Rex Brynen: on the Palestinians in Lebanon. I have just read the letter that Rex Brynen wrote to Middle East Report (last issue) in criticism of the article from a previous issue by Muhammad Ali Khalidi and Diane Riskedahl. Muhammad Ali did a fine job responding to the letter in the same issue but I want to say a few words. First, it is nice to know that Brynen feels strongly about an issue to prompt him to write passionately a letter to a journal: in defense of Fu'ad Sanyurah's government and its war on the Palestinians in Lebanon. Second, Rex objected to the article because in his opinion Sanyurah government "has broken with more than half a century of Lebanese government policy in an effort to improve the living conditions of Palestinian refugees." Is that a reference to the destruction of the Nahr Al-Barid camp? He wants us to give credit to the Sanyurah government for the effort? He may think that the displacement of the refugees (for yet another time) has represented an improvement in their living conditions of the Palestinians, but I will defer to what the Palestinians think in that regard and not to Rex's opinions. A poll of the refugees was recently published, and people who work with the Palestinians (and not those who based their observations on the Palestinians on what Khalil Makkawi says) have a different counter story to tell. Furthermore, the Minister of Labor, Trad Hamadah, initiated the favorable changes on his own: and not with the support of the Sanyurah government as he himself told me. Successive Lebanese governments and the Syrian regime over the years did not want to improve the living conditions of the Palestinians in Lebanon, and Hizbullah did not say one word in protest. And the "reforms" of Trad Hamadah don't go far enough. Third, he refers to the Israeli war on Lebanon as "the summer war." I like that. You identify the aggression not by the identity of the aggressor but by the season in which aggression takes place. Very original--especially if you want to absolve Israel of responsibility for the crimes. Fourth, he blames the lack of changes in the plight of Palestinian refugees to the fact that the parliament has not met. Here, he simply parrots the line of Ahmad Fatfat. Let me understand your point, Rex: you are saying that Sa`d Hariri, Mustafa `Allush, and Antoine Zahra, were all planning on a complete overhaul of the plight of the Palestinians in Lebanon but the parliament has not met to legislate. Fifth, Rex is dismayed that the authors did not make a mention of the Hariri-appointed committee for dialogue. Oh, yeah. That will make a difference when it does not even include Palestinains. This is like when Ahmad Fatfat appointed a committee of officials under him in the Ministry of Interior to investigate the Marji`yun barracks' scandal. Rex does not mention that the precious Khalil Makkawi is a mere functionary of the Hariri apparatus in Lebanon. Sixth, Rex invites you all to partake in his naivite--at best--in praising the Hariri-designated LPDC because they had a good link on their website. I kid you not--he actually said that. Very persuasive indeed. I invite Rex to visit the website of Ahmad Fatfat, and I guarantee that he will be impressed too: he will call it "unique" too. Rex should also be impressed to know that House of Saud has their own Human Rights Committee in the kingdom. Wow. How transparent. Finally, my favorite part. Rex denies the existence of a conspiracy. Why? Because he assures you that he met with Sanyurah and that no conspiracy was discussed in his presence. That clinches it for me, Rex. From now on, if I have doubts about a conspiracy, I will just ask you if a conspiracy was discussed in your presence. Also, let me guess: you were deeply moved by the Sanyurah's tears in the "summer war", were you not?