FOUNDATION FOR HUMAN AND HUMANITARIAN RIGHTS  LEBANON (FHHRL)
Corresponding member: International Federation of Human Rights
Member: Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network
Tel/Fax:00961-4-922978
Mobile: 00961-3-296477
e-mail- DUMSPIROSPERO@FHHRL.ORG.LB

FHHRL'S REPORT # 4 (29/5/2000)
A week passed on the Israeli pull out of South Lebanon and the visibility is clear enough to venture the following educated assessment of the situation:
On The Positive Scale
1- The Israeli withdrawal from some 10 percent of the Lebanese territory marked an important event which is not restricted to ending an over 22 years of occupation of the so-called "security strip". It is even more an achievement for the UN as the pull out is in compliance with the UNSC resolution # 424 which provides a much needed proof that the multi-national organization remains a focal point in settling complicated and hot international issues.
2- Equally on the positive scale is noted the role played by the victorious militias. Departing from the long-standing tradition of the Lebanese War where winners get all, from property to life of the losers, this last round spared the lives of the civilians of the former Israeli occupied zone. (The assassination of Girgis Hajj in Rmeish on May 27 by a militia man, said to be a Hizbullah member, might be an isolated case.) Even looting, which was carried out on a large scale, is subsiding. It should be recalled that the less protected and more targeted Christian settlements were the focus of attention of the looters who carried out their activities under the banners of the various political parties. No incidents of looting were reported in the Shi'ite villages while in the Druze area, the house of the South Lebanon Army (SLA) officer, Alamuddine Badawi, in Hasbaya was torched on the first day of the counter invasion just before the Druze militias had the situation under control. (The Daily Star, May 25th, 2000.)
3- The leaders of the various religious communities played a commendable role in reassuring the harassed Christians. The head of the Shi'ite Supreme Council, Sheikh Muhammad Mahdi Shamseddin, and lesser dignitaries, called on the local Christian religious leaders and offered them their support. They were acting out of conviction but a nod from Teheran must not be overruled.
On The Negative Scale
The following were noted:
1- The series of declarations by the Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah and his deputy Sheikh Na'im Qasim, all the way down to the eve of the withdrawal, in which they vowed reprisals against the quick and the dead among the "collaborators", fortunately were not implemented.
2- The lack of swift measures by the Lebanese government to contain the situation ought to be placed on this side of the scale:
a- No plans were made to deploy the army into the evacuated areas to fill the vacuum left behind by the Israeli withdrawal which, inevitably, had to be filled by the militias hoisting their various banners but more keen on looting the property of Christians. The priest of Qlay'a, Father Mansour Hkayyim, said to the leading Beirut daily Nahar: "They (the Lebanese authorities) sent s number of State Security personnel to man a check point at the entrance of the village but were pulled out few hours later." (Nahar, May 30, 2000)
b- The government demanded that the SLA members lay down their arms and surrender themselves to the Lebanese Army. No specific provisions were announced on the first day. On the following day a list of army posts were assigned for the purpose. Almost all proved to be remote and inpractical. A concrete case recorded by the FHHRL's observers runs as follows: A number of SLA officers and soldiers expressed their wish to surrender to the Lebanese authorities and approached the priest of Rmeish to work out the terms with the authorities. Beirut was receptive and indicated an army station where the process could be completed. However, the SLA members opted to cross over with their families to Israel as the station suggested could be reached only by driving 35 kilometers in an area controlled by Hizbullah. (FHHRL's Report #3).
c- Though 9 days passed on the Israeli evacuation of South Lebanon, the government remains ambiguous on the need to deploy the army into South Lebanon. Conflicting declarations are issued by the different officials. The President of the Republic, General Emile Lahhoud, is more categorical in refusing the deployment of the troops. Few days before the pull out he made a declaration which raised the eye brows of jurists: "The Lebanese Army is no border guards for Israel," he said. Even the UN force can only be admitted if it undertakes to disarm the Palestinian camps. The Prime Minister Salim Hoss proved more accommodating on the first days but he back tracked in an interview with Nahar which was published on the 30th, of May,2000.
d- Furthermore, the government, which mobilized the media to encourage the citizens to celebrate the liberation of South Lebanon and set an example by the president, prime minister, many ministers and a crowd of MPs touring the liberated zone, failed to realize the need to warn people against treading in what was till few days ago a battle zone with all the mines still in place. The count of the victims, so far, is seven, many of them are children. The Marjayoun Report The state of fear and uncertainty still prevails in Khreibe, Burj al Mulouk, Qlai'a, Jdaydit Marjayoun and Marjayoun. In Khreibe and Burj Mulouk the looting is still taking place. The gendarmerie intercepted some looters in Hizbullah uniforms attempting to loot the gas station  of Yousef Murad. The gendarmes back tracked when the looters displayed a firm determination. Armed elements dressed in Hizbullah gears bust in the house of Elie Humsi at 3 hours in the morning of May 27. Mr. Humsi was not at home and those present were women and children. The militia terrorized the inhabitants, cleaned the house of valuables, desecrated the religious symbols and broke the furniture. Other houses were rubbed of valuables and many cars were driven away. The victims reported the incidents to the police stations and the answer, invariably, was: "There is nothing we can do."
For the record 
Elie Humsi: His house was looted.
Jean Humsi: House, shop and a car.
George Nawfal: House.
George Khoury: House and car.
Hafiz Khoury: House.
Mufid Abou Rashid: House.
Ghattas Mizher: Shop and house.
Majid Suleiman: House.
Nicholas Khoury: House.
Ghazi Yousef: House.
Nicholas Suleiman: House and car.
Jad Rizkallah: House.
Habib 'Ashshi: House.
Assad Faris: House.
Pierre Khoury: House.
Faris Saab: House.
Elias Humsi: House.
Elie Suleiman: Attempt to steel his car.
Siham Rhayyim: Threats.
Afaf Rhayyim: Threats.
Riyad Nader: House and Shop.
Roger Nader: House.
Khalil Murad: A car.
Samira Nimr: A car.
Hussein Wanna: A car.
Assad Abou Kasm: House.
Elias Assaf: Threats.
Philip Abyan: House.
Antoine Assaf: House.
Katrin Saadeh Abou Jamra: Threats.
The widow of George Da'ybis: Threats.
Michel Hanna: Threats.
Yousef Shalhoub: House.
The widow of Elias Haddad: House.
Suad Nasrallah: House.
Those who reported the violations and the loss of property to the press, human rights reporters and the UNIFIL, were threatened by the militias in Hizbullah gears.
Maroun Mizher, a resident of Qlay'a and a member of the Security Force stood up to the looters. The militiamen pulled a gun on him and forced him to kneel down while they completed their work. Militiamen, once again in Hizbullah outfits, entered the House of Ibrahim Mizher and pushed him and his wife around. The couple are in their sixties. Ablind person called Boulos, was equally beaten up and his house was emptied.
A police man, Salim Da'aybis, had his house assaulted. The assailants demanded to see his credentials which did not restrain them from looting his house. A famous fish restaurant on the Khardali Bridge, owned by Saadallah Wanna, was totally looted and left in ruin.

