To Comrade Angry Anarchist

This blog is also suspended and will not be updated, till you decide to update yours!!!! Either on the current one or new one!!

LFL's post on the Palestinian Situation

It says all, check please, and assist Nahr - el Bared with the link I placed earlier. Here is the link.

Searchlight on Palestine 1936-1938 (a Summary)

Originally written by Frances E. Newton, and was used by Walid Khalidy's From Conquest to Haven (Chapter 36), I did a summary a while ago on this article and decided to highlight the main themes on it:

This article sheds light on the treatment of British soldiers to Palestinians, and describes how segregation has been practiced on the behalf of their rights with minimum tolerance. Newton describes series of incidents that showed how the British Empire maltreated the Palestinian citizens and how some Palestinians (rich or poor) suffered unjustly, murdered, robbed, or became refugees. The interesting phenomenon in the article is that Palestinian citizens became refugees not at the hands of the Zionists, rather their allies, the British.

The British clearly lacked any communication in the case of Rafi’ Bey El Fahoum, who received a letter from the High Commissioner of Palestine thanking him for his services, and afterwards had his house demolished based on the fact two accused Palestinians were serving Coffee in his own guest room. Sadly, a fourth house was accidentally demolished mistaken for one of the two accused (without compensation of course).

The author sites different cases of robbery, theft, and murder practiced by British citizens/army in the clear open without being punished. The poor suffered most as they can’t repay for confiscated herds, while the police stations were simply gaining means of funding.

The worse case is when the government imposed a three month duration police station on a village called Igzim, whereby the villagers had to pay. The villages, who suffered poverty, were threatened to pay for the presence of the police station or else their household properties would be confiscated. The village quickly became deserted, except for the Mayer, and a school master, who both were threatened to remain, and three helpless old women who were left to starve because they have no one to take care of them. To this incident, the author describes a clear phenomenon of the most dangerous effects of the British Mandate, which was creating empty villages, to be replaced by the Britain’s main ally, the Zionists. Newton says: “True refugees! – but from terror at British barbarism.”

Regarding Assad's Victory

Assad's "surprise" victory in the referendum (specially he was the only one nominee for the Syrian presidency) got people to wonder what were the options written on the voting card:

Option 1: Yes
Option 2: Of course

MFL's Personal Blog

I decided to open this tiny humble blog whenever I am thinking out loud.

Hope you would enjoy it

MFL's Lesson to "Warriors"

Those who expect others to follow their logic of line because they are against Zionists are wrong and hypocrites.

To oppose Zionism does not necessarily means to support Hezbollah! If anyone who countered the Zionists and limited them from being productive were the revolutionary Marxists under the organization of the 2nd and 3rd International. Moreover, those who impose on others a straight line of thought to abide by are nothing but fascists. That is why I never joined any movement in Lebanon, because none are progressive. If Hezbollah are so wonderful in the eyes of Pro-Palestine activists, then why don't they join them? Oooooops, I forgot, they gotta be believers in the first place in the entire Ideology and Practice which is followed by the Shora Council.

Moreover, those who oppose Zionism or 14th of March can't expect that in defecto a person should be against the other! Hell no, supporting one reactionary group against the other is the ultimate treason not only to the Lebanese, or Palestinians, but to the Proletariat of the World itself. To be an ultra-nationalist is to be racist, point! There is no golden mean (a la Aristotle's way). In nationalism people would think about people divided according to birth locations! So what, some warriors would participate for the first time in their life (at a late age sometimes) about activism, without having your skull cracked, makes a person a self-proclaimed "I am a warrior", I got news for all of you! As long as you are ultra-nationalist then fine, you are not a warrior, you are just a person filling the void of doing nothing, specially once the "relief" is over.

Interestingly, I still can't figure out about not taking a stand "with any of the Lebanese" factions as wrong. Why, because I follow my prinicples and got activism on-going for a longer run goal? Yup, yup! Fine, till now nobody trashed the Israeli tanks the way Hezbollah did during the July War (and what a beautiful site it was) BUT shoud it be mandatory to support the opposition that blindly? Of course not! Hell no! Why, you may ask me? Well fine, these people do not have any progressive criteria, you can't face a highly organized racist institution like the Zionists or US imperialists (what, havent you known about that?). I go against all, government, opposition, Syria, USA, whoever rules Lebanon, for a small reason, because my revolutionary goals are the still the same! Anyone got objections? No? lovely, if yes, then go learn how Palestine fell in the first place. That leads me to another lesson, how the hell ultra-nationalists go hailing Palestine, and "Aiyoha el Quds ha nahhno Qadimoun" and know crap about how it fell?! The reasons? Actually, some fighter never knew that there was a King-Krane Commission that slaps the Zionists in the face (something I will publish one day). To face the Zionists, you gotta know how the situation became here. Heck you gotta go back to the 19th Century to read and learn, if you want to go and face the Zionists. No one scared Lord Balfour more than the Communists since half of their leaders were Jews which slapped the ZIonists' claims (of the Jews as oppressed) in the face back in 1917-1921).

More interestingly, experience and interacting with the world, with an objective eye, as much as willing to say who did what (no matter how it damages the heroic figures you love) but you gotta embrace them. AMAL and Lebanese Forces need to admit publicly that they butchered their allies as well as civilians. The reader has to understand that, and understand history. Of course, interacting with the world, and looking at Capitalism straight in the eye is what ought to be done. Been doing so for a while, well, yeah about 10 years.

Funny though, first time I entered a fist to fist combat position (with me in a defensive) when I was debating that there is a big difference between a Jew and a Zionist. Chomsky came to Lebanon, a lot regarded him a "Jew in disguise" suddenly he became a hero to the SSNP because Nasrallah had lunch with him. Oh wow!

In two weeks, I will be active on the ground, for all different reasons. Those ultranationalists better learn to become humans rather racial, and think how to expand their moveents.

If I am not with the Opposition means I am with Zionists?! Hell no! What is wrong of demanding that the revolutionary left should be working on itself rather blindly cheering the Opposition or the Government? I see no difference between them except the suffering of the Proletariat in Lebanon!

In the end, there is no war but class war!
Hasta La Victoria Siempre

MFL

Ultra Nationalism Sucks

Those "activists" who think there is no difference between a Jew and a Zionist and every Jew should be killed because they are born "Jews" are no better than the Zionists themselves.

Thank You Angry Anarchist

Despite our disagreements, we remain real friends!
You stopped me from retiring, I owe you one
Hasta La Victoria Siempre

Great!!

Just when I had people from 14th and 8th of March on my case, each accusing me of being the other while in fact I am against both and can't see myself among them.

Moreover, now I got people accusing me of being a zionist, or whatever, for not following their line during this crisis.

Question to those clowns, who think they are "fighters" and judge without knowing my history of activism, why do you read my blog in the first place?! Specially I worked on couple of sites YOU got them linked to your blogs!!

So my silence?! What about my silence?! Because I refute to side with the Opposition?! or with the Government?! I hate both, point... those who do not like what I write, bug off!!!!

Fatah el Islam & Lebanon: Between Reality and Conspiracy Theory

So What do we know about Fatah el Islam so far?

Different hypothetical scenarios rotate around Fatah el Islam. Some say it is al-Qa’eda, another bunch would say it is Syrian made; a third category would go and say it is both, and others would go as far as accusing the Future Movement of creating them (mainly by Free Patriotic Movement supporters). However, we lack a lot of information on them, and I will try to tackle this rough topic as much as I can.

We know for sure that they are Sunni Salafis in their extremist Islamist ideology. They proclaimed their affiliation to that. They also argued that to liberate Palestine their way, and they came to liberate the Sunni Sect. They attacked the Harriri Family, for being in alliance with the Maronite Lebanese Forces and Durzi Progressive Socialist Party. Such an alliance has “caused more suffering for the Sunnis”, and they are there for them. They are an offshoot from Fatah Intifada, who Syria supported towards the mid 1980s, to break away from Fatah (the core key player within the PLO then). Fatah Intifada played a role to oust Yasser Arafat from Nahr el Bared when Arafat returned from exile (the Phil Habib – Arafat – Begin deal: evacuating the PLO from West Beirut in 1982). They have been nine months old in existence, and till now we are not sure how or from where they came.

Their figure head, Abu Shaker al Absi’s story is rather complicated. He was the one who declared the split from Fatah Intifada last September, and his activist nickname was “Abu Husayen” (most Palestinian activists had their activist nicks as Abu something Abu means Father in Arabic, but can spread to have different meanings as well in Arabic). Sources differ on how they came to Nahr el Bared, but there was for sure a confrontation between Fatah Islam and a militant group called “Armed Struggle”. A lot of theories argue that when Fatah Islam split, they already had 150 to 200 members in it. One article argued that they had minor confrontations with other groups, but they won their way through the Nahr el Bared Camp through offering mini-welfare services. You have to keep in mind, Nahr el Bared, like most camps has several people who have arms. A friend of mine in Akkar told me that: “If Nahr el Bared has 30,000 residents, then at least 40% of them had arms”. This is probably over-inflated, but their means of attaining hold of the Nahr el Bared Refugee location still remains a mystery, specially they won’t be able to take it that easily if they were unwanted. Couple of TV stations did a review on them, and stressed on on one point, several residents starting leaving the camp ever since the Ain Ala’q bomb occurred.

Now these two statements were conducted on by TV. We still do not know how true this fact is, specially some residents said “they were nice”.

An article speculated that they received funding from Pro-Salafi residents. However this is not enough to purchase all those heavy duty arms. The Salafi fundings from Tripoli, unlike what this article argued, can barely sustain their tiny welfare networks. Their networks may not be that amazing compared to Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, but they have been considered a “wow” compared to the miserable conditions the Nahr el Bared camp live through.

