Adonis Diaries

“Time to learn and apply soft tactics for the same objectives…?” Hezbollah, Rami… (Fiction story?)

In the back seat, behind the driver, Sheikh Kassem is looking at the big file set besides him, and he exhales forcefully.

The black Mercedes with tainted windows crosses the streets of Dahieh smoothly, skipping the red lights.

The car stops in front of a huge plain cement building, studded with tiny elevated windows. Kassem enters a small simple room. The white washed walls let a yellow light seeps from an elevated small window.

A long wooden table filled the center. The photos of the late Ayatollah Khomeini and the current Khamenei, the Wali Fakih of Iran, “control” the assembled members of the  Shawra Council.

Four of the members in the Shawra Council wore white or gray loose tunics, and trimmed medium length beards. Two of the members had black “3amama” head cover: Signifying that they are considered direct descendent of Muhammad.

The members converged from all regions in Lebanon, just to resume the discussion on a particular file, and take a decision in this third meeting.

Al Baaker wore military attire and spoke with a heavy Arabic accent, an Iranian military commander, and who was from the Islamic Iranian Revolutionary Guards two decades ago.

Another member was the Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon.

Haj Radwan, the head of the Party security services, was in military uniform. He was a fighter the Palestinian Fateh movement during Lebanon civil war

Zul Fikar is the previous head of the Party military branch.

Hassan was the last to enter the room and joined the team at the head of the table. He dropped a heavy file and each member readied their own copies of the file.

Hassan opened the session with Koranic statements and said:

“Brothers, this is the third meeting concerning the file in front of us. We have to reach a resolution. Brother Zul Fikar, have you reconsidered your extreme position on the matter?”

Zul Fikar: “I have Samahatak. I am sticking to my stand. This situation should not drag on any longer. We have to finish quickly with this business…”

Hassan: “What of the logistical preparations?
Zul: We have several options. The easiest is to quietly assassinate the contestant with a bullet. Or exterminate him in his bed, in the dark of night, ina quick blow…”

My preferred alternative is to send a violent public message, a drama that a car bomb will remind people that public discontent in the Party is totally inadmissible…”

Hassan: “And what about the logistics?”

Al Baaker: “Allow me Sayyed to speak freely. We have to silence these kinds of thoughts and outbursts that members and ex-members feel at liberty to express publicly. Personal opinions and facts published in books and articles should be submitted to our censorship…”

Haj Radwan: “Sayedna. I agree with Al Baaker and Zul Fikar that we should cut the way on any future public discourse.  We should have in perspective levels of tolerance to free opinions. If we  were in power as a State, we should be adequately tolerant, but we are still struggling as a resistance movement… We could use a small detonation and never admit our responsibilities in the matter. The message will still be heard loud and clear…”

Hassan: “Brother Zul Fikar. Have you discussed this matter with our brothers in Iran?”

Zul: “I did Sayyed and they will support our decisions.”

Hassan: “If there are no other suggestions to submit to the council, I am ready to direct Haj Radwan and Zul to coordinate their activities. Have we settled this problem?”

No one volunteered to object and Kassem felt reluctantly that he should speak this time around.

Kassem: “We meed more discussion. I do not disagree that a strong message should be sent, but the reactions should not be these kinds of violent direct solutions. We are a legitimate political party in the Parliament and the government and our violent resolutions should be very restricted and rare.

Not long ago, we barely believed that our Party will acquire this legitimacy and be representing the people in Lebanon’s brand of democratic process….”

Al Baaker: “Our representation in the system is the result of our violent means and determination…”

Hassan: “Brother Kassem. Please continue your observation.”

Kassem: “It is about time that we conduct our business and policies within the legal framework and never antagonize the voting citizens who seek security and a the proper climate for investment. Our political allies are squeezed and would not tolerate violent decisions.

