Beirut Spring

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Aoun The Deceiver

The political manipulation of the “Islamizing Lebanon” incident shows that the FPM’s leadership is yet again deliberately using deception as a political tactic.

Mustapha Hamoui · Jul 9, 2007

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Undoing Syria’s Internet Ban

The Syrian regime has blocked websites it doesn’t like from public access. But if you’re in Syria, there are many ways you can go around that ban and continue reading your favorite websites, without anyone ever noticing. A tutorial.

Mustapha Hamoui · Jul 8, 2007

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Will Lebanon ‘Erupt’ On July 15?

When the Syrian government asks all its citizens to leave Lebanon before July 15 and Iranians newspapers write of an upcoming eruption in mid July, not to mention the fact that Israeli intelligence starts taking precautions, should we, the Lebanese, be worried? Or are these all theatrics to push us to compromise? Any thoughts on this?

Mustapha Hamoui · Jul 8, 2007

Fact Check: The Bishops Were Wrong

After numbers were released that effectively pull the rug under their previous claims, the Bishops should apologize to the Lebanese public.Finally, the real deity has spoken: Numbers.Fact 1: There is actually a higher percentage of Christians today in the ISF than there was before, with an increase to 33.04% from 28.85% during previous governments.Fact 2: The Lebanese law, which the Patriarch had previously approved of allows for 3% of acquisition by foreigners. There is an overall foreign acquisition today of 0.1%. So much for “selling Lebanon out”Much of the damage is done, and the bishops have a moral duty to apologize. Mr. Sfeir, what would have Jesus done?

Mustapha Hamoui · Jul 7, 2007

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Thursday’s Newspapers, Quick Summary

Today’s newspapers are up on The Beirut Spring’s Newsstand.The papers by and large focus on three stories: One is about the Christians & The Seniora government (read background here), with a particularly dramatic headline by Al-Akhbar, a newspaper that made a living out of inflating Aoun’s ego: “Christian Bitterness At Seniora Intensifies”. According to The Daily Star: “Aoun blames government for Christian ‘weekness’”.The second story is about the Buzz of a potential Aoun-Hariri meeting. Interestingly, both Albalad and Annahar chose to ignore the first story and focus on this one instead, perhaps secretly hoping that the two would get along.The third story is about the upcoming Paris meeting, where the head of the Arab League Amro Moussa Tells Annahar that it will move in parallel with the Arab Initiative.Anyway, why don’t you take a look at the newspapers themselves in the Newsstand? Remember, if you like a story, all you have to do is click on the newspaper and you’ll be taken to the newspaper’s website..

Mustapha Hamoui · Jul 7, 2007

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Al-Akhbar: Israelis Working For Tribunal

Shhh, here’s something Al-Akhbar has found out:Unnamed European diplomatic sources have revealed that a group of Israeli experts have “expressed their interest” in perhaps working maybe as legal consultants in a multinational Tribunal that will prosecute Hariri’s killer, after their job in the Yugoslavia Tribunal is done.Now that amorphous blob of vagueness magically transforms itself into a first page headline: “Israelis wish to dedicate themselves to the [Hariri] Tribunal”

Mustapha Hamoui · Jul 6, 2007

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