A Trap



Lebanese politics


The kidnapping (and now, killing) of two P.S.P youths should be seen for what it is: An attempt at provocation.
 


 
One look at the comments section in Naharnet’s coverage of the incident is enough to give us a clear idea of how high the feelings are running in Lebanon right now. A PSP sympathizer threatens from his comfortable seat in Dubai that they will “hunt Hezbollah Down”. Another hot head from, you guessed it, Dallas TX makes it more clear: “Return them or else”.
 
It is not yet clear who kidnapped Ziad Ghandour and Ziad Kabalan (pictured), but the objective might precisely be the “or else” above. An “Anonymous source” (always anonymous) throws in the theory that it might be a vendetta act from Hezbollah members to revenge the killing of one of their own.
 
The country is rife with rumors, politicians are scrambling to contain the situation and armed forces have spread all over Beirut to establish security. What’s imperative right now is that we all stand back from the brink and cool our heads.
 
Perhaps something good might come out of this incident too. For the first time in months, Druze leader walid Jumblat spoke with Speaker Berri. Let’s hope that this crisis ends and turns into an opportunity.

Entries (RSS)Do you like this post? Would you like to be always updated with new posts on this website? If so, please subscribe to this blog's RSS feed? (tell me more)


 

Discussion

No comments for “A Trap”

  1. What concerns me is precisely that Joumblat talked to Berri, and the way he talked to him.

    It looks exactly like the bad old days, when warlords negotiated directly with one another, with little concern for the state.

    The other odd thing is that those are 2 Sunni members of PSP (?)… One of them is a 12 year precocious political activist?

    Posted by Jeha | April 26, 2007, 2:50 am
  2. This is a scary situation. Couple of incidents like that and we have 1975 again. “They” have to contain it right away. I think Mr. “Divine Victory”, has to contact the families himself to assure that they are not involved.

    There is a big possibility that a third party did that (Like the Syrians, for example). We all know that how much Syria is praying for stability in Lebanon!

    Posted by LebanesePatriot | April 26, 2007, 3:04 am
  3. Lebanese are by ‘default’ very aware of any commencement of civil war. I think we can handle high restraint when needed.

    Someone is playing games, and its certainly NOT Lebanese! I am not saying it’s Israeli, neither am I saying it’s American, nor Syrian. AllI am saying, this is not a Lebanese act! Someone wants to create strife, and is has immense power of spreading rumors throughout the country. Reasonably, Syria had such influence on Lebanese social affairs, down to the social apparatus to be able to spread such rumors - But to be fair, I am not blaming them.

    It’s about time the Lebanese settle this! It’s been 6 Months they’ve been in Centre-Ville. Have they broke the world record for a demonstration? Can it still be called a Demonstration?

    Posted by Joseph | April 26, 2007, 5:12 am
  4. May Allah bless our two martyrs, Allah yente2em min l mejermeen

    Posted by hady | April 26, 2007, 8:04 pm
  5. very eary , scary and quiet in Beirut right now , u shud have seen how the people vacated ABC when the news first broke out about their death. What a tragedy a 12 year old boy tortured and killed , one year younger than my brother…when will this end , i still remember the night when 4 phalangists were killed and thrown in ashrafiyeh by palestinians , forgive me for provoking these memories , scared to death and worried , till when will the lebanese continue to survive these incidents ,a will we endure it this time wth all those tempers flaring and rage surging.

    Posted by SAd SAD Day | April 26, 2007, 8:35 pm
  6. i knew both of them, the 12 y.o used to play football with my brother he lived a minute away from my place im now in Sweden and was shocked when i heard the news. R.I.P

    Posted by EF | April 26, 2007, 10:19 pm
  7. Sorry for your loss EF. It is that of every lebanese. The time now is for grief.

    Posted by beirutspring | April 26, 2007, 10:23 pm
  8. By now we should all the quality of people the 14 March movement are against. After the attacks that took place in the Tareek il jdeedeh, some supporter of the hizbolla regym went down to Wata mousaitbeh and started shooting, in return they were shot back,…when the Shamas was shot,..Ziab Kabalan was there at the shooting but he in return drove Shamas to the Hospital,..And they kill him for that DEED…What a murder…Who is behind this is definetly not Lebanese, or perhaps pretending to be one

    Posted by March 14 | April 27, 2007, 7:10 am
  9. Trap and Trapped are one! And if you understand that, there isn’t any trap left :-)

    Lets not switch the blame of either Syria or Israel to a Lebanese Sectarian Divide.

    Posted by Joseph | April 28, 2007, 1:44 pm
  10. [...] Compromise is in the air, but who’s going to give? You know a solution to the Lebanese impasse is in the making when American Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman gives an Interview to Al-Akhbar, a notoriously pro-opposition newspaper, when Naim Kassem is not wagging his fingers too much, when Michel Aoun appears receptive and when Hariri’s Al-mustaqbal newspaper features Palestine, Iraq and Turkey as main news items on its main page. The initial spark that set this virtuous circle moving is the combination of Walid jumblat’s reaction to the murders of Ziad and Ziad, where he sent an olive branch to his political opponents, and Mr. Sanioura’s initiative where he hinted that he doesn’t mind giving the opposition a veto-wielding share of the government as long as they agreed to a pre-determined program.  It is unclear how far the PSP leader and his allies are willing to compromise without appearing to be selling out, but what’s clear is that the brutal murder presented March 14 with an opportunity to backtrack without sounding weak. Jumblat, who only recently criticized his own MPs for cheerfully hugging and greeting March 8 MPs whom he described as “peddlers of the culture of death”, might have calculated that the best response to forces who want to destabilize Lebanon is further Lebanese rapprochement. bookmark: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]

    Posted by The Beirut Spring » Something Brewing | May 1, 2007, 8:37 am
  11. [...] • Can the Lebanese reduce the mobile phone rates?• The killing of Ziad & Ziad• Loans for bosoms• Hezbollah cheating on their exams? [...]

    Posted by Best Of 2007 | The Beirut Spring, a Lebanese Blog | December 31, 2007, 5:19 pm

Post a comment

Hello, my name is Mustapha and I blog in The Beirut Spring about Lebanese society and politics. I started in February 2005 after the killing of P.M. Rafik Hariri.

Rss

Subscribe
 

Latest Posts

Israel Might Do Something…Anything
Israel Might Do Something…Anything
August 8, By Mustapha
The Beirut Spring Is Now A Family
The Beirut Spring Is Now A Family
August 7, By Mustapha
General Petraeus’ Visit To Lebanon. Protocol Or More?
General Petraeus’ Visit To Lebanon. Protocol Or More?
August 6, By Mustapha
Guest Writer: Why It Matters That Mika Is Not Lebanese
Guest Writer: Why It Matters That Mika Is Not Lebanese
August 4, By Mustapha

More From the Beirutspring network

Lebanese Bloggers

Middle Eastern Bloggers

RSS Subscribers

Blog Featured In