April 14, 2008 7:39

A Palestinian Civil War in Lebanon?

Posted by Andrew Lee Butters | Comments (21) | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) | Email This

Mahmoud Abbas keeps getting weaker. The Palestinian president and his secular, moderate Fatah movement has been losing ground in the Palestinian territories ever since the Islamic party Hamas won the Gaza elections in 2005. Still, at least Fatah remained the most powerful party among Palestinians living abroad, especially among the 400,000 refuges in Lebanon. Now however, Abbas’s power is being challenged in what could shape up to be a mini inter-Palestinian civil war fought out in Lebanon’s lawless refugee camps.

Last week, Fatah rivals staged an assassination attempt against Abbas’ chosen man in Lebanon, Abbas Zaki, according to both Palestinian officials, who gave TIME details of the unreported event, and to Lebanese security officials who confirmed the account. The would-be assassin was nabbed just as he was about to plant a car bomb in front of the Palestinian embassy in Beirut. Under what was no doubt less-than-polite questioning in one of Fatah’s prisons inside the camps, the suspect fingered the number two Palestinian leader in Lebanon, Sultan Abul Ainain, whose name means “the Emperor of Eyes.” Sultan is a warlord of the old school, accused by Lebanese authorities of heading a jihaddist sleeper cell and various mafioso-style criminal activities.

President Abbas sent Zaki to Lebanon three years ago in order to clean up Sultan’s mess. Conditions inside Palestinian camps in Lebanon are miserable, in large part because of institutionalized discrimination by the Lebanese, but also because of corruption among Palestinian leaders. But Sultan reportedly has allies of his own: notably the intelligence agencies of pro-American Sunni Muslim Arab countries such Saudi Arabia and Egypt, according to Lebanese newspapers. These countries might have an interest in supporting Sunni Palestinian militants as a possible counter-balance to Hizballah, the Shia Muslim militia that is currently trying to bring down the Saudi and American-backed Lebanese government. Though there is no known connection between Sultan and the Americans, he and his men carry the latest in American-made light assault weapons.

The episode has some eerie echoes of the inter-Palestinian civil war in Gaza last year (albeit on a much smaller scale.) In Gaza, Fatah leaders backed by the Bush administration tried to stage a coup against the democratically elected Hamas government. As in Lebanon, those Fatah leaders had a widespread reputation for corruption and crime, and the resulting chaos in Gaza only strengthened Hamas and those groups opposed to peace with Israel.

President Abbas wants Sultan to face trial in a Palestinian court in Jordan. But the warlord – holed up among his faithful in south Lebanon -- is unlikely to go quietly. In the event of an inter-Fatah civil war in Lebanon, (which Sultan would probably win) it is hard to imagine how Abbas could command enough respect among Palestinians to pull off a peace deal with Israel. But at this point, it’s hard enough to imagine peace in the Middle East anyway.

--Andrew Lee Butters with reporting by Rami Aysha/Beirut

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Reader Comments (21)

Sophie:

Great, that's all we need in Lebanon. Then again, I suppose it was due. Just in time with the tourism season. I suppose this is now the typical beirut summer, as opposed to all nighters at the clubs and all dayers at the beach. Ah, the good ol' days of 2003.

Posted by Sophie | April 14, 2008 9:10 PM

popsiq:

Removing Sultan seems like a job for Hamas, or Hezbolleh.

Posted by popsiq | April 15, 2008 12:26 AM

Capt. America 01752:

Why do thee people not realize that the reason all this fighting has been going on "forever" is because they do not have the technology to kill thousands of each other at one single time. I for one would love to donate funds if I knew that it would be spent on developing the technology that would allow them to exterminate themselves in a more timely fashion.

Posted by Capt. America 01752 | April 15, 2008 2:35 AM

jason:

Wouldn't you have a more fun time talking about the Swiss cattle farmer or the French cheese maker. Lebanon is a speck in the world and offers very little. If we continue to get involved with Palestinians problems - we are wasting time. The Palestinians made their own bed when they did not recognise Israel and used violence that backfired in their faces- now let them sleep in it. They need an international force to just come in where ever Palestinians are and take over. The world will be a quieter and more peaceful place and the Palestinians will be happy to live without their own violent prone leaders. OK , UN do something good for a change. After all Arafat always wanted an international force to intervene. I think he was right about this and Israel made a mistake in not exploring this option.