It’s time to be cautious and learn to apply soft tactics that will achieve the same goals… If we fail to learn and train our cadres to soft and intelligent means, it is doubtful that we will be able to be believable when in power. It would be too late to convince anyone of our tolerant inclination”

Zul Fikar: “Sayyedna. We have considered all the logistics and we are ready to execute if you give the green light.”

Hassan: “Brother Kassem.  Would you develop on the kinds of soft tactics that you have in mind? How can we stop this book “The path of the bees”  from being published?”

Al Baaker and Zul were besides themselves and fulminating:  They were still unable to digest the particularities of Lebanon political and social structure and complexities. They insisted on a violent reaction.

Hassan: Brother Kassem. Resume and develop on your ideas”

Kassem: “We have to tone down our rough reactions. We are a political party within this complicated social fabric. We are already taken very seriously locally, regionally, and internationally. We are under close scrutiny and the medias are many and cunning in lambasting every action and move we do. Our movement grew as the advocates of the weak and humiliated citizens, and the people supported wholeheartedly our steadfast struggle. Israel withdrew unconditionally from Lebanon in May 2000, and was defeated in its preemptive war of June 2006 thanks to the massive support of the citizens.

We are set to gain a Parliamentary majority with our allies in 2008, and we cannot skip this opportunity by adopting violent options at this crucial period…”

Hassan: “Brother Kassem. What are your ideas on soft tactics in this case?”

Kassem: “Haj Radwan is a pro in these soft tactics. For the time being, we need a vast support from all religious communities, including the Sunnis, Christians and Druzes. A large support will provide us with a breathing space to maneuver. A book is a weapon with two trenchant sides. We cannot forecast the negative effects of this small book, but a violent reaction will absolutely send a bad wave of discontent and a feeling of growing apprehension to our tactics. The people will wonder: “What could we expect from a violent movement when it comes to power if it is not the same of the kind?”

We need to give the impression that the Party has matured and is strong and is not afraid of public criticisms, even from within its members and previous supporters. Time to learn to accept divergent lines of thinking…”

Hassan: “Brother Radwan. Do you have the necessary means to softly prevent this book from being published?”

Radwan: “Affirmative Sayyedna. We have a vast array of means and connections within the government institutions and the medias to pressure the authors from going ahead with his project and obstruct such a calamity.”

Hassan: “Brother Radwan. I count on your professionalism and dedication. I consider this session closed.

What Sayyed Hassan refused to know in soft tactics, Radwan went forward with his professional knowledge:

1. The security services placed a call to Khaled, in charge of obtaining the necessary legal documents for publishing the book. Khaled bailed out in total terror.

2. Adnan, the younger brother of Rami, was contacted by Jawad, a childhood friend and currently in a position of power in the Party.  Adnan will try his hardest to put the pressure on Rami.

3. The old parents of Rami will be harassed and they will tell Rami: “We are old and have nowhere to go. Where do you expect us to live if the community turns against us?”

Note 1: The book “The Path of the Bees” by Rami Elayk was published in 2008 and translated in several languages.

Note 2: The problem didn’t stop here. Rami published a follow us book “Under the Green water” in 2013. This manuscript is basically an accumulation of diaries of the past 5 years. This voluminous book of 600 pages describes the many ways of soft tactics adopted by the Party to dissuade him from publishing  hard copy manuscripts. The entire book could be told in a dozen pages or a couple of articles, but Rami was intent on describing in details every nooks and crannies of Lebanon, the traffic, his daily life, how bitter were his tears, how depressed was his shriveled father, how inconsolable was his mother…This latest book is not that good, and soft tactics were not necessary to be used.

However, the Party is in difficult situations and struggling on many fronts, politically and militarily, and is in no mood of wasting energy and time on ridiculous soft tactics, this time around…

However, Iran is in a tight spot, and pouring in all its energy to retain Syria in the “Confrontation Front” against the imperialist USA and its stooges Israel. Iran does not want to be bogged down in the labyrinth of Lebanese political nonsense…

Note 3: Rami was ambushed and was saved. His home in Yohmor was blown up.