Ain El-Helwa, Nahr El-Bared, Rashidieh, Burj El Shemali, El-Buss, Wavel, Mieh Mieh and Mar Elias.
Nahr el-Bared is 7 miles north of Tripoli near the stunning Mediterranean coast and is home to more than 32,000 refuges many of whom were expelled from the Lake Huleh area of Palestine, including Safed. Like all the official Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, plus several 'unofficial' ones, Nahr el-Bared suffers from serious problems including no proper infrastructure, overcrowding, poverty and unemployment.
Tabulated at more than 25%, Nahr el-Bared has the highest percentage of Palestinian refugees anywhere who are living in abject poverty and who are officially registered with the UN as "special hardship" cases.
Its residents, like all Palestinians in Lebanon are blatantly discriminated against and not even officially counted. They are denied citizenship and banned from working in the top 70 trades and professions (that includes McDonald's and KFC in downtown Beirut) and cannot own real estate. Palestinians in Lebanon have essentially no social or civil rights and only limited access to government educational facilities. They have no access to public social services. Consequently most rely entirely on the UNRWA as the sole provider for their families needs.
It is not surprising that al-Qaeda sympathies, if not formal affiliations, are found in the 12 official camps as well as 7 unofficial ones. Groups with names such as Fateh al-Islam, Jund al-Shams (Soldier of Damascus) , Ibns al-Shaheed" (sons of the martyrs) Issbat al-Anssar which morphed into Issbat al-Noor - "The Community of Illumination" and many others.
Given Bush administration debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan and its encouragement for Israel to continue its destruction of Lebanon this past summer, the situation in Lebanon mirrors, in some respects, the early 1980's when groups sprung up to resist the US green lighted Israeli invasion and occupation. But rather than being Shia and pro-Hezbollah, today's groups are largely Sunni and anti-Hezbollah. Hence they qualify for US aid, funneled by Sunni financial backers in league with the Bush administration which is committed to funding Islamist Sunni groups to weaken Hezbollah.
This project has become the White House obsession following Israel's July 2006 defeat.
To understand what is going on with Fatah al-Islam at Nahr el-Bared one would want a brief introduction to Lebanon's amazing, but shadowy 'Welch Club'.
The Club is named for its godfather, David Welch, assistant to Secretary of State Rice who is the point man for the Bush administration and is guided by Eliot Abrams.
Key Lebanese members of the Welch Club (aka: the 'Club') include:
The Lebanese civil war veteran, warlord, feudalist and mercurial Walid Jumblatt of the Druze party( the Progressive Socialist Party or PSP)
Another civil war veteran, warlord, terrorist (Served 11 years in prison for massacres committed against fellow Christians among others) Samir Geagea. Leader of the extremist Phalange party and its Lebanese Forces (LF) the group that conducted the Israel organized massacre at Sabra-Shatilla (although led by Elie Hobeika, once Geagea's mentor, Geagea did not take part in the Sept. 1982 slaughter of 1,700 Palestinian and Lebanese).
The billionaire, Saudi Sheikh and Club president Saad Hariri leader of the Sunni Future Movement (FM).
Over a year ago Hariri's Future Movement started setting up Sunni Islamist terrorist cells (the PSP and LF already had their own militia since the civil war and despite the Taif Accords requiring militia to disarm they are now rearmed and itching for action and trying hard to provoke Hezbollah).
The FM created Sunni Islamist 'terrorist' cells were to serve as a cover for (anti-Hezbollah) Welch Club projects. The plan was that actions of these cells, of which Fatah el-Islam is one, could be blamed on al Qaeda or Syria or anyone but the Club.
To staff the new militias, FM rounded up remnants of previous extremists in the Palestinian Refugee camps that had been subdued, marginalized and diminished during the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. Each fighter got $700 per month, not bad in today's Lebanon.
