2006–2008 Lebanese protests

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2006–2008 Lebanese political protests
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2006-2008 Lebanese protests
Dec 10, 2006 anti-government rally in Beirut
Date1 December 2006 (2006-12-01) – 21 May 2008 (2008-05-21)
Location
 Lebanon
Caused by
Goals
Methods
Concessions
Number
2 million (maximum) protestors

The 2006–2008 Lebanese protests were a series of political protests and

Shi'a supporting the opposition. The Christian community was split between the two factions, with Michel Aoun, the leader of the FPM, claiming to have more than 70% support among the Christians, based on the results of the 2005 parliamentary election.[3][4][5][6]

The opposition, which had nearly 45% of the parliamentary seats, was seeking to create a

President of Lebanon
must receive two-thirds of the votes in the first session or an absolute majority of votes in subsequent sessions.

On 8 April 2007, Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the opposition, declared the situation deadlocked, but expressed an unwillingness to escalate the protests into a civil war.[9] He suggested the status quo would continue until the regularly scheduled elections in 2009.[9] Nevertheless, a new wave of sectarian violence started in Lebanon in May 2008. Responding to the government's crackdown on Hezbollah's secured network the militants belonging to the organization and its allies blocked Beirut airport as well as main city streets, paralyzing life in the capital. On 8 May 2008, gun battles erupted between Hezbollah supporters and pro-government loyalists, while the leader of the organization called the government's decision "a declaration of war".[10]

Following

Michel Sulaiman as president and the formation of a national unity government under Fouad Siniora
.

Background

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The Lebanese Parliament in downtown Beirut. This is where national unity government talks were held.

Following the

elections in July 2005, anti-Syrian and pro-American politicians held the majority of the twenty four seats in Prime Minister Fouad Siniora
's cabinet, as well as the majority of the democratically elected parliament. Pro-Syrian and the Aoun Movement politicians held a minority of the seats in both the Cabinet of Ministers and the Parliament. Even though they held a majority, the pro-US group were not able to secure a two-thirds majority. Unlike other democracies, Lebanon cannot be ruled by a simple majority.

The anti-Syrian politicians were primarily members of the

Rafik Hariri, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, and PSP leader Walid Jumblatt, amongst others. The opposition politicians were primarily members of anti-Syrian and Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, pro-Syrian Hassan Nasrallah's Hezbollah, and Nabih Berri
's Amal Movement.

As political division in Lebanon persisted, Speaker of the Parliament

Shebaa farms, being held by Israel. Also on the agenda, the establishment of diplomatic relations with Syria.[11]

On July 12, 2006, a

Rafiq Hariri International Airport
.

However, due to the failure of Israeli forces to eliminate

Katyusha rockets and mortar attacks on northern Israel
, did not rescue its two captured soldiers, Hezbollah declared victory. By resisting destruction at the hands of a far more powerful opponent, Hezbollah's support in Lebanon increased significantly amongst sectors of the population. The ruling government, by contrast, was seen by some as impotent in comparison, for its failure to effectively combat the Israeli forces.

Syria and its allies declared the ruling government illegitimate, prevented the parliament from meeting and would not allow presidential elections to replace

Bashar al-Asad's objections to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (Asad reportedly told Ban Ki-moon
in April 2007 that "Instability would intensify if the Special tribunal were established).

