Does anybody know if Abed (the famous driver of Rober Fisk) is a Fatfatist?

I have never seen the Hariri ruling group more nervous than today. Did you see Ahmad Fatfat (after whom Fatfatism is named) today on New TV? His face really told the story: he was angry, agitated, and nervous.

So the prime minister of Lebanon, Fu'ad Sanyurah, has held a Friday prayer ceremony in his office on Friday, and a Maronite mass today (also in his office). That only proves my theory: sectarianism is the last refuge of a Lebanese scoundrel.

Western news media have not reported that the Lebanonese government has closed off the Martyrs' square in order to prevent demonstrators from reaching the grave-site of Rafiq Hariri. Why? Why prevent the demonstrators from showing their affection for Hariri?

"The UCLA police officer videotaped last week using a Taser gun on a student also shot a homeless man at a campus study hall room three years ago and was earlier recommended for dismissal in connection with an alleged assault on fraternity row, authorities said."

Fatfatism (in Arabic, Al-Fatfatiyyah). This refers to the popular ideology tied to the person of the Minister of Ping Pong in Lebanon, Ahmad Fatfat--seen above to the right (a former hardcore communist turned hardcore tool of Hariri family; a man who was unconditionally loyal to the Syrian regime and became unconditionally loyal to the new patrons of the Lebanese government: US, France, and Saudi Arabia--and Israel not far behind). The ideology of Fatfatism is quite simple: it requires no commitment to principles; it merely adjusts to the interests of the political status of Ahmad Fatfat. The ideology contains contradictions: it speaks of democracy and "liberalism" and yet cultivates support among Bin Laden supporters in North Lebanon and serves as a client for Saudi Wahhabism; it speaks in favor of "sovereignty" and "independence" while it faithfully represented the interests of the tyrannical Syrian regime, and now represents the external patrons of Sanyurah. The ideology of Fatfatism believes that the most effective way for fighting foreign occupation is serving tea to the occupation soldiers. While it is widely believed that Fatfatism is a Lebanese phenomenon, it is now noticed that Fatfatism is spreading in countries in the Middle East and well beyond the Middle East. In fact, a Fatfatist political party is now the most powerful opposition party in Austria. Faftatism is an international political ideology, and some people compare it to Marxism in the 20th century. (Somebody should add an entry on Fatfatism to Wikipedia). Fatfat is also credited for eleveating the sketch art of the Lebanese police into an respected and sophisticated art form.

This headline of the New York Times is a lie.

In an unpublished article, Khodr Awarki makes a good point. Where were the Arab leaders (who are so concerned over the plight of Sanyurah) when Yasir `Arafat was placed under house arrest by Israeli troops? How come those corrupt Arab leaders were not alarmed back then? Today, Sulayman Franjiyyah pointed out the irony of Husni Mubarak offering the Lebanese people lessons in democracy.

"Exodus from Iraq unsettles Mideast"

"Some of the poorest and most marginalized people in the country, Shiite Muslims, have abandoned their homes in suburban slums to camp out on the nation's priciest bit of real estate. Though they often have trudged through Lebanese history as war refugees, now they have managed to displace Lebanon's wealthiest shop owners. They also have surrounded Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, barricaded in his office."

"The Saudis are understood to be considering providing Sunni military leaders with funding, logistical support and even arms, as Iran already does for Shia militia in Iraq."

"I think there is no alternative but to rank him as the worst president in U.S. history."

From Rumsfeld's memo: "¶Provide money to key political and religious leaders (as Saddam Hussein did), to get them to help us get through this difficult period."

"Guacamole makers sued for using too little avocado"

"The mounting crisis threatening the Siniora government in Lebanon, and the specter of a Hezbollah takeover, have spurred senior Israeli government officials in Jerusalem to raise several proposals in recent days aimed at strengthening Siniora, who faces street protests that Hezbollah has launched against his government."

"According to senior Israeli sources, Ehud Olmert, Israel’s prime minister, will soon meet high-ranking Saudi officials to explore the formation of a group of moderate Arab countries to negotiate with Tel Aviv over the future of the Middle East. A preliminary meeting between Olmert and a leading Saudi representative took place in Amman, the Jordanian capital, at the end of September. According to Israeli sources, the Saudi was Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the former ambassador to Washington and one of the closest advisers to King Abdullah, the Saudi ruler."

"Israel Defense Forces troops shot and killed 16-year-old Jamil al-Zabazhi, who was throwing rocks at soldiers near the West Bank city of Nablus."

"In the centre of Beit Hanoun, there is nothing left of the 800-year-old mosque but the minaret. It looks like a lighthouse stranded in a sea of rubble. People whose homes were demolished during the latest Israeli army incursion sit on plastic chairs around bonfires. At night they bunk down with the neighbours. One of them is Watfa Kafarna. 'I saw the Israeli soldiers eye-to-eye,' she said. 'They took my four-year-old grandson, Mahadi, who has Down's syndrome. They shook him and yelled: "Where are the guns?" Now he is traumatised and wets the bed every night.'"

