The Lebanon Report
Number 3
Fall 1996
Chronology
July 1996
Monday 1, July 1996:
The parliamentary commission on Administration and Justice begins discussion of the
controversial draft law which is to govern parliamentary elections; several members
of the commission severely criticize the law as unconstitutional, although there
seems little doubt that it will be passed.
Tuesday 2, July 1996:
At a press conference in Jerusalem, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu,
declares that he does not believe that the Madrid conference aimed to achieve a "land-for-peace"
formula; he also declares that the Israeli army will remain in southern Lebanon for as long as Israel's security requires it.
The draft electoral law is passed by eight votes to three in the parliamentary commission
on Administration and Justice; the law is opposed by Camille Ziyadeh, Se'oud Ruphayil,
and Mikhaïl al-Daher.
Wednesday 3, July 1996:
The Assembly of Maronite Bishops issues a strongly-worded statement critical of the
government and the post-Ta'if political system; the statement is particularly critical
of parliament and questions why the laws it passed did not prevent, among other things, an erosion of national sovereignty and the abandonment of Lebanon's independence.
Thursday 4, July 1996:
A day after the statement of the Assembly of Maronite Bishops, the political class
begins taking stock of the severity of the bishops' condemnation; some observers
remark that the statement was a reaction to another statement by the former head
of the pro-Syrian Ba'th party, 'Asim Qanso, contemplating unity between Lebanon and Syria.
The prime minister, Rafiq al-Hariri, meets with the French president, Jacques Chirac,
in Paris; Mr. Chirac announces that he will visit Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Gaza
in autumn.
Sunday 7, July 1996:
The prime minister, Rafiq al-Hariri, meets with the Syrian vice-president, 'Abd al-Halim
Khaddam, in the latter's home town of Bloudan; according to sources, both men discussed,
among other topics, Mr. Hariri's decision to participate in the parliamentary elections scheduled for August-September.
Monday 8, July 1996:
On the eve of his departure for the United States, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin
Netanyahu, takes a hard line on the Arab-Israeli peace talks, declaring that the
Arabs will be forced to adapt to a new reality imposed by the Likud government.
The head of the pro-Israeli South Lebanon Army, Antoine Lahd, meets with the Israeli
defense minister, Yitzhak Mordechai, in Jerusalem; Mr. Mordechai declares that Israeli
must reinforce its presence in its self-declared 'security zone' in the south.
Tuesday 9, July 1996:
In Washington for meetings with President Bill Clinton, the Israeli prime minister,
Binyamin Netanyahu, raises the possibility of a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from
southern Lebanon, and asks the United States to bring up the matter with Syria; the
proposal is not seen as official Israeli policy, however.
Wednesday 10, July 1996:
In a speech before the U.S. Congress, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu,
declares that Syria must dismantle Hizballah before any Israeli withdrawal from southern
Lebanon; the proposal, known as "Lebanon first," is a new version of past Israeli efforts to condition a withdrawal from the south on the achievement of security arrangements
there; Mr. Netanyahu also calls for the isolation of both Iran and Iraq, and declares
that a Berlin Wall will never again divide Jerusalem.
Thursday 11:
By a vote of 78 to 22, parliament passes the draft electoral law for parliamentary
elections; the law organizes elections at the muhafaza
level in all muhafazat
s except Mount Lebanon, where elections are to be held at the qada '
level; the opposition appears to move in the direction of an election boycott.
The interior minister, Michel al-Murr, declares that he is unwilling to cede the
prerogatives of his ministry to private organizations; the reference is to an independent
election monitoring organization, the Lebanese Association for the Democracy of Elections, which the interior ministry has refused to recognize.
Friday 12, July 1996:
Meeting in Paris, three main opposition leaders, General Michel Aoun, Dory Chamoun,
and Amin Gemayel, announce that they will boycott the parliamentary elections; this
comes several weeks after an announcement by the head of the National Bloc, Raymond
Eddé, that he would boycott the elections.
A U.S. spokesman declares that the five member countries of the committee supervising
the April understanding in southern Lebanon have agreed on the modalities of the
committee's activities.
