BEIRUT (IPS) — Hizbullah’s hardening stance in the Bahraini
crisis has sowed discord between Lebanon and the Gulf island, currently home to
about 5,000 Lebanese expatriates. As the situation escalates, many fear that
the status of other Lebanese in the rest of the Gulf could come under threat.

In recent weeks, some 16 Lebanese have been expelled from
Bahrain. “These deportations came in the wake of the Bahrain protests and
statements made by some Lebanese figures regarding the Bahraini internal
political situation,” Aziz Qazzi, Lebanon’s ambassador to Bahrain, told
IPS.

Further straining the relationship between Lebanon and
Bahrain is the latter’s suspension of flights to and from Beirut. The move came
in response to a speech made by Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese
Hizbullah movement, in which he criticized the Bahrain government’s handling of
the protests.

Since February, Bahrain has been gripped with massive
demonstrations staged by the majority Shi’a community against the Sunni
al-Khalifa ruling family. Protesters have called for more freedom and the
creation of a constitutional monarchy. The dissent was crushed by local and
Gulf Countries Cooperation (GCC) troops. The GCC group comprises Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Nasrallah called the Bahrain government’s actions
“unjust.”  He also
accused Arab countries of remaining silent because of sectarian prejudice
against the Shi’a protesters. Bahrain, on the other hand, accused Hizbullah’s
Shi’a organization of training members of its opposition.

Lebanese national Zahy Alameh, director of a television
station in Bahrain, believes the situation has become more complicated for
Lebanese expatriates. “Nasrallah’s speech has put us in a very difficult
position. Some Lebanese,who have residency visas, were not allowed to re-enter
the country,” he tells IPS.

According to the Lebanese daily As Safir, at least 14 of
those expelled from Bahrain are Shi’a. This information was not, however,
confirmed by Qazzi. “Deported Lebanese are members of different religious
communities,” he insisted.

Najib, a Lebanese businessman who lives in neighboring Saudi
Arabia and visits Bahrain on a weekly basis, emphasizes that most Lebanese with
a GCC residency are now systematically turned away at Bahraini customs. GCC
residency usually grants holders entry into other GCC countries.

“Out of the four of us who tried crossing the border
last week, only one, a Jordanian national, was allowed entry. The rest of us,
all Lebanese, were not allowed in,” he says.

The businessman, however, shrugs off any possible negative
repercussions resulting from Nasrallah’s speech in other Gulf countries.
“No discriminatory policies are applied to the Lebanese community in Saudi
Arabia,” he points out.

He admits nonetheless that some individuals have been
discouraging Saudi residents from doing business with Lebanese Shi’a owned
companies.

The deportation of Lebanese from Bahrain is not the first
time inflammatory comments made by Lebanese political figures have caused such
action. In 2009, dozens of long-term Lebanese Shi’a residents were expelled
from the UAE because of their alleged affiliation with Hizbullah.

Hussein, whose last name has been omitted for the sake of
anonymity, converted from Shi’a to Sunni in order to find employment at
government owned companies in the Gulf. “I kept failing the background
check made by the local police and converting allowed me to find better job opportunities,”
he tells IPS.

“The crisis between Lebanon and Bahrain is linked to
regional geopolitics between Iran and the Gulf countries. However, Lebanese
can’t do much about it,” Hilal Khashan, political scientist at the
American University of Beirut, tells IPS.

Regional tensions have also affected the internal political
situation in Lebanon, which has yet to form a government after over two months
of wrangling. The Western and Arab backed outgoing Sunni prime minister, Saad
Hariri, had accused Iran of meddling in Lebanon’s affairs and taking Arab
societies “hostage.” 
Iran, along with Syria, is a major supporter of Hizbullah, which heads
the March 8 movement now holding the majority of parliament seats and charged
with forming the new cabinet.

“Hizbullah is militarily in control of Lebanon;
Lebanese are thus helpless,” says Khashan. If local factions allow
regional powers to come into play, the local political crisis in Lebanon could
take a turn for the worse.

The Lebanese economy could also be affected by the increased
deportation of Lebanese from the Gulf. Plagued by a 55 billion dollar debt, the
economy is strongly reliant on foreign direct investment as well as transfers
made by its expat community.

According to research company Information International,
there are about 500,000 Lebanese residing in the Gulf, working mainly in
tourism, building and contracting, media, and banking. While there are no exact
figures, some 200,000 live in Saudi Arabia, 60,000 in the UAE, 50,000 in Kuwait
and 40,000 in Qatar.

Economist Ghazi Wazni estimates that of the 8 billion
dollars transferred by Lebanese expatriates in 2010 to Lebanon, about 3.5 to 4
billion dollars was sent by those in the Gulf.

“We are hopeful that the crisis will not spread to other
countries,” says Qazzi.