Hezbollah Challenges Bahrain Govt

By Mona Alami Reprint | | Print |

Mona Alami

BEIRUT, Apr 21 2011 (IPS) - Hezbollah’s hardening stance in the Bahraini crisis has sowed discord between Lebanon and the Gulf island, currently home to about 5,000 Lebanese expatriates. As the situation escalates, many fear that the status of other Lebanese in the rest of the Gulf could come under threat.

In recent weeks, some 16 Lebanese have been expelled from Bahrain. “These deportations came in the wake of the Bahrain protests and statements made by some Lebanese figures regarding the Bahraini internal political situation,” Aziz Qazzi, Lebanon’s ambassador to Bahrain told IPS.

Further straining the relationship between Lebanon and Bahrain is the latter’s suspension of flights to and from Beirut. The move came in response to a speech made by Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, in which he criticized the Bahrain government’s handling of the protests.

Since February, Bahrain has been gripped with massive demonstrations staged by the majority Shiite community against the Sunni al-Khalifa ruling family. Protestors have called for more freedom and the creation of a constitutional monarchy. The dissent was crushed by local and Gulf Countries Cooperation (GCC) troops. The GCC group comprises Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Nasrallah called the Bahrain government’s actions “unjust”. He also accused Arab countries of remaining silent because of sectarian prejudice against the Shiite protestors. Bahrain, on the other hand, accused Hezbollah’s Shiite organisation for training members of its opposition.

Lebanese national Zahy Alameh, director of a television station in Bahrain, believes the situation has become more complicated for Lebanese expatriates. “Nasrallah’s speech has put us in a very difficult position. Some Lebanese,who have residency visas, were not allowed to re-enter the country,” he tells IPS.

According to the Lebanese daily As Safir, at least 14 of those expelled from Bahrain are Shiites. This information was not, however, confirmed by Qazzi. “Deported Lebanese are members of different religious communities,” he insisted.

Najib, a Lebanese businessman who lives in neighbouring Saudi Arabia and visits Bahrain on a weekly basis, emphasises that most Lebanese with a GCC residency are now systematically turned away at Bahraini customs. GCC residency usually grants holders entry into other GCC countries.

“Out of the four of us who tried crossing the border last week, only one, a Jordanian national, was allowed entry. The rest of us, all Lebanese, were not allowed in,” he says.

The businessman, however, shrugs off any possible negative repercussions resulting from Nasrallah’s speech in other Gulf countries. “No discriminatory policies are applied to the Lebanese community in Saudi Arabia,” he points out.

He admits nonetheless that some individuals have been discouraging Saudi residents from doing business with Lebanese Shiite owned companies.

The deportation of Lebanese from Bahrain is not the first time inflammatory comments made by Lebanese political figures have caused such action. In 2009, dozens of long-term Lebanese Shiite residents were expelled from the UAE because of their alleged affiliation with Hezbollah.

Hussein, whose last name has been omitted for the sake of anonymity, converted from Shiite to Sunni in order to find employment at government owned companies in the Gulf. “I kept failing the background check made by the local police and converting allowed me to find better job opportunities,” he tells IPS.

“The crisis between Lebanon and Bahrain is linked to regional geopolitics between Iran and the Gulf countries. However, Lebanese can’t do much about it,” Hilal Khashan, political scientist at the American University of Beirut tells IPS.

Regional tensions have also affected the internal political situation in Lebanon, which has yet to form a government after over two months of wrangling. The Western and Arab backed outgoing Sunni prime minister, Saad Hariri, had accused Iran of meddling in Lebanon’s affairs and taking Arab societies “hostage”. Iran, along with Syria, is a major supporter of Hezbollah, which heads the March 8 movement now holding the majority of parliament seats and charged with forming the new cabinet.

“Hezbollah is militarily in control of Lebanon; Lebanese are thus helpless,” says Khashan. If local factions allow regional powers to come into play, the local political crisis in Lebanon could take a turn for the worse.

The Lebanese economy could also be affected by the increased deportation of Lebanese from the Gulf. Plagued by a 55 billion dollar debt, the economy is strongly reliant on foreign direct investment as well as transfers made by its expat community.

According to research company Information International, there are about 500,000 Lebanese residing in the Gulf, working mainly in tourism, building and contracting, media, and banking. While there are no exact figures, some 200,000 live in KSA, 60,000 in the UAE, 50,000 in Kuwait and 40,000 in Qatar.

Economist Ghazi Wazni estimates that of the 8 billion dollars transferred by Lebanese expatriates in 2010 to Lebanon, about 3.5 to 4 billion dollars was sent by those in the Gulf.

“We are hopeful that the crisis will not spread to other countries,” says Qazzi.