Saturday 13:
The former head of the Lebanese Forces militia, Samir Geagea, is declared innocent
of being behind the bomb explosion at a church in Zouq in 1994; Mr. Geagea is, however,
accused of having established an illegal paramilitary organization and sentenced
to a ten-year term.
Monday 15, July 1996:
The U.S. chargé d'affaires in Beirut, Ron Schlicher, declares that Washington would
like to see the Lebanese participate massively in the parliamentary elections, regardless
of whether they agree with the laws governing the vote or the policies of the government.
It is announced that he first meeting of the committee to supervise the April understanding
in southern Lebanon will meet on July 25 in Naqoura.
Tuesday 16:
Fifty-two mostly Christian political figures meet at the home of the deputy Albert
Mukhaybir in Bayt Meri and announce that they intend to participate in the forthcoming
parliamentary elections; the decision is seen as a response to the Paris-based opposition leaders who had called for an election boycott.
Wednesday 17, July 1996:
President Hrawi meets with President Asad in Damascus; the meeting comes in the wake
of the visit to the U.S. of the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, during
which he declared that Israel would be prepared to withdraw from southern Lebanon
in exchange for security guarantees.
According to sources, Hizballah and Israel are in the final stages of an exchange
involving prisoners and the bodies of dead combatants; the agreement is being mediated
by the coordinator of the German secret services, Bernd Schmidbauer.
Thursday 18, July 1996:
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, meets with the Egyptian president,
Husni Mubarak, in Cairo; Mr. Netanyahu declares that Israel is prepared to immediately
resume peace talks with Syria, although he adds that Syrian behavior in Lebanon continues to remain a problem.
The Israeli defense minister, Yitzhak Mordechai, declares that he will submit a
plan to the Israeli cabinet for a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon;
the statement comes at a time when Israel has been raising the possibility of both
a unilateral and a conditional withdrawal from the south.
Friday 19, July 1996:
Jean Hawwat, the secretary-general of the National Bloc is removed from his post after
his decision to participate in the forthcoming parliamentary elections; the leader
of the party, Raymond Eddé, was the first to call for an election boycott.
Sunday 21, July 1996:
After several days of mediation by the coordinator of the German secret services,
Bernd Schmidbauer, Israel and Hizballah exchange prisoners and the bodies of dead
combatants; the exchange is seen by some as a message from Hizballah that it is able
to deal with Israel independently from Syria.
Roger Garaudy, the author of a controversial book on Israel's founding myths arrives
in Beirut at the invitation of an Arab nationalist cultural group.
Monday 22, July 1996:
The secretary-general of Hizballah, Shaykh Hasan Nasrallah, declares that he had made
a commitment to Germany that he would seek information on the captured Israeli pilot
Ron Arad.
Thirty writers, journalists, lawyers, and researchers adhere to the Lebanese Association
for the Democracy of Elections and criticize the decision of the interior ministry
to refuse to recognize the association.
Tuesday 23, July 1996:
The U.S. coordinator of the Middle East peace talks, Dennis Ross, arrives in Syria
to look into ways of restarting negotiations between Syria and Israel; according
to the Israeli daily Ha'aretz
, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, intends to propose to Syria that
Israel and Syria resume talks on a conditional Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
Thursday 25, July 1996:
The Syrian regime rejects the "Lebanon first" option proposed by Israel and which
calls for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for security guarantees
on the Israeli-Lebanese border.
The deputy Nassib Lahoud and the former deputy Albert Mukhaybir officially announce
their electoral alliance in the North Metn; the two men will oppose a list headed
by the interior minister, Michel al-Murr.
Friday 26, July 1996:
Two separate appeals are made before the Constitutional Court in order to declare
invalid the new law governing parliamentary elections; the appeals argue that the
law does not satisfy the constitutional clause specifying equality between the Lebanese.
According to the Israeli defense minister, Yitzhak Mordechai, Israel has asked Syria
to prevent the rearming of Hizballah through its territory; Mr. Mordechai also asks
the U.S. to urge Syria to end Hizballah's anti-Israeli activities in the south.
Sunday 28, July 1996:
The deputy Rushayd al-Khazen announces his candidate list for the Kisirwan elections;
it includes the former deputies Camille Ziyadeh, Mansour al-Bone, Joseph Abou Sharaf,
and 'Abdallah Chehab.
