Tag Archives: Israel

The Different Classes of Lebanese – Israel “Traitors”: The Fayez Karams VS Everyone Else

When it comes to Lebanon, our 99% and 1% extend to more than just the economic situation. The division also applies to our dealings with Israel.

If I, a Lebanese with no political backing, was found guilty of leaking information to Israel and whatnot, I’d be thrown in jail for life.

When influential people, like Fayez Karam, are found equally guilty of the same crime, they serve a meaningless prison sentence of two years – just as a formality – because such connections with Israel cannot go unpunished.

Conspiracy theorists most of whom happen to be pro-Fayez Karam will shout lies and fabrications at his trial. Those who are more reasonable will ask: why would Fayez Karam be framed to begin with? How could his arrest be political if those who are in charge are basically his own team?

The fact of the matter remains that if you weren’t belonging to certain political parties with Hezbollah blessing, then your treason is to a higher degree of severity. So yes my fellow Lebanese, even when it comes to those that we consider have betrayed our country, we have classes.

There are the Fayez Karams who can get away with it relatively unscathed.

And there are those like you and me who, if God forbid had dealings with Israel, will have their whole lives ripped away from them.

We shouldn’t be upset really. In a country where double standards has become the norm, why should treason be any different?

On a related note, you might want to check the Israeli Saar Szekely’s debate on Israeli national TV. I find the points I raised there very poignant to the discussion at hand.

Natalie Portman’s Dior Ad Causes Controversy in Lebanon – Israel Related, Obviously.

The Dior Ad I drove by all the time and never thought could cause drama

What do you know, just when I thought we’d get at least a few weeks off from the crazies, they’re back at it again. This time, however, the casualty is not a performer or a physical presence of someone who’s associated with Israel. They want a poster featuring Natalie Portman in her Dior ads to be taken down.

Why? Because she’s a known “Zionist.”

Cue the outrage.

What does her being a Zionist have to do with a poster of her promoting a cosmetics company? Are those cosmetics killing the children, women and men of Palestine? No. Is her picture causing their death as well? No.

According to this article, a Lebanese blogger said: “Since each contact or with an Israeli occupation in Lebanon is considered a crime, you do not think hanging a poster size of 15 meters with the Zionist Jerusalem is illegal?”

Simply, no. How in the name of everything that is Holy is hanging a poster of Natalie Portman contacting someone who is Israeli? How in the name of everything that is sacred does a billboard ad be considered as dealing with Israeli occupation?

Another blogger wrote: “Portman, who was born in Jerusalem and whose real last name is Hershlag, has spoken at length about her love for her home country and how she wants to move back there once there is peace.”

Many Jews believe it is their religious duty to return to their promise land, regardless of what we think of that or not. Her support for the state of Israel is simply a byproduct of her culture, just as there are millions of Americans, French, Italians, Arabs (yes, the do exist), British, German, etc… people who share her line of thought. You are entitled not to support her or her ideology, which is something I don’t do. But you calling for a removal of a poster featuring her is simply nonsensical, childish, useless and will reflect negatively on you, first and foremost, and on your country.

What do those calling for the billboard removal hope to achieve? Much needed publicity, maybe. Apart from that, there will be hundreds, even some who are as anti-Zionist as they go, who will laugh at their meaningless and ridiculous attempts of exposure.

You know what, next time BDS and the like want to take a stand, how about they stand for something useful with which they can actually get support, not against an actress whose movies are released in our movie theaters without hurdles and who was won an Oscar for a movie they have definitely seen, despite her being a “Zionist.”

Enough is enough when it comes to this silliness. But hey, at least Natalie Portman, unlike Lara Fabian, will probably not hear of this. I guess that’s a good sign, somehow.

Al Akhbar & Lara Fabian: Disturbing Lebanese Journalism

You know what’s very sad? It’s when a leading Lebanese newspaper, amid all of what’s happening in Lebanon and the region, decides to have a picture like this as their headline, with the words “Lan Ta2ti” [She’s Not Coming] to top it all off:

I mean, who cares about the thousands getting killed in Syria? Who cares about Lebanon’s electricity crisis? Who cares about development projects with a very dangerous security cover? Who cares about the Achrafieh building collapse & Lebanon’s rental laws? Who cares about Lebanon’s crumbling infrastructure? Who cares about anything relevant, important, vital & crucial that might be happening?

Besides, Lara Fabian and a picture of the Star of David… she MUST be an Israel spy. It’s not like the Star of David is a religious symbol for Judaism or anything.