Well. Fu'ad Sanyurah has nothing to worry about. Not only does he have his tears; but none other than the Iraqi puppet foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari called him and expressed full support for his government. It is not clear if Zebari offered his help in the area of ethnic, sectarian, and tribal reconciliation and harmony.

What do you want? I am not sure. When do you want it? I don't know. Some time later. The opposition movement in Lebanon has the most bland agenda: they think that Sanyurah has collaborated with the Israeli occupation--but they don't say that officially--and yet they want the same Sanyurah to expand the cabinet to include `Awn's forces. So the chants against Sanyurah will be irrelevant because Hizbullah is still willing to enter a cabinet under his leadership. They talk about "corruption" but they don't say how they will clean it up. They remain willing to enter into a larger cabinet that includes the same corrupt and unsavory characters, and the Amal Movement is a symbol of corruption in Lebanon, just like Jumblat and his cronies. The opposition does not include in their demands any accountability for the behavior of the Sanyurah government during the war, and for the sins of delayed reconstruction. Hizbullah, bizarrely, refuses to even notice that Saudi Arabia and the Arab governments are openly siding with Hariri Inc. And--more bizarrely--Al-Akhbar newspaper still carries the bland statements by the Saudi ambassador on its first page daily--not to mention the fawning praise for Saudi Arabia in every Lebanese newspapers. New TV is the only exception, to its credit, but the connection with Qatar makes it easier. But the March 14th Movement has very limited options: what can they do? They can't cash the daily dosage of US rhetoric about "the free and democratic government" of Lebanon. I heard that talk before about the government of right-wing gangs and death squads headed by Amin Gemayyel in 1983. Back then: France, US and Saudi Arabia also supported it. We know the rest of the story and the consequences of US support for Gemayyel. Do you remember when Gemayyel threatened to bomb Damascus when he was on a visit to DC back in 1983? Only a few months later he was begging to visit Syria. Do you know that no president visited Syria more than Gemayyel? More even than Lahhud. But nobody has visited Damascus and prostrated himself before the unsavory characters of the tyrannical Syrian regime more than Rafiq Hariri. I am amused when I read in the western press references to him as "anti-Syrian". Do you know that in the last interview he gave (a day before his assassination)--to As-Safir--he praised the Syrian regime and attacked Amin Gemayyel (without naming him) and said that he would not even allow him to visit Quraytim (his headquarters)? So the opposition will declare victory if the same Sanyurah agrees to expand the government, while remaining as prime minister. OK.

Hizbullah should have protested against Fu'ad Sanyuah back in the mid-1990s when his (and Rafiq Hairiri's) economic policies impoverished Lebanon, and burdened its population with an enormous debt.

Nothing annoys me about the March 14th Movement in Lebanon and the opposition movement is their frequent invocation of the word "civilized" to describe their activities and movements. I just heard a Hizbullah leader talk about the "civilized" nature of the protests. Civilized? What is with that obsession? Count me out of any movement that aims at "civilized" behavior. They all want to be like the White Man. It is a disease in Lebanon, afflicting all political movements and groups.

"Another billionaire Saudi middleman was named last night in the Serious Fraud Office's controversial Saudi arms deal inquiry, according to potential witnesses. The SFO is seeking information about any Swiss bank accounts belonging to Mohammad Safadi, a Lebanese politician who has acted for relatives of Prince Sultan, crown prince of Saudi Arabia." (This guy--a minister in the beloved Sanyurah government--is one of the "democracy" leaders in Lebanon. He is a business partner of Turki Al-Faysal (Saudi ambassador in the US). (thanks Muhammad and Manar)

Notice that the New York Times which repeatedly featured the demonstrations of March 14 on the first page placed the article on yesterday's demonstration in the inside pages. It also felt necessary to describe the demonstration this way: "The official goal was to overthrow the government, but the atmosphere was bizarrely festive on Friday as hundreds of thousands of Hezbollah supporters poured into the center of Beirut." Why bizarre? What was bizarre? That it was not violent? (thanks Laleh)

"With Western help and support from Persian Gulf states, the Lebanese government has been quietly building up a loyal force dominated by Sunni Muslims and Maronite Christians in anticipation of a possible showdown with the Shia Hezbollah militia and other pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian forces." (They really think that the Fatfat militia will rescue them?) (thanks Muhammad)

"The US reiterated its support to Siniora late Thursday, saying America continues to support the premier "to advance the interests of the Lebanese people."" (The government that has been skillful in identifying the interests of the Iraqi people is now identifying the interests of the Lebanese people).

"Joschka Fischer thinks he is being wise here. He thinks that he is offering original ideas. He attempts to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict. Listen to him calling for: "a decisive and realistic initiative to resolve the Israeli-Arab conflict." What does that mean?

