Al-Ahram Weekly | Region

		21 - 27 November 2002 Issue No. 613 Region	Current issue Previous issue Site map
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

Beirut blasts
Beirut might be the scene for violent anti-American activity as war looms on the region, writes Mohalhel Fakih from the Lebanese capital

Burger King has launched its Kafta King sandwich in Beirut -- the latest adaptation of US fast-food franchises to Lebanese cuisine. Judging by the media blitz introducing McKafta, and the number of Starbucks and McDonald's outlets that have been mushrooming here, the Lebanese are wondering who could be developing a bad taste for American franchise restaurants. Two were bombed recently, and another Lebanese chain -- apparently mistaken for a US outlet -- was also dynamited.
But Lebanese security agencies believe a group of five Palestinians is behind a string of bomb attacks that have targeted US-linked fast food chains over the past few months. State Prosecutor Adnan Addoum said the perpetrators of last week's attacks were also responsible for similar blasts against American franchise restaurants. The group includes an alleged arms dealer suspected of involvement in a failed uprising in northern Lebanon in 2000. Their whereabouts is uncertain
"I am very suspicious of these bomb blasts," Michael Young, a leading Beirut analyst told Al Ahram Weekly, "they could just be a message to the United States, that its presence in Lebanon may be destabilised. The blasts could be a result of the Iraqi crisis."
Explosions hit Pizza Hut branches almost simultaneously in Jounieh, north of Beirut, and the northern port city of Tripoli on 12 November. A Winners fast-food eatery, which is Lebanese-owned and operated, was also bombed in Jounieh. There was extensive damage to the restaurants but no injuries. There was no claim of responsibility for all three blasts -- which were similar to previous attacks on Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald's restaurants, also in Jounieh and Tripoli last May and September.
"The explosions bore all the hallmarks of previous attacks -- happening during closure hours, blasts of the same magnitude, and the same regions of Lebanon despite the fact that US franchise restaurants could be found anywhere in this country. But this time, they coincided with concerns over regional tension and the Iraqi crisis," a Western diplomat in Beirut told the Weekly.
Government investigators have confirmed that all three bombs used in the latest attacks were locally made and argued that the same individual or group was probably behind all three blasts. The Campaign for the Boycott of Israel, a grassroots movement here, disavowed the violence. Its spokeswoman Majdoline Darweesh, said the group's drive to boycott American products and outfits "is a peaceful movement that shuns any form of violence".
Boycott campaigns were launched following the eruption of the Palestinian Intifada approximately two years ago, which targeted US companies that deal with Israel. Observers said the campaign here has weakened, and that the protest action never really took off in this highly consumerist society with its liberal and open markets.
Sarkis Naoum, a senior analyst with the respected Al-Nahar daily in Beirut, argues the blasts could further undermine the boycott campaigns, although there was no presumed link between them. Naoum also warned of the economic consequences of such strikes on Lebanon's economy, since the franchises are owned by Lebanese and employ Lebanese. "That is why we ask who was behind the bombings and why now... It could be anyone, from the fundamentalists who seek a continuous clash with the West and America, to anyone else," Naoum said, echoing confusion here on the identity of the assailants.
Similar attacks have been blamed on outlawed Islamist and radical groups that operate in the northern parts of Lebanon, although one Sunni Muslim fundamentalist faction, the Tawheed Islami (Islamic Unification), denounced the bombings.
Deputies in Parliament, representing the region where the blasts occurred, have unanimously condemned the attacks. MP Ahmad Fatfat described the strikes as "cowardly" and "alien" to the country. "It is an attempt to destabilise Lebanon from within and tarnish its image abroad," he said. Another MP, Qaisar Mouawwad, added, the bombings "came at a very delicate period in terms of the region's instability".
A possible US war against Iraq has been mentioned as the main reason behind the blasts. But analyst Michael Young points out that there has "not been an explosion of anger over Iraq" in Lebanon. Reaction to Israel's clamp down on the Palestinians has by far outstripped any emotions over the Iraqi weapons inspections crisis.
However, growing economic ties between Lebanon and Israel could be raising public frustration with the prospects of war against the Arab country. Lebanese and Iraqi officials have also been exchanging ministerial visits, bringing rhetoric on Iraq closer to home. The latest trip was on Monday by Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri, who paid a "private" visit to Beirut, despite a widely-contested report which claimed the Iraqi official met Hizbullah's Secretary General Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah. Hizbullah and Iraqi diplomats here categorically denied the report as being false and having no foundation.
A Syrian source quoted by the Al- Mustaqbal newspaper -- owned by Lebanese premier, Rafiq Al-Harriri -- was quick to denounce the media report. The source said Hizbullah's sole mission has been the liberation of Lebanese land occupied by Israel, adding the report was fabricated "by the enemies of Lebanon".

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