At opposition meetings in Bijjeh and Hadath, the head of the National Liberal Party,
Dory Chamoun, declares that the opposition intends to form a national resistance
front.
Monday 29, July 1996:
The foreign minister Faris Buwayz announces the formation of his electoral list in
the Kisirwan; this comes as Mr. Buwayz and his main rival, Rushayd al-Khazen, exchange
insults publicly.
The French ambassador, Daniel Lafon, calls on the Lebanese to participate in elections;
this comes after similar statements by U.S. embassy officials in Beirut.
Tuesday 30, July 1996:
The Constitutional Council begins discussing two appeals to declare the electoral
law unconstitutional; the council gives itself ten days to decide on the matter.
In an interview with Israeli television, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu,
declares that his government is not tied by the verbal commitments made by the Peres
government to Syria; Mr. Netanyahu proposes that Syria and Israel engage in general negotiations on Lebanon to avoid a military escalation there.
Wednesday 31, July 1996:
The Israeli defense minister, Yitzhak Mordechai, dismisses the probability of a unilateral
Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, but adds that a solution of the Lebanese problem
would help the Syrian-Israeli negotiations.
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August 1996
Thursday 1, August 1996:
The Israeli daily Ha'aretz
reports that a high-level Syrian official visited Israel in early July to discuss
the "Lebanon first" option with the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu; according
to the paper, the meeting took place at Syria's initiative.
The deputies Albert Mukhaybir and Nassib Lahoud announce their list for the elections
in North Metn; the list includes, among others, the deputy and former minister, Michel
Samaha.
Friday 2, August 1996:
On a visit to Ireland, which is current president of the European Commission, the
prime minister, Rafiq al-Hariri, declares that invitations will be sent within one
month to participants in the consultative committee to help in Lebanon's reconstruction;
the committee was established in the wake of Israel's Grapes of Wrath operation.
Saturday 3, August 1996:
King Husayn of Jordan meets with President Asad in Damascus just two days before his
meeting with the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu; the visit is significant
in that it comes during a period of tension between the two states.
Sunday 4, August 1996:
Walid Junblat and Naji Boustany announce the formation of their rival lists in the
Shouf town of Dayr al-Qamar; Mr. Junblat also presides over the announcement of a
list headed by Akram Shuhayyib in Aley, which includes three new Christian candidates.
Monday 5, August 1996:
The president, Elias Hrawi, meets with President Asad in Damascus to discuss a number
of issues, including the forthcoming parliamentary elections; both men also agree
to reject the "Lebanon first" option.
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, meets with King Husayn of Jordan
in Amman; Mr. Netanyahu declares that Israel is prepared to begin peace negotiations
with Syria on a wide range of issues, but that the most pressing security concern
for Israel is the situation in southern Lebanon.
Tuesday 6, August 1996:
The speaker of parliament, Nabih Birri, meets with President Asad in Damascus; he
declares that Israel has no reason to discuss the "Lebanon first" option with Syria
since it is a Lebanese matter.
Wednesday 7, August 1996:
By a unanimous vote, the Constitutional Court declares the new parliamentary election
law unconstitutional; observers suggest that this will imply a delay in the elections,
which are scheduled to begin on August 18, 1996.
After meeting with President Mubarak of Egypt, President Asad declares that Israel
is seeking to impose a settlement based on an exchange of "peace fo peace," not land
for peace.
Thursday 8, August 1996:
Prime Minister Hariri declares that the government will hold elections on the basis
of the new election law and on the dates previously set, despite the decision of
the Constitutional Court to declare the law unconstitutional; in order to make the
law constitutional, the government will insert a clause making the exceptions in the law applicable
"for one time only."
Friday 9, August 1996:
The Maronite patriarch, Nasrallah Sfayr, notes that "the hopes [the Lebanese] had
in the decision of the Constitutional Court have evaporated"; while the patiarch
is know to be unhappy with the forthcoming elections, he does not call for an election
boycott.