The first Welch Club funded militia, set up by FM, is known locally as Jund-al-Sham (Soldiers of Sham, where "Sham" in Arabic denotes Syria, Lebanon, Palestine & Jordan) created in Ain-el-Hilwa Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon. This group is also referred to in the Camps as Jund-el-Sitt (Soldiers of the Sitt, where "Sitt" in Sidon, Ain-el-Hilwa and the outskirts pertain to Bahia Hariri, the sister of Rafiq Hariri, aunt of Saad, and Member of Parliament).
The second was Fateh-al-Islam (The name cleverly put together, joining Fateh as in Palestinian and the word Islam as in Qaeda). FM set this Club cell up in Nahr-al-Bared refugee camp north of Tripoli for geographical balance.
Fatah el-Islam had about 400 well paid fighters until three days ago. Today they may have more or fewer plus volunteers. The leaders were provided with ocean view luxury apartments in Tripoli where they stored arms and chilled when not in Nahr-al-Bared. Guess who owns the apartments?
According to members of both Fatah el-Islam and Jund-al-Sham their groups acted on the directive of the Club president, Saad Hariri.
So what went wrong? "Why the bank robbery" and the slaughter at Nahr el-Baled?
According to operatives of Fatah el-Islam, the Bush administration got cold feet with people like Seymour Hirsh snooping around and with the White House post-Iraq discipline in free fall. Moreover, Hezbollah intelligence knew all about the Clubs activities and was in a position to flip the two groups who were supposed to ignite a Sunni Shia civil war which Hezbollah vows to prevent.
Things started to go very wrong quickly for the Club last week.
FM "stopped" the payroll of Fateh el-Islam's account at the Hariri family owned back.
Fateh-al-Islam, tried to negotiate at least 'severance pay' with no luck and they felt betrayed. (Remember many of their fighters are easily frustrated teenagers and their pay supports their families). Militia members knocked off the bank which issued their worthless checks. They were doubly angry when they learned FM is claiming in the media a loss much greater than they actually snatched and that the Club is going to stiff the insurance company and actually make a huge profit.
Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (newly recruited to serve the bidding of the Club and the Future Movement) assaulted the apartments of Fatah-al-Islam Tripoli. They didn't have much luck and were forced to call in the Lebanese army.
Within the hour, Fatah-al-Islam retaliated against Lebanese Army posts, checkpoints and unarmed, off-duty Lebanese soldiers in civilian clothing and committed outrageous killings including severing at four heads.
Up to this point Fatah-al-Islam did not retaliate against the Internal Security forces in Tripoli because the ISF is pro-Hariri and some are friends and Fatah al-Islam still hoped to get paid by Hariri. Instead Fatah al Islam went after the Army.
The Seniora cabinet convenes and asks the Lebanese Army to enter the refugee camp and silence (in more ways than one) Fatah-al-Islam. Since entrance into the Camps is forbidden by the 1969 Arab league agreement, the Army refuses after realizing the extent of the conspiracy against it by the Welch Club. The army knows that entering a refugee camp in force will open a front against the Army in all twelve Palestinian refugee camps and tear the army apart along sectarian cracks.
The army feels set up by the Club's Internal Security Forces which did not coordinate with the Lebanese Army, as required by Lebanese law and did not even make them aware of the "inter family operation" the ISF carried out against Fatah-al-Islam safe houses in Tripoli.
Today, tensions are high between the Lebanese army and the Welch Club. Some mention the phrase 'army coup'.
The Club is trying to run Parliament and is prepared to go all the way not to 'lose' Lebanon. It still holds 70 seats in the house of parliament while the Hezbollah led opposition holds 58 seats. It has a dutiful PM in Fouad Siniora.
The club tried to seize control of the presidency and when it failed it marginalized it. Last year it tried to control of the Parliamentary Constitutional Committee, which audits the government's policies, laws and watch dogs their actions. When the Club failed to control it they simply abolished the Constitutional Committee. This key committee no longer exists in Lebanon's government.
