The recent deadly clashes between Amal and Future Movement supporters in Aisha Bakkar on June 28 have prompted several Beirut MPs, led by Future Movement deputy Nohad al-Mashnouq, to start an initiative to make the capital a “safe city” with the hope that it will eventually spread to other parts of the country. The plan does not call for disbanding any militias but seeks to reduce tensions by banning the brandishing of weapons in public while holding the army responsible for containing security breaches.
“It is not a political decision aiming at disbanding Hezbollah,” Mashnouq told NOW, “because that would mean engaging in a conflict with them at a time when the premier-designate is negotiating the formation of the government with them.”
However, despite the army’s deployment the day after the clashes and the arrest of 24 people suspected of involvement, residents say there are still outbreaks of violence and claim that it is the politicians keeping the army from doing its job.
The initiative has also been criticized by Amal Movement MP Hani Qobeissy who said that such a campaign would divide Lebanon into “safe and unsafe areas.” In an interview with NOW, Qobeissy said that he regretted the loss of life but refused to refer to the Aisha Bakkar incidents as “clashes,” calling them instead “chaotic celebrations that led to disputes and gunfire.”
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