"In a country where political factions compete bitterly to turn out larger crowds, the outpouring was an embarrassing challenge to the government's legitimacy. The opposition calls Siniora's government a tool of the U.S. Embassy and says Shiites and Christians are not fairly represented."

"On November 11—the night Hezbollah bolted from the government—I had dinner with the anti-Syrian Druze leader Walid Jumblatt. The typically engaging but somewhat depressed Jumblatt seemed unusually distressed that night."

"Many of Iraq’s leading politicians have moved quietly back into self-imposed exile in Britain because of the dangers of living and working in Baghdad. Half a dozen senior figures, including former prime ministers, Cabinet members, and even the heir to the Iraqi throne, have relocated to fashionable areas of London. Scores of other politicians living in Iraq have kept second homes in London as possible bolt holes."

A posthumous interview with Muhammad Al-Maghut.

"The estimates are that there were between 800,000 and a million people on the streets today. That’s a quarter of the entire population of Lebanon. The equivalent in the U.S., which has a population of about 300 million people, would be if 75 million people participated in a single street demonstration. So this affects everyone in the country."

Why did Shadid refer to Iran and Syria as "patrons" (of Hizbullah), and France and US as "allies" (of Sanyurah)? Either they both have patrons, or they both have allies. And why did he offer this distinction between the two sides: "one more religiously traditional, one more liberal." What? Are you kidding me? Lebanese Forces are liberal? Jumblat is liberal? The Sunni fundamentalist groups (supporters of Bin Laden, like Shaykh Khalil Al-Mays, Mufti Muhammad `Ali Al-Juzu (who supported the attacks of Sep. 11) who are major allies of Hariri Inc are liberal now? The Phalanges Party is liberal? The Sunni Mufti and the Maronite Patriarch are liberal? Unbecoming. The Independent, for example, is more consistent. It calls Sanyurah's government "US-backed", and it calls Hizbullah "Syrian and Iranian-backed."

K. in Beirut sent me this on CNN's Brend Sadler:
"Did you know that the people who want to bring down the Siniora govenrment are extremely obese? This has been proven by none other than CNN. They calculated last year that about 1 million Hariri supporters filled Sahat al-Shuhada on March 14, whereas this year the people who filled the same Sahat in addition to Riyadh al-Solh Square and Bishara al-Khoury place and the Jisr al-Ring are "maybe 200,000" according to Brent Sadler. In other words, each demonstrateor today equals in body size about 7-10 March 14th demonstrators. No wonder people (i.e. fashionably skinny beirut dwellers, a. k. a. "the lebanese people") are so afraid of them.
P.S. Actually, according to the brilliant Sadler, the demonstrations that followed Hariri's assassination occured "several years ago." I guess he wanted to show that big corporation journalists can provide an historical angle."

From Beirut today: I can't stand the Cedar flag. I still recommend the Hummus flag instead. (See above).

Nicholas Blanford now competes with Brend Salder of CNN for the job of the most loyal and consistent propagandist for Hariri Inc. (thanks MD)

"Hundreds of thousands of protesters from Hezbollah and its pro-Syrian opposition allies massed Friday in downtown Beirut seeking to force the resignation of Western-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, who was holed up in his office ringed by hundreds of police and combat troops." (So Michel `Awn is now "pro-Syrian"?)

Sulayman Franjiyyah issued a statement in which he said that he didn't intend to insult the Maronite Patriarch. So I was curious to find out what he had said. I called my sources in Beirut, and was told that in a live interview on Al-Manar TV, Franjiyyah said: that "the Patriarch saw women and tahayyaj (got aroused)." Franjiyyah said that he intended to say "tahammas" (got enthusiastic).

"U.S. Assigns Terror Score to International Travelers" (Those who score high, get a blender.)

I was told that many Hariri pictures in at-Tariq al-Jadidah in Beirut were removed because they were afraid of the demonstrators spotting them.

Many of the chants in the Beirut demonstrations today referred to the tears of Fu'ad Sanyurah. When Sanyurah heard the chants, he made this statement: "boo hoo hoo."

I suspect pro-Israeli Dahlan gangs.

""Not all foreign affairs can be reduced to soundbites. This is why I was frustrated. One time I was on 'Nightline' and they said they would give me a long time: four minutes. Then I was on Al Jazeera where they told me that time would go by fast. They gave me 90 minutes. Here you have to make everything into cut or uncut soundbites," AbuKhalil said." (I told the UCLA reporter "cute" not "cut." I knew that he did not understand me. I repeated to him: "cute" and "uncute" but knew that he did not get that. I also asked him to write that I came to UCLA to test the theory that Middle East looking men get tasered. He did not write that.)

"In its original letter to the couple, Lisa Jensen and Bill Trimarco, the association said some neighbors had found the peace symbol politically “divisive.”" (thanks Ema)

Michael Slackman's articles from Lebanon have been good. But notice the picture that they placed to go with the article. Notice that a handful of people supporting Sanyurah get more coverage than the hundreds of thousands of the opposition. At least the NYT did not send Hassan Fattah to Beirut.