Before the protest

Timeline

  • October 21, 2006 – The United Nations sent a draft plan for the creation of the
    Rafik Hariri to the Lebanese government.[18]
  • October 27, 2006 – Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri called for a resumption of the March 2 "National Dialogue" among all of Lebanon's political leaders, set to begin three days later on October 30, 2006. The day before the conference, he delayed the talks one week, citing the absence of several important officials.[19][20]
  • October 30, 2006 – In a televised interview on
    Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned of "street demonstrations" to demand early elections if the National Dialogue conference failed to form a national unity government.[21] He said Hezbollah and its allies should have at least a third of the Cabinet,[22] which would give it veto power.[23]
  • November 1, 2006 – The United States warned of a plot amid "mounting evidence" that Syria, Iran, and Hezbollah were planning to topple the Lebanese government in order to stop the creation of the Hariri tribunal.[18] Syria's ambassador to the US rejected the allegations as "ridiculous" and added "We, in Syria, respect the sovereignty of Lebanon",[18] while an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the claims were "aimed to create divisions among Lebanese people and their government."[24] Hezbollah said the US backing of the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora was "a blatant interference" in Lebanon's internal affairs, and vowed to pursue its demand for a national unity government.[24]
  • November 11, 2006 – The five Shi'a Ministers resigned from the Cabinet; one independent, two from
    Security Council for endorsement.[25][26] Pro-Syrian leaders in Lebanon argued that the Cabinet did not have the authority to approve the accord because it lacked the sectarian representation called for in the Lebanese constitution.[25][26]
  • November 19, 2006 – Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech telling his followers to be "psychologically" ready for protests, and demanding the formation of a national unity government.[23] He insisted that the protests should remain peaceful.
  • November 21, 2006 – Lebanon's Industry Minister Pierre Amine Gemayel was assassinated in his car by gunmen in Jdeideh, a Christian neighborhood on the outskirts of Beirut, bringing the Cabinet one seat closer to the nine empty seats that would force it to collapse.[27] He was a young, outspoken opponent of Syria's occupation of Lebanon and its influence in the country. Analysts said Gemayel's death was likely to worsen tensions in the already divided country.[28] Hours after the assassination, the Security Council approved the draft accord for the creation of the Hariri tribunal, sending it to the Lebanese government for final approval.[29]
  • November 23, 2006 – An estimated 800,000 people attended the funeral of Pierre Gemayel,[30] turning it into a political rally against Syria and its supporters.[31]
  • November 25, 2006 – The seventeen remaining Cabinet Ministers approved the creation of the Hariri tribunal. However, President Émile Lahoud called the vote "null and void", deeming the Cabinet unconstitutional due to its lack of Shi'a representation.[30][32] In addition, the Speaker of the Parliament and leader of Amal, Nabih Berri, was not expected to bring the matter before the Parliament for a vote on the same constitutionality grounds.[32] Both Hassan Nasrallah and Nabih Berri, the leaders of Hezbollah and Amal, respectively, stated that they supported the creation of the tribunal, despite their opposition to the Cabinet that passed the accord supporting it.[32]
  • November 26, 2006 – Sheik
    Naim Kassem, Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary-General, told Al-Manar television that Hezbollah would not provide the government with advance notice of when it would begin protests.[33]
  • November 30, 2006 – On the eve of the protest, Hassan Nasrallah, issued a televised message through Al-Manar, urging his supporters to take to the street and start a series of peaceful protests against the government.[34][35] In his speech, Nasrallah had cited the need for a "national unity" government, in order to "preserve Lebanon's independence and its sovereignty, prevent Lebanon from falling under any foreign tutelage, to strengthen the foundations of security, stability and civil peace, to cooperate in addressing the suffocating social and economic crisis, to address the political crises through true representation of all Lebanese movements and groups, to give real participation in the country's administration and to deal with various crises and face various existing challenges local, regional and international."[36]

The protest

Timeline

Lebanese opposition demonstration on December 1, 2006
Father and daughter during the demonstration on December 1, 2006
Man waving the flag of Hezbollah, December 1, 2006
Women carrying Lebanese flags, Dec 10, 2006
Aoun supporters wearing orange elf hats, December 10, 2006
Protestors on December 10, 2006

Arab League meetings

Amr Moussa, the Arab League secretary-general, called on Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to intervene to help Lebanon's deepening political crisis.[64] Having been to the country with Moussa later on, the Arab League presidential envoy, Osman Ismail, said a road map had been set up to deal with the situation in Lebanon. However, according to many analysts, it was described as being rigged with mines that could explode anytime.[65] And ultimately, Fouad Siniora stated that Lebanon was witnessing a very difficult moment in its history.

We have reached a deadlock and cannot seem to agree on any of the outstanding issues.[65]

Economic impact

The ongoing protests were estimated to cost the Lebanese economy approximately $70 million a day, or $560 million thus far, according to Lebanon's Economy Minister,

2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict, was also adversely impacted from the mounting tensions after the November 21, 2006 assassination of Cabinet Minister Pierre Gemayel. With Lebanon being a popular holiday destination, businesses also fear that the drop in tourism will further impact their business, with Paul Achkar, head of the Lebanese hotel association, stating that hotel occupancy is currently 25% of normal.[66]

In March 2007,

Standard Chartered Bank published a report that expressed concern about the ability of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government to push for fiscal and economic reforms amid the acute political division in the country.[67]

Position of foreign governments

Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan

On November 27, 2006, King Abdullah II of Jordan warned that the world might witness three civil wars in 2007 – one in Iraq, one in the Palestinian territories, and one in Lebanon.[68]

As the protest began, leaders in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan publicly supported Siniora.[69] Egyptian President