Sunday 11, August 1996:
In a speech before a popular gathering at his home in Msaylih, the speaker of parliament,
Nabih Birri, declares that he is opposed to the formation of a list in southern Lebanon
the members of whom would go their separate ways after the elections; meanwhile, the interior minister, Michel al-Murr, announces the formation of his list which
includes the deputies Ghassan Ashqar, Habib Hakim, and Auguste Bakhos, and two other
candidates.
Monday 12, August 1996:
The prime minister, Rafiq al-Hariri, announces that he will be a candidate in the
forthcoming parliamentary elections; in an unusually agressive speech, he declares
that he wants to "improve the level of representation in Beirut to pursue the reconstruction effort."
Tuesday 13, August 1996:
Over the opposition of 21 deputies, with three abstentions, parliament passes a slightly
modified version of the electoral law; the law specifies that the exceptions in the
current election law are valid "for one time only," which makes the law constitutional.
Parliament passes a law setting a new pay scale for teachers, which is criticized
by representatives of the teachers; a separate new pay scale for public-sector employees
will be deferred until the new parliament convenes.
Wednesday 14, August 1996:
Two candiates, the deputy Bishara Merhej and the former deputy Michel Sassine, announce
that they will join an electoral list headed by Prime Minister Hariri in Beirut;
both men had been on rival lists, Mr. Merhej on the Hoss list and Mr. Sassine on
the Tammam Salam list.
Several lists are announced throughout Lebanon, three lists in Ba'bda, one headed
by the minister Elias Hubayqah, another by the former deputy Pierre Daccash, while
a list headed by Ahmad Karami is announced in the North.
Friday 16, August 1996:
According to governmental sources in Israel cited by press agencies, the Israeli prime
minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, asked the army to develop a more offensive military
strategy in Lebanon which would involved operations outside the occupied 'security
zone'; military sources reveal that Israeli foces already have a greater margin of decision
on the ground in the south.
Sunday 18, August 1996:
The first round of parliamentary elections is held in the six qada'
s of Mount Lebanon, and results in the victory of most government and pro-government
candidates; among the opposition figures, only Nassib Lahoud, Pierre Daccash, Camille
Ziyadeh, and to a lesser extent Zahir al-Khatib succeed in winning seats; the surprise of the day is the defeat of the popular Greek Orthodox former deputy from the North
Metn, Albert Mukhaybir, a leading opposition figure.
Monday 19, August 1996:
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, visits the occupied 'security zone'
in southern Lebanon and meets with the commander of the South Lebanon Army (SLA)
Antoine Lahd; Mr. Netanyahu warns that if Hizballah escalates its attacks against
Israel, Israeli reprisals will be painful for the Lebanese.
Tuesday 20, August 1996:
Several candidates, including two from the Aley district, Talal Arslan and Fouad al-Sa'ad
denounce the way elections were held in Aley; Mr. Arslan, a leading Druze figures,
harshly attacks his main rival, Walid Junblat, and denounces the existence of a 'state within a state' in the Shouf.
An Israeli soldier is accidentally killed by another Israeli unit in the occupied
'security zone' in south Lebanon; the incident comes amid reports that Israeli units
in southern Lebanon have been given greater local autonomy to fight Hizballah incursions.
Wednesday 21, August 1996:
The prime minister, Rafiq al-Hariri meets with the Syrian vice-president 'Abd al-Halim
Khaddam in Damascus to discuss the parliamentary elections; reports suggest that
Mr. Hariri will form an incomplete list in Beirut which will leave open one Sunni
seat for Salim al-Hoss and the Maronite seat for Ghassan Matar, a member of the Syrian Social
Nationalist Party.
Thursday 22, August 1996:
Prime Minister Hariri decides to replace a Greek Orthodox candidate on his list, Michel
Sassine, two weeks after attracting him away from the prospective list of Tammam
Salam; according to some sources, it is the intervention of the former foreign minister, Fouad Boutros, a Greek Orthodox rival of Mr. Sassine which forced his ouster from
the list.
At the opening of a complex for the handicapped in Sarafand, near Tyre, President
Hrawi declares that "the cause of south Lebanon cannot be monopolized by one party";
the statement is seen as an implicit criticism of Hizballah, and a sign of support
for the parliament speaker, Nabih Birri.
