Serendipity

My father always talks of serendipity. Below is an excerpt from his Commencement address at my high school graduation:
“Serendipity and chance are powerful forces to be courted, not countered. It is often said that one makes one's luck but I actually think that making one's luck really means taking advantage of the opportunities that present themselves, even when their benefits are not immediately apparent.”
He is right.

I bring serendipity up because it was by total chance, forgetfulness and dumb luck that I found my self, Wednesday evening, standing a top a make shift press box looking straight at Hezbollah leader Sayed Hassan Nasrallah. This unique experience can be attributed to an unpaid bill. Earlier that day I left a café without paying my bill. When I realized this several hours later, I spastically ran out of the Daily Star office and raced back to the café. Once there I apologized profusely and paid my bill. On my way out the door I bumped into a friend. He asked if I wanted to go the Hezbollah rally. The idea had never crossed my mind. I quickly thought about it and decided that it was too rare an opportunity to pass up.

When I have more time I will add more to this post.

Below is an article I wrote on the event. I wasn’t there for the Star. But it was such an incredible experience that I wanted to try and I write about it and pawn it off to another newspaper. This did not happen. Regardless here’s what I wrote.


Beirut: On Wednesday night, Beirut’s sky was ablaze in celebration. Fireworks dotted the firmament and triumphant Gunshots echoed throughout the city. In the Hezbollah controlled southern suburbs people consumed the streets. Men on motorcycles roared down highways. Frantically waving Hezbollah flags. People in cars honked their horns ad nausea.

Imagine the chaos and excitement of a Montreal Canadians Stanley Cup ceremony.

This was the atmosphere that greeted Samir Qantar and four Hezbollah soldiers upon their release from Israeli detention. It was the fruit of several weeks of rare negotiations between Hezbollah and Israel. Israel in return received the bodies of Sgt First Class Ehud Goldwasser and Staff Sgt. Eldad Regev, who were captured by Hezbollah in July of 2006 prompting a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Samir Qantar, 46, a member of the Lebanese Palestinian Liberation Front was arrested in Israel in 1979. He was tried and found guilty for the murder of Danny Haran, his four-year-old daughter Eilat, and two policemen. He had been in Israeli prison since.

Qantar’s return to Lebanon is seen as a national accomplishment. It had been built as a hero’s homecoming. Upon arriving in Lebanon he was greeted by newly established President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

A victory rally was held near the Jamya al Qain Mosque in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Tens of thousands of joyous people crammed the area. It was a remarkable seen. Children sat on fathers’ shoulders waving Hezbollah flags. Young people painted their faces and cheered at every opportunity. Everything was yellow and green.

The stage and theatrics rivaled a Disney World event. On one side a Hezbollah band stood chanting songs. In the middle five chairs were positioned in front of jail bars. The other side was dedicated to a giant poster of slain Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh.

At around ten o’clock, the crowd erupted. Camera’s flashed at rapid speed. Qantar and the four soldiers ceremoniously broke through the prison bars and sat on the carefully positioned chairs. Moments later Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah entered on stage. Awe struck. Silenced briefly filled the air. And then thunderous cheers of “NAS RA LLAH, NAS RA LLAH,” broke out. The cheering was different. People pronounced each syllable in his name with unparalleled emphasis. Honor and pride radiated from the crowd. This was the first time in almost two years that Nasrallah had dared to address an audience in person.

Nasrallah spoke briefly. He hugged Qantar. And then he disappeared, whisked away by countless bodyguards, only to reappear several minutes later on the Teleprompters that surrounded the mosque.

It was an incredible night. Hezbollah’s deft command of public relations was on full display. They organized the prisoner swap and the ceremony in a way that forced every Lebanese politician to support them. Subsequently the general population rallied behind their accomplishments. As Nasrallah said in his speech the day was a “victory for all Lebanon.”

The importance of the day is undisputed. The question is: what does this do for Hezbollah? And what does it do to the fragile balance of power so recently established by the Unity Government? Yet again Hezbollah delivered on their promises. This time the entire nation seemed to respond. On Wednesday July 16 the red and white of the Lebanese flag bled yellow and green.
Willy