Well, that's good. Is it like a constant subject, like in the air everywhere? :thinking:

Oh, ok. Hey Rita :)

 

Yes, it's almost all that's talked about on the news and everywhere you go, politicians and the government are busy trying to keep the situation under control and preventing a clash between all the parties in opposition that they barely have time to do anything else...so yes, recently it has been pretty much the subject of every conversation i have heard or taken part in.

And then there is this other threat from Israel:( i just remembered that because war planes (i don't know what else to call them:P) have been flying over our region at quite a low altitude for the past 15 minutes and i'm sure they're from Israel because our army only has 60 years old helicopters:P

Well, that doesn't sound nice :\ Hope that clears up.

^thank you:hug: i really hope so too

It started:wreck:

 

Hezbollah and allies resign, toppling Lebanon government

 

BEIRUT | Wed Jan 12, 2011 1:15pm EST

 

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Ministers from Hezbollah and its Lebanese allies resigned on Wednesday, toppling the government of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri before expected indictments against the Shi'ite group over the killing of Hariri's father.

 

Lebanese politicians had said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia and Syria failed to reach a deal to contain tensions over the U.N.-backed tribunal, which is expected to issue draft indictments soon over the 2005 assassination of Rafik al-Hariri.

 

The ministers resigned as Saad al-Hariri was meeting U.S. President Barack Obama, and the White House later released a statement criticizing Hezbollah's moves and warning against any "threats or action" that could destabilize Lebanon.

 

Hariri's office said he left Washington after the talks, heading for Paris to meet President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday.

 

Analysts said the resignations could set the stage for protracted political turmoil in Lebanon.

 

They played down prospects of a repeat of the violence of May 2008, when gunmen took over Beirut after government moves against Hezbollah. But Sunni power Saudi Arabia, which backs Hariri, warned the resignations "will cause clashes once again."

 

The Shi'ite Hezbollah has denied any role in the 2005 killing. Its leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, has attacked the tribunal as an "Israeli project" and urged Hariri to renounce it. The Sunni Muslim premier has resisted Hezbollah's demand.

 

Announcing the resignations, Christian government minister Gebran Bassil blamed Washington for obstructing the Saudi-Syrian efforts and called on Lebanon's president to "take the required steps for forming a new government."

 

STALEMATE

 

A stalemate over the tribunal has crippled Hariri's 14-month-old "unity" government. The cabinet has met, briefly, just once in the last two months and the government could not secure parliamentary approval for the 2010 budget.

 

A U.S. official said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked to officials in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and France, seeking backing for the tribunal, adding that U.S. support for it would continue whatever happens to Lebanon's government.

 

"We also remain committed to working with the government of Lebanon on meeting its own internal security and stability challenges," the official said, dismissing accusations that Washington intervened to scupper Saudi and Syrian efforts.

 

Lebanon has endured a series of crises since Rafik al-Hariri's killing, including assassinations and the sectarian street fighting in Beirut in 2008, and analysts said Wednesday's resignations would revive fears of instability.

 

"You definitely have increased rhetoric, but whether that is matched by a slip toward a bad security situation is not pre-determined," said Karim Makdisi, a teacher of international relations at the American University of Beirut.

 

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal urged Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and Syria, to rejoin the government.

 

Political scientist Hilal Khashan said Washington had "vetoed" the Saudi-Syrian initiative and there was little prospect of a new government being formed quickly.

 

The Saudi-Syrian proposals were never spelt out by either country. According to a politician close to Hariri, they would have involved a Hezbollah pledge not to resort to violence if its members were indicted, while Hariri would ensure that any indictment was not exploited to Hezbollah's political detriment.

 

Khashan said that while Hezbollah was unlikely to provoke a repeat of the May 2008 violence, he did not rule out protests.

 

"The phenomenon of food riots is spreading in the Arab world, so the opposition may shield itself behind popular demands for combating inflation," he said.

 

Beirut's bourse fell 3.22 percent in response to the political turmoil, with shares in market heavyweight Solidere, which has led the reconstruction of Beirut since the 1975-90 civil war, dropping as much as 8.0 percent.

 

"(Because) the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Syria was blocked, we have seen a sell-off," said Louis Karam, senior investment adviser at Arab Finance Corporation.

 

But Marwan Barakat, head of research at Lebanon's Bank Audi, said Lebanon's substantial foreign reserves and high levels of liquidity in the banking sector meant that it had a formidable "defense line" to protect its currency.

 

source

If anyone is interested i think this report is quite good to see the views of the post civil war generation and the change we feel is necessary. I took part in the 14th of march protests (talked about at around 10 mins), but only because i feel that the issues they are addressing (Hezbollah's arms, the national tribunal...) are more urgent than asking for a secular system, for now at least!

EDIT: great interview with the band Machrou' Leila at around 29 minutes!:wacky: