The 2006–2008 Lebanese protests were a series of political protests and sit-ins in Lebanon that began on 1 December 2006,MPLBelgique.org (December 1, 2011). "Rétrospective – décembre 2006 : Retour sur le mouvement d’opposition au gouvernement Siniora... où joie et bonne humeur contrastent avec la haine prônée aujourd’hui par le clan Hariri". led by groups that opposed the US and Saudi-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and ended on 21 May 2008 with the signing of the Doha Agreement. The opposition was made up of Hezbollah, Amal, and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM); a number of smaller parties were also involved, including the Marada party, the Lebanese Communist Party and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.Cecil, Bill, "Half of Lebanon rallies to demand sweeping changes". Retrieved January 14, 2007. A majority of the members of the government were part of the anti-Syrian March 14 Alliance, a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon. The two groups were also divided along religious lines, with most Sunnis and Druze supporting the government, and most Shi'a supporting the opposition. The Christian community was split between the two factions, with Michel Aoun, the leader of the FPM, claiming to have more than 70% support among the Christians, based on the results of the 2005 parliamentary election.
The opposition, which had nearly 45% of the parliamentary seats, was seeking to create a national unity government, in which it demanded one more than one third of the Cabinet seats. This would give them veto power, as well as the ability to collapse the government.San Francisco Chronicle (December 15, 2006). "In Lebanon, Saniora stiffens his resistance". Retrieved December 18, 2006. The government refused the demands. The opposition was also seeking to hold early parliamentary elections, hoping to remove the current majority held by the March 14 Alliance.Reuters (December 18, 2006). "Lebanon opposition demands early elections" . Retrieved December 18, 2006. Conversely, the March 14 Alliance majority was seeking to hold early presidential elections to replace pro-Syrian President Émile Lahoud. In the Lebanese political system, parliament elects the president. However, according to article 49 of the constitution, the President of Lebanon must receive two-thirds of the votes in the first session or an absolute majority of votes in subsequent sessions.
On 8 April 2007, Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the opposition, declared the situation deadlocked, but expressed an unwillingness to escalate the protests into a civil war. He suggested the status quo would continue until the regularly scheduled elections in 2009. Nevertheless, a new wave of sectarian violence started in Lebanon in May 2008. Responding to the government's crackdown on Hezbollah's secured network the militants belonging to the organization and its allies blocked Beirut airport as well as main city streets, paralyzing life in the capital. On 8 May 2008, gun battles erupted between Hezbollah supporters and pro-government loyalists, while the leader of the organization called the government's decision "a declaration of war".
Following one week of clashes in May 2008, leaders of both the opposition and majority signed the Doha Agreement on 21 May, defusing the 18-month crisis. The agreement called for the election of General Michel Sulaiman as president and the formation of a national unity government under Fouad Siniora.
Background
Following the Cedar Revolution and subsequent elections in July 2005, anti-Syrian and pro-American politicians held the majority of the twenty four seats in Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's cabinet, as well as the majority of the democratically elected parliament. Pro-Syrian and the Aoun Movement politicians held a minority of the seats in both the Cabinet of Ministers and the Parliament. Even though they held a majority, the pro-US group were not able to secure a two-thirds majority. Unlike other democracies, Lebanon cannot be ruled by a simple majority.
The anti-Syrian politicians were primarily members of the March 14 Alliance led by Saad Hariri, son of assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, and PSP leader Walid Jumblatt, amongst others. The opposition politicians were primarily members of anti-Syrian and Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, pro-Syrian Hassan Nasrallah's Hezbollah, and Nabih Berri's Amal Movement.
As political division in Lebanon persisted, Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri and thirteen other Lebanese leaders from various religious groups and political affiliations convened a "National Dialogue" conference on 2 March 2006, with the aim of addressing issues ranging from the status of President Émile Lahoud to the assassinations of prominent Lebanese figures, and the disputed border region of Shebaa farms, being held by Israel. Also on the agenda, the establishment of diplomatic relations with Syria.Congressional Research Service (March 16, 2006). "CRS Issue Brief for Congress: Lebanon". Retrieved December 12, 2006.
On July 12, 2006, a Hezbollah raid across the Israeli border resulted in the capture of two soldiers and the deaths of three others, setting off the 2006 Lebanon War between Hezbollah paramilitary forces and the Israeli army that lasted 34 days. The conflict resulted in the deaths of over 1,100 Lebanese, the majority of whom were civilians,Lebanon Sees More Than 1,000 War Deaths Reuters (January 23, 2007). "Lebanon faces major environmental harm: UN". Retrieved January 23, 2007.Catholic News Service (January 20, 2007). "Mother asks questions of family’s survival from the war in Lebanon" . Retrieved January 23, 2006.Gulf News Daily (January 23, 2007). "Lebanon crisis plan upgraded by Philippines". Retrieved January 23, 2007.BBC News (August 23, 2006). "Israel accused of war crimes ". Retrieved January 26, 2007.BBC News (October 1, 2006). "UN hails Israel's Lebanon pullout ". Retrieved January 26, 2007. and the destruction of a significant amount of national civilian infrastructure, including Rafiq Hariri International Airport.
