Democratic Palestine : 14 (ص 34)
غرض
- عنوان
- Democratic Palestine : 14 (ص 34)
- المحتوى
-
Lebanese Forces into the accord,
despite earlier suppositions that he
could contain the internal fascist con-
tradictions.
Boycott Gemayel!
In the aftermath of Hobeika’s ouster
from East Beirut, the nationalist forces
opened fire on the mountain strongholds
of Gemayel and Geagea, north and east
of Beirut. Fighting broke out on the tradi-
tional frontlines: Beirut’s green line and
the mountains around Souk al Gharb.
Jumbiatt and Berri declared a boycott of
Amin Gemayel’s regime, and were
joined by other prominent politicians
such as Suleiman Franjieh and Educa-
tion Minister Salim Hoss. Prime Minister
Karami drew the obvious conclusion of
the whole affair when he said, «If the
transition period is to scrap political con-
fessionalism, why don’t we shorten it
and call for immediate implementa-
tion?»
On January 22nd, Hobeika visited
Damascus and returned from there to
Lebanon. Press reports spoke of a front
of all those forces committed to imple-
menting the tripartite accord. According
to PSP official Snehayeb, the nationalist
forces have two options to get out of the
crisis: «implementation of the tripartite
accord or the removal of its opponents.
There is no third alternative. As long as
Gemayel is determined to obstruct the
accord, we face an unknown destiny.»
As we go to press, it is unknown whether
there will be a decision to eliminate the
military power of the Gemayel-Geagea
axis, or if political means will be
employed; or if the hard-line fascists will
unleash a new round of violence. In any
case, January's events reaffirm the
inprobability of ending the Lebanese
crisis as long as the fascist forces retain
their military prowess and their hold on
state power.
@
[sraeli ‘Security’ Zone
Rampant Human Rights Violations
In June 1985, when ‘Israel’ announced its withdrawal from South
Lebanon, attention turned away from the area as if the problem had
been solved. The reality was an altogether different story. Up to 1000
Israeli occupation troops, advisers and intelligence agents (Shin
Beth) remain in southernmost Lebanon - the Zionists’ so-called sec-
urity zone. Here they preside over a reign of terror where the thugs of
Lahd’s South Lebanon Army (SLA) do the dirty work - killing, arrest-
ing, torturing and otherwise harassing the local population.
«They came to us at midnight
and said anyone who does not
leave will be slaughtered.»
These are the words of a resident of
Kounin, speaking to reporters at a
refugee assembly point north of the
‘security zone’. They describe how
Israeli occupation troops and SLA
militiamen stormed into Kounin (located
in the ‘security zone’) on December
3ist, and expelled 400 residents.
Twenty families of Meiss al Jabal. near
Marjeyoun, suffered the same fate in
early August. when some of the sons ot
the village deserted from the SLA.
Sojod, between Jezzine and Mar-
jeyoun, is today a ghost town. Its 2000
inhabitants were violently expelled in
July: «The last survivors having had to
34
escape the bullets of the SLA.»' Sojod is
today the site of an Israeli-SLA military
position. The population of many other
villages in this area has been minimized
by constant shelling and other forms of
pressure enacted by the SLA and the
Israeli occupation troops. In June alone,
2000 villagers were displaced from
Yater and Kafra. The International
Centre for Information on Palestinian
and Lebanese Prisoners, Deportees
and Missing Persons records over 450
instances of Israeli-SLA violations
against the South's population from May
through October 1985. These include
raids on villages, house searches and
arrests, dynamiting homes, firing on civi-
lans. etc. The center notes that this list is
far from comprehensive.
Shelling and raiding villages is usu-
ally presented as reprisal for anti-occu-
pation military operations, or to force the
youth of a village to join the SLA. The
real intent is population transfer in line
with Israeli plans for continued interven-
tion in Lebanon. Those subject to dis-
placement are patriots. Due to their
activity in the Lebanese National Resis-
tance, they are perceived as undesira-
bles by the Zionists, to be replaced by a
loyal population drawn mainly from
among Christians. The Israeli expulsion
policy in the ‘security zone’ is the exten-
sion of the process begun in April 1985,
when Lebanese Forces commander
Samir Geagea withdrew his fascist
forces from the Saida (Sidon) area, and
thus triggered a Christian exodus to Jez-
zine. The ultimate aim is to empty the
South of its native population.
In this context, one can analyze the
changed demography of the villages
between Jezzine and Marjeyoun. As
mentioned above, Sojod is deserted as
is another village, Mlikh (formerly 3000
inhabitants). Residents of Blatt have
been expelled. Louizi is almost
deserted. Kfar Houna had 10,000
inhabitants: one-third Shiite, two-thirds
Christian. Today there are only 130
Shiites left. The Christians who opposed
the segregationist policy also had to
leave and were replaced by Christian
refugees from the Saida area.” Aramta,
before a totally Shiite village, is now
inhabited by only 50 Shiite families,
along with 70 Christian families who
were relocated there to occupy the
empty houses. Rihane was a small
Shiite village; most of its original popula-
tion has fled. Seventy Christian families
have been resettled there.
The detained and missing
The number of prisoners from
South Lebanon was greatly reduced
with the emptying of Ansar in April 1985,
and the September release of the 1200
detainees who had been transferred to
Atlit in occupied Palestine. Yet arrests
have continued on a daily basis, and the
fate of those detained today is, if any-
thing. even more precarious. Denied not
only legal recourse, but also family visits
and contact with the Red Cross, their
Status is actually that of missing per-
sons. When the ICRC approached the
SLA about visiting the Khiam detention
center, they were told that Israeli permis-
sion was required. «When we turn to the
Israelis, they say they are not responsi-
ble for the prisoners and refer us back to
the SLA. We have been playing this kind - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 14
- تاريخ
- مارس ١٩٨٦
- المنشئ
- الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين
Contribute
Not viewed