Foreign connections: Qa’eda, Syria, or a third party? (Conspiracy Theory One

Shaker el Absi’s story is rather unique. He is supposed to be a Palestinian fugitive with suspected links, if not also cooperation, with Abu Mus’ab el Zarqawi, ex-leader of the Qa’eda in Iraq (assassinated by a US air raid in Iraq). He and Zarqawi were sentenced in absentee manner to death by a Jordanian Court after being both accused of assassinating, in 2002, US Diplomat Lawrence Foley. He was later arrested in Syria, under the accusation of planning terrorist attacks on the regime. Jordan demanded that Absi be turned on to the Jordanian authorities, but the Syrian regime refuted to do so. Rather, three years after his arrest, he was released and he was crossed Lebanese borders.

He immediately was active with Fatah Intifada in military training, in border al-Hilwi, next to Rashaya, then he moved to Qosaya (central Beqa’a Valley) to proceed with military training, which will carry the banner of “Fatah Al Islam”. In 2006, he moved to Burj el Barajni location, whereby he was heavily involved in building active cells, and afterward he moved to al-Badawi Camp, and eventually landed in Nahr el Bared after the al-Badawi incidents and two units confessed relations to Syrian Intelligence (how much that is to be confirmed, time will tell as well).

In Nahr el Badawi, and in the eyes of the Security Forces, he succeeded in spreading outside the Camp, and minor splinter cells were formed in unexpected residential areas. They rented in apartments within Tripoli unaffiliated with Islamist movements. To say the truth, my relatives in Tripoli, told me that they were two buildings down their house, and never expected it contained heavy arms.

A lot of speculations rotate around this organization and its nature. For starters, by now, it is confirmed that it has no relations with Palestine or any of the traditional Palestinian leaderships. All major parties denounced their relations to them, and attacked their aggression on the Lebanese Army and Institutions. They received funding either by local Salafi supporters, or stealing from banks (which triggered the whole thing when the Security Forces busted a house suspected of stealing a bank). Outside sources in relation to the camp are still not confirmed yet, but the movement itself is supposedly to be made up of different nationalities that have Islamist Activists. Their members are also suspected to have participated in combat operation against the US and Shiites in Iraq.


In relations to the al-Qa’eda, they denounced any affiliations to them, or “anyone else on face of this planet.” Yet, they welcomed their initiatives as ‘brethrens’. Their statements also, according to couple of articles, appeared on Qa’eda supportive sites. In one speech, they adopted a similar speech which targeted the Sunni side of Lebanon that targeted the Harriri family, and attacked them as causing misery for the Sunnis, who are supposed to be the True Muslims. They never tackled the topic of Hezbollah, who al-Qa’eda targeted them as sinners. Al-Qa’eda never considered the Shiites as Muslims, yet Fatah Islam never tackled the issue of Hezbollah. Another light shed on the Qa’eda relations goes between one targeted Fatah Islam figurehead, to be wanted in suspected Bombing Attempts on Berlin’s trains.

Security Forces official accused Fatah Islam as Syrian made, forged in al-Qa’eda model, to cover Syrian ties. Walid Junblatt, 14th of March spearhead, also accused Fatah Islam to be collaborating with Ahmad Gibreel’s Popular Front From the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (not to be mistaken with George Habash’s PFLP). 14th of March’s accusations towards Fatah Islam and Syria ranged between obstructing the International Tribunal, to “Syria hitting the Summer Season”, as far as Syrian presence.

In any case, Fatah Islam turns out to be military trained, rather random Islamist with AK-47s. Moreover, the link between Syria and Fatah Islam has been repeated on the logic of how Syria releases a criminal wanted in a neighboring country (Jordan) to Lebanon. Moreover, how can one person establish such ties? There had to be a tie, and to 14th of March, that link is Syria. Now, al-Shari’, proclaimed that Fatah Islam are an illegal entity in Syria as well. Earlier, they killed four Fatah Islam members on Syrian borders trying to cross towards Iraq. Moreover, Nasrallah and al-Absi never attacked each other. Al-Absi never targeted Hezbollah, while Nasrallah’s speech was denouncing any offensive on the army, and at the same time considered the Nahr el Bared is off limits to the Lebanese Army. To some, that would be considered this clear avoidance of clashes between Fatah Islam and Hezbollah as to avoid conflict of interests between Iran (Hezbollah) and Syria (Fatah Islam).

Interestingly, a multi-Islamist national member of Fatah Islam, forged in the manner of al-Qa’eda’s moujahidean, can be active in Nahr el Bared, and attain all those arms without Syrian (well also Lebanese as well) to know off. Some would reply that Syria withdrew from Lebanon in 2005, but again wasn’t al-Absi involved in potential terrorist acts in Syria before released, much to the displeasure of Jordan, to Lebanon?

Al-Absi issued a statement that they were not involved in the offensive that occurred on the Lebanese Army, and argued another party was responsible. However, if that is the case, why the army officials and internal security officials argued that they were Fatah Islam, and why Fatah Islam in the first place was brutal with threatening deeds? More threateningly, Fatah Islam proclaimed that they have their “Is-tish-hadyein” (those who pull suicidal operations), and threatened that they wouldn’t hesitate to use them. Three bombs so far exploded, one a Christian area, one in a Muslim area, and one in a Durzi location (Alley). The explosions could have targeted civilian casualties, but seemed the bombings targeted three geographic commercial locations (Alley Market Location – Verdun – ABC Ashrafieh Center). Qa’eda logic, based on what we perceived in Iraq, is to establish maximum civilian deaths in most of the occasions.

The US’s Dirty Hands? (Conspiracy Theory II)

This is one side of accusations, in another set of accusation, things even go more complicated.

Seymour Hersh argued that in March that the US’s new foreign policy towards the Middle East would be weakening or in fact fighting anything affiliated with Iran/Syria, and their alliances, this would include supporting Sunni extremist groups in the face of this coalition. Lebanon would fit this scenario in the manner that Fatah Islam is one of those extremist groups carved out of the blues with nice juicy funding to balance against Hezbollah’s arms. On May 22, Seymour Hersh confirmed that the United States and Prince al-Bandar Bin Sultan (National Security Advisor in Saudi Arabia), did support the Fatah Islam; however, like the prior accusations, we have not found any evidence on the matter. Hersh based his observations on the Afghanistan Wars during the Soviet Invasion. Both Saudi Arabia and the United States supported the extremist Jihadis against the Soviet Union who would become Taliban and al-Qa’eda. This was also observed between the clashes of PLO and Israel. Israel turned a blind eye on the Muslim Brotherhood building its welfare networks within Palestine, to weaken Secular PLO. Eventually, the Muslim Brotherhood spearheaded the first Intifada, and they developed their military faction Hamas. The third observation would be Saudi Arabia’s funding to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt during Nasser’s regime and his flirtations with the socialist Eastern European camp.

More interestingly, Saudi Arabia’s ally is Sa’ad Harriri. First impression would be that Harriri is allied to the Wahhabis, despite the fact that Harriri is a secular business man (actually comes from a family of businessmen). This means no way Harriri’s machinery would support Fatah Islam.

Second, a question would be targeted is why would the Saudis/US/14th of March support a radical group in order to face Hezbollah while its backbone for order and security is the Lebanese Army which is currently under fire with Fatah Islam? If Fatah Islam supposed to face the heavily organized Hezbollah militarily, then why it clashes with the Lebanese Army? An answer would be that this tiny group was patched up in order to justify international support of upgrading and updating the outdated Lebanese Army. Moreover, that way the army can be strong enough to support the current government, specially there is an aerial US line supporting the army with 280 million dollars of value. Closer look shows that the army through these cargos still didn’t get practical weaponry to defend itself from Syria or Israel, or Hezbollah if we go with the US logic of containing Hezbollah.

The question goes bottom line, why the borders were not properly protected, on Lebanese Borders (Israel/Syria/Sea) to prevent importation of weaponry. Well, the whole UNIFIL couldn’t prevent the smuggling of arms to Hezbollah, how to control a strong financed but small group like Fatah Islam. This leads some people to question if the government was turning a blind eye on the smuggling. Others would argue that the Lebanese Army due to the Cairo Agreement of 1969 are not allowed to enter the Palestinian Refugee Camps. Yet, how did the weapons arrived to the camps? How were Fatah Islam able to rent apartments and smuggle weaponry to apartments located in non-Islamist streets of Tripoly?

Several questions, several probabilities! As you have seen, these are part of several theories constructed on Fatah Islam, and their origins. Several questions, and the answers would probably would take a long time to be answered.

Meanwhile we walk over here, and to say the truth, every car I see, I would think “will this one go boom” or “where’s next”. Me and my friends always hope that the Fatah Islam were bluffing about the Suicidal Operations they threatened to unleash. Till now we have seen one case only, the man who returned to the Abdu building, and asked the officers to meet up with him when he was under siege; eventually he blew himself up, luckily the Lebanese Army officers didn’t enter the camp.

Also, racism is rising within Lebanon. Some sick people are celebrating that the Palestinians’ turn has come to repay their debts for the Civil War (although they were part of it as well). Others are celebrating that Nahr el Bared will become the next Tel Zaatar, even though the Palestinians are not concerned in this clash. (I think these people need a psychiatrists).

Statistics today, refugees from Nahr el Bared have reached 18,000, bad humanitarian crisis is taking place. Some people are hoping that the Lebanese Army will dump the whole Palestinians into the sea (which will never happen) if they are realistic.

One last note: for all those who are cheering the army (because suddenly it has nationalistic value), why the hell most of the (specially male) supporters were ditching or trying to ditch the Lebanese Army when it was obligatory to do the one year service?! This question is directed towards the racists faction of the supporters!


Sources:

UNRWA
Seattle Times
MSNBC
Reason
Time
Indian Muslims
Assafir
BBC
New York Times
Assafir Link 2
Raw Story

Assist the Nahr el Bared Refugees

After the shaky cease fire in Nahr el Bared, scores of refugees have been fleeing the camp to go to Badawi camp (MFL notes: and other locations), people's homes and UNRWA schools. The Badawi clinics and hospital are running severely short on medical supplies. We have been coordinating with relief NGOs in Beirut who are going up to the North to assist the refugees and have obtained the following list of urgent supplies:

diapers
medical kits
liquid panadol
insulin
nervous system medicine
kovaj for diabetes
clamid 5 mg
saline solution
irdan for muscles
stiching kits

If you are able to provide any of the following asap, please email Rasha ( r.moumneh at gmail dot com) or Marcy Newman (marcynewman at gmail dot com)

This is the blog site that updates on the on-going progress of such activism, under the title of Nahr El Bared Donations, over here.