On the 27th of May, following the declarations of the government that security forces are heading south, the situation eased and looting subsided. However, there was a total electricity failure that night and steeling and looting was intensified. The gendarmerie attempted to obstruct some militiamen from driving away with a caterpillar machine. Their attempt failed.

MP Ali Khalil toured the area and tried his best to control the situation. As a sign of protest the priest of Qlay'a, father Mansour Hkayyim, refused to celebrate the Sunday mass and asked the inhabitants to stay put for fear of the looters taking advantage of the time they are away from their homes. The Greek Orthodox Bishop, Mgr. Elias Kfoury, reiterated his request that the army and security forces be deployed. In his Sunday sermon the bishop said: "Forty policemen are not enough to look after a whole region."

A long list of trucks, cement mixers and building machinary owned by Tanious Abou Fadel, Shadia Abou Fadel and Isber Daher. were driven away. Attempts by the gendarmerie to intercept the looters failed. The Rmeish Report A serious incident took place in Rmeish on May 28. This is how the AFP reported the incident. The facts are corroborated by the FHHRL.

"A Christian from the village of Rmeish in southern Lebanon was killed and another wounded by the Shi'ite Muslim gunman who was later arrested, residents told AFP. It was the first fatal shooting since Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon and the dismantling of its allied South Lebanon Army militia on Wednesday. The Lebanese Internal Security Forces issued a statement confirming the death of Girgi Hajj, 50, and said they had arrested the gunman, named as Shadi Ataya. Another Christian, George Assaf, was "slightly wounded" during the shooting, said the statement, adding that the police "confiscated (Ataya's) weapon and began interrogating him."
The Military Court
The Military Court started reviewing the cases of those accused of collaborating with Israel. 29 were indicted and 15 were set free. A closer examination of the indictment shall be discussed in a report to follow.
End of Report # 4
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