Lebanese Political Crisis Related to Rise in Crime
The increase in security concerns around the war in Syria has led to a sharp rise in crime in Lebanon, writes Elie Hajj.
The Lebanese people have been concerned for a while now due to the amount of non-political crimes being committed by organized groups seeking to make money. Meanwhile, security forces are failing to put an end to these acts, as their perpetrators enjoy the protection of various people.
These crimes — especially the kidnapping of people, including children, to ask for a ransom in exchange for their release — have been added to the country’s already existing acts of violence, which reflect the political and sectarian conflict over key issues plaguing the country. These contentious issues include the ongoing crisis in Syria, the issue of Hezbollah's weapons, and Lebanon's place in the great conflict that the Middle East has been grappling with for years.
This situation prompted Lebanese President Michel Suleiman to request that a meeting of the Supreme Defense Council be convened, which met at the Presidential Palace on the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 27. The meeting was attended by the president, the prime minister, the ministers concerned with security, along with security chiefs. As usual, an ambiguous statement was issued after the meeting, saying that the people who were in attendance "discussed the security situation, Israeli violations of the Lebanese sovereignty, and the situation in some areas that have recently experienced unrest — particularly the northern and eastern border areas," the border with Syria. They also discussed the "necessary measures needed to avoid intolerance and sectarianism."
However, contrary to the repetitive expressions included in the statement, it was learned that the meeting’s participants discussed very sensitive topics, based on reports issued by the security services. Those in attendance concluded that the security situation in Lebanon cannot be controlled without at least a minimum level of political consensus. Interior Minister Marwan Charbel went so far as to assert that the sectarian dispute — particularly between Sunnis and Shiites — makes it practically impossible to control the security situation.