Posted by jason | April 15, 2008 6:49 AM

zoroaster:

From all the idiotic responses above it's no wonder we're stuck in Iraq like we were in Vietnam. It's american and british foreign policy that's created most of the the wars and in-fighting in the mid-east for the last 200 years. Judging by the apathy that americans have about their gov't, you can expect our foreign policy to be run by lobby groups and big oil for the next 100 years. Regardless how many mid-east countries vote to accept Israel as a country, american and british foreign policy will always vilify middle easterners to the point that they will never be willing to accept peace. Expect another 50 years of war in the mid-east courtesy of the idiots above.

Posted by zoroaster | April 15, 2008 9:20 AM

Israeli Vet:

Fatah moderate? I think that you must be smoking the same brand as former President Carter.

The PLO Charter has the exact same clauses calling for the total destruction of Israel as Hamas.

As for Arabs killing each other, that is what they do for a living.

Why don't you go into the Lebanese Apartheid laws that keep the people locked up in camps for 3 or 4 generations? Their laws make South African government look positive in comparision

Posted by Israeli Vet | April 15, 2008 11:41 PM

Capt. America 01752:

zoroaste

The US has caused all the fighting for the past 200 years....??? Is idiot your full time profession? These people have been killing each other since the start of time. You are just another sheep using the US as an excuse.

You have lost all credibility by blaming the US for all the killing that has been going on for thousands of years in the Middle East.........

Seriously. That was a stupid comment....I am just saying.

Have a great day

Posted by Capt. America 01752 | April 16, 2008 2:46 AM

jason:

"You have lost all credibility by blaming the US for all the killing that has been going on for thousands of years in the Middle East.........

Seriously. That was a stupid comment....I am just saying."
If there is a moderator at this site Zoroaste should be blocked because he call everyone who does not agree with him and idiot- that is most of the world.

Posted by jason | April 16, 2008 7:28 AM

nk+:

No, Jason, I think you're in the minority on this one (if we're being realistic). Read Stephen Kinzer's new book,"All The Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror". He was the most "important" hostage (at least as far as our Western Media was concerned) during the 444 days the Iranian revolutionary students took over the US embassy in Tehran.

He effectively traces all of these Middle East problems we're having back to the 1951 CIA coup of the then nascent Iranian democracy, installing the Shah in its place.

That is not to say it is Israeli/US/British intervention that caused ALL of the problems in the Middle East...but definitely the ones that have some sort of anti-western rhetoric to them.

Hope that helps :)

Posted by nk+ | April 16, 2008 9:50 AM

nk+:

Capt. America -- you do not represent America, Americans like me, or any of us, so quit using that name and speaking on our behalves. In fact, I'd be ashamed to salute the flag with you.

You have no idea what you're talking about nor do you have any semblance of intelligence when it comes to these affairs. Again, I ask, why do you even read these blogs when you have NO idea of the histories involved? If this were a real conversation, I think the room would be rolling their eyes at your opinionated ignorance.

You're dismissed ;) get outta here.

Posted by nk+ | April 16, 2008 9:54 AM

Capt. America 01752:

Ya, ok. For your information I do rep for 95% of how all real Americans think. Its you 5% that are keeping it all messed up

The reason people are here is because this IS a real conversation.

Middle Eastern maniacs are destroying innocent people every day. Idiots like you blame it on American policies and other idiots like you agree which empowers the total idiots to strap on more bombs which makes you a complete total idiot.

But as I roll my eyes an laugh at you I can only hope the day comes sooner that later when me and all the other real Americans get the chance to stand eye to eye with people like you and dismiss you for good..........dont think its not coming. :l

Ps. Any real American will solute the flag, regardless of who is standing next to him....you joke

Posted by Capt. America 01752 | April 18, 2008 4:11 AM

Capt. America 01752:

NK wrote "If terrorism is killing civilians to further a political goal, then several nations in the "coalition of the willing" are subject to charges of terrorism, including the US, the UK, and Israel, Allan.

It is sad and true, terrorism is in the eye of the beholder. It's a meaningless word nowadays. Kind of like when people call you an anti-semite when you dare utter something that protests Israeli government action. Intelligent people ignore these labels designed to pacify human speech."

You are a total fruit!! "
It is sad and true, terrorism is in the eye of the beholder" What a stupid thing to say. So I ask, why are YOU here? To make idiotic comments like that? You are a clown,

Have a great day!!

Posted by Capt. America 01752 | April 18, 2008 4:16 AM

katy:

Capt. America...Are you related to "Forrest Gump" by any chance??...

Posted by katy | April 18, 2008 9:59 PM

Capt. America 01752:

Ya Katy, why?

Posted by Capt. America 01752 | April 19, 2008 4:32 AM

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