For those unable to assist, I would hope that the bloggers can place the link of their blog to their site.

Thank You
MFL

John Reed's Love at Sea

(A lot know comrade John Reed as the revolutionary Marxist who wrote 10 Days that shook the World. Few people knew about his poetry capabilities. This Poem was written in 1916)

Wind smothers the snarling of the great ships,
And the serene gulls are stronger than turbines;
Mile upon mile the hiss of a stumbling wave breaks unbroken—
Yet stronger is the power of your lips for my lips.

This cool green liquid death shall toss us living
Higher than high heaven and deeper than sighs—
But O the abrupt, stiff, sloping, resistless foam
Shall not forbid our taking and our giving!

Life wrenched from its roots-What wretchedness!
What waving of lost tentacles like blind sea-things!
Even the still ooze beneath is quick and profound—
I am less and more than I was, you are more and less.

I cried upon God last night, and God was not where I cried;
He was slipping and balancing on the thoughtless shifting planes of sea.
Careless and cruel, he will unchain the appalling sea-gray engines—
But the speech of your body to my body will not be denied!

Respect For Palestinian Refugees

For the honor of the Palestinians non-militias/civilians stuck in Nahr el Bared between Lebanese Army Artillary and brutal terrorist organization... if only I can help those poor civilians... most of the people seem to have forgotten about them

MFL

Minute by Minute: Day 2 Details in Lebanon

(I was not able to follow up minute by minute what was going on, so I decided to translate it from the Free Patriotic Movement's site (politically and regionally in my opinion subjective. I have to warn that I disagree with them and denounce their movement as Right Winger and part of the crisis between the government/opposition leader, but their media did a nice job in assembling the info on the current battle, I took the liberty for my foreign readers to translate it for them). Link taken from here in arabic

00:32: Heavy artillery targeting Fatah Islam locations

22:47: Minister Aridi, after the held meeting of the Ministers, announces that the government, after discussions with the leaders of the security leaders (Army/Security Forces), that this situation of terrorism needs amputation.

22:30: Dense spread-out for Jund-el Sham (MFL notes: also under accusation to be affiliated with al-Qa’eda), supposed to be Palestinian, in Ain el Hilwi (Saida) in front the Lebanese Army locations.

22:28: Islamic Fatah Islam movement assault leaves three martyrs for the Lebanese Army, and several casualties in the Northern Nahr el Bared camps.

21:22: Lebanese Army Leadership announced that between 23/5/2007 and 24/6/2007, the Lebanese Air Force (MFL notes: we have those?!?!?!) will do Night Flights between 19:00 till 21:00, and that is above Rayaq Aerial Base and neighboring villages.

21:20: Serg Brametz arrives to Beirut on a plane coming from Paris

21:05: Discussions are being held to achieve a seize fire in the Nahr el Bareh Camp

21:00: the overall dead has risen to 71

19:40: Head of the Popular Front For the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (not to be mistaken for Habash’s Group) Anwar Raja accuses Future militants to trigger this problem, and the Future Movement denies (to be exact, those were ex-Stalinists, who ended up pawns in Assad’s hands, btw if my memory serves me correct, they still got heavy militants in Lebanon).

18:43: Heavy shoot-out continues between the Lebanese Army and Fatah Islam militants in Nahr el Bared camp.


18:32: Canada advised its citizens to avoid going to Lebanon due to the on-going clashes between the Lebanese Army and the fundamentalist Fatah el Islam in the Northern Parts of the country.


18:31: The Palestinian Government declared its objection on the assault occurring on the Lebanese institutions and the Army, requesting the careful protection of the Palestinian refugees inside the camps of Lebanon.

18:16, German Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Hawlz considered that the presence of extremists who sympathize with al-Qa’eda in Lebanon contains large threats to the nation, and the region on a larger scale, and the worst will backfire on the Palestinians.


18:07: The Special Envoy of the General Secretary of the UN, Tierry Rod Larson, called all Lebanese political parties to behave in a responsible manner to avoid the total collapse of the situation in Lebanon. After Larson met with the General Secretary of the Arab League (MFL notes: the mini-chat forums for the Arab leaders who “keep loving Lebanon” with words) and announced that his talk with Omro Moussa was extensive on Lebanon which assured the coherence of vision between the Arab League and the UN (MFL notes: definitely, they can never do anything, except sit and watch, as well as issue statements).


18:06: Exchange of heavy fire between the Lebanese Army and Fatah Islam (MFL notes: who was the smart ass who was proposing to have Lebanon’s army weak because that would be its greatest defense back in the 1950’s? Oh yeah, ex-President Sham’oun!). Solana announced that he will arrive to Beirut tomorrow to talk with the Lebanese political leaders (oh right, that would help). Solana, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Seniora will meet and a conference will take place in the Governmental Palace at 4:00 in the afternoon.


16:59: Manar Reporter: Lebanese Army bombarding all entrances of Nahr el Bared (MFL notes: why didn’t they use these outdated ammunition on the Israelis last year?)

16:53: Eye witnesses: Military reinforcements to the Lebanese Army arrive, as well as Machinery and Tanks pass towards the route which leads to the Nahr el Bared region.


16:46: Heavy combat occurs meantime between the Lebanese Army and Fatah el Islam

16:45: Fatah Islam militants shoot Red Cross and Red Hilal cars

16:33: Shootout in the Nahr el Bared Camp parameter despite he decision of seize fire


15:41: The International Red Cross succeeds in establishing a two hour long truce which starts at four in the morning and lasts till 6:00 , to evacuate the dead and wounded from the Nahr el Bared camp, whose death tolls are expected according to primary sources to be 30 Dead and 90 wounded.

15:17: Ossama Hamdan, Hamas’s representative, assures to al-Jazeera that the seize fire has begun, and that occurred after coordination with Prime Minister Seniora


15:08: Reuters reports that 8 civilians are killed due to Lebanese artillery for Nar el Bared Camp

15:04: Announcement of a seize fire in the Nahr el Bared Camp for the purpose of evacuating the wounded and bringing food supplies to the Camp.

15:03: Confrontations has been the Lebanese Army and Fatah Islami have seized for the past 30 minutes, and the Red Cross arrives to the borders of the Camp for assisting the wounded.


14:59: The Lebanese Army established total control of all the hills surrounding the South and South –East for the Nahr el Bared region in al-Mhammara, whereby the Fatah Islam units were totally eradicated.


14:53: The Lebanese Army locates the stolen money from the Bank Mediterranean in one of the apartment busted by the Lebanese Army.


14:48: Total silence spreads through out Ain-Hilwi, after efforts conducted by the Palestinian and Lebanese leaders which led to place a siege on that camp (Saida) , and caused the Jund el Sham to be highly alert.


14:15: Different effort are sought to establish a temporary seize fire for one hour in order to allow the Red Cross to enter the camp Nahr el Bared and extract the wounded.


14:08: Death count rises to 57 killed


13:55: Exceptional Meeting takes place for the Cabinet in the Governmental Palace


13:28: Certain info from Lebanese News Agency contacts reports that active contacts are taking place between Lebanese and Palestinian leaders in Saida and Ain el Hilwi, which caused to siege the alertness and readiness of the Jund el Sham inside the camp in the morning because of info of the death of a brother of one of the figureheads in Jund el Sham inside Nahr el Bared Camp


13:20: Fatah Islam bombs the Lebanese Army with heavy artillery to which the Lebanese Army retaliates with artillery of type 155


13:03: Fatah Islam blocks the Red Cross from entering Nahr el Bared


12:55: Reuters agency reports that 9 are killed and 20 wounded inside Nahr el Bared


12:28: Abbass Zaki (MFL notes: PLO Chair in Lebanon) declares at the Governmental Palace: 1) Lebanese Army is protecting both Lebanese and Palestinians while Fatah Islam is not related by any means possible to the Palestinians. 2) They are ready to cooperate in annihilating this phenomenon on the condition that the civilian death toll would not be large. 3) They do not want the Camp (Nahr el Bared) to be the spark for a civil war inside Lebanon.


12:11: The tension is reported to reach Ain el Hilwi in South Lebanon (Saida) as Jund el Sham (MFL notes: al-Qaida affiliated, supposed to be Palestinian), while schools are closed inside the Camp.


12:05: Fatah Islam are present in large numbers at the Northern Entrance to Nahr el Bared Camp


12:04: Demonstration inside al-Badawwi Camp (Palestinian) in support of the Lebanese Army and denounces what Fatah Islam elements are doing.


12:02: The Army Continues to siege the Nahr el Bared Camps, and strengthened its control on all entrances

11:55: News that two Fatah Islam militants were killed at the Northern Gate of Nahr el Bared Camp


11:11: Lebanese Army artillery continues to bomb Fatah Islam locations in Nahr el Bared Camp


10:33: Criminal Evidence section begin investigating the four apartments that were used by members of Fatah Islam in Zaharia Region (Tripoli)


10:28: Battles in the Nahr el Bared Parameter intensifies whereby heavy weapons are used.


10:26: The Lebanese Army warns people to cross the International Route as dangerous, and any person wants to cross it, they can cross it on their own responsibility.


10:25: The Lebanese Army intercepts Fatah Islam Offensives at the Nahr el Bared parameter


10:22: Heavy Lebanese Army bombardment towards Nahr el Bared might become a prelude for its entry.