Friday 23, August 1996:
Amid continued and unsuccessful efforts by Syria to form an electoral coalition list
between Amal and Hizballah in the South, the head of Amal and speaker of parliament,
Nabih Birri, declares that he is prepared to participate in elections at the level
of each village and qada'
to prove that Amal is more popular than its rivals.
Sunday 25, August 1996:
Elections are held in the muhafaza
of the North between three major lists of candidates; election results show that
members from all three lists were elected to parliament, including the Maronite former
deputy from Batroun, Boutros Harb, a figure close to the opposition.
Monday 26, August 1996:
The deputy and former prime minister, Salim al-Hoss, finalizes his candidates list
for the Beirut elections; the list, which is incomplete, includes three deputies,
'Isam Na'man, Muhammad Yusif Beydoun, and Muhammad Kabbani.
The prime minister, Rafiq al-Hariri, holds a giant election rally in Tariq al-Jadideh;
the rally, estimated to have cost several million dollars, comes amid rising criticism
that the outcome of elections will be determined by money.
Tuesday 27, August 1996:
The Israeli defense minister, Yitzhak Mordechai, declares that Israel is watching
closely the redeployment of Syrian forces in Lebanon; according to reports, the Syrians
recently redeployed forces in Beirut to the Mount Hermon region which is under partial Israeli occupation.
In a meeting with Americans of Lebanese ancestry, the Maronite patriarch, Cardinal
Nasrallah Sfayr, declares that "Lebanon belongs to the Lebanese, not to foreigners."
Wednesday 28, August 1996:
Tammam Salam, the son of the former prime minister, Saëb Salam, announces that he
will be an independent candidate in Beirut; the announcement comes on the same day
that another Sunni candidate, 'Adnan Traboulsi, announces that he will head a fourth
and incomplete list in the capital.
Thursday 29, August 1996:
The head of the Kata'ib party, George Sa'adeh announces that he will resign from
the party; this comes after Mr. Sa'adeh's defeat in the elections in the North, where
he was on a favored list.
Friday 30, August 1996:
The deputy Najah Wakim, a candidate in Beirut, holds a press conference to show a
ballot envelope, one many, he argues, that were distributed by the government to
the electoral campaign of the prime minister, Rafiq al-Hariri; the envelopes, which
are used to place ballots in ballot boxes, are kept under the tight control of the interior
ministry until election day and are strictly limited to the number of voters in a
constituency to avoid fraud.
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September 1996
Sunday 1, September 1996:
Elections are held for 19 seats in Beirut; results show that the list headed by the
prime minister, Rafiq al-Hariri, has won most seats, although Salim al-Hoss, Najah
Wakim, Tammam Salam, and Muhammad Yusif Beydoun, are also elected.
Monday 2, September 1996:
Final results in the Beirut elections show that prime Minister Hariri received 78,714
votes while the runner up, Salim al-Hoss, won 64,259 votes; sources close to Mr.
Hariri note that the prime minister had been aiming to receive over 100,000 votes.
The German magazine Bild
reveals that the German government paid $25m to Hizballah for its exchange of prisoners
and corpses with Israel in July; the German government categorically denies the story.
Tuesday 3, September 1996:
The daily al-Safir
reports that Syria succeeded in imposing an electoral alliance between Amal and Hizballah
in the south; negotiations continue, however, over the final list which the two sides
will form.
The Syrian foreign minister, Farouq al-Shara', meets with the French foreign minister,
Hervé de Charette, in Paris; Mr. de Charette declares that France and Syria share
the same objectives concerning peace in the Middle East and that France supports
an exchange of land for peace.
Wednesday 4, September 1996:
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, and the Palestinian leader, Yasir
Arafat, meet for 75 minutes at the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza.
Thursday 5, September 1996:
There is disagreement between Amal and Hizballah over who the parties will support
for the two seats in Sidon; Hizballah refuses to vote for Bahiyya al-Hariri, preferring
Mustapha Sa'd, while Amal does not want to jeopardize its alliance with the prime
minister, Ms. Hariri's brother.
