Good Friday: No Longer A Lebanese Holiday!

In a shocking move, the Lebanese government has removed Good Friday from the list of official Lebanese holidays. We now have the commemoration of Hariri's assassination as an official holiday, but not the death of Jesus Christ.

It is outrageous of the Lebanese government to remove the most sacred Christian Holy Day from the list of recognized official holidays. What is most outrageous, however, is that none of the Christian members of the "majority" opposed the move.

It is unclear whether this move is a pure act of Sunni bigotry against their Christian allies, or a calculated act to weaken the government. I am sure Syria, Iran and Hizballa are thanking Allah for this senseless act of stupidity that will weaken Christian support for the government and affect the outcome of the upcoming partial parliamentary elections to replace MP's Gemayel and Eido.

It is time for the Christian leaders of the majority to pressure the Saniora government to reverse this decision.

In the long term, this is a clear indication that the Lebanese Christians need a new leadership if they are planning to remain relevant in the country of the Cedars.

Note that the government's decision was later reversed after much protest from a wide spectrum of Christian leaderships.

UNIFIL Attack, Hizablla's First Step ToTake Back Control Of The Border

The attack against the Spanish contingent of the UNIFIL was expected. The Lebanese authorities have been warning of such plots. I even expected attacks against UNIFIL shortly after their deployment.

The purpose of the attack is obvious. Iran wants to reinforce its leverage against Israel (and the West) by being able to wage war against the Jewish State on two fronts, one in the South in Gaza, the other in the North, in South Lebanon. Hamas has now a free hand to arm itself and attack Israel after routing the PLO from Gaza. Hizballa is about to do the same by expelling UNIFIL from South Lebanon through a series of bloody terrorist attacks.

Hizballa's responsibility in this incident is unquestionable, even though the actual perpetrators might have been members of some pro-Syrian Palestinian group. El Khiyam is a Hizballa bastion and nothing happens there without the knowledge of Iran's proxy in Lebanon.

I expect more such attacks against UNIFIL, culminating in a very bloody operation similar to the one that caused the Marines and French paratroopers to abandon their mission in Lebanon or the one that forced the UN out of Iraq.

I do hope that UNIFIL takes the appropriate measures to reinforce its positions and intensify its patrols to prevent such attacks in the future, and prove the UN's resolve in performing its mission in Lebanon despite heavy losses.

This Summer is shaping up to be a difficult one for Lebanon, and the Saniora government may not survive the Syro-Iranian onslaught without serious help from the West, the UN and moderate Arab nations.

Elias El Murr's Premature Statement

The Lebanese Defense Minister's surprising statement, announcing the end of military activities in Nahr El Bared, is reminiscent of President Bush's now infamous victory announcement regarding Iraq.

And while Bush did not predict the intensity of the Iraqi insurrection against US forces, El Murr must know that the cleanup in Nahr El Bared is far from complete.

And if El Murr is counting on the other militias in the camp to surrender the Fatah El Islam terrorists, I believe he will be sorely disappointed. There is no substitute to the Army cleaning up the Palestinian "camp"; any alternatives will have disastrous consequences on the stability of Lebanon and the morale of the Lebanese Army.