8:00: Al-Jazeera reports that confrontations takes place at the gates of the Camp Nahr el Bared. Eye witnesses report that corpses fill the street and the Camps’ buildings, ambulances are not able to reach it

Day 2: Fatah el Islam Versus Lebanon: Verdun Burns

Day 2 of the war proceeded with Fatah el Islam, who became recognized as a terrorist organization. The Killed ones of those terrorists have proved today, despite what they deny, they are under suspect to be directly affiliated with al-Qa'eda, because one terrorist killed was a prime suspect for attempting to bomb the Berlin metro. That is the only clue for now. Moreover, another prime killed terrorist was related to the Ain-el A'alaq building. Relations between Fatah el Islam and Syria have not been diminished for several people. They were accused before, because according to different sources, their political statements appeared in Pro-Qa'eda sites.

Through out the day, combat proceeded between Fatah el Islam Nahr el Bared (North) Camp and the army. The army struck a seige around the camp and bombed suspected locations for the Fatah el Islam. The Palestinians suffered royally from this issue. Actually, ever since the Ain Ala'q massacre occcured, Palestinians have been leaving the camp to live with their relatives. Ever since those terrorists arrived, they forced women to remain at home, and wear the veil. Several Army soldiers and civilians have been killed. The Red Cross successfully brokered a two hour seize fire to get the casualties out and supply the Palestinians with food aid... when the casualties have been taken out by the Red Cross, fighting broke again after 20 minutes. The President and Prime Minister can at least give the Red Cross volunteers the highest recognized medals of honor in Lebanon for such bravery. It has to be noted that one of the Fatah el Islam is originally from Allepo, Syria, and another is a local, from Tripoli.

Now, as everyone feared, a new bomb exploded, and this time in Verdun rather targeting a Christian area. The explosion is much bigger than yesterday's, also loaded beneath a car, and took place facing a restaurant Scoozi, under a car. The explosion caused two buildings to explode, and created a shock wave that causd cars flying, and glasses broken within a Kilometer Diameter. Till now, seven people are severely wounded. One in the Maqasid Hospital, and Six in the Hospital Fire is in several apartments, and a lot of stores have their glasses broken.

This is the second Commercial location being hit. This area is very close to the Speaker of Parliament, and elite Shiite leader of the AMAL movement Nabih Berri (which means security should be triple in the first place in that area). Now, for sure, life style has been demolished in Lebanon. Everyone was expecting a bomb, and a volcano errupted. This time it was around 10:45, too early. The UN, already warned its personnel to be by 11:00 at home, I guess this time it will br 10:00. Till now, assumptions go under the logic that explosions are taking place during the evening. The ultimate fear would take place if their terrorist retaliations would be during the day, then people will be their prisoners , pinned in their houses.

Worse, there are 30,000 Palestinians prisoners/Hostages of Fatah el Islam, and their live conditions are really bad. Fatah and Hamas are trying to get a seize fire to help the poor Palesinians.

Now it is Beirut's Turn: Explosion in Ashrafieh

12:05, TV stations report that a big explosion took place. It was under a parking car facing ABC. There have been a women killed, because the wall of her house crumbled on her, and she was 63 years old. According to the Security Forces, 10 people are wounded, they were taken to Hotel Dio. The explosion is expected to be 15 KG, created a hole of 3M in Diameter, and 1.5 M in depth.

As I look on TV, seems Fatah Islam want to tell the Lebanese that they will transform Lebanon into a volcano, this is a volcano burning, now in ABC. 14th of March argue that this is Syria because it is trying to distrupt the International Tribunal (although now it is no longer in Domestic Hands, since it is going to be approved by the International Community.

The Streets are empty.

1:23, Solange Gemayel just spoke and compared that Ashrafieh has been standing since 1975!! Shoo khas hay bi hay. The Civil War circumstances were different, or would someone remind her of East Beirut during the Israeli Seige?!

1:26: Minister Far'oun commented that this is the fourth offensive on Ashrafieh

My perspective: This is no longer a "Sectarian Charge", this is a terrorist attack to spread fear. If that is the case, Fatah Islam are related to all those terrorist explosions such as the Ain Alaq massacre

Lebanon's Northern Region Sees Clashes betwen Army and Fatah - el Islam

(A Post that is constanty being updated, added analysis)

Mass conflicts broke between the Lebanese Army and the Syrian patched Palestinian Fatah el Islami (not to be mistaken with Fatah). My friend on msn told me that heavy shooting is taking place in Tripoli. All night they were awake.

Army officials say that the Interior Security forces attacked a building loaded with armed men, suspected to be a location for a mob stealing a bank, and the Fatah Islami retaliated by attacking the army in different locations. This was announced by the army's Orientation Unit (Moderiat el Tawjeeh)

Fatah el Islam are an offshoot from Fatah, whom the former attacked the latter that they are "secular". More importantly and alarming, they adopted a dogma related to the Sunni hardliner position to liberate Palestine; however, this hardline logic is similar to al-Qaeda, and there is a big difference with the Lebanese Sunni logic, such as the Muslim Brotherhood or the Islamic NGOs.

The Lebanese Army is facing them, the Fatah el Islami is active in Tripoli, till now (12:30 noon), eight Lebanese Army have been killed, while 5 from Fatah el Islami have been killed. The Qalamun has witnessed some confrontations. It was heard early in the morning that certain militants on the main roads (autostrad) been shooting randomly on civilians, and the civilians called the security forces. The Mayer of the muncipility argued that it is the first time they appeared, and now the army is confronting them outside the parameters. Qalamun is safe now.

The Port Route (already suffered royally from Israeli aggression last year) has the Fatah el Islami confrontations with them. The residents and neighbors there have been under siege in their homes, and the only way to check on the safety of their neighbors and relatives is through the phones.

14th of March accused Syria to tamper with Lebanese Security in unleashing gang wars, the Minister Fatfat accused the Baathis because of the talks on the International Tribunal discussions. Now MP Ahdab argues that if Fatah el Islami wants to fight the Israelis, then why they are shooting on the Lebanese civilians and army, and again accuses Syria. He, like Reymond Edde in the 1950s, argued that Lebanon should be neutral from the Arab-Israeli conflict and seize to be someone else’s other war. (Although up to my knowledge, all Arab nations signed peace/negotiating peace which also includes Syria) while Lebanon is the scapegoat and the Zionists go butchering Lebanese civilians. 14th of March also argue that the Syrians want to ruin the economy more than it is ruined (bad management – opposition’s demonstrations – Israeli aggression …).

Sultan Bou A’ainein, spokesman for Fatah and its coalition in Lebanon, declared full support for the Lebanese Army. The army is determined to cleanse all the “pockets”/enclaves in the Nahr el Bared refugee camp parameter. Fatah and Fatah el Islami have been in collisions for the past months.

The Red Cross has been calling for a seize fire, even for a short moment so that they can take care of the wounded inside the camp (expected 17 wounded, that includes children).

The army blocked the reporters to take photos or live shoot-out. They have been bringing their tanks, but shooting has been limited to Light-Arms. The Zaharieh region been involved in heavy shooting, street to street fighting is taking place. In the camp region, the Fatah el Islami attacked the Lebanese Army to ease the pressure on the Ammyoun area, where everything began, where the Fatah el Islami ambushed the army and killed the army units (which triggered the confrontation to take place).

Tripoli has been before the site confrontation, during the civil war, we had the “Tawheed” , declaring Tripoli as an Islamic Princedom, which targeted the Communists and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP). (usually considered the bloodiest phase of the war after the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and butchering over 40,000 Lebanese in less than two month, guided by the lunatic Sharon).

The army (1:00), succeeded in breaking a stronghold, where the Fatah el Islami are hiding, and the Sheikha building is under siege (where Fatah el Islami took place).

The army has done several check-points asking the travelers on their IDs.

Abdu building, is under siege (1:11), within the Mi-tain area, which has 3 remaining militants hiding in it, the army currently is breaking through as smoke grenades are being launched and the army is cleansing the building from militants. A pregnant woman with her crippled husband were inside. Heavy shooting is heard on TV. The residents are cheering the army. Operation is complete, the army didn't say any statements, and they arrested one of the militants, transfered to another location (1:15).

The Free Patriotic Movement has also sponsored a unifying stand with the government regarding Fatah el Islami. Only difference, they added a notion that now a Unified Government is needed more than ever, to have a stronger security atmoshpere.

Amin Gemayel called for the elections of a new president to solve the crisis, Lebanon has been buried in for decades (funny thing though, he was part of this muck Lebanon is in).

The Fatah el Islami reminds us of the PLA (Palestinian Liberation Army) which was patched up by Damascus, composed in Syria of Palestinian warriors in Syria to gain political grounds in the Palestinian question/Arab-Israeli Struggle).

Hamas also declared that they are not affiliated with Fatah Islami, and they accused them as non-Palestinian, and also supported the Lebanese Army. This means a third party is financing Fatah el Islami.

Fatah el Islami accused the Lebanese Army of doing an "illogical offensive" on the Nahr el Bared zone. Now they threatened to go everywhere in Lebanon doing their military. All eyes are going in accusing Syrian Baathi regime.

Speculations would go that the Fatah el Islami will end the deadlock between the camps, and they are behind the assassinations to desolve the Lebanese crisis. This is some hopeful thinking by some. Already the government, the opposition, the two out of three Palestinian main forces in Lebanon (Hamas - Fatah, while no statement came out of the Popular Front - General Command) denounced them as non-Palestinian.

Updates, the Lebanese Army sustained 11 killed and 19 wounded.

Syria closed two northern routes between Lebanon and Syria due to "instability in the Situation".

The Prime Minister and the President finally agreed on one thing these days, which is denouncing the offensive on the Lebanese Army, and stressed on focusing on stability for Lebanon and support to Lebanon.

Articles on Fatah el Islami can be found here, here (announcement of their foundation), and here

Fear is that Ain el Hilwi Camp situation might blow up, and we will have two fronts, unless they are seperated (Jindi el Sham and Fatah el Islam) with competitive agendas, then Jindi-El Sham would sit and enjoy the scene as their rivals are under fire).

4:00; From LBC: in the last hour, there are about 10 casualties for our army. The fighting has been limited to light arms, the use bombs, has declined while machine guns are on going. Fatah el Islami has 7 dead.