The Welch Club's major error was when it attempted to influence the Lebanese Army into disarming the Lebanese Resistance led by Hezbollah. When the Army wisely refused, the Club coordinated with the Bush Administration to pressure Israel to dramatically intensify its retaliation to the capture of the two soldiers by Hezbollah and 'break the rules' regarding the historically more limited response and try to destroy Hezbollah during the July 2006 war.
The Welch Club now considers the Lebanese Army a serious problem. The Bush administration is trying to undermine and marginalize it to eliminate one of the last two obstacles to implementing Israel's agenda in Lebanon.
If the army is weakened, it can not protect _over 70% of the Christians in Lebanon who support General Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement. The F.P.M. is mainly constituted of well educated, middle class and unarmed Lebanese civilians. The only protection they have is the Lebanese Army which aids in maintaining their presence in the political scene. The other type of Christians in Lebanon is the minority, about 15% of Christians associated with Geagea's Lebanese Forces who are purely militia. If the Club can weaken the Army even more than it is, then this Phalange minority will be the only relatively strong force on the Christian scene and become the "army" of the Club.
Another reason the Club wants to weaken the Lebanese Army is that the Army is nationalistic and is a safety valve for Lebanon to ensure the Palestinian right of return to Palestine, Lebanese nationhood and the resistance culture led by Hezbollah, with which is has excellent relations.
For their part, the Welch Club wants to keep some Palestinians in Lebanon for cheap labor, ship others to countries willing to take them (and be paid handsomely to do so by American taxpayers) and allow at most a few thousand to return to Palestine to settle the 'right of return' issue while at the same time signing a May 17th 1983 type treaty with Israel with enriches the Club members and gives Israel Lebanon's water and much of Lebanon's sovereignty.
Long story short, Fatah el-Islam must be silenced at all costs. Their tale, if told, is poison for the Club and its sponsors. We will likely see their attempted destruction in the coming days.
Hezbollah is watching and supporting the Lebanese army.
Franklin Lamb's recent book, The Price We Pay: A Quarter Century of Israel's use of American Weapon's against Lebanon (1978-2006) is available at Amazon.com.uk. Hezbollah: A Brief Guide for Beginners is expected in early summer.
Dr. Lamb can be reached at fplamb @ gmail.com.
(source: http://www.counterpunch.org/lamb05242007.html)
By Franklin Lamb
Tripoli, Lebanon.
Wearing a beat-up ratty UNCHR tee-shirt left over from Bint Jbeil and the Israeli-Hezbollah July probably helped. As did, I suspect, the Red Cross jersey, my black and white checkered kaffieyh and the Palestinian flag taped to my lapel as I joined a group of Palestinian aid workers and slipped into Nahr el-Bared trying not to look conspicuous.
Our mission was to facilitate the delivery of food, blankets and mattresses, but I was also curious about the political situation. Who was behind the events that erupted so quickly and violently following a claimed 'bank robbery'? A heist that depending on who you talked to, netted the masked bandits $ 150,000, $ 1,500 or $ 150!
It seems that every Beirut media outlet has a different source of 'inside information' based on which Confession owns it and 'knows' the real culprits pulling the strings. But then, even we who are particularly obtuse have realized, as the late Rafic Hariri often counseled: "In Lebanon, believe nothing of what you are told and only half of what you see!"
My friends made we swear out loud that I would claim to be Canadian instead of American if Al Qaeda types stopped us inside the Camp. My impression was that they were not so worried about my safety but for their own if they got caught with me. It would not be the first time that I relied on my northern neighbors to get me out of a potential US nationality jam in the Middle East, so I ditched my American ID.
We were advised as we approached the Fatah al Islam stronghold that we would be in the cross-hairs of Lebanese army snipers from outside of Nahr el-Bared Camp as well as Fatah al-Islam snipers from the inside, and that any false move or bad luck could prove fatal.