For a newspaper like Al Akhbar, the fact that Lara Fabian is not coming to Lebanon is the “it” news for a day. I’m sure they consider it a victory. And that’s a very sad thing for Lebanon and journalism. It’s sad that some journalists and newspapers might be so narrow-minded as to believe a concert in Lebanon by someone who sang in Israel is high-treason. As if the tickets revenues are going to buy rockets to fire on Lebanese and Palestinians.

It was Al Akhbar, after all, that made a big deal of the rumor that she might have been coming back after all. I wonder though, where do they stand on the very “lean” verdict that Fayez Karam got regarding his dealings with Israel? Or is it only high-treason when someone high-profile and not belonging to their political niche does it?

Al Akhbar, it’s time to stop your over obsession. No one cares anymore.

 

Lara Fabian coming to Lebanon After All?

Honestly this is getting quite confusing.

After demands to cancel Lara Fabian’s concerts and stop her from coming, the Italian-Belgian singer complied and wrote a passionate love letter to her Lebanese audience saying she won’t be a reason for tension between them.

And just when we thought the whole Lara Fabian saga is behind us, it looks like the story refuses to go away. Lara Fabian is coming for her concerts on valentine’s day and February 15th after all, according to a very heated article reposted by Lebanon Files from Al Akhbar (The article comprises the sentences: Lara Fabian not coming to the country that got Israel to kneel, etc…). You only need to read the last paragraph to see exactly how much they hate her.

Briefly, Fabian and her crew got visas to enter the country, Virgin Megastores are still selling tickets and the billboards on highways have not been removed.

I won’t go into how ridiculous and absolutely hilarious I think the statements containing “usurping entity” and “concert” in the same syntax. But this is going to be interesting to watch. And for those of us who simply can’t afford to splurge on Lara Fabian, time to bring out the pop corn and watch.

Lara Fabian’s concert organizers to BDS: “check.”

The Lebanese Hypocrisy Towards Syria: Three Fishermen Kidnapped by Syrian Navy in North Lebanon

I had blogged a while back about how the Syrian occupation of Lebanon can be considered at least as bad as the Israeli occupation of the South. I still stand by what I said. You can check that post here.

The latest regarding the Lebanese-Syrian relationship is the Syrian navy kidnapping three Lebanese fishermen (Arabic article) from the North after having their boat enter four nautical miles into Lebanon’s marine territory. Perhaps a mile can be considered as a sailing error. But four? Let’s not beat around the bush here. This was an obvious breach of Lebanese sovereignty. One of the fishermen, aged 16, has died. What is our government doing about this? Absolutely nothing.

This is but one part of a series of transgressions that the Syrian army and regime do on a daily basis in Lebanon. And yet we fail to act. Our voices are never heard when we speak against the Syrian breaches. They can kidnap our people, they can enter our land, our sea, terrorize villagers on the borders…. We do nothing. We sit around and watch TV and hope for the best.

Not let’s contrast/compare this with the Israeli scenario.

An Israeli boat enters four miles into Lebanon’s nautical territory, you’d be constantly bombarded about it in the news. An hour later, Lebanon would have had an official complaint filed in the UN. If that same boat had kidnapped three Lebanese fishermen, rockets would have been fired from the South on Israel. A war might have been started (it’s not like the 2006 war had a bigger apparent reason).

The only difference between Israel and Syria? Israel is an enemy state whilst Syria is not. The difference between what Israel and Syria do regarding Lebanon? Absolutely nothing.

“Activists,” as they like to call themselves, shout and protest against anything Israel-related in Lebanon. They have the right to, obviously, freedom of speech and all. I don’t think, however, they have the right to shove their views down everyone’s throats (especially when it comes to irrelevant matters that won’t change anything). I want to see what those “activists” will do regarding this latest Syrian breach. The answer is actually already known. It’s exactly what they have done regarding the previous transgressions: absolutely nothing.

A couple of months ago, in my anatomy lab at med school, one of the doctors told us a story. He told us about when he was in Med School at USJ and one of his professors was the late Dr. Fadi Serhal. They used to discuss politics with him. Amin Gemayel, the president back then, was going to sign the May 17 treaty. So they asked Mr. Serhal, who was an MP back then, about the situation. His reply was as follows:

“Lebanon is bound in the South by Israel. It’s bound everywhere else by Syria. If there was anything happening for the benefit of Lebanon, you should be more than certain that it will be disturbed by one of those two countries: either Israel or Syria or Israel and Syria working together.”

This was about thirty years ago. It still applies today. It’s also high time we see it as such.