A War Criminal (the notorious Samir Ja`ja`) is Set Free in Lebanon: Lebanese Patriots Rejoice. One of the worst and most notorious war criminals in Lebanon, a man convicted of blowing up a former prime minister, Rashid Karami--among many other crimes including the blowing up of a church, although he was later "acquitted" of that on a technicality, and a man who has sent scores of car bombs into Muslim and Christian areas throughout the civil war, is now free, by virtue of the alliance between the corrupt Saudi dynasty of Hariri and the Lebanese Forces militia. This man has a long record during the civil war, and he will most likely preside over the rejuvenation of the terrorist apparatus of the Lebanese Forces. This is a man who combines the worst in right-wing ideologies: a dedication to fascist organization and practices; a strong belief in a messianic medieval vision of monastic Christian zealotry (the Maronite Monastic Order in Lebanon had one of the most brutal militias in Lebanon); and a divisive sectarian track record of blood. This is the man that the notorious bloody right-wing militia leader Bashir Gemayyel used to use for the really really "dirty jobs" during the war. He was the one who was sent in 1978 to kill Toni Franjiyyah, his children, pets, and maids. This is the man who was the enforcer during the reign of terror when Bashir Gemayyel (and Israel behind him) ruled supreme in East Beirut. Some may say that he is or was not the only war criminal at large in Lebanon. That is true but: 1) his record is one of fascistic rule that exceeds in blood and criminality any other record; 2) he is convicted of crimes that happened AFTER the time of the general amnesty that was issued after the ostensible end of the civil war--and I am opposed to that amnesty. Don't get me wrong: all the warlords deserve to be behind bars, and deserve to be put on trial for their crimes, regardless whether they are Christian or Muslim or Druze. They all have killed innocent people and imposed rules of terror. But as As-Safir columnist Wisam Sa`adah once observed that while both sides of the civil war were war criminals, East Beirut had fascist rule while West Beirut had Inkishariyyah (Ottoman style gendarmerie)--it rhymes in Arabic, and the right-wing forces in Lebanon were the ones who contributed the most not only to the instigation and perpetuation of the civil war, but also to the most regular violations of Lebanese sovereignty and independence by inviting and dragging Syria and Israel (among other outside interventions) and even Saddam's regime (by Gen. `Awn during his glory days of power). The Hariri political inc is playing a very dangerous game: during the era of Syrian domination, the Syrian government and its lackeys were the ones who selected the "appropriate" Christian representatives. And in the "new" old era, the Hariri clan is selecting the "appropriate" Christian representatives again and they rushed the illegal freeing of Ja`ja` in the hope of undermining the power and popular support enjoyed by `Awn in the Christian community. But the Hariri plot will not work: their hollow and weak alliance is already breaking up. Yesterday, their ally Walid Jumblat gave an interview commenting on the bombings in Sharm Ash-Shaykh in which he sounded like Bin Laden. But the Washington Post which relished publishing Jumblat's statements during the Potato Revolution will not report to you on that. This will not seem as a validation of the Bush's doctrine after all. The election is over, and Jumblat no more needs Christian votes. He is back to where he was before his seasonal electoral transformation, witnessed every four years, and yet works every time to fool people. Lebanon, the late Pope once said, "is more than a homeland--it is a message." I say: Lebanon is far less than a homeland. It is a casino/brothel ruled by Lebanese dynastic Mafias, and has no hope of resurrection.