After three days of shelling and more than 100 dead and with no electricity or water, Nahr el-Baled reeks of burned and rotting flesh, charred houses with smoldering contents, raw sewage and the acrid smell of exploded mortars and tank rounds.
Press figures of 30,000-32,000 are not accurate. 45,000 live in Bared! Contrary to some reports food and water still not being allowed in.
15 to 70 percent of some areas destroyed. Some light shooting this morning and afternoon. Army shelling at rate of 10-18 shells per minute from 4:30 am to 10 am on Tuesday. Army will not allow Palestinian Red Crescent to move out civilians because they don't trust them. Only the Lebanese Red Cross is allowed. It is possible to enter Bared from the back (east side). The Army taking cameras of journalists they catch. The Lebanese government is controlling the information and don't want extent of damage known yet. Still unrecovered bodies. 40 per cent of the camp population have been evacuated. The rest don't want to leave out of fear of being shot or that they are losing their homes for the 5th time or more for some.
No electricity and cell phone batteries are dying. Relatives who fled are telling families to stay because there are not enough mattresses at Bedawi Camp. Bared evacuees are living up to 25 in one room in Badawi schools etc. 3,000 evacuees in one school in Bedawi. UN aid is starting to arrive at Badawi but workers not able so far to deliver it to Bared due to attack on relief convoy on Tuesday.
I met Abdul Rahman Hallab famous for Lebanese candy factory in Tripoli. Helped him unload 5,000 meals to evacuees from Bared staying in Badawi. He is Lebanese not Palestinian.
The camp population all say that Fatah Al-Islam came in September-October 2006 and have no relatives in the camp. They are from Saudi, Pakistan, Algeria, Iraq, and Tunisia and elsewhere. No Palestinians among them except some hanger ons. Most say they are paid by the Hariri group.
Reports that Fateh al-Islam helps people in Bared are denied. " All they do is pray, one woman told me..and do military training.. They are much more religious than the Shia" she said.
Population of Badawi camp was 15,000 and as of of this morning it is 28,000. Four bodies arrived this morning at Safad, the only Palestinian Red Crescent Hospitals in north Lebanon.
I was told the army will have to destroy every house in Bared to remove Fateh al Islam.
I expect to stay in Bared tonight with aid workers. Some say FAI with die fighting others than a settlement could be negotiated. I may try the latter with NGO from Norway here. Not sure if anyone in government is interested. One minute ago a member of Fateh at_Islam walked into the medical office I am using at Safed Hospital and said they want a permanent ceasefire and do not want more people killed or injured.
They claim to have no problem with the army
Now some background about Nahr el-Bared. Like the other Palestinian camps in Lebanon, it is inhabited by Palestinians who were forced from their homes, land, and personal property in 1947-48, in order to make room for Jews from Europe and elsewhere prior to the May 15, 1948 founding of Israel.
Of the original 16 Refugee camps, set up to settle the more than 100,000 refugees crossing the border into Lebanon from Palestine during the Nakba, 12 official ones remain. The camp at Tal El-Za`tar was ethnically cleansed by Christian Phalange forces at the beginning of the 1975-1990, Lebanese Civil War and the Nabatieh, Dikwaneh and Jisr el-Basha camps were destroyed by Israeli attacks and Lebanese militia and not rebuilt. Those remaining include the following which currently house more than half of Lebanon's 433,276 Palestinian refugees:
Al-Badawi, Burj El-Barajna, Jal El-Bahr, Sabra and Shatilla, Ain El-Helwa, Nahr El-Bared, Rashidieh, Burj El Shemali, El-Buss, Wavel, Mieh Mieh and Mar Elias.
Nahr el-Bared is 7 miles north of Tripoli near the stunning Mediterranean coast and is home to more than 32,000 refuges many of whom were expelled from the Lake Huleh area of Palestine, including Safed. Like all the official Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, plus several 'unofficial' ones, Nahr el-Bared suffers from serious problems including no proper infrastructure, overcrowding, poverty and unemployment.
