A supporter of Lebanon’s former prime minister Saad Hariri holds up a placard demanding his return from Saudi Arabia on the starting line of Beirut’s annual marathon on Sunday.—AFP
A supporter of Lebanon’s former prime minister Saad Hariri holds up a placard demanding his return from Saudi Arabia on the starting line of Beirut’s annual marathon on Sunday.—AFP

BEIRUT: A country long divided by sectarian conflicts, Lebanon has found a rare point of unity since Saad al-Hariri’s shock resignation as prime minister: Lebanese of all stripes want him to come back from Saudi Arabia and to continue his work as premier.

Hariri left Beirut for Riyadh on Nov 3 and resigned the following day in a speech that caught even his closest aides off guard. He cited fear of assassination and blamed Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah for sowing strife in the Arab world.

The Lebanese authorities believe Saudi Arabia forced Hariri to resign and is holding him against his will, say top Lebanese state officials and politicians close to Hariri.

While some in Lebanon believe Hariri’s decision was his own and blame Iran and Hezbollah for the crisis, many others, including some of his longtime supporters, think he was forced to quit.

Billboards and posters demanding his return have gone up across Beirut. “We want our PM back,” declared a huge billboard near the Beirut waterfront.

Runners in the annual Beirut marathon on Sunday echoed the demand. Some wore T-shirts printed with Hariri’s face and the message: “We’re all waiting for you.”

“This year, there are definitely many telling him ‘we are waiting for you’, and God willing he will come back safe and sound,” May al-Khalil, the founder and president of the Beirut Marathon Association, said.

Hariri ran in the Beirut marathon last year, shortly after he was installed as prime minister of a coalition government that generated hope of stability after years of political tension and paralysis.

Thousands of runners turned out, defying security concerns that have grown since Hariri resigned and Saudi Arabia declared both Lebanon and Hezbollah as hostile parties.

“Sheikh Saad al-Hariri represents all Lebanese people,” said Beirut Mayor Jamal Itani, wearing a cap that read “Running for You”. Lebanese wanted Hariri “to return as Prime Minister”, he said.

Saudi Arabia has denied reports Hariri, a long time ally of Riyadh, is being held against his will and coerced into resigning. It says he is a free man and quit because Hezbollah was calling the shots in his government.

Ashraf Rifi, a hawkish Sunni politician who is fiercely critical of Hezbollah and Iran, has welcomed Hariri’s resignation, saying “it pulled the official cover away from Iran’s project in Lebanon”.

Tension between Hariri and Hezbollah has been a defining feature of Lebanese politics since the 2005 assassination of his father, Rafik al-Hariri. A UN-backed tribunal has charged five Hezbollah members over the killing. Hezbollah denies any role.

But Hariri has twice set aside his differences with Hezbollah to lead coalition governments including the group.

“We all love him, even those who weren’t sympathetic to him are now sympathetic, because as you know he’s the prime minister of all of Lebanon, not just prime minister for us Sunnis,” said Yousef Saad al-Deen, 40.

“No one is allowed to decide for us, neither who our president is nor who we will elect,” he added, speaking in the staunchly pro-Hariri Beirut neighbourhood of Tariq al-Jdideh, where newly erected posters pledged loyalty to Hariri.

Munir Khatib, a man in his late 60s, said Iran was to blame. “He is not being held, as they are saying,” he said.

Hezbollah, the strongest group in Lebanon thanks to its vast arsenal, has declared Saudi Arabia’s detention of Hariri as an insult to all Lebanese. At a rally on Friday, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said he must return.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2017

Opinion

Who bears the cost?

Who bears the cost?

This small window of low inflation should compel a rethink of how the authorities and employers understand the average household’s

Editorial

Internet restrictions
Updated 23 Dec, 2024

Internet restrictions

Notion that Pakistan enjoys unprecedented freedom of expression difficult to reconcile with the reality of restrictions.
Bangladesh reset
23 Dec, 2024

Bangladesh reset

THE vibes were positive during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent meeting with Bangladesh interim leader Dr...
Leaving home
23 Dec, 2024

Leaving home

FROM asylum seekers to economic migrants, the continuing exodus from Pakistan shows mass disillusionment with the...
Military convictions
Updated 22 Dec, 2024

Military convictions

Pakistan’s democracy, still finding its feet, cannot afford such compromises on core democratic values.
Need for talks
22 Dec, 2024

Need for talks

FOR a long time now, the country has been in the grip of relentless political uncertainty, featuring the...
Vulnerable vaccinators
22 Dec, 2024

Vulnerable vaccinators

THE campaign to eradicate polio from Pakistan cannot succeed unless the safety of vaccinators and security personnel...