Sadly, the Palestinian civilians in Nahr el Bared are suffering from the Fatah el Islam, already their life circumstances has been barely livable. The residents of Tripoli argued that this is the first time (recently) that Nahr el Bared region has witnessed such activities, which means the they came recently (well starting almost from last year).

It is funny though, if we followed the Israeli logic, Lebanon would have used its artillary to bombard the whole Nahr al-Bared region and delete it from existence.

Other than the FPM, none of the rest of the Opposition Leaders spoke, specially Karami.

6:15, heavy clashes are taking place between the Army and the Zaharieh area, seems they have a cell there. The army is penetrating under heavy shooting.

6:20: Harriri speaks and denounces Fatah el Islam, accuses Syria for being behind it, "whoever protects this organization and sends them this weaponry, is a partner in hitting Lebanon." Islam is innocent from these terrorists. He glorifies the Army, and the people of the North (bla bla bla), and honors the martyrs. Funny, why he had to give the speech from the Sarayieh (governmental palace?)

I forgot to mention that since noon, the Zaharieh area got evacuated from the civilians.

6:47, Aoun finally gives his speech denouncing the attack on the army, and specially to those "given a home", but it is funny that Aoun was involved in the Tel el Za3tar seige. Coming from this man is hilarious. He also attacks the government on the basis attacking the weaponry of Hezbollah which gives stability in the South, rather tackling the real issues, and proposes that the government should leave (suggesting himself as always as the solution). He gives his condolences to the martyrs' family.

6:52, LBC reports that light weapon conflict is still on-going. The TV is still placed at a distant checkpoint in Mhamara (Nahr el Barid region). Unlike the Zahariah region, where the camera was really close. Clashes still go in Minnieh (Nahr el Bared region also).

7:03, Abass Zaki, head of the office of the PLO, just confirmed that all the factions within PLO denounces this offensive, and considered that this is reflecting badly on the Palestinians first, then on the Lebanese. Zaki supports the Lebanese Army.

7:05, Yakan, a Sunni hardliner who is head of the Islamic Work, explained that he was a mediator between Lebanese Army and Fatah-Islami. His statement is under doubt, specially the Army has been going head to head with them. Second, Yakan claimed that he is a mediator between both, Lebanon & Syria. This is illogical as well, since the politicians handle such mediations and not the army. An analyst suspects that Yakan is saying that because he is avoiding to support publicly the Lebanese Army.

7:10, Junblatt congratulates the Fohod Squad (special forces of the Lebanese Army) on their performance, but again this is ironic, Junblatt also proved during the January chaos that his members are willing to do check-points based on Sect, and still have military arms.

7:12, Antoine Zahra (Lebanese Forces MP) confirmed that no way the Army would seek negotiation with Terrorists, and confirms the analysis on Yakan's behavoir.

7:15, my cousins in Tripoly have clashes in their street, they confirmed to me that the army is moving on a very carefully move, and only retaliate wherever gunshots are taking place. Luckily, they are safe for now.

7:16, Antoine Zahra goes naively preaching the government of 14th of March.

7:17, according to Reuters on TV, the number of the army members killed has reached 23.

7:24, New TV displays political statements from Hezbollah, Marada, and AMAL denounced the attack on the Lebanese Army, and supported the Lebanese Army. Hezbollah are definitely not interested in anything for al-Qa'eda, specially there is heavy ideological confrontations between both. Mainly al-Qa'eda are more extremists, and consider Hezbollah as non-Muslims since they are Shiites. Hezbollah supported fully the Lebanese Army, and considered its vital role to give stability in the nation. They argued that the Lebanese government should by all means rush into work rather let the nation burn. The links to Hezbollah, Aoun, and AMAL (who still do not know how to control their hooligans), are found here

7:45, The Current ministers inside Lebanon are meeting with the rest of Army and Interior Security forces, in order to give the Lebanese Army full political cover and assistence. The meeting started with one minute silence in respect of the martyrs. Moreover, the irony the government had meeting with 14th of March figures prior to that.

8:05, LBC reports that Fatah offered assistence to the Lebanese Army, specially the Fatah el Islam have been hiding between the Palestinians in the Nahr el Bared. Fatah awaits greenlight from the Lebanese Army to pitch in.

8:06: In Zaharia, the Tripoli residents celebrate the end of crisis there, and went to the Baathi Party's location, and threw stones on the HQ. Supporters of Saad Harriri demonstrate.

Analysis:

Militarily: The Lebaenese Army is not brutal like the Israelis, but it took time to exterminate these tiny cells for different reasons:

1) They are functioning in a high residential area, I saw my cousins' house next to the building for example, they told me that the army is retaliating where they see a shooting.

2) The army was hesitant to enter the buildings because they were worried that the Terrorists would blow themselves up once the Foohood (Cheetah) Squad enters.

3) The army lacked efficient snipers to snipe out the ones shooting back

4) It is funny that Israel bombarded the army last year, and then said the army is "weak" (duh!!).

Funny Incident in Jemayzi

Well, nightlife usually focuses on three hubs in Beirut: Hamra - Jemayzi - and Monot St...tonight I was in Jemayzi

As I was walking from one pub to another, the road was jammed ahead because there was a fight between two cars... a lot of people rushing outside the pub to see what is going on, and of course, ladies screaming: "wooooohoooooo".

Well, I crashed into one of the pubs (Jemayzi is made up from over 30-40 pubs in the same area, and guess what, another fight broke inside it. Usually the pubs are loaded with foreigners and Lebanese, but the fight broke out (well definitely alcohol speaking between both) between the Lebanese, but they were cursing at each other in English. That has been the case a lot of times elsewhere. Usually a fight takes place between two people, they start yelling at each other (in the hope someone notices them yelling and jumps in between to stop them), and dear "God" how much they swore at each other, then they pushed (a Push is a second invitation for friends to intervene and hold the fight from becoming physical, or the two do not want to indulge into a fight but displaying their "masculanity" ). This time people intervened, held the "glorious fight", and each gang sat alone, while the two "epical warriors" were yelling at each other. The funny part, swearing in Arabic is much more practical than in English, as trillions of vocabulary can be used to swear at the "evil other". The girls were laughing and saying: "this is cool, yay", the couples remained making out (here I refer to "Straights" and "Homosexuals" usually Lesbians) as if nothing took place.

Nevertheless, after 15 minutes, the two combatants sat next to each other, shook hands, and then started talking, eventually the two groups directly socialized and cracked jokes with each other. Eventually shots were flying around between them, and everyone was happy. Eventually, turns out one of the two combatants was a Lebanese who lived half his life in Texas, while my friend goes: "Screw Texas and Bush" (another Lebanese who lived in the States). He didn't notice her, and the group went out. As I walk, an Irish was explaining to his German friend, 95% of the fights take place are like that.

Well, eventually I saw bumch of Foreigners, (and we inter-mingled), and one of them was bragging how brave he is, to whom I remembered the image of the first person FLEEing during the evacuation, last July War, while the others I know were part of the Civilian Resistence to the Israeli Aggression through the websites and relief work.

Technically, I noticed a quadro racial treatment.

First, you got the Foreigners from all over the world, who brag, look at us, we are between you, Lebanese.

Second, you got the Lebanese who pretend they are foreigners, despite the fact they never left Lebanon at all, and try to emulate them.

Third, you got the internationalists, who think people are people wherever you go (my favourite)

Fourth, you got the Lebanese who think these foreigners are dumb and crack sarcastic joke (such as Khales La Allah: which means, no longer IQ and he is out of this planet with God).

For me, I am lucky. I am a Marxist, ie an Internationalist, people are people wherever you go, as simple as that. I felt like sharing this piece of experience at tonight's mini adventure.

In the Memory of My Father (5th Year)

I just want to say I miss you and should have said that on the 16th, father. You inspired me to be that fighter for the weak, although you hated political activism. I remember you every moment that passes ... May You Rest in Peace, my dearest father, friend, and Companion. If only the world had more like you...

MFL

Capitalism and Imperialism

The highest and final form of Capitalism is Imperialism. Marx discussed extensively how Capitalism becomes accumulated, while the Proletariat is left to starve even though they deserve a greater part of the Capital.

In the past, conquests were mostly for Land. This was practical almost all the ages till the 20th century showed up with all its massive radicalized inventions. In the past, according to Immanuel Wallerstein, each empire had its own economy, circulating among its borders, till the International Market was implemented and empires invaded more land to increase their wealth. Land for starters has many important advantages for an expanding/gigantic empire, it is a source of raw material (be that industrial or agricultural), provides human resources, and the final touch, a geographic location to monitor other empires (or acquire a strategic location for further future enlargement of the empire).

To the Liberals, these empires were called “land-fetish”, who were obsessed about power, and power brought dictatorship on the people. Probably the most abused in the medieval era were the people of central and south Africa, who provided free labor under the title of “Slaves”. Latin America also had its share of such imperialism, due to the Spaniards mostly, and Portugal. All the countries were ruled by a dictator under their empires, while the hierarchy of society was forged in a way to suit the ruler of the nation: ie dictatorship, cheap labor, and submission. For example, Ecuador was a source of raw material/labor to a certain empire; however, after its independence, it remained as a source of raw material in return for cheap labor. Empires became adjusting their infrastructures not only for military reasons, rather also for business reasons. The British banned the Dutch ships to land at their docks, which caused the Dutch empire to weaken and henceforth the Brits expanded their own empire, which became known in its most hypocrite sense: “Common Wealth”.

This is the new form of Imperialism. The advocates of the Marxist in School in Academia argued and argued constantly that the 3rd World nations have been late to enter the world of free market, due to previous oppressions. This means they will never catch up to the 3rd world nations, no matter what they try to invest, because in the end, investments are coming from the “Northern” Sphere. They are under heavy debts, or dictatorship rulers who are usually in allegiance to the business elites of the “First World”. The primary fault that these nations are still in a backward position, including the Arab nations, is due to the fact that these nations had for centuries (and some for over a millennium) had their resources taken for free so that the First World adjusted their own infrastructures (whether for military, or business purposes). Debts on the 3rd world should be cancelled by all means since the first world owes the 3rd world for all the historic woes that passed, and for all the robbery occurring by the British Empire, Dutch, French, Spanish, or any other empire in fact.

