George Clooney's
marriage to Lebanese lawyer and human rights activist Amal
Alamuddin, who
has represented clients ranging from Julian Assange to former
Ukraine Prime
Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, created a stir in Lebanese
politics.
Clooney-Alamuddin
Marriage 'Annulled' (L'Orient Le Jour, Lebanon)
"A 'We Love
Lebanon with Amal & George' campaign was launched by civil society groups attached
to the March 14th Alliance. Supporters of the March 8th Movement responded with
their own campaign: 'Be Beautiful and Get Married.' Rapidly, the social
networks were on fire. Disputes blew up. Accusations were exchanged. 'Friends'
became 'unfriended.' … The government met again, and after
heated debate, decreed that it should continue in session. … By the end of the
afternoon, two lawyers and three actors had been kidnapped. … Then
the electricity was cut."
Once they
learned that Walid
Jumblatt (chief of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party and Druze leader) was
invited to the wedding of George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin (a Lebanese), the Lebanese March 14th Alliance(anti-Syrian, pro-secular
coalition) called for an
urgent meeting.
All members of the movement were present without exception.
At the end of the meeting, a communiqué was read by the March
14 secretary general:
"This is a crucial moment. The
country is in danger. The confessional hydra threatens to devour Lebanon and
her children. We have a duty to respond. We cannot allow the republic be trampled
by the forces of evil and the Syrian regime. That is why, in the name of
national sovereignty and on behalf of confessional balance, the March 14th Alliance
has decided to send representatives to the Clooney-Alamuddin wedding."
Simultaneously, the March 8th Movement(pro-Syria, religious coalition),
which had also called an urgent meeting, convened a press conference during
which a communiqué was read out and distributed to all media present:
"This is a crucial moment. The
country is in danger. The confessional hydra threatens to devour Lebanon and
her children. We have a duty to respond. We cannot allow the republic be
trampled by the forces of evil and the Zionist conspiracy. That is why, in the
name of national resistance and confessional balance, the March 8th Movement
has decided to send representatives to the Clooney-Alamuddin wedding."
Shortly later, senior delegations from the March 14th and 8th movements went, one
after the other, to WalidJumblatt
to negotiate a list of names to attend the wedding, but no agreement could be
reached. Each party blamed the other for the failure.
The discussions became radicalized. The political leaders
insulted and then shunned each other. Across Lebanon, demonstrations broke out,
roads were blocked and tires were burned. In Tripoli, demonstrators trampled a
poster for Ocean’s Twelve. In Achrafieh, sit-ins were held in front of cinemas.
In the southern suburbs, Black Shirts [Druze people] appeared at every intersection.
A "We Love Lebanon with Amal and George" campaign
was launched by civil society groups close to the March 14th Alliance.
Supporters of the March 8th Movement responded with their own campaign: "Be
Beautiful and Marry." Rapidly, the social networks were on fire. Disputes erupted.
Accusations were exchanged. "Friends" became "unfriended."
The government met again and after heated debate, decreed that
it would continue in session.
By the end of the afternoon, two lawyers and three actors
had been kidnapped.
Parliament was urgently convened. All deputies from every parliamentary
bloc responded to the call. Speeches followed at the rostrum, the tone rose,
insults were thrown, brawls broke out. Finally, the speaker
of parliament made a proposal: "In order for all denominations to be duly
represented, WalidJumblatt should
be accompanied by the three presidents: of the republic [a Maronite
Christian], the council [a Sunni Muslim] and the parliament [a Shiite Msulim]," before he recalled that there is no president of
the republic. Subsequently, he asked deputies to elect a head of state immediately.
But a moment before the vote, deputies rushed out of the chamber, triggering a
lack of quorum.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Before parliament,
one deputy protested: "The speaker wants to go because his bride is also named
Amal!" A deputy from the other side was heard to
reply: "With invited guests like you, the couple has no future!"
Broadcast live on all local and regional television channels,
a disappointed WalidJumblatt read out a solemn
declaration: "I have told all parties that it isn't up to me to decide who
was or was not invited to the wedding. To avoid any conflict I said I didn't
want to go to Venice. It seems, however, that it is too late, the country is in
a rage and I can do nothing more."
Then the
electricity was cut.
In the evening, gunshots were heard from all four corners of
the capital as well as in every major city. The Lebanese Army was deployed
throughout the country. Rockets were fired into northern Israel. The Israeli
army shelled southern Lebanon.
The U.N. Security Council met in extraordinary session. A
resolution was passed unanimously.
The marriage was annulled.
*Claude
El-Khalis an author, filmmaker,
blogger and cartoonist
Once they
learned that 