French television that the opposition was being unreasonable. "There is also the risk of outside interference in these demonstrations. That can lead to very serious confrontations and even lead to the destruction of Lebanon," he said.[47]

Israel

On December 5, 2006 the Israeli government considered redeploying troops in Lebanon, without regard for the UNIFIL forces already in the country, if the Hezbollah-led protest succeeds in toppling the current Lebanese government.[70][full citation needed] An Israeli government staff and a journalist from the Jerusalem Post warned that the goal of both Hezbollah and its sponsor, Iran, if achieved, could lead to negative results beyond Israel.[70]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b MPLBelgique.org (December 1, 2011). "Rétrospective – décembre 2006 : Retour sur le mouvement d’opposition au gouvernement Siniora… où joie et bonne humeur contrastent avec la haine prônée aujourd’hui par le clan Hariri".
  2. ^ Cecil, Bill, "Half of Lebanon rallies to demand sweeping changes". Retrieved January 14, 2007.
  3. ^ Chassay, Clancy (December 13, 2006). "Christian leader says Lebanese opposition ready for power". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
  4. ^ Patience, Martin (January 26, 2007). "Lebanese Christians split over protests". BBC. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
  5. ^ Ladki, Nadim (August 6, 2007). "Lebanon by-election highlights Christian disunity". Reuters. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
  6. Al Ahram. Archived from the original
    on May 14, 2008. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
  7. ^ a b c San Francisco Chronicle (December 15, 2006). "In Lebanon, Saniora stiffens his resistance". Retrieved December 18, 2006.
  8. ^ Reuters (December 18, 2006). "Lebanon opposition demands early elections" . Retrieved December 18, 2006.
  9. ^ a b Ladki, Nadim (April 8, 2007). "Hezbollah sees deadlock, Lebanon crisis continuing". Beirut: Reuters / Boston Globe. Retrieved April 8, 2007.
  10. ^ Ladki, Nadim (May 8, 2008). "Reuters: Hezbollah says Beirut government declares war". Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
  11. ^ Congressional Research Service (March 16, 2006). "CRS Issue Brief for Congress: Lebanon". Retrieved December 12, 2006.
  12. ^ Lebanon Sees More Than 1,000 War Deaths Archived February 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Reuters (January 23, 2007). "Lebanon faces major environmental harm: UN". Retrieved January 23, 2007.
  14. ^ Catholic News Service (January 20, 2007). "Mother asks questions of family’s survival from the war in Lebanon" Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 23, 2006.
  15. ^ Gulf News Daily (January 23, 2007). "Lebanon crisis plan upgraded by Philippines". Retrieved January 23, 2007.
  16. ^ BBC News (August 23, 2006). "Israel accused of war crimes ". Retrieved January 26, 2007.
  17. ^ BBC News (October 1, 2006). "UN hails Israel's Lebanon pullout ". Retrieved January 26, 2007.
  18. ^ a b c BBC News (November 1, 2006). "US issues Lebanon 'plot' warning". Retrieved December 12, 2006.
  19. ^ Lebanon unity talks delayed Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ Naharnet (October 27, 2006). "Hizbullah to Join Talks on National Unity Government, Jumblat Will Not". Retrieved December 12, 2006.
  21. ^ Naharnet (November 1, 2006). "Nasrallah Warns of 'Street Demonstrations' if National Unity Government is not Formed". Retrieved December 12, 2006.
  22. ^ Nasrallah: "Israeli" onslaught served majority`s goals, "Some coalition leaders want resistance disarmed" Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ a b Al Jazeera (November 19, 2006). "Nasrallah prepares for protests" Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 12, 2006.
  24. ^ a b Syria and Iran dismiss US accusation on Lebanon
  25. ^ a b "Lebanon approves court amid crisis". CNN. November 13, 2006. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  26. ^ a b FOX News (November 13, 2006). "Lebanese Cabinet Approves U.N. Tribunal". Retrieved December 12, 2006.
  27. ^ VOA News Archived December 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, "Lebanese Industry Minister Gunned Down".
  28. ^ Al Jazeera English (2006). "Lebanese Christian leader shot dead" Archived November 26, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
  29. ^ Washington Post (November 22, 2006). "Security Council OKs Hariri Tribunal". Retrieved December 12, 2006.
  30. ^ a b Forbes (November 25, 2006) "Lebanon's Government Backs U.N. Tribunal". Retrieved December 1, 2006.
