LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِApril 02/2011

Biblical Event Of The Day
Luke 12/8-12: "I tell you, everyone who confesses me before men, him will the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God; 12:9 but he who denies me in the presence of men will be denied in the presence of the angels of God. 12:10 Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 12:11 When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, don’t be anxious how or what you will answer, or what you will say; 12:12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you must say.”

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Stabilization time for Lebanon/By: Michael Young/April 01/11
Middle East unrest and home strife weigh on Lebanon/Michael Karam /April 01/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 01/11
Thousands defy Assad to protest in Syria/Now Lebanon
Security Forces Fear that Estonians Are No Longer in Lebanon/Naharnet
Suleiman Meets al-Rahi, Urges Shami to Intensify Efforts to Ensure Lebanese's Safe Return from Abidjan/Naharnet
New Maronite patriarch pledges to work in partnership with Muslims/The Pilot
Abidjan Fighting Delays Evacuation of Lebanese Amid Fears for their Lives/Naharnet
Around 100000 Lebanese remain in crisis-hit Ivory Coast/Daily Stars
Hezbollah refuses to comment on Israeli maps allegedly detailing its military sites/Daily Star
Arslan meets Aoun, says Mikati must be transparent/iloubnan.info
Berri suggested solution for cabinet impasse, 'As Safir'/iloubnan.info
Berri Suggests Way Out of Government Crisis/Naharnet
Moussawi: Lebanon Should Take Official Stand and Respond to Israeli Leaks/Naharnet
Israeli Army Exercises on All-out War with Hizbullah/Naharnet
Japanese Radiation Reaches Region: Not Harmful to Humans/Naharnet
Intense Meetings Seek to End Cabinet Deadlock/Naharnet
Caretaker PM Unveils Statue of ex-PM Hariri: They Have Turned the Weapons against Beirut in Your Absence/Naharnet
Jumblat: Syria's Security Essential to Lebanon's Security, it Doesn't Need Lectures on Nationalism from West/Naharnet
Miqati Telephones Assad, Praises Syrian People's Support for his Leadership/Naharnet
Bassil: We Haven't Yet Reached the Point of Regret for Naming Miqati/Naharnet

Security Forces Fear that Estonians Are No Longer in Lebanon
Naharnet/High-ranking security sources have expressed fear that Wael Abbas, the ringleader of the cell that kidnapped the seven Estonians, might have handed over the hostages to another network.The sources told An Nahar daily on Friday that Abbas could have also transferred the cyclists, who were kidnapped near Zahle's industrial zone on March 23, "to outside the Lebanese territories," in reference to Syria. Abbas was hiding inside houses in the Bekaa town of Majdal Anjar as security forces carried out raids in the area on Thursday, they said.
But the sources said the town's residents were cooperating with police to track him and another member of the cell who is also from Majdal Anjar. The network's four other members are now in custody. Abbas reportedly told them before their arrest that the Estonian tourists "were handed over to the sides" that ordered the kidnapping.
The sources also said that the claim by the previously-unheard of group, Haraket al-Nahda Wal-Islah (the Movement for Revival and Reform) for the abduction was aimed at distracting investigators. Beirut, 01 Apr 11, 10:13

Suleiman Meets al-Rahi, Urges Shami to Intensify Efforts to Ensure Lebanese's Safe Return from Abidjan
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman held talks on Friday with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and former Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir at the Baabda palace.The president congratulated al-Rahi for his election, commending Sfeir's tenure as patriarch for 25 years and awarding him the Order of the Cedars. Suleiman also held a close-door meeting with al-Rahi during which they discussed matters of joint interest between the presidency and patriarchate. A luncheon banquet was later thrown in al-Rahi and Sfeir's honor. The president the held talks with caretaker Foreign Minister Ali Shami who informed him of the measures being taken to evacuate the Lebanese from the Ivory Coast. Suleiman urged Shami to intensify his contacts with concerned states, especially France, to protect the Lebanese in the African country and ensure their safe return to their homeland. Beirut, 01 Apr 11, 14:10

Around 100000 Lebanese remain in crisis-hit Ivory Coast
Daily Star - Lebanon
BEIRUT: Around 100,000 Lebanese are believed to be caught up in civil strife in Ivory Coast, with a surge of violence in the West African country prompting Lebanese officials to act.