Tabulated at more than 25%, Nahr el-Bared has the highest percentage of Palestinian refugees anywhere who are living in abject poverty and who are officially registered with the UN as "special hardship" cases.
Its residents, like all Palestinians in Lebanon are blatantly discriminated against and not even officially counted. They are denied citizenship and banned from working in the top 70 trades and professions (that includes McDonald's and KFC in downtown Beirut) and cannot own real estate. Palestinians in Lebanon have essentially no social or civil rights and only limited access to government educational facilities. They have no access to public social services. Consequently most rely entirely on the UNRWA as the sole provider for their families needs.
It is not surprising that al-Qaeda sympathies, if not formal affiliations, are found in the 12 official camps as well as 7 unofficial ones. Groups with names such as Fateh al-Islam, Jund al-Shams (Soldier of Damascus) , Ibns al-Shaheed" (sons of the martyrs) Issbat al-Anssar which morphed into Issbat al-Noor - "The Community of Illumination" and many others.
Given Bush administration debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan and its encouragement for Israel to continue its destruction of Lebanon this past summer, the situation in Lebanon mirrors, in some respects, the early 1980's when groups sprung up to resist the US green lighted Israeli invasion and occupation. But rather than being Shia and pro-Hezbollah, today's groups are largely Sunni and anti-Hezbollah. Hence they qualify for US aid, funneled by Sunni financial backers in league with the Bush administration which is committed to funding Islamist Sunni groups to weaken Hezbollah.
This project has become the White House obsession following Israel's July 2006 defeat.
To understand what is going on with Fatah al-Islam at Nahr el-Bared one would want a brief introduction to Lebanon's amazing, but shadowy 'Welch Club'.
The Club is named for its godfather, David Welch, assistant to Secretary of State Rice who is the point man for the Bush administration and is guided by Eliot Abrams.
Key Lebanese members of the Welch Club (aka: the 'Club') include:
The Lebanese civil war veteran, warlord, feudalist and mercurial Walid Jumblatt of the Druze party( the Progressive Socialist Party or PSP)
Another civil war veteran, warlord, terrorist (Served 11 years in prison for massacres committed against fellow Christians among others) Samir Geagea. Leader of the extremist Phalange party and its Lebanese Forces (LF) the group that conducted the Israel organized massacre at Sabra-Shatilla (although led by Elie Hobeika, once Geagea's mentor, Geagea did not take part in the Sept. 1982 slaughter of 1,700 Palestinian and Lebanese).
The billionaire, Saudi Sheikh and Club president Saad Hariri leader of the Sunni Future Movement (FM).
Over a year ago Hariri's Future Movement started setting up Sunni Islamist terrorist cells (the PSP and LF already had their own militia since the civil war and despite the Taif Accords requiring militia to disarm they are now rearmed and itching for action and trying hard to provoke Hezbollah).
The FM created Sunni Islamist 'terrorist' cells were to serve as a cover for (anti-Hezbollah) Welch Club projects. The plan was that actions of these cells, of which Fatah el-Islam is one, could be blamed on al Qaeda or Syria or anyone but the Club.
To staff the new militias, FM rounded up remnants of previous extremists in the Palestinian Refugee camps that had been subdued, marginalized and diminished during the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. Each fighter got $700 per month, not bad in today's Lebanon.
The first Welch Club funded militia, set up by FM, is known locally as Jund-al-Sham (Soldiers of Sham, where "Sham" in Arabic denotes Syria, Lebanon, Palestine & Jordan) created in Ain-el-Hilwa Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon. This group is also referred to in the Camps as Jund-el-Sitt (Soldiers of the Sitt, where "Sitt" in Sidon, Ain-el-Hilwa and the outskirts pertain to Bahia Hariri, the sister of Rafiq Hariri, aunt of Saad, and Member of Parliament).
The second was Fateh-al-Islam (The name cleverly put together, joining Fateh as in Palestinian and the word Islam as in Qaeda). FM set this Club cell up in Nahr-al-Bared refugee camp north of Tripoli for geographical balance.
