Report Number three from FHHRL on South Lebanon
(FHHRL IS AN INTERNATIONALLY ACTIVE LEBANESE HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION)
25may 2000. The initial plan of the FHHRL envisaged six monitoring stations in the border zone which the Israelis occupied for 22 years and abandoned over 24 hours earlier. The plan had to be reconsidered and all what was needed were two posts, one in the western end of the zone (Rmeish) and the other on the eastern side (Marjiyoun). This fact, no doubt, is an encouraging sign. Yet the selections of Rmeish and Marjiyoun is equally telling; the stations to monitor the violations are both in the Christian part of the zone.

The clan solidarity spared the vast Shi'ite part of the zone. The Druze, for their part, dissociated themselves on the eleventh hour before the Israeli withdrawal from the South Lebanon Army (SLA) and sealed off their region in Hasbaya and the nearby villages on the slopes of the Mount Hermon. No such luck for the Christians who were more visible, though not as numerous as the other communities, in serving in the ranks and file of the SLA and its civil administration which run the region for the past 22 years.

The last Lebanese Army checkpoint before the former Israeli zone unfolds a terrific traffic jam. On May 24 a line of five kilometers of cars awaited their turn to cross into the liberated zone. The line grew into 14 kilometers on May 25th, which the government declared as public holiday to celebrate the liberation. Few of the cars carried returnees while the balance will be those who are eager to display the flags of their various political parties or to loot, and, more often than not, doing both.

The leaders of the various religious communities spared no effort in pacifying the situation. But the moralizing sermons are no substitute for the concrete measures only the Lebanese government could exert by deploying the armed forces. It is fortunate that bloodshed on a very limited scale is reported while terrorizing civilians and looting of cars and properties was done on a wide scale. The most common scenario runs as follows; armed militias storm into houses, very few are vacant, and pretend to look for arms and members of the SLA. Before long cash and valuables would be loaded in the waiting cars and vans. Militia check points will stop cars and demand the registration documents. 22 years of sealing the zone off the rest of Lebanon rendered impossible the lawful registration of vehicles in the official Lebanese registry records and the

militia elements would confiscate the vehicles and drive them away.
The following is a list, far from being complete, of people whose properties were looted:
Georges Wanna - bank notes were seized under threat.
Hafiz Homsi- 40,000 dollars US in property.
Francois Abou Rahal- a car.
Elie Fheily- a shop.
Hanna Fheily- Gas station.
Atalla Wanna- house looted
Ziad Mezher- a Range Rover .
Raymond Homsi - house looted.
Tony Maroun- a car stolen and a jeep burnt.
George Murkos- a house looted
Fayez Fheily- mechanic shop looted.
Georges Said- a car.
Nabeel Geha- a car.
Deeb Karam- a car and his house looted.
Ramiz Boulos- house looted.
Elias Boulos- house looted
Mansour Germanous- a house looted.
Mario Abou Rahhah- a car.
Michel Eid- house looted.
Jean Homsi- a house looted.
Rizkallah Rizk- a house looted.
Jihad Toubiya- a car.
Raymond Mizher- a house looted.
Tony Rabbat- a house looted included gold valuables.
Nazih Said- a house looted.
Mer'i Khoury- a car.
Ghassan Daher- a car.

Former SLA Members
A throng of civilians and former SLA elements spent the night in the court of the Orthodox Bishopric of Marjiyoun. The bishop, Mgr. Elias Kfoury, negotiated with the central authority in Beirut the terms of surrendering the armed elements themselves to the Lebanese government. The only condition of the SLA members was that the Lebanese Army should be in charge of the process and not the militias. The government did not respond and instead the Hizbullah militia surfaced to herd them away. The bishop refused to hand them over to the militias and the situation became tense. A second round of negotiations ended by a compromise solution; the gendarmerie, in the presence of Hizbullah, took charge of the former SLA elements and the following list, with the signature of the gendarme officer, was kept with the bishop:
Riyad Ibrahim Nader.
Isam Ibrahim Nader.
Gabi Yousef Chamoun.
Fouad Subhi Abla.
Marwan Tanios Samrani.
Nicholas Naim Maamari.
Ahmad Saleh Qahwaji
Elie Ibrahim Lahham.
Imad Michel Haddad.
Georges Qaysar Fahmi
Nabil Shakib Bawaridi.
Abd Hassan Abd.
Jean Ra'if Abla.
Khalil Toufiq Indraous.
Ibrahim Elias Chahwan.
Boutros Hanna Chdid.
Sami Mikhail Zaybaq
George Farhan Haddad.
Mufid Elias Abou Mrad.
Yousef Abdallah Yousef.
Andre George Daybis.
Habib Farjallah ad-Dakkour.
Gergis Gergis Najm.
Edmond Zaki Abou Mrad.
Gisgis Ra'if Abou Mrad.
Boutros Mansour Bahjeh.
Elias Muhib as Sayyar.
Gisgis Dakhlallh Sharbil.
Salim Elias masoud.
Yousef Habib Abou Mrad.
Dory Kamil Barnaba.
Suheil Adib Abou Mrad
Geroeg Shihade al Ashhab.
Saad Adid Abou Mrad.
Jamil Abdallah al Bawaridi.
Nasif Elias Abou Mrad.
Salam Maurice Haddad.
Melhem Amin Farhat.
Elias Yousef Eid.
Khattar Elias al Azwat.
Jean Fouad Abou Mrad.
Elias Boutros an-Naddaf.
Wisam Mourice Haddad.
Yajoub Khalil Joushan.
Simon Mizher Mizher.
Labib Elias haddad.
Bassam Hanna Maroun.
Fadi Eid al Ghazzi.
Shihade Elias.
Sitrak karabet Majian.
Habib Maroun Karam.
george Daoud Khawand.
Joseph Elias Khawand.
George Hanna Hasbani.
Maourice Hanna Maroun.
Naji Shahin al Qalaati.
Afif Kamil Makroush.
Raymond Yousef Mousa.
melhem Yousef Makhoul.
Salim Melhim Nasr.
Maroun Boutros Mubarak.
Yousef Rizallah Mubarak
Hanna Karam Makhoul
Sleiman Ibrahim Samaan.
Yousef Ayoub Shalhoub.
Maroun Kamkil al Khoury (sick person)
Mourice Georges Atallah
Hafiz Georges Homsi
Ghassan Yousef Mousa.
Wissam al Khoury Girgis al Homsi.
Elias Yousef Mitri.
Jihad Gibra'il Nehmeh.
Indraous Girgis Nicholas
Nabil Girgis Deeb.
Hatim Khalil Yousef.
Rizk Shihadeh Rizk
Masoud Girgis Harrouz.
Issam Beniyammin Homsi.
Anwar Assaf Haddad.
Mahfouz Chafik Salameh.
Wadi' Rafik al Khoury.
Mahir Girgis Deeb.
Boutros Daher Bou Daher.
Michel Hanna al-Ashkar
Ramzi Raji Ghannoum.
Awwad Melhem Saab.
Albert Zaki Diab.
Salim Sami Kisrawani.
fawwaz Philimon Hourani.
Subhi Hafiz Hasbani.
Maroun Rafik Hourani.
Emil Ibrahim Yazbeck.
Asaad Munif Azar.
Michael Ibrahim Samaan.
Bouri Ibrahim Azar.
Wadi' Rafik Hourani.
Ghattas Philimon Hourani.
Muntaha Elias Abou Shahin.
George Issat Abou al-Shaykh.
Bassam Ra'fat Eid.
Assad Salim Haddad
Khalil Ibrahim Harfoush.
Sleiman Kamil Dahdah.
Mousa Salim Mousa.
Salim Kamil Tahtah.
samir Mikhail Barnaba.
Kamil Mikhail Barnaba.
Jean Nimr az-Zughbi.
Chamoun Elias Tanios.
Jean Milad Abou Rahhal.
Andre Milad Abou Rahhal.
Ziad Khalil Haddad.
Imad Ibrahim Harfoush.
Wisam Khalil Hasbani
Deeb Najeeb Daoud.
Zaki Habib Mizher.
Toufiq Kharallah Houshan.
Na'im Girgis Na'im.
Ali Deeb Faqsis
Abbas Ali Khreis.
Khodr Abdel Hussein Jum'a
Ali Hassan Birrou.
Na'im Ali Hussein Birrou.
Walid Ali Frashe.
Ibrahim Hassan Noura.
Jaafar Ibrahim Noura.
Shawki Ahmad Wheibe.
Hussein Ali Shqayr.
Muhammad Hussein az-Zein.
Muhammad Shahqi Wansa.
Ateh Hassan Awad Atieh.
Najeeb Hussein Wansa.
Muhammad Khalil Wansa.
Bassam Ibrahim Noura.
Ghassan Ahmad Shantaf
Ajjaj Hussein Qa'dan.
Abdelaziz Ahmad Noura.
Hassan Muhammad Tirani
Asaad Hussein Kalakish.
Muhammad Ali Haydar.
Saleh Fahd Othman.
Abbas Hassan al Haj.
Muhammad Salah Daher.
Abbas Salah Daher.
Isma'il Qasim Faris.
Girgis Boulos Faris.
Boutros Faris Faris.
Ghassan Ahmad Dergham.
Elias Ibrahim Abou Gharib.
Kanaan Saad Kanaan.
Fadi Na'mattal Faris.
Mousa Georges al Fardisi.
Gidgis Fouad al Fardisi.
Melhim Elias jabbour ( ailing heart)
Maroun Said Abou Rashid.
Abdallah faris Faris.
Yousef Wad'i Rizk.
Walid Isma'il Dallah.
Subhi Yousef Mousa
Rizkallah Mikhail Rizk.
Munif Salim Lahham.
Assad Faysal Barakat.
Nazih Toufik at-Tayyar.
Muhanna Fouad Lahhoud.
Emile Nicholas Qurban.
Assad Boutros Shalhoub
Amer Suleiman Munzir.
Adel Girgis Nuhra.
Turki Hussein Munzer.
Namatallah Daoud Nuhra.
Girgis Abd Nimr.
Indraous Girgis Nicholas.
Karim Qaysar Abyan.
Shukrallah Suleiman Halies.
Girgis Yousef Chamoun.
Emile Anis Yakoub.
Ghazi Girgis Abou Hamad.
Douri Kamil Barnaba.
Samir Saad al Masri.
Girgis Ghazi Abou Hamad.
Karam Eid Maroun.
Jamil Eid Maroun.
Yousef Eid Maroun.
(Total 183)