Speaker Nabih Berri contacted several French officials Thursday to secure assistance in protecting the lives of Lebanese nationals in Abidjan and other cities in Ivory Coast as the country plunges into an all-out civil war.
Berri also contacted caretaker Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Shami after canceling his appointments and meetings to remain updated on the situation.
Violence was renewed in Ivory Coast following presidential elections last November which sparked a dispute between the reported winner, Alassane Ouattara, and incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, who has refused to leave office. Shami contacted Lebanon’s ambassador to Ivory Coast, Ali Ajami, to receive assurances about the safety of the Lebanese expatriates there.
“The Lebanese community is doing fine and the security situation in Abidjan is still acceptable,” said Ajami, despite reports that Ouattara’s rebels have reached the outskirts of Abidjan, the former Ivorian capital. But the head of the World Lebanese Cultural Union, Ahmad Nasser, urged the government to act quickly and evacuate women and children through coordination with other friendly states. Nasser expressed his worries to Shami in a telephone call Thursday, conveying reports that the financial losses of Lebanese nationals had reached millions of dollars as a result of the chaos. The Lebanese community has also been targeted following accusations by many of Ouattara’s forces that Lebanese have been meddling in Ivorian affairs by funding Gbagbo and his forces across the country. Earlier this month, Lebanese businessman Ali Fawwaz was found murdered in a river in Abidjan, raising concerns in the Lebanese community as Ouattara’s forces close in on the largest city, Abidjan. According to Nasser, Lebanese in Ivory Coast are living in a state of “fear and anxiety,” especially in the capital city of Yamassoukro. Nasser added that Lebanese have repeatedly called for an increase in the number by Middle East Airlines between Lebanon and Ivory Coast.
Security sources told The Daily Star that although riots have broken out in many places, the unrest has yet to reach Ivorian airports, meaning that Lebanese in the country still have access to international flights from Abidjan. According to a security source at the Rafik Hariri International Airport, a special flight by a Middle East Airlines Airbus 332 to help the Lebanese community in Abidjan is set to depart from Beirut at 8 a.m. Friday.
The Airbus, with a capacity of 240 seats, is expected to arrive back late Friday. – The Daily Star


Hezbollah refuses to comment on Israeli maps allegedly detailing its military sites
Party denies any involvement in destabilizing events in Bahrain
By Marlin Dick /Daily Star staff/Friday, April 01, 2011
BEIRUT: Israel’s latest media salvo against Hezbollah, the release of maps claiming the existence of around 1,000 military sites in South Lebanon, was met by an official stance of “no comment” by the party Thursday. The Israeli military released a map detailing what it says are approximately 550 underground bunkers, along with 300 monitoring sites and 100 weapons storage facilities. The Israelis have highlighted the location of the sites, saying that they are located near homes, schools and hospitals, to hammer home the argument that Hezbollah takes advantage of hiding among civilian populations. A spokesman for the party contacted by The Daily Star said Hezbollah had “no comment” on the news.
The Israeli military website says the resistance has built up the sites since the July 2006 war, and claims that “Hezbollah militants have doubled in number since that time.”
The item re-states earlier estimates by Israeli officials and politicians that Hezbollah has an arsenal of more than 40,000 rockets, predicting that in the event of a new armed conflict, “Hezbollah will be able to launch between 500 and 600 rockets at Israel every day.” The Israelis also posted a second map detailing what it said was a “main civilian center” for storing munitions, in the village of Khiam. It added that “more than 100 Hezbollah militants operate in the village, including special forces ready for combat with [Israeli Army] soldiers.”