The current form of imperialism comes in the form of business and open market. In the past, a nation would rebel, and gain its freedom, but then the business elites would return through debts and businesses to rule the nation. Actually, this form of imperialism is stronger than the previous ones, because how can a nation liberate itself from a multi-transnational corporation? Even Chavez’s rebellion is temporary since more than 85% of Venezuela’s GDP relies on the black oil. Hence slavery focal points were replaced with Sweatshops, bad economies would force people to work for cheaper wages. More importantly, the advanced nations (the US in specific) do not need massive armies to invade a country and sustain all those costs into subduing a nation. The market forces all those labor forces to work for almost for free, while they themselves become a market for what they produced (as well as others). The Transnational Corporations, whether through their presidential rulers in the States or through any other institutions (WTO, IMF, WB, others), succeed in placing a dictator to rule the people. The twin cases of Bolivia and Honduras are the perfect example. Honduras had its water privatized, while Bolivia had almost everything privatized. The Bolivar revolution is not as the US argued a dictator seeking power, rather it is the people fed up from being abused.

In the Arab states, we see dictatorship regimes, not representing their people ruling their people. Saddam Hussein was a patch-work created by the US to face Iran. Iran became an Islamic republic due to a US puppy called the Shah. Jordan’s king has been a historical imperial tool who was at first under the Brits, then under the US. Egypt also is a perfect example whereby the United States are doing everything they could to preserve Moubarak’s regime. The imperialists through the ruthless market enslave the people. Lebanon actually is a perfect example of the US using the market to control Lebanon, and how an equally reactionary movement has been carved out (because they are not getting their part of the pie). If a nation resists the free market policy to protect its domestic market, an outside coup can be engineered to take place inside, or economic sanctions can take place. Worse, the Imperialists can toy with the financial markets to ruin a nation’s economy, and spread chaos through out this nation’s land.

So all of this is called "bringing Democracy". Well I would like to quote a scholar by saying: "To accept the seperation of democracy from economics is, minimally, to fail to recognize the contestability of democracy. To treat democracy as if it operated in a vacuum ignores reality. Democracy operates within economic constraints...To allow democratic initiatives to foster ethnic strige and thereby excuse the ineptitude of foreign powers is morally reprehensible... In the words of one astute former candidate, 'it's the economy, stupid.'" (Thomas William Simon, The Injustice of Democracy)

I repeat this for another time: There is No War But Class War specially less than 7% own more than 65% of global wealth (Samir Amin).

MFL

Another Red Blog in the Block

I am happy and pleased to announce to all my readers that a new blog has been launched by a fellow comrade (and a good friend of mine) under the title of: LeftistFromLebanon

As I know the author of this blog, I am sure the writings will be just wonderful as I am very familiar with the author, and the revolutionary characters that author has. I would also add that the author has a very extensive ideological background, and a keen eye to the reality of the situation. I am sure this blog will be a great reference and a source on what is going on in Lebanon, the Middle East, and Lebanon.

Check this newblog, and welcome its author folks :D

MFL

Enough confusion: The IDF and Impunity (Gideon Levy)

Taken From ZNet

The pretzel man was offering three for 10 shekels. On his crate there was an "Elections Now" sign, and apparently he thought this would promote sales. The peddler's protest was no different from that of the tens of thousands of Israelis who finally left their homes and indifference and came out to the square. Under the lowest common denominator in town - "Olmert, go home" - they expressed confusion and a loss of way. Though this belated awakening deserves praise, its content deserves condemnation.

The demonstrators testified as 100,000 witnesses: Israeli society is continuing to look for the lost coin under the lantern, and not in the right place. "We are a flock seeking a shepherd," said the moderator of the event, Osnat Vishinsky, whose son was killed in the Gaza Strip, aptly defining the shepherdless flock of demonstrators that until only yesterday wrapped itself in the silence of the lambs or in cries of "hooray for the war," and was now applauding her words.

What did the masses want? "Olmert, go home." Is this an aim or only a means? And when Olmert goes home, what exactly will happen? Not one word was said about this. The ranks must be maintained. This also applies to the other unifying slogan, "Elections Now." And what will happen after the elections? The opposition leader, Likud MK Benjamin Netanyahu. One Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will be replaced by another prime minister who resembles him. Is that what this crowd wants?

When the loudspeakers played "The Children of Winter, 1973," it was impossible not to recall an earlier demonstration: "candle youth" in the square, lighting memorial candles, crying and singing and not saying anything. "An Entire Generation Wants Peace," and what did that generation do? It lit candles. And it is also possible to recall the square that was empty during the 33 days of the war, at a time when it was possible and necessary to go out and demonstrate against it and still manage to salvage something. But then hardly anyone came, except for a courageous handful from the radical left.

This protest is just as hollow as the leadership against which it is aimed. Bereaved parents mourned their children from the stage, but no one suggested how to prevent the next war. A mass demonstration that had called for conducting peace talks with Syria, ending the occupation or responding positively to the Saudi initiative is what could have really prevented killing, but this is not on the agenda of this shallow protest. Courage is needed for that, and the masses won't come. "Steaks for the air force but no water, weaponry and ammunition for the infantry," read one placard, expressing the sentiment that was felt here more than anything else: The last war was not managed properly. Had it only been managed properly, had we only killed and not been killed, there would have been no demonstration.

Why, for example, is there no protest against the Israel Defense Forces? After all, the Winograd report, which was cheered here, determined that the chief of staff and the IDF led the government by the nose with false promises about the war. But the IDF stands above any protest. Why? And why is there no protest against the use of war as the first means in Israel's arsenal of responses? Why is there no protest against the destruction and killing we sowed in Lebanon? Or against the image of Israel as a warmongering state that lives by its sword?

No real rage was evinced at this demonstration, and even the unity it depicted was a cloying mirage. Meretz MK Yossi Beilin and National Union-National religious Party MK Effie Eitam united in the exhortation to come to the square, another fake call for reconciliation, because there is nothing that can unite the two of them, not even a thousand cries of "Olmert, go home." The organizers wanted a demonstration "without politicians," and with whom will we be left? With Uzi Dayan, himself a politician who failed in the elections? And perhaps with Arcadi Gaydamak, another "opponent of politicians"?

How easy it is to be against politicians and for the people, and how dangerous. The darkest movements in history arose because of that. In the city square perhaps the beginning of a public awakening was born, after the long, accursed years of coma. This should be welcomed. The problem is that with such a flabby, confused and belated protest Olmert can continue quietly to toil away in his chair. And even if not, so what?

The Case of Turkey, and Islamist Organizations

Prior to the Republic of Turkey, there existed the massive Ottoman Empire, whose Sultans assumed that they are heirs of the Caliphates and defenders of Islam. The empire itself lasted for centuries and allowed minorities to exist, but provided incentives for people to convert to Islam (Cases of Albania – Kosovo – Bosnia). Towards the 19th Century, corruption rendered the empire weak, and the empire was tagged by the European Colonial forces as “the sick man”. The term Sick Man was used because all the main Imperial forces decided to expand their territorial empires on the expense of the Ottomans. France, Italy, Spain, and Great Britain already carved out North African nations out of the Ottoman empire by the 19th Century.

When Mustapha Kamal took power in Turkey, he had to overcome all the Allied forces present there, next to the last Sultan present. When Mustapha Kamal took power, he transformed a nation that was four centuries late into a modern country. He demolished anything reminded him of the Sultans’ system. He changed the letters (from Arabic Letters to Latin, the Ottomans used to write Turkish in Arabic letters). He gave women the right to divorce, (he was the first to divorce probably), and demolished all feudal titles. Despite the fact he faced a lot of opposition, he integrated in the constitution the right of the Turkish Army to declare a Coup in case any Islamist group won elections. The army rebelled in the early 1980s, and froze constitutional life for two years, then constitutional life was re-introduced with the Social Democrats winning. Couple of weeks ago, the army was threatening to do so again. The opposition (Ordogan’s faction) to the Army now has support from of the European Commission and Germany’s top executive power. The European Commission have been arguing that “democracy must not be tampered with”.

This leads us to Egypt. Moubarak was hailed by the US and UK as democratic. Moubarak’s regime has blocked the Muslim Brotherhood to reach power, while he tampered with presidential elections to preserve his throne for his son (the future president of Egypt). To be exact, there has been no country in the world except for Egypt that had judges demonstrating and later beaten by pro-Moubarak regime. It is ironic because Moubarak has been following the foot-steps of Nasser and Sadat in economical corruptions, which led the Muslim Brotherhood’s “welfare” networks to spread through out Egypt. The Kifaya Movement (“Enough” in Arabic) has been forged which included old fashion Arab Nationalists, Muslim Brotherhood, alter-globalization movements, and whatever remained of the reactionary left to join forces against Moubarak’s regime. The Kifaya movement was threatening against Moubarak’s presidential rally, which cost the nominee to be imprisoned for years for even challenging Moubarak. I will not dwell into the details of Egypt’s history of betrayal and oppression, and I am not defending the Muslim Brotherhood. The current status quo in Egypt is due to Moubarak’s and his predecessors’ management. The question is: how long the United States can over-look this fact till Moubarak or his son would be ousted out of power, specially his blunders, and the Social Islamist Networks’ proper organizations, are pushing the Muslim Brotherhood by the year to grow stronger and stronger. More intriguing, Moubarak turns a blind eye on most of these Networks because they are saving money on the Government’s expenses (similar to Hamas having over 40% of the Palestinians under its welfare system which puts Fatah in an awkward position).
The main idea, if the majority of the population are Islamists, do they democratically qualify to rule the nation, despite the fact that previous experiences (like Sudan) witnessed non-Muslims being ruled by the Muslim Law by Force?

