Should We Bargain With Jund Al Sham?

The Hariri family is showing signs that it might bargain with Jund Al Sham again. Is that a good idea?

Their blood is not for sale

Today, Hariri-owned Almustaqbal newspaper carried this curious little news piece:

???? ???? “?????? ???????????” ?????? ???? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???? ??????? ??????? ?? ?????? ???? ???????? ????? ?? ??? ?? ?????? “??? ?????” ?? ???? ??? ??????? ?? ????? ??? ????? “??? ???????”? ????? ?????? ????. ????? ?????? ??????? ???? ?????????.

Translation (mine):

The PSP’s leader Walid Jumblat, after his press conference yesterday, received a call from M.P. Bahia Al Hariri in which she explained that Jund Al Sham in Ein Al Hilwe does not belong to the Fateh Al Islam Mafia, and that it’s different. M.P. Jumblat has shown interest in her explanation.

Bahia Al Hariri, the sister of the slain prime minister might be tempted to buy-out Jund Al Sham, a group that killed two Lebanese soldiers just today. Is that sensible?

Ms. Hariri might have calculated that Jund Al Sham should be appeased until the Army finishes its mission in Nahrel Bared. By that she’d be buying time to avoid stretching our Army to fight two simultaneous wars. After that, the Army would move back near Ain El Helwe to deter them. That would be reasonable.

In the case, however, of this being a long-term plan. Ms. Hariri should think again. Her previous bargain with Jund Al Sham is what Michal Young called a “spectacular blunder” that lead many (Hersh & co.) to believe that the Hariris were actually funding the Salafist Terrorists:

The lie about the government financing of Fatah al-Islam has been given legitimacy thanks to a spectacular blunder by the Hariri camp, in particular Bahiyya al-Hariri. A few months ago she helped resolve a crisis that had resulted from the presence of Islamists located in the Taamir district of Sidon, abutting the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, by paying compensation money to Jund al-Sham militants so they would leave the area. From the narrow perspective of Sidon, which Bahiyya al-Hariri represents in Parliament, this made sense

But do such plans last? Michael Young again:

However, instead of disbanding, a number of the militants went to Nahr al-Bared, according to Palestinian sources. There, they joined Fatah al-Islam. Now the Hariris look like they financed Islamists, when they were really only doing what they usually do when facing a problem: trying to buy it away.”

Some accused Rafic Hariri of being killed because he’s too much of an appeaser. Let’s hope his sister and son have learned.