A military analyst, retired General Elias Hanna, told The Daily Star the item could be considered a case of “pinging the system,” to provoke Hezbollah into moving its positions in the south, as well as a message with multiple goals.
“It’s meant to delegitimize Hezbollah, as violating [United Nations Security Council Resolution] 1701,” which ended the 2006 conflict, Hanna said.
“They are saying: we know where your posts are, your command and control areas, and that you are near urban areas, so you have no right to hide,” Hanna said.
Hanna added that the Israelis were probably focused on warning Hezbollah against taking advantage of regional instability, after a recent spate of violence between Israel and Palestinian groups. He also speculated that the Israelis might be sending a message to Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati, who is seeking to form a government in which Hezbollah will be represented. The Israeli army accused Hezbollah of “trying to distort the balance of power in Lebanon and return to full, routine militant activity in southeast Lebanon, similar to its activity levels just prior to the war in 2006.” Separately, Hezbollah denied Thursday that it was involved in destabilizing events in Bahrain, which experienced violence last month between government forces and protestors demanding reform. Hezbollah said that after its leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, earlier expressed support for the anti-regime demonstrators in the Gulf country, it refrained from responding to the wave of condemnation for getting involved in the affairs of an Arab country. “But the accusation of training [by Hezbollah of Bahraini opposition groups] or giving a military or security dimension to what is happening in Bahrain is something that we cannot remain silent about,” the party said in a statement. “None of our Bahraini brethren has every requested security or military training from us,” Hezbollah said, reiterating its support for the popular protests and condemning the government’s “arbitrary repression” of demonstrators there.

Thousands defy Assad to protest in Syria
April 1, 2011 Thousands of Syrians emerged from prayers to protest in the country's north and south on Friday, in the first rallies since President Bashar al-Assad dashed hopes for greater freedoms. Witnesses in Daraa, one of the main focal points of rising dissent, told AFP that thousands of faithful gathered outside the flashpoint southern town's courthouse after leaving a mosque. "Death rather than humiliation," and "National Unity," they shouted. Chants were also directed against Assad, whose highly anticipated speech to parliament on Wednesday failed to match the demands of pro-reform protests that erupted more than two weeks ago. Protests took place for the first time in the mainly Kurdish populated northeast by hundreds of people.
"Hundreds of people marched peacefully through the streets after Friday prayers in Qamishli and Amuda chanting 'We want freedom' and 'God, Syria and freedom'," Kurdish rights activist Radif Mustafa told AFP. The "Friday of Martyrs" protests were also held from the coastal city of Latakia to Homs and Darriya, near the capital Damascus, where people chanted: "My beloved Syria, give me my freedom." The official SANA news agency confirmed demonstrations took place without incident near mosques in Daraa and Latakia, where protesters paid tribute to martyrs and called for speedier reforms. In Damascus, hundreds of protesters locked themselves up inside Al-Rifai mosque in the city centre chanting "Freedom, freedom," as security forces tried to break in, a demonstrator said, and a group of pro-regime loyalists gathered in the square opposite. It was the third week in succession for protests following Friday Muslim prayers. President Assad, who is facing domestic pressure unprecedented in his 11-year rule, failed to lift almost 50 years of emergency rule in his first address to the nation since the protests demanding greater freedoms broke out on March 15. Instead, he said there was a "conspiracy" targeting unity in Syria, blaming the country's "enemies" for taking advantage of the needs of the people to incite division in the country ruled by emergency law since the Baath party seized power in 1963.