Friday 6, September 1996:
The secretary-general of Hizballah, Shaykh Hasan Nasrallah, speaks at a rally in Nabatiyyeh
and explains to the party's militants the reasons why he agreed to an electoral alliance
with Amal; the unprecedented move is seen as an effort to placate the party's rank and file which was unhappy with the alliance.
The newly-elected Maronite deputy from Aley, Abdo Bejjani, declares that it will
take at least two more years for the Christians to return to the Shouf and Aley.
Sunday 8, September 1996:
Elections are held in the south, amid signs that neither Amal nor Hizballah sought
to remove each other's candidates from their joint electoral lists; initial figures
suggest that all the candidates in the main opposition lists, including Habib Sadeq,
Elias Abou Rizq, and Kamel al-As'ad failed to win seats.
Monday 9, September 1996:
Results from the elections in the south show an overwhelming victory for the Amal-Hizballah
coalition list, which wins all seats; of the losing opposition candidates, Habib
Sadeq wins 65,883 votes and the head of the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers, Elias Abu Rizq, wins 94,452 votes.
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, meets with The U.S. president Bill
Clinton, in Washington; there are signs that Washington is putting greater pressure
on Israel to move forward in the Arab-Israeli talks.
Tuesday 10, September 1996:
In Paris, the Israeli foreign minister, David Levy, declares that nothing prevents
both Syria and Lebanon to simultaneously resume talks with Israel; meanwhile, in
Washington, Binyamin Netanyahu states that Syria should not demand an Israeli commitment
to withdraw from the Golan as a condition for a resumption of negotiations.
Wednesday 11, September 1996:
At a press conference in Marja'youn, the head of the South Lebanon Army (SLA), General
Antoine Lahd, declares that the Lebanese government would do best to accept Israel's
"Lebanon first" proposal, otherwise the only alternatives left would be a status
quo in the south and a continuation of the violence there, or a major Israeli military
operation which would do much to reverse the Lebanese government's reconstruction
efforts.
Thursday 12, September 1996:
The former speaker of parliament, Husayn al-Husayni, announces the composition of
the pro-government list in the Biqa'; the list includes, aside from leading politicians
from the area, three Hizballah candidates and two of the party's non-Shi'a allies,
two Amal candidates, and a member of the pro-Syrian Ba'th party.
The foreign minister , Faris Buwayz, meets with President Asad and Syrian officials
in Damascus in order to coordinate the Lebanese and Syrian positions as Israel once
again raises the "Lebanon first" option; meanwhile, Syrian forces in several locations in Beirut and its suburbs redeploy to what some sources suggest are military positions.
Friday 13, September 1996:
Amid growing tension between Syria and Israel, it becomes increasingly clear in Beirut
that a substantial number of Syrian soldiers have been redeployed in defensive outside
Beirut to the Anti-Lebanon range to guard against a potential Israeli attack.
The U.S. ambassador in Beirut, Richard Jones, declares that he does not foresee
an Israeli attack against southern Lebanon.
Saturday 14, September 1996:
Foreign ministers of the Arab League meet in Cairo to discuss relations between the
Arab states and Israel; the meeting will also address the growing tension between
Syria and Israel.
The speaker of parliament, Nabih Birri, declares that the electoral "bulldozer"
which had caused all pro-government candidates to be elected in the south will once
again be in action in the Biqa'.
Sunday 15, September 1996:
The fifth and final round of the parliamentary elections is held in the Biqa'; the
elections are characterized by a breakdown in the alliance between members of the
pro-government list and apparent signs of fraud on the part of the government to
boost the official participation level.
Arab League foreign ministers meeting in Cairo issue a statement in which they threaten
to reconsider normalization with Israel if the Jewish state does not honor commitments
made during the peace negotiations.
Monday 16, September 1996:
There is a delay in the announcement of the final results for elections in the Biqa'
as a Maronite candidate from the West Biqa', Henri Shedid, casts doubt on the accuracy
of the vote count which appears to favor his rival, the minister Robert Ghanem.
Tuesday 17, September 1996:
The government decides to accept the recommendations of the Higher Council of the
Audio-Visual Media and allow only four privately-owned television stations and three
radio stations to continue to broadcast news programs after Wednesday September 18;
the four television stations are Future, which belongs to Prime Minister Hariri, MTV, which
belongs to the brother of Michel al-Murr, NBN, which belongs to Nabih Birri, and
the LBCI.