Fatah el-Islam had about 400 well paid fighters until three days ago. Today they may have more or fewer plus volunteers. The leaders were provided with ocean view luxury apartments in Tripoli where they stored arms and chilled when not in Nahr-al-Bared. Guess who owns the apartments?
According to members of both Fatah el-Islam and Jund-al-Sham their groups acted on the directive of the Club president, Saad Hariri.
So what went wrong? "Why the bank robbery" and the slaughter at Nahr el-Baled?
According to operatives of Fatah el-Islam, the Bush administration got cold feet with people like Seymour Hirsh snooping around and with the White House post-Iraq discipline in free fall. Moreover, Hezbollah intelligence knew all about the Clubs activities and was in a position to flip the two groups who were supposed to ignite a Sunni Shia civil war which Hezbollah vows to prevent.
Things started to go very wrong quickly for the Club last week.
FM "stopped" the payroll of Fateh el-Islam's account at the Hariri family owned back.
Fateh-al-Islam, tried to negotiate at least 'severance pay' with no luck and they felt betrayed. (Remember many of their fighters are easily frustrated teenagers and their pay supports their families). Militia members knocked off the bank which issued their worthless checks. They were doubly angry when they learned FM is claiming in the media a loss much greater than they actually snatched and that the Club is going to stiff the insurance company and actually make a huge profit.
Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (newly recruited to serve the bidding of the Club and the Future Movement) assaulted the apartments of Fatah-al-Islam Tripoli. They didn't have much luck and were forced to call in the Lebanese army.
Within the hour, Fatah-al-Islam retaliated against Lebanese Army posts, checkpoints and unarmed, off-duty Lebanese soldiers in civilian clothing and committed outrageous killings including severing at four heads.
Up to this point Fatah-al-Islam did not retaliate against the Internal Security forces in Tripoli because the ISF is pro-Hariri and some are friends and Fatah al-Islam still hoped to get paid by Hariri. Instead Fatah al Islam went after the Army.
The Seniora cabinet convenes and asks the Lebanese Army to enter the refugee camp and silence (in more ways than one) Fatah-al-Islam. Since entrance into the Camps is forbidden by the 1969 Arab league agreement, the Army refuses after realizing the extent of the conspiracy against it by the Welch Club. The army knows that entering a refugee camp in force will open a front against the Army in all twelve Palestinian refugee camps and tear the army apart along sectarian cracks.
The army feels set up by the Club's Internal Security Forces which did not coordinate with the Lebanese Army, as required by Lebanese law and did not even make them aware of the "inter family operation" the ISF carried out against Fatah-al-Islam safe houses in Tripoli.
Today, tensions are high between the Lebanese army and the Welch Club. Some mention the phrase 'army coup'.
The Club is trying to run Parliament and is prepared to go all the way not to 'lose' Lebanon. It still holds 70 seats in the house of parliament while the Hezbollah led opposition holds 58 seats. It has a dutiful PM in Fouad Siniora.
The club tried to seize control of the presidency and when it failed it marginalized it. Last year it tried to control of the Parliamentary Constitutional Committee, which audits the government's policies, laws and watch dogs their actions. When the Club failed to control it they simply abolished the Constitutional Committee. This key committee no longer exists in Lebanon's government.
The Welch Club's major error was when it attempted to influence the Lebanese Army into disarming the Lebanese Resistance led by Hezbollah. When the Army wisely refused, the Club coordinated with the Bush Administration to pressure Israel to dramatically intensify its retaliation to the capture of the two soldiers by Hezbollah and 'break the rules' regarding the historically more limited response and try to destroy Hezbollah during the July 2006 war.
The Welch Club now considers the Lebanese Army a serious problem. The Bush administration is trying to undermine and marginalize it to eliminate one of the last two obstacles to implementing Israel's agenda in Lebanon.