The Syrian Revolution 2011, a wildly popular yet anonymous Facebook group that has emerged as a motor of the protests, had called for rallies at all mosques after Friday prayers until their demands for "freedom" are met. "The real cause, the ultimate cause, is that we have been... beaten in our own streets, silenced, for more than 40 years," one activist, who preferred to remain anonymous, said before the midday prayers. "But the most pressing cause, in today's rallies, is the president's speech, which dashed all our hopes and expectations," he told AFP. "We have been hearing the same speech for decades." In a video message posted online, Syrian human rights lawyer Haytham Maleh had called on protesters to keep up their pressure until the government bows to their demands. "I appeal to Syrians to continue to put pressure on the authorities to fulfill the legitimate demands they have," said Maleh, warning authorities would "assume full responsibility" if they fail to satisfy the protesters. The protests so far have been deadly with activists estimating more than 160 people killed in clashes with security forces, mainly in Daraa, a tribal area on the Jordanian border, and the coastal city of Latakia. Officials put the death toll at about 30 and have accused Muslim extremists and "armed gangs" of pushing peaceful rallies into violence with the aim of inciting sectarian unrest in Syria, which prides itself on coexistence in a region torn by confessional strife.
In a conciliatory move, Assad on Thursday ordered a string of reforms, including a study of new laws on the media and political pluralism and plans to tackle the plight of 300,000 Kurds who have been denied Syrian citizenship for close to half a century. He has also ordered an immediate investigation into the Daraa and Latakia killings and the formation of a committee to draft new laws on national security and counter-terrorism. The committee would "pave the way for ending the state of emergency" and should complete its work by April 25.
Yet the state's attempt to reach out to protesters has failed to impress opposition movements and international rights groups, which say the president has missed a golden opportunity.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Bassil: We Haven't Yet Reached the Point of Regret for Naming Miqati
Caretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil has stressed that the Change and Reform bloc "hasn't yet reached the point of regret" for nominating Najib Miqati as premier but described the status quo as "dangerous" which will impose a review of the bloc's policies. In remarks to An Nahar daily published Friday, Bassil said that Miqati believed the bloc's demand for 12 ministers in the new cabinet was exaggerated. "We haven't yet reached the point of regret" in choosing Miqati "but surely this frustrating and dangerous situation will make us take another look at this issue," he said. Bassil reiterated that Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc was holding onto its demand for the interior ministry portfolio in the new cabinet, adding: "This does not mean we don't have a say on other ministries." The FPM official said there was an attempt to transform the new parliamentary majority into two teams – the previous opposition and an independent group. While Bassil did not name any single party behind the delay in the formation of the government, he said: "The essential problem today is that there isn't a unified understanding on the source of the problems or the differences." He hinted that the obstacles facing the cabinet formation won't be removed as long as "there isn't a unified understanding on the nature of the problem." Bassil also described reports about a possible proposal of a "de facto government" as a "threat." Beirut, 01 Apr 11, 09:22

Moussawi: Lebanon Should Take Official Stand and Respond to Israeli Leaks
Naharnet/Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Nawwaf Moussawi stressed on Friday the need for Lebanon to take an official stance and respond to Israeli leaks of military and security plans to attack Lebanon. It should retaliate through a media, political, and diplomatic campaign that would prevent the Jewish state from "fabricating facts before the international public opinion."
"Lebanon should assert that it has always been a victim of Israeli aggression and it has the right to take defensive measures against it," he stated. "The leaks should not be met with such silence, but the Israeli military and political criminals should be put on trial … The Lebanese foreign ministry should charge Lebanon's ambassadors to foreign countries to take the emergency procedures to highlight Israel's war crimes," Moussawi added. Earlier this week, the Israeli military held a set of war games aimed at preparing the army for all-out war with Hizbullah, Syria and Hamas, the Jerusalem Post reported. Beirut, 01 Apr 11, 12:56

Miqati Telephones Assad, Praises Syrian People's Support for his Leadership
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati praised in a telephone call with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday the Syrian people's support for his leadership.
