On July 18, the Lebanese General Security detained Bishop Musa Al-Haj, the Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and the Holy Lands, at the Nakoura crossing for transporting money and medicine from the Holy Lands to Lebanese individuals as part of assistance from their relatives. This incident sparked a massive wave of popular and ecclesiastical outrage, leading to calls for the dismissal of Judge Fadi Akiki, the government's commissioner to the military court. However, following the same conciliatory approach that typically addresses contentious issues in Lebanon, the controversy was handled quietly and faded amidst the ongoing crises preoccupying the Lebanese daily.
The issue resurfaced somewhat on October 11 when it was revealed that Bishop Al-Haj was detained in Amman for about five hours and subjected to a thorough search before being allowed to continue his journey to the Holy Lands. Reports indicated he faced harassment in Cyprus as well. So, why the emphasis on Bishop Al-Haj's movements, and what is the status of the case?
Informed sources told "Al-Markazia" that the issue of Bishop Al-Haj's travel between Lebanon and Haifa has been definitively resolved. He moved yesterday to his diocese in the Holy Lands to resume his pastoral activities and will spend the holiday period there, following a judicial and legal resolution of his case. This was based on amending the General Security memorandum issued in 2006, replacing the previous wording that allowed the crossing of Bishop Paul Sayah (the former Bishop of Haifa) with a new provision that permits the crossing of his successor, Bishop Al-Haj, based on a letter from the Maronite Patriarchate stating that Al-Haj heads the diocese of the Maronites in Jerusalem and the occupied territories.
The sources indicate that the amended memorandum has been communicated to General Security for implementation and also circulated to UNIFIL police for coordination and cooperation to facilitate the Bishop's movement between Lebanon and his diocese in Palestine.
Based on the aforementioned settlement, woven between General Security Director General Abbas Ibrahim and Bkerke through its representative, lawyer Nagy Al-Boustani, and in coordination with the Lebanese Army Intelligence Directorate, matters have returned to their previous state, and the investigative memorandum issued in this regard has been overlooked due to the judicial and legal handling. Meanwhile, the issue of the possessions that were in Bishop Al-Haj's possession, which were seized during his detention, remains under process; these include large amounts of money, and efforts continue to verify the identity of the senders and recipients to determine if they have any ties to espionage cases. If the investigations conclude that they are not involved, the money will be returned to them; otherwise, it will be confiscated for the state treasury. As for the amounts designated for the Druze community’s Mukhtarah (spiritual leaders), sources confirmed that they will not receive them as agreed upon between the political and spiritual leadership of the community.
