An new Lebanese party has called on "every Lebanese to kill a Palestinian." The party, dubbed the Guardians of the Cedars Party, a Christian group, reportedly called in a news conference on Tuesday (September 13) for "expelling Palestinian refugees and confiscating their property."
"No Palestinian should be left in Lebanon" and "Every Lebanese should kill a Palestinian," are two of its slogans distributed on CDs during the conference.
Following the event, Lebanese police detained three leaders of this party, including Habib Younes, Naji Awdeh and Joseph Khoury. Palestinian sources said all these figures were pro-Israeli.
Lebanese sources said a prosecutor ordered the detention of the three for "breaching judicial clauses" and "harming relations with Arab countries."
Etienne Sakr (Abu Arz), the leader of the party, had been sentenced to death in absentia for collaborating with Israel.
The party resurfaced again after Syrian forces withdrew from Lebanon earlier this year.
In a rare interview, some three years ago, Abu Arz stressed the need to expel all foreigners from Lebanon and especially the Palestinians. "One of the objectives of the Party is to evict all foreigners and parasites that are present on its soil, beginning with the Palestinian refugees... We have to limit to 5% of the population the proportion of foreigners that Lebanon may contain at any one time, and then only if the interests of the country dictate it."
The Party also opposes Hizbullah's activities in Lebanon. "Hizbullah group is a dangerous movement for the future of Lebanon, especially its social wing which has allowed it to infiltrate and spread inside Lebanese society, and disseminate its ideology of establishing an Islamic Republic on the long run…," Abu Arz said.