The premier also lauded them for obstructing attempts to create strife given the recent demonstrations in Syria. Miqati and Assad also addressed developments in the Middle East. Earlier on Thursday, the prime minister-designate held talks on local and regional developments with former French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius in the presence of the French Ambassador to Lebanon. Miqati also met with the Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Ahmed al-Bedewi. Beirut, 31 Mar 11, 12:01

Question: "What is moral relativism?"
GotQuestions.org
Answer: Moral relativism is more easily understood in comparison to moral absolutism. Absolutism claims that morality relies on universal principles (natural law, conscience). Christian absolutists believe that God is the ultimate source of our common morality, and that it is, therefore, as unchanging as He is. Moral relativism asserts that morality is not based on any absolute standard. Rather, ethical “truths” depend on variables such as the situation, culture, one's feelings, etc.
Several things can be said of the arguments for moral relativism which demonstrate their dubious nature. First, while many of the arguments used in the attempt to support relativism might sound good at first, there is a logical contradiction inherent in all of them because they all propose the “right” moral scheme—the one we all ought to follow. But this itself is absolutism. Second, even so-called relativists reject relativism in most cases. They would not say that a murderer or rapist is free from guilt so long as he did not violate his own standards.
Relativists may argue that different values among different cultures show that morals are relative to different people. But this argument confuses the actions of individuals (what they do) with absolute standards (whether they should do it). If culture determines right and wrong, how could we have judged the Nazis? After all, they were only following their culture's morality. Only if murder is universally wrong were the Nazis wrong. The fact that they had “their morality” does not change that. Further, although many people have different practices of morality, they still share a common morality. For instance, abortionists and anti-abortionists agree that murder is wrong, but they disagree on whether abortion is murder. So, even here, absolute universal morality is shown to be true.
Some claim that changing situations make for changing morality—in different situations different acts are called for that might not be right in other situations. But there are three things by which we must judge an act: the situation, the act, and the intention. For example, we can convict someone of attempted murder (intent) even if they fail (act). So situations are part of the moral decision, for they set the context for choosing the specific moral act (the application of universal principles).
The main argument relativists appeal to is that of tolerance. They claim that telling someone their morality is wrong is intolerant, and relativism tolerates all views. But this is misleading. First of all, evil should never be tolerated. Should we tolerate a rapist's view that women are objects of gratification to be abused? Second, it is self-defeating because relativists do not tolerate intolerance or absolutism. Third, relativism cannot explain why anyone should be tolerant in the first place. The very fact that we should tolerate people (even when we disagree) is based on the absolute moral rule that we should always treat people fairly—but that is absolutism again! In fact, without universal moral principles there can be no goodness.
The fact is that all people are born with a conscience, and we all instinctively know when we have been wronged or when we have wronged others. We act as though we expect others to recognize this as well. Even as children we knew the difference between “fair” and “unfair.” It takes bad philosophy to convince us that we are wrong and that moral relativism is true.
**Recommended Resource: Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air by Francis Beckwith

Stabilization time for Lebanon
Michael Young, /Now Lebanon
April 1, 2011
For a man who was supposed to shield the Maronite Church from the tremors of politics, Patriarch Bishara al-Rai has launched himself into the political pit feet first and head forward. After offering a ringing endorsement of Minister Ziad Baroud last weekend, Rai declared on Wednesday that a government of “one color” was undesirable.
The patriarch will have gotten significant assistance from Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian president’s speech on Wednesday was seen by most people as profoundly disappointing; but worse, it was viewed by many Syrians as an insult. This can only complicate the political situation in Syria, which means the Assad regime may be loath to sanction a government in Beirut that creates more headaches for Damascus.
A headache is precisely what the Syrian president may face by endorsing a one-sided government under the influence of Hezbollah. Assad does not want to alienate the Sunni-dominated states of the Gulf, whose leaders this week called to express support for his regime. But he had already gotten a warning last Friday, when Sheikh Yusif al-Qaradawi, in his Friday sermon from Doha, welcomed the fact that “the train of revolution” had reached Syria. For Assad, this was a troubling reminder that his margin of maneuver in dealing with Syria’s Sunni community, and by extension Lebanon’s, is limited.