The Syrian information minister, Muhammad Salman, declares that the Syrian redeployment
put of Beirut is "a sign of faith in the capacities of the Lebanese security forces."
Wednesday 18, September 1996:
At the urging of President Hrawi, the government decides to prevent Hizballah's Al-Manar
television station from broadcasting news on the resistance in the south; Al-Manar
had been the only station without a license which was allowed to broadcast political information, as long as it was limited to news on the resistance.
Thursday 19, September 1996:
A Hizballah attack in southern Lebanon leads to the death of two Israeli soldiers
and the injury of eight others; Israeli forces respond with more than usual violence
to the attack, although the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, declares
that he does not believe that Hizballah wants to escalate the fighting in the south.
Friday 20, September 1996:
President Hrawi meets with President Asad in Damascus to discuss the parliamentary
elections and the government's decision to implement the media law; newspaper reports
reveal that the Syrians asked Mr. Hrawi to go back on his decision to prevent Hizballah from broadcasting news on the resistance.
Saturday 21, September 1996:
As tension mounts in south Lebanon, the Lebanese army sends an estimated 1,000 troops
to the West Biqa'; meanwhile Israeli aircraft bomb Hizballah positions in the Iqlim
al-Tuffah region.
Sunday 22, September 1996:
A meeting is held in Naqoura of the committee to monitor implementation of the April
understanding; the meetings comes on the same day that the Israeli defense minister,
Yitzhak Mordechai, warns President Asad against seeking a confrontation with Israel.
Monday 23, September 1996:
Amid rising verbal tension between Egypt and Israel, the Egyptian deputy foreign minister,
Fathi Shazli, declares that the policies of the Netanyahu government risk returning
the Middle East to a state of war; he adds that the Israeli government is made up of political amateurs.
The parliament speaker, Nabih Birri, declares that he submitted proposals to the
prime minister, Rafiq al-Hariri, on the media law and the situation in the south;
reportedly, Mr. Birri suggested that only the official Télé-Liban broadcast news,
while other stations be allowed to broadcast news programs. .
Tuesday 24, September 1996:
The tension remains high in the south as Israeli forces bombard the village of 'Arab
Salim in the Iqlim al-Tuffah; the Lebanese government presents a new complaint before
the commission established to monitor the April understanding.
Wednesday 25:
There is an outbreak of fighting in the occupied Palestinian territories and Gaza
between Israeli and Palestinian forces following the decision of the Netanyahu government
to open a tunnel near the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.
The committee to supervise the April understanding meets in Naqoura and issues a
statement that recognizes that Israel bombarded, and that Hizballah launched attacks
from, civilian localities.
Thursday 26, September 1996:
Fighting continues for a second day running between Israeli and Palestinian forces
in the occupied Palestinian territories; 56 people are killed, among them 11 Israeli
soldiers, while hundreds are injured.
Friday 27, September 1996:
For a third day, fighting continues in the occupied territories between Palestinians
and Israelis, although at a less violent level than in the previous days; seven Palestinians
and three Israelis are killed; international pressure mounts for a meeting between Yasir Arafat and Binyamin Netanyahu.
Saturday 28:
The United Nations Security Council issues a resolution calling for an end to the
violence in the occupied territories and a resumption of the Middle East peace talks;
the resolution, which does not explicitly call on Israel to close a controversial
tunnel in Jerusalem, is considered weak by Arab representatives.
Sunday 29, September 1996:
The United States invites Arab states and Israel to a summit meeting in Washington
to resolve the ongoing violence in the occupied territories; meanwhile, the U.S.
secretary of state, Warren Christopher, declares that he is opposed to a disarmament
of the Palestinian police force.
Monday 30, September 1996:
On the eve of meeting in Washington to help resolve the violence in the occupied territories
and to revitalize the Middle East peace talks, the Egyptian president, Husni Mubarak,
declares that he will not attend the meeting; reports suggest, however, that Mr. Mubarak encouraged the Palestinian leader, Yasir Arafat, to attend.
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