In Lebanon, we have seen Hezbollah being a two-fold model, a militant one and a political one. On the militant level, they inflicted damage on the Israelis whereby no army even succeeded before. On the political level, they have been recent in involving themselves in the political life. Till now, they promised to respect minority rights, despite the fact they have their own legal system in the areas they dominate most. In case Hezbollah are 51% percent of Lebanon, does it make them qualified to rule in Lebanon, specially they have direct ties with Ayatollah Khamenei? What would be the position of their secular allies, like the Lebanese Communist Party and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party? What if, in the long-run, Nasrallah is replaced by a more fanatic hardliner as head of the Shora Council?


In Palestine, we already have seen Hamas and Fatah supporters slashing each other when balance of power is present. Hamas belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood. The Strength of the Muslim Brotherhood's partial success returns to the Israeli blunders. Since Zionists feared secular resistence, which was embodied by the PLO, they turned their eyes on the Muslim Brotherhood's social networks in order to weaken the PLO. The PLO towards the end of the 1970s, exploded at the Muslim Brotherhood under the accusation of 'collaborating with the Israelis'.

In Afghanistan, the horrors of the Taliban regime were too terrifying and oppressive, which increased blindly racism towards “secular Muslims” in the West. The United States still think a political solution is the best answer to everything. The bottom line for the driving society towards a certain orientation is not “imposing democracy”, rather placing heavy investments to improve the society. The Mujahideen in Afghanistan, soon to evolve into Taliban, were recieving a lot of money to face the Soviet invasion. They ended up of becoming part of an international terrorist organization, which has no problem of butchering anyone (including the ones who share their sect) under the banner of cleansing the nation from infidels.

Probably the most complicated case was Algeria, when in a Coup was declared after the FIS (Islamist Coalition) won the majority of the Parliament in the early 90s. The problem of the West is that they never understood the “why” part. I mean by the “why” because poverty is rather harsh, and harshness accompanied with informal welfare under the banner of Islam from the logic of hardliners, brings popularity. Algeria for example was the victim of France, which practiced a harsh and racial form of colonialism on the Algerians. Bad corrupt management by the Liberation National Front (FNL) was an incentive to trigger the different factions of the Islamist Network to expand dramatically. The other question is: “How can a country for over a century of oppression can also fix its system in couple of decades?” The Algerians, along with the Tunisians are still busy in persecuting Qa’eda cells over there, while their leaders practice supreme dictatorship over their people. Investments are still at minimal to improve the situation for this nation.

Globally, as I discussed in an earlier post, several left-wing groups blindly supported those groups because they are against US imperialism, and they are the current available alternative. This is wrong, opposing US imperialism is one thing, but supporting blindly anyone who opposes it (with the exception of al-Qa’eda since they have been too extremists to fit that category) is totally wrong and ideological breach of whatever leftist school comes from. The RESPECT coalition and Kifaya movement has been one example, the Chavez-Ahmadinejad alliance is another. If the left have been working on their goals, they wouldn’t have needed to support such coalitions.

Such a dilemma is really complicated to ponder upon, never the less, such pondering is within the realm of the capitalist logic, as revolutionaries, we should focus on our goals no matter who is in the topic executive position: Emancipation of the workers, and all power be secured into the Workers’ Hands.

MFL

Elias Attallah TV

I met with two friends linked with Junblatt's PSP, they were mocking Elias Attallah as more PSP than "Walid Baik" himself when he appeared last week on Future TV. What he is trying to do, topple We'am Wahhab on my hate list?

Olmert and Peretz: Two Clowns to go home

Well, seems the new road map of what Condi Rice spoke off while we were hearing Israeli airplanes above our heads received a new slap in the face. It has cost the US administration their allies, well at least Olmert’s cabinet. We all know that cabinet can be easily replaced with another. The Winograd commission literally proved what the non-Zionists been speaking about, Israel was too hasty to declare war on Lebanon (yes it is Lebanon and not Hezbollah when they threaten to throw Lebanon 20 years back!).

The BBC gathering thoughts and opinions reported a certain fellow, Orem Coen, saying: “Olmert is not qualified to be our prime minister, but who else is there?
Ariel Sharon was the last of the giants and now we're left with small businessman.
I don't want Benyamin Netanyahu, as that would be like replacing a donkey for a mule.”

This tells us that the only “giant” is Sharon, a man who Phil Habib and Morris Draper described as a “butcher”, a “bully”, and sometimes “insane”. That is the problem the Israelis do not understand, their Zionist ideology, this racism, this hatred, started the whole chain reaction when they (a minority) set out to displace a whole nation in a most terror-like manner (similar to al-Qa’eda brutality) and expected the neighbors would be understanding. Some of the stupid Zionists would reply, “but look they are Arabs, and there are plenty of Arab Land”, well that is as if saying: “Look, the people of Belgium are Europeans, and there is plenty of European Land”. That is it, Zionism is probably one of the remainders of colonial movements that survived the 19th Century, as Edward Said dissected perfectly well, and the 1948 crisis was the peak of all the disasters we are facing around here in the Middle East. The Lebanese instability of 1958, and civil war in 1975 broke out because of the domino effect triggered in 1948. You sure can’t expect to expel a whole race, then treat those who remained in a miraculous way as 3rd class citizens, without triggering reactions to what started as reactionary in the first place.

The Winograd Commission displayed errors, and more errors in entering automatically the war with Lebanon over an operation on an Israeli unit. The problem with the Olmert Cabinet, they needed an excuse to attack, that was the excuse. Ze’ev Schiff already spoke of certain Hezbollah operations intercepted prior to July 12, and the Israeli “Defense” Forces on purpose never increased their defense.

More interestingly, stupid Zionists would go and promote the idea that Hezbollah brought this on Lebanon. As far as I know, Israel did unaccountable operations over their borders on Lebanese soil without being held accountable. Fishermen shot, cluster bombs till this day explode on civilians, shattered Lebanese economy, and the most ironic part: Hezbollah emerged stronger than ever. Olmert tried to claim victory that the UNIFIL exist in South Lebanon, but that was not sufficient to save his PM throne. All UNIFIL will run away at the first site of a bullet. We have seen the UN “Peace” Keepers and “Enforcers”, they just run. Only the NATO forces can be considered a true force with real fire power. We have seen how NATO imposed peace during the disintegration of former Yugoslavia.

But this situation is different, it took a Zionist commission to convince the Israelis they were wrong to attack Lebanon, not for “virtuous reasons” rather to avoid more military disasters. Israel, that claims Hezbollah caused the destruction of Lebanon, was in fact their troops shooting and bombing almost the whole of Lebanon. Israel could have resorted to diplomacy, and political pressures. Instead, they slaughtered 1300 Lebanese, and more are getting killed by the remaining horrific cluster bombs. Worse, the Red Cross confirmed that Israel was using banned weaponry, also to be denounced by Anan himself, but the US argued that Israel has the right to defend itself. This reminds us of Orwell’s Animal Farm: “All people are equal, but some people are more equal”. Finally, it never occurred to the Israelis that Hezbollah exists in this strength with such popularity not due to Iran solely, we have already seen militant groups in Lebanon crumbling down despite nice finances, rather because of Israeli brutality on the people. At a one point, the South of Lebanon were facing both the Israelis and the Palestinians, something the Israelis always fail to mention it to their people. (Zionists forcing their people to live in a certain framework?). In the end, once the Israelis fail to counter every argument, specially they did the slaughters, they would accuse you of “Anti-Semitism” for criticizing the Israeli cabinet’s decision (which I keep failing to see how does a war decision got to do with racism, and more interestingly how can the Lebanese be Anti-Semites or the Palestinians, since they all originate from the Kena’ans).

Then, we got Levni. Levni’s story is interesting. Like most of the Israeli cabinet, and definitely Sharon’s lousy party, she is an ex-military. She was part of the Mossad, she became Sharon’s right-hand, a co-founder of the Kadima Party (which without Sharon wouldn’t have had any real value), and last but not least, she was minister foreigner, highest position taken since Golda Meir. Whatever Peretz and committed blunders during the July War, we saw Levni pleading to the media Israel was simply “DEFENDING” itself, rather bombing the whole of Lebanon. It should be noted, the more Israel intensified its attacks, the more Hezbollah retaliated. After doing face safe for Israel, specially amidst the media blackout we were living in, during the July War, suddenly key cabinet members tried to scapegoat her for the war to cover her own blunders. As Olmert was saying the party emerged unified, Levni bombs Olmert with the statement to resign as a Prime Minister, while announcing herself indirectly as the Candidate. Seems the tables have turned on “Hitler” Olmert (as a lot call him in Lebanon), now Levni is scapegoating Olmert.

What the July War left impact on the Israelis, it also left a psychological fear. First, their military defenses crumbled down. Second, their pride, the “indestructible” tank Mirkava turned out to be a sitting duck. Third, they launched a war on an entire nation and kept it a hostage for an additional month under the banner of retrieving the soldiers (although at the rate they bombed Lebanon, I wouldn’t be surprised that they could have killed the two soldiers), and never got them back. Fourth, they decided to destroy Hezbollah, Hezbollah emerged stronger and even a stronger balancer of power against the 14th of March coalition. Fifth, their army suffered military defeat, whether sending their elite forces or their regular infantry or the reserves, they got slapped in the face. The only thing that keeps Israel still confident about its “existence” is their plane superiority and naval power (although even that was heavily scratched). Little do they know, that technology generates economies of scale, with that the “underdogs” started to catch up to them on the military aspect. All they hope is to still bargain on the holocaust committed between 1939-1944 to cover up for their own holocaust committed on the behalf of the Lebanese and the Palestinians. I mean what type of stupid Defense Minister would open a second front while he got one open amidst the occupied lands of Palestine?