It is doubtful that the protests in Syria will die down in the foreseeable future. Indeed, the contrary is more probable. In that context, Rai’s advice is sound. It would be a grave mistake for the prime minister-elect, Najib Mikati, to go through with establishing a government allowing Hezbollah and Michel Aoun to impose agendas that might only increase tension in Lebanon. Until now Mikati has refused to do so, and in this he has had the backing of President Michel Sleiman, but also, more furtively, of Walid Jumblatt.
This week Jumblatt spoke for the first time in months with Saad Hariri, and has called for a resumption of the national dialogue. The Druze leader is worried about events in Syria and their repercussions for Lebanon. He is also annoyed with Michel Aoun’s rapacious cabinet demands. Jumblatt has made it clear to his allies that he is the one responsible for taking the parliamentary majority away from March 14, and therefore will not consent to being marginal in the government.
Almost everyone appears to be quietly but firmly abandoning the notion of a government led by Hezbollah and the Aounists. According to Al-Jumhouria on Thursday, the Qatari government has circulated ideas, allegedly with Syrian knowledge, to refloat the present Hariri government. The idea would be to revive the previous ministerial statement approving Hezbollah’s weapons, in exchange for a reaffirmation of Lebanon’s commitment to United Nations resolutions. This would shelve Hezbollah’s plan to use the “false witnesses” controversy to discredit the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
Hariri is not soon likely to accept such a proposal, however there is a definite need to go along with the Qataris’ rationale: Namely, to find a formula to stabilize the Lebanese political scene at a moment when developments in Syria may exacerbate Lebanese sectarian differences. Not many in March 14 are willing to listen to Jumblatt these days, but he’s correct in that a vacuum in Beirut at such a sensitive moment next door is in the interest of none of the Lebanese parties.
Complicating matters is Michel Aoun’s health. He reportedly suffered an ischemic incident this week, most commonly caused by a blood clot in the brain. Reportedly, the attack was transient, which means that Aoun may emerge with little or no lasting negative consequences. However, many will be watching to see whether this situation affects the political calculations of the poles within the Aounist movement, particularly those family members competing for Aoun’s legacy.
At the least, Aoun’s health crisis, like his political intransigence in negotiating cabinet shares, makes it increasingly certain that we have entered a new phase in the months-long political face-off in Lebanon. The Special Tribunal is no longer the main preoccupation of the hour. Hezbollah’s strategy toward the so-called false witnesses has hit up against numerous obstacles, above all the fact that Sunni-Shia relations will suffer if Lebanon severs ties with the tribunal.
Perhaps Hezbollah can take some solace in the fact that the tribunal’s prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare, recently filed what was described as an expanded draft indictment. For some foreign legal experts, this was very possibly a sign that his initial draft was deficient.
Mikati cannot fashion a government of national unity, but he should think seriously of a government of national consensus. The new cabinet should include competent independents, approved by the major political factions. Call them whatever you want, but the prime objective of this team should be to do what the Mikati government of 2005 did: manage affairs impartially until parliamentary elections, while shielding Lebanon from the convulsions of the Middle East.
The prime minister-elect should begin by bluntly announcing that the “government of one color” project is dead. Hezbollah and Aoun might resist, but it’s time for Mikati to show nerve. Lebanon needs someone to lead, and Mikati stood against Hariri and a majority of Sunnis in saying that he could do so. With events in Syria as they are, the prime minister-elect should downgrade his ambitions and manage a delicate Lebanese transition. We shouldn’t expect more for now.
Michael Young is opinion editor of the Daily Star newspaper in Beirut and author of The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life Struggle, which the Wall Street Journal listed as one of its 10 standout books for 2010.