However, due to the failure of Israeli forces to eliminate Hezbollah's leadership, halt Katyusha rockets and mortar attacks on northern Israel, did not rescue its two captured soldiers, Hezbollah declared victory. By resisting destruction at the hands of a far more powerful opponent, Hezbollah's support in Lebanon increased significantly amongst sectors of the population. The ruling government, by contrast, was seen by some as impotent in comparison, for its failure to effectively combat the Israeli forces.
Syria and its allies declared the ruling government illegitimate, prevented the parliament from meeting and would not allow presidential elections to replace Emile Lahoud, who left office in November 2007. The Syrian Muhabarat acted through the Fatah al-Islam in the Palestinian refugee camps of northern Lebanon to disrupt the Sunni community and the Lebanese army. This may have been related to Bashar al-Assad's objections to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (Asad reportedly told Ban Ki-moon in April 2007 that "Instability would intensify if the Special tribunal were established).
Before the protest
Timeline October 21, 2006 – The United Nations sent a draft plan for the creation of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to try suspects in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri to the Lebanese government.BBC News (November 1, 2006). "US issues Lebanon 'plot' warning". Retrieved December 12, 2006. October 27, 2006 – Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri called for a resumption of the March 2 "National Dialogue" among all of Lebanon's political leaders, set to begin three days later on October 30, 2006. The day before the conference, he delayed the talks one week, citing the absence of several important officials.Lebanon unity talks delayed Naharnet (October 27, 2006). "Hizbullah to Join Talks on National Unity Government, Jumblat Will Not". Retrieved December 12, 2006. October 30, 2006 – In a televised interview on Al-Manar, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned of "street demonstrations" to demand early elections if the National Dialogue conference failed to form a national unity government.Naharnet (November 1, 2006). "Nasrallah Warns of 'Street Demonstrations' if National Unity Government is not Formed". Retrieved December 12, 2006. He said Hezbollah and its allies should have at least a third of the Cabinet,Nasrallah: "Israeli" onslaught served majority`s goals, "Some coalition leaders want resistance disarmed" which would give it veto power.Al Jazeera (November 19, 2006). "Nasrallah prepares for protests" . Retrieved December 12, 2006. November 1, 2006 – The United States warned of a plot amid "mounting evidence" that Syria, Iran, and Hezbollah were planning to topple the Lebanese government in order to stop the creation of the Hariri tribunal. Syria's ambassador to the US rejected the allegations as "ridiculous" and added "We, in Syria, respect the sovereignty of Lebanon", while an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the claims were "aimed to create divisions among Lebanese people and their government." Hezbollah said the US backing of the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora was "a blatant interference" in Lebanon's internal affairs, and vowed to pursue its demand for a national unity government. November 11, 2006 – The five Shi'a Ministers resigned from the Cabinet; one independent, two from Hezbollah, and two from the Amal Movement. A sixth Cabinet Minister also resigned from the Cabinet. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora rejected all six resignations. Nevertheless, two days later, the remaining eighteen Cabinet Ministers unanimously approved a draft accord outlining the creation of an international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of Rafik Hariri, sending it to the Security Council for endorsement.FOX News (November 13, 2006). "Lebanese Cabinet Approves U.N. Tribunal". Retrieved December 12, 2006. Pro-Syrian leaders in Lebanon argued that the Cabinet did not have the authority to approve the accord because it lacked the sectarian representation called for in the Lebanese constitution. November 19, 2006 – Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech telling his followers to be "psychologically" ready for protests, and demanding the formation of a national unity government. He insisted that the protests should remain peaceful. November 21, 2006 – Lebanon's Industry Minister Pierre Amine Gemayel was assassinated in his car by gunmen in Jdeideh, a Christian neighborhood on the outskirts of Beirut, bringing the Cabinet one seat closer to the nine empty seats that would force it to collapse.VOA News , "Lebanese Industry Minister Gunned Down". He was a young, outspoken opponent of Syria's occupation of Lebanon and its influence in the country. Analysts said Gemayel's death was likely to worsen tensions in the already divided country.Al Jazeera English (2006). "Lebanese Christian leader shot dead" . Retrieved November 30, 2006. Hours after the assassination, the Security Council approved the draft accord for the creation of the Hariri tribunal, sending it to the Lebanese government for final approval.Washington Post (November 22, 2006). "Security Council OKs Hariri Tribunal". Retrieved December 12, 2006. November 23, 2006 – An estimated 800,000 people attended the funeral of Pierre Gemayel,Forbes (November 25, 2006) . Retrieved December 1, 2006. turning it into a political rally against Syria and its supporters.MSNBC (November 25, 2006). "Lebanese government approves U.N. tribunal". Retrieved December 12, 2006.