  31. ^ MSNBC (November 25, 2006). "Lebanese government approves U.N. tribunal". Retrieved December 12, 2006.
  32. ^ a b c International Herald Tribune (November 26, 2006). "Lebanon's Cabinet sends Hariri tribunal accord to president for endorsement". Retrieve December 1, 2006.
  33. ^ "Hezbollah to 'surprise' Lebanese govt", The Age
  34. ^ Al Jazeera International Archived January 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, November 30, 2006
  35. ^ Reuters (Nov 30, 2006)., "Lebanon's pro-Syrian opposition calls for protests".
  36. ^ Nasrallah`s speech on the invitation to participate in an open sit-in in Beirut Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  37. ^ a b Associated Press (December 2, 2006). "Hizbollah supporters protest in Beirut" Archived September 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 1, 2006.
  38. ^ The New York Times (December 1, 2006). "Protesters Seek Leader’s Ouster in Lebanon". Retrieved December 1, 2006.
  39. ^ BBC News (December 1, 2006). "Political ferment in Lebanon". Retrieved December 1, 2006.
  40. ^ Toronto Star (December 4, 2006)"Lebanon's political balance in danger" Archived June 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 4, 2006.
  41. ^ Al-Manar TV (December 4, 2006). "Future Movement militia members kill 20 year old opposition demonstrator and launch armed attacks against others"[permanent dead link]. Retrieved December 4, 2006.
  42. ^ "Tense Beirut buries unrest victim", CNN.com; December 5, 2006.
  43. ^ Associated Press (December 5, 2006). "Lebanon Army Commander Urges Compromise". Retrieved December 6, 2006.
  44. ^ Forbes (12.07.06, 1:47 pm ET). "Opposition Pressures Lebanon Government"[dead link]. Retrieved December 7, 2006.
  45. ^ "Hezbollah calls for more protests", Al Jazeera International Archived December 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  46. ^ :: Promise :: For the Support of the Resistance Movement
  47. ^ a b c Lebanese opposition shows unity Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  48. ^ Daily Star (December 6, 2006) "Schools try to keep crisis from disrupting studies". Retrieved December 7, 2006.
  49. ^ Pro-opposition Sunni sheikh leads prayers for protesters in Beirut: Cleric denies ministers resigned to block hariri tribunal
  50. ^ Fathi Yakan, Calls for Anti-American Jihad in a Friday Sermon to Opposition Demonstration in Beirut
  51. ^ BBC News (December 9, 2006). "Lebanese leader blocks UN court". Retrieved December 9, 2006.
  52. ^ a b Nasrallah accepts Arab League plan for Lebanon[permanent dead link]
  53. ^ Reuters (Sun Dec 10, 2006 11:57am ET) Archived December 12, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  54. ^ [1] Time/CNN (Monday, Dec. 11, 2006)
  55. ^ استطلاع للرأي حول الأوضاع السياسية: المحكمة الدولية، حكومة الوحدة الوطنية، دستورية الحكومة | جريدة الأخبار Archived December 14, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  56. ^ Iman Azzi, The Daily Star (Lebanon); (December 13, 2006)
  57. ^ Maher Zeineddine and Rym Ghazal, Daily Star (Lebanon); December 18, 2006
  58. ^ Associated Press
  59. ^ Reuters (January 23, 2007). "Lebanon in urgent need of foreign aid: IMF" . Retrieved January 23, 2007.
  60. ^ Ya Libnan (January 23, 2007). "Siniora demands urgent parliamentary session" Archived January 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 27, 2007.
  61. ^ Hezbollah, students fight it out in Beirut, Cleveland.com Archived June 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 27, 2007.
  62. ^ a b "Beirut under curfew after clashes", BBC News. Retrieved January 26, 2007.
  63. ^ Two martyrs and dozens of injured in pro-government militia attack against university, Manar TV[permanent dead link]. Retrieved January 27, 2007.
  64. ^ "Moussa briefs Saudi king on Lebanon", Al Jazeera International Archived October 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 18, 2007
  65. ^ a b "Did Moussa leave a Lebanon Road Map rigged with mines?", Ya Libnan Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 18, 2007.
  66. ^ BBC News (December 8, 2006). "Protests blow to Beirut economy". Retrieved December 8, 2006.
  67. ^ "Standard Chartered reviews rough year for Lebanon", The Daily Star (Lebanon). Retrieved March 9, 2007.
  68. ^ BBC News (November 27, 2006)."Jordan's king warns of civil wars". Retrieved December 13, 2006.
  69. ^ Hezbollah plots coup: Siniora Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  70. ^ a b "Your World Today", CNN International. Aired December 5, 2006

External links

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