Middle East unrest and home strife weigh on Lebanon
Michael Karam /The National
http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/industry-insights/economics/middle-east-unrest-and-home-strife-weigh-on-lebanon
Last Updated: Mar 31, 2011
You know those images one sees on the news during hurricane season in the Caribbean? The ones of wearily resigned, often rain-lashed residents boarding up their property ahead of the impending storm?
You do? Well that's how many in the Lebanese business community are feeling.
We know a storm is coming. We saw dark clouds on the horizon when Barclays Capitalforecast a dip in growth of 2 percentage points, but I suspect that was based mainly on the fact that Lebanon has not had a government for two months and tensions surrounding the tribunal examining the death of a former prime minister are mounting.
That was before Bahrain declared Hizbollah a terrorist organisation, accusing it of training Shia protesters, and severed virtually all ties with Lebanon.
That was before civilians were dying in the streets of Syrian towns and cities, and definitely before seven Estonians on a cycling holiday were kidnapped in the Bekaa Valley in broad daylight soon after crossing into Lebanon from Syria.
Suddenly, Lebanon finds itself in a three-pronged pincer that threatens isolation, political fallout and a return to the days when it was the place to avoid.
Manama's anger at Hassan Nasrallah, the Hizbollah leader who has offered support - moral and material - to the Bahraini Shia, could have huge economic implications.
Mr Nasrallah might have raised his stock among the region's Shia but many other Lebanese are groaning.
A friend, busy chasing payment for work lost during the first days of the crisis on Bahrain, suddenly found he could not even call the country, while Bahraini students at the fee-paying American University of Beirut were summoned home.
More worrying is the real possibility that many Bahrainis will not be vacationing in Lebanon this summer. The decision to give Lebanon a miss might become contagious and it is this scenario the hospitality sector dreads the most. Lebanon has been lazy in diversifying its tourism portfolio. It has relied on the dirham, riyal and dinar by offering a tried and tested formula based on luxury hotels, restaurants, cafes and boutiques. Lebanon knows the Arab tourist, as regional visitors are known in these parts, comes for the relative coolness, the mountain air and the chance to kick back in a way they cannot at home. It is such a winning formula that there have been only token efforts to truly develop Lebanon's other niche tourist sectors - religion, wine, heritage, ecology and winter sports - all of which tend to appeal more to Europeans (although we probably won't see any cyclists in the Bekaa for a while).
Arabic language newspapers comment the moral war against Qaddafi, Syrian claims that Palestinians are behind unrest, and the red herring of "intruders" in Arab revolutions.
Tourism officials and members of the private sector have always boasted that Lebanon is not for the mass market. Club Med is unlikely to be coming to town soon. They know who their clients are and they know how to make them happy. That all might change if the boycott spreads.
Of further concern are events in Syria. Not only could the demonstrations have economic consequences with a major trading partner but the political fallout could very easily spread over the border.
Indeed, on Sunday, a bomb exploded in a church in Zahle, the Bekaa city close to where the Estonians disappeared - and they are still missing.
"Bekaa Valley" - and its associations with shady guerrilla groups, drug lords and missile sites - and "kidnapping" are words that have fuelled many thrillers. They are the cliches that the Lebanese had hoped the West had banished from its Lebanon lexicon. However shallow, the Lebanese would much prefer their country to be defined by words such as parties (the fun kind), nightlife and glamour. The last thing Lebanon needs, after much good press in the world's media, is to be re-labelled a bad place. There's more: a regional economic downturn caused by the mayhem in Libya and the transition of power in Egypt could easily see a greater reliance on local hirings. Foreign remittances make up nearly a third of Lebanon's GDP and any depletion would hit hard. We haven't even mentioned the effect a surge in oil prices would have on the cost of manufacturing and consumer goods. Last week, I wrote, "suddenly Lebanon doesn't look too bad", arguing that at least it has the democracy much of the Arab world is demanding. I may have spoken too soon.