The FHHRL deems this official list helpful to establish whether the surrendering armed elements were duly delivered to the central authority.
The western sector, which fell one day earlier than the eastern sector to the armed militias , was a scene of wide looting and terrorizing the civilians. The priest of Rmeish was contacted by a few of the SLA officers and soldiers who expressed their will to surrender to the Lebanese army but not the militias. The priest contacted Beirut and the answer was that those who wish to turn themselves in have to proceed to the nearest Lebanese Army check point where they could lay down their arms. The closest point turned out to be some 30 kilometers away from Rmeish and could only be reached by drving through a territory occupied by Hizbullah militia. The SLA elements decided on the spot to cross over to Israel.

Late last night it was reported that attempts by armed elements to kidnap Saleh Muhammad Khalid from Dibbin and Raymond Agirgis by the armed militias were aborted. It is also reported that the two persons who were reported in our communique # 2, Nicholas Haddad and Atallah Hasrouni, were liquidated. This last report, which is not confirmed yet, adds the names of Mer'i Khoury and Akl Mousa, among the victims. In case of confirmation of the report, the blood of the four will be the first to be shed in the course of this episode.

The situation in the region took a turn to the better as of noon todayday. The Gendarmerie elements, though in extremely reduced number, made their appearance. Furthermore, the initial shock effect on the civilians dwindled and some confrontation with the looters were reported. The looting militia retreated.

It is reported that Basim Deeb Nassif and Albert Deeb Nassif from Dibl crossed the border into Israel. They were enticed later to cross back to Lebanon under the impression that they shall be safe. Instead they were arrested by the Lebanese Army and driven away.
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