Grim Humor From Years of Strife : Lebanese Fear Consequences of Hijacking but Joke About It

Against a backdrop of violence, the fate of the TWA hostages in Beirut is of little concern to most Lebanese. But they fear the possible consequences.

“This hijack has made Lebanon once again the crossroads of international terrorism,” said Charles Ghostin, spokesman for the Christian rightist Lebanese Forces militia.

“The hijack internationalizes Lebanon’s turmoil again. . . . The hijack was designed to shake America, not Lebanon. We’re sick of these East-West games in which Lebanese end up being involved,” he said.

“Now everyone sees us as all as terrorists. You just have to see how Lebanese are treated at airports. We have to wait for hours.”

And a pharmacist, who asked not to be identified, noted: “We’ve got enough problems here already. Why hijack an American plane, bring it here and stir up trouble--don’t we have enough already?”

In other places, a hijacked airliner would attract crowds, but not in Beirut. The Shia Muslim militia Amal, which has stage-managed most of the hostages’ captivity, controls the airport and doesn’t let anyone close to the red-and-white Boeing 727--save for a rare press conference it schedules.

Beirut residents, with the grim humor of people who have lived through years of battles, joke that TWA now stands for “Travel With Amal.”

Amal, the Arabic word for “hope,” is the Shia Muslim militia led by Justice Minister Nabih Berri. A Lebanese Christian newspaper, Al Amal--no connection to the militia--on Friday ran a cartoon showing the hijacked Boeing as a cafe named “Chez Berri.” It offered hamburgers and hot dogs, but no alcoholic drinks, in keeping with Muslim principles of abstinence.