Najah Khalil, in South Lebanon
To the memory of its people, the state of insecurity and terror imposed by the Hizbollah militia upon the region of South Lebanon during the last few months seems unprecedented- with the exception of tight control measures imposed by the Israeli forces until the end of the occupation in 2000.
Inhabitants of southern towns and villages, not excluding women, children, and the elderly, are, regularly, subject to punitive “campaigns”, led by Hezbollah strong hands. In addition to retribution and enforcing of a Hizbollah discipline on villagers, such campaigns seem destined to instill a sentiment of fear that would preclude any inclination towards disobedience or revolt.
Fights have, recently, been spreading like wildfire in South Lebanon villages. Not a day passes without some “incident” occurring. Usually quarrels start verbally then degenerate into fistfights and knives, sometimes ending with gunfire.
The spiral of violence had first erupted between the two nominal allies: Amal Movement and Hezbollah. Due to its superiority in arms, better organization and larger membership, Hezbollah would prevail in these occasional confrontations between the two so-called “allies”, but, in fact, “rivals”. This has made Hezbollah partisans arrogant and Amal followers frustrated.
Amal movement supporters in the south are suffering from Hezbollah domination, the more so since Amal leadership’s interests seem limited to the temptations of power and wealth, making their audience in the south a victim to deals with the Hezbollah adversary.
Lately, clashes first started in the southern village of Aytaroun (historically, a communist stronghold) where an Amal supporter was beaten because his clothes were not to the liking of Hezbollah supporters! Ten people were wounded by knives in the clash that ensued.
Confrontations then spread to other villages, seemingly to achieve the purpose of humiliating southerners of “dissident” opinions, even by the force of arms.
Clashes spread to Adayse, Rebtleteen, and Markaba villages, where Amal supporters were victims of all kinds of physical and mental harassment. Knife wounds, head injuries, and severe beatings are some of what they have been subjected to, as well as a great deal of cursing and insults, not even sparing girls and elders in the three towns. The confrontations lasted about a week, and many of the wounded are still being treated in various hospitals.
Confrontations in the above mentioned villages consecrated the domination of Hezbollah on all the border region, removing Amal from the geographical and political equation and from control over this sensitive area.
The Wikileaks effect
Observers in the South could not but notice that Hezbollah members would start their disciplinary actions against Amal movement supporters after the publication of new Wikileaks documents by the Beirut press, such documents, often, revealing how Amal leadership had “betrayed” its ally during and after the 2006 war with Israel. The problem is that Amal supporters in South Lebanon, not Amal’s national leadership, are paying for the so-called “betrayal” of their leaders.
Amal leadership’s silence over the harassment of its supporters in South Lebanon, not to mention the apathy of the lebanese judiciary and security authorities, seem to have opened Hezbollah supporters’ appetite to resume the logic of “prevailing over all segments of society”, where even leftist, communists and independent citizens have received their share of harrassment.
The recent “prohibition of alcohol” clashes, in Nabatiyeh and Marjehyoun areas, have demonstrated Hezbollah’s tendency to “annihilate” anyone whose thoughts, styles, and doctrines are different. Yet, they might, also, signal the party’s latent fear of the spread of dissident voices- which would explain why it had to harass members of the Communist Party celebrating the birth date of the Lebanese Resistance Front during the Israeli occupation in the village of Adloun, near Zahrani.
Yet, the “de facto” weapons, a term used by the Beirut press, which have wreaked havoc in the south happen to be, also, corrupt. A feast does not end with the wolves devouring the prey. Wolves might even attempt to devour each other too! This happened in the village of Jibshit, a stronghold of Hezbollah, where the tyranny of party “ Rabet ” (Hizbollah “link man”) triggered three rounds of clashes among Hizbollah members, ending in the beating of Hizbollah’s “rabet“, breaking the mayor’s car, with threats of more if the Hezbollah leadership does not put an end to the tyranny of its local man (Hezbollah, later, claimed the protestors were young drug addicts!)
South Lebanon is, now, mired up in unilateralism, and thugs (what Syrians call “shabbiha“) practices are spreading throughout the region. Hizbollah has become the sole de facto ruler and controller of the southerners lives. Resorting to the logic of arms is no longer an embarrassment to their holders whether for the slightest of incidents, for usurping public domains, or even for corrupting official administrations…Which would be the topic of my next article.