If the army is weakened, it can not protect _over 70% of the Christians in Lebanon who support General Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement. The F.P.M. is mainly constituted of well educated, middle class and unarmed Lebanese civilians. The only protection they have is the Lebanese Army which aids in maintaining their presence in the political scene. The other type of Christians in Lebanon is the minority, about 15% of Christians associated with Geagea's Lebanese Forces who are purely militia. If the Club can weaken the Army even more than it is, then this Phalange minority will be the only relatively strong force on the Christian scene and become the "army" of the Club.
Another reason the Club wants to weaken the Lebanese Army is that the Army is nationalistic and is a safety valve for Lebanon to ensure the Palestinian right of return to Palestine, Lebanese nationhood and the resistance culture led by Hezbollah, with which is has excellent relations.
For their part, the Welch Club wants to keep some Palestinians in Lebanon for cheap labor, ship others to countries willing to take them (and be paid handsomely to do so by American taxpayers) and allow at most a few thousand to return to Palestine to settle the 'right of return' issue while at the same time signing a May 17th 1983 type treaty with Israel with enriches the Club members and gives Israel Lebanon's water and much of Lebanon's sovereignty.
Long story short, Fatah el-Islam must be silenced at all costs. Their tale, if told, is poison for the Club and its sponsors. We will likely see their attempted destruction in the coming days.
Hezbollah is watching and supporting the Lebanese army.
Franklin Lamb's recent book, The Price We Pay: A Quarter Century of Israel's use of American Weapon's against Lebanon (1978-2006) is available at Amazon.com.uk. Hezbollah: A Brief Guide for Beginners is expected in early summer.
Dr. Lamb can be reached at fplamb @ gmail.com.
(source: http://www.counterpunch.org/lamb05242007.html)
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The Neocon regime in Washington starts yet another war
First there was Afghanistan, then Iraq, then Somalia (yes, this is a US started war), and now there is Lebanon/Palestine. Please follow me here step by step:
For a description of the US "redirection", i.e. using Al-Qaeda to fight Hezbollah and the Shia in Iraq, please read this.
Then for a description of what the effects on the groud are, read this.
For a confirmation that the US is, indeed, behind this attack see here.
Finally, here is an accout of what is going on written by a Lebanese blogger.
Clearly, what is taking place is yet another US war waged on Israel's behalf (what interest could the USA have in supporting Al-Qaeda anywhere?!).
Combine this with the current Israeli attack on Gaza (where the US and Israel train, finance and arms Mohammed Dahlan's thugs) and you have a clear picture of what is going on.
Sure - this is a war by proxy, but nobody in the Middle-East has any illusions as to who is behind this.
After Olmert & Cheney got their asses kicked in Lebanon by Hezbollah, they have come up with yet another brilliant plan: to use Sunni thugs (Fatah in Gaza) and Salafists (Fatah Al-Islam in Lebanon) to fight the next covert US Imperial war. This will become a textbook example of blowback originating action.
For a description of the US "redirection", i.e. using Al-Qaeda to fight Hezbollah and the Shia in Iraq, please read this.
Then for a description of what the effects on the groud are, read this.
For a confirmation that the US is, indeed, behind this attack see here.
Finally, here is an accout of what is going on written by a Lebanese blogger.
Clearly, what is taking place is yet another US war waged on Israel's behalf (what interest could the USA have in supporting Al-Qaeda anywhere?!).
Combine this with the current Israeli attack on Gaza (where the US and Israel train, finance and arms Mohammed Dahlan's thugs) and you have a clear picture of what is going on.
Sure - this is a war by proxy, but nobody in the Middle-East has any illusions as to who is behind this.
After Olmert & Cheney got their asses kicked in Lebanon by Hezbollah, they have come up with yet another brilliant plan: to use Sunni thugs (Fatah in Gaza) and Salafists (Fatah Al-Islam in Lebanon) to fight the next covert US Imperial war. This will become a textbook example of blowback originating action.
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