Last but not least, the July war empowered Nasrallah. Now Hezbollah grew even stronger ever since they accomplished their military victory over the Israeli army. For starters, 95% of the Israelis killed were non-civilians, unlike what the Israelis did, and henceforth won the hearts of the Anti-US imperialist movements blindly, forgetting that Hezbollah is a reactionary party by itself. This again, we got to thank the Israelis, they gave Hezbollah since the 1982 invasion a chance to exist, and through their brutality, they gave (along with other factors) Hezbollah to grow such a popular base, not only among the Shiites, but also the Christians. Hezbollah's flags were raised through out the Arab Nations (and Muslim nations) as well as a lot of anti-US imperialism rallies (which I find illogical). Israel's neighbors are getting weaker, such as Egypt and Jordan, and despite their oppressive superiority over their people, one day they will crumble down, and the Israelis can thank their Zionist leaders for that happening.

It is time for the Israelis themselves to start considering a secular government that is not Zionist, and definitely not brutal and racist like the ones before. At least, this is the first step to establish real peace if they want with their neighbors, and I am not talking fake peace with the Jordanians or Egypt, whose base masses more and more across the years hate their leaderships. The Israelis already feel they are canned in their borders, and their Zionist leaders are bringing racism towards them due to their own brutality. Some Israelis never learn from this mistake, that it was their butchery that triggered all this Fiasco since the Zionist project was on a most devastating manner was applied. Someone will reply: “Oh yeah, but this is my land”, the problem is, prior of the Zionist project taking place effectively, there were only 7% of the population of Palestine in 1915 that could argue they lived in this land for more than a century. Most of the people of Israel can’t go beyond a century that they lived in it, that should give them a clue or two. More importantly, if Israel means peace, the only solution to prove itself is by seizing to be racist towards the others. We already know and read a lot of references how the European Jews are racists towards the Arab Jews. Even the Cartoonist Joe Sacco gathered statements that the Palestinians and the Arab Jews got no problem with each other, and a lot regard each other as “Kins”, yet the European Jews got the issues, because they brought with them the logic of “Zionism” and its racism. Natanyaho is not an option, and arms will not preserve safety for Israel, the July War proved that the underdogs caught up with the “giants”, now it is time the people abandoned Zionism, and embraced Internationalism. The Israelis forgot about the Anti-War demonstrations in Israel in 1982, which had at a one point over 200,000 Jewish demonstrators, and eventually shot down the war pig Sharon out as a defense minister.
No War But Class War

Down with all Forms of Nationalism

MFL

PS: I know one thing for sure, I will really party and celebrate once these two bastards Peretz and Olmert resign, I reserved a nice bottle of Red Wine to drink of a certain special brand, for butchering 1300 Lebanese, wounding 5000, and let us not forget their daily on-going massacres in Palestine.

May Day: A Day of Celebrations and Rebellions

And the official poem goes as:

...Let the winds lift your banners from far lands
With a message of strife and of hope:
Raise the Maypole aloft with its garlands
That gathers your cause in its scope....

...Stand fast, then, Oh Workers, your ground,
Together pull, strong and united:
Link your hands like a chain the world round,
If you will that your hopes be requited.

When the World's Workers, sisters and brothers,
Shall build, in the new coming years,
A lair house of life--not for others,
For the earth and its fulness is theirs.

Walter Crane, The Workers' Maypole. 1894



(Workers' May Pole)
(Link)

Despite the fact that the Proletariat in Australia started organizing the first series of demonstrations in the mid 19th century, May the First stands for a glorious day, a day of solidarity, sacrifice, and a moment of real action. Ever since the workers demonstrations in Chicago at the Hay Market of Chicao on May the first 1886, the whole world will change special thanks to an activist called Eleanor Marx, and her two comrades Edward Aveling and Fredriche Engels. Eleanor Marx never realized her focus on May the first incidents would transform the first of May massacre into the first global solidarity campaign three years later. The motion was submitted in the same month of May in 1886, and after three years (remember the communication level was so inflexible those days), the first demonstration, on a global scale, encompassed the workers from China, to Russia, to the whole of Europe, to North America, and Australia. I should also note, that since that day, the Red Flag rose in the honor of the Proletariat who were butchered (or those who were given capital punishment in a wrong manner and took the whole blame).



(Australian Proletariat poster rallying for their demonstrations during the mid-fifties. )

The naive Neo-Cons who keep attacking the Marxists as dictatorships and link Marxism to Stalinism, well they forget what Marxism is really all about: Emancipation of the Proletariat. It is about the workers organizing their rank and file to stand against their oppressors, who enslaved them for almost free or simply free wages with bad work conditions.

Ever since the sucess of May Day, every nation witnessed turmoil and chaos as the oppressor witnessed massive demonstrations against his (then mainly his)/her iron claws.

Rosa Luxemburg writes: "The first to follow the example of the Australian workers were the Americans. In 1886 they decided that May 1 should be the day of universal work stoppage. On this day 200,000 of them left their work and demanded the eight-hour day. Later, police and legal harassment prevented the workers for many years from repeating this [size] demonstration. However in 1888 they renewed their decision and decided that the next celebration would be May 1, 1890."

The Chicago Demonstrations were called first upon by the Anarchists, as Eleanor Marx and Edward Aveling wrote in their article: The Chicago Anarchists. The resolution was introduced in 1889 as an International Day for universal demonstrations by Comrade Raymond Lavigne at the Paris SocialistCongress. The motion says:



(Denouncing the atrocities committed on the behalf of the workers of the Hay Market)

A great international demonstration shall be organized for a fixed date in such a manner that the workers in all countries and in all cities shall on a specified day simultaneously address to the public authorities a demand to fix the workday at eight hours and to put into effect the other resolutions of the International Congress of Paris.

In view of the fact that such a demonstration has already been resolved upon by the American Federation of Labor at its convention of December 1888 in St. Louis for May 1, 1890, that day is accepted as the day for the international demonstration.

The workers of the various nations shall organize the demonstration in a manner suited to conditions in their country. (link).

When the Bolesheviks and the Proletariat won against the reactionaries, the Central Committee announced May Day as a National Holiday. The ever-intellect, Comrade Lunacharsky describes the atmosphere on May the 1st 1918 as follows:

"Yes, the celebration of May Day has truly been made official. It has been celebrated by the state. The might of the state was evident in many ways. But is it not intoxicating to think that the state, until recently our worst enemy, now belongs to us and has celebrated 1 May as its greatest festival?

And yet, take my word, if this festival had only been official, it would have produced nothing but coldness and emptiness.

But no, the popular masses, the navy, the Red Army all true working people put their efforts towards it. And we can therefore say that this festival of labour has never been so beautiful." (Lunacharsky's diary), Lenin wrote a tiny article on May Day in Kharkov. Malinovsky describes the preparations for the first May Day official celebrations in the Soviet Union in 1918. The minutes are available over here. Leon Trotsky would write on the 35th anniversary of May Day over here.

Ever since the 2nd International confirmed May Day as the day for celebrations, revolutions occurred, historical tides switched, and May Day continues to this very day scare the capitalists of any sudden insurrection. Portugal went in the mid 70s into a revolutionary stages.

Bottom Line: the demands made in the late 19th century are still applicable to these days:

- Eight hours work per day
- Good Work Conditions
- The Right of the Workers to Defend their rights

Moreover, the reactionary tried to limit of May Day by transforming it into a Capitalist Labor Day, where the workers would simply have one day off from everything. Not in a life time they will take away our holiday.

In Lebanon

The revolutionary wave already reached Lebanon. In 1925, the first to demonstrate in Modern "Greater Lebanon" were the comrades in Lebanon and Syria. The Demonstration took place in the Burj-Square, whereby a huge number gathered under the estimation, according to the French: 7000 demonstrators (According to Political Parties of Lebanon: the Lebanese Communist Party). The event witnessed the sudden participation of the Armenian Comrades to such a glorious event, who already brought with them (in exile due to the Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottomans officials and their Sultan) the modern experience of organizations, through the (one and only) Spartakus League, headed then by Artin Madayan (Grandfather of Rafi Madayan). On that day, comrades from the Lebanese, Syrian, and Aremenian nationalities, adopted internationalism and decided to build the Communist Party in both regions. Technically the roots of the Lebanese Communist Party as we know it began on May the First 1925. The French already having bad relations with Petrograd, decided to persecute the comrades and they were shoved into hiding.

Now a decade later, a dogmatic figure, under the name of Antoun Saadi, will establish the Syrian Social National Party (SSNP), whose fascistic (Greater Syria Nationalism) perspectives would challenge May Day in Lebanon. He would support the concept of the reactionary Labor Day, under the logic of honoring work because if there is no work, there can never be workers. He fails to capture the logic of the workers, work conditions, what ought to be demanded, and he even demolishes the concept of Trade Unions, since in the first place he does not support the notion of Class Struggle, rather "Nationalism Struggles". The term "If there is no work, then there can never be workers" is illogical, reminds us of the reactionary revisionists, under the leader of Edouard Bernstein who said that the end is nothing but the road to the end is everything (which also means nothing). Assa'd Herdain, ex-minister of Labor - Member of the SSNP demolished what is called Workers' Day (in Lebanon) and his faction considered that they were one step closer to their "sacred goals" when he called it Labor Day; and the SSNP naively try to take over May Day as Labor Day and promote as their own holiday (unaware of our REAL holiday).

The sad part about our comrades in Lebanon, that most of the comrades do not know the origins of the holiday. They think it came out of the blues as Workers Day, and start arguing using Marxism 101 (Capitalist Manifesto read for the first time only), instead on dwelling on the real reasons behind First May Day, the day forever and ever be the Day the Proletariat shall stand for their rights, the day of revolutions, and of course, the reality of the situation where reactionaries hiding under the banner of the left appear as the real right-wingers. As for the SSNP who still celebrate May Day as Labor Day, you shall never ever steal our holiday, specially you blindly repeat what they taught you at the "Moderieh" or as far as the "Youth" section, this is our history, and this day belongs to us, the Proletariat, and never to you.

A lot of information is present on the Marxist Internet Archive (MIA) May Day section, ranging from historical documents, to meeting minutes, to poems, and as far as drawings and songs. All pictures taken from the sate link as well.

Till the Proletariat stand Victorious, and Happy May Day to all the comrades and the oppressed through out the world (and May the memories of all those who died remain enlightening our hearts for a new battle against the oppressors).

MFL