Monday, October 21, 2024
Elder of Ziyon
We have every reason to oppose the ongoing Israeli offensive and even more to the prospect of a possible occupation of our territory by a foreign force. Israel is bombing Lebanon, erasing entire villages, and invading its lands, and this cannot in any case — regardless of what one thinks of Hezbollah — be tolerated, let alone approved.
But, unusually, it then lays partial blame on Lebanon's woes on the Lebanese tolerating Hezbollah taking over their country for Iran.
However, for decades, we have tolerated and even ended up normalizing a totally absurd situation that grants a foreign country the right to decide on war or peace on our territory. Admittedly, we did not have the means to escape an Iranian grip imposed by force, but nothing obligated us to offer it institutional and popular cover. To say that the issue of Hezbollah could not be resolved at the Lebanese level is one thing; to accept this ‘fait accompli’ while waiting for the regional situation to evolve is another. The attacks, coups, and threats of civil war have contributed to making the unacceptable acceptable.But the fault does not lie only with Iran and Hezbollah, who at least deserve credit for having had a clear project and for having done everything to implement it. It falls on us, the Lebanese people, across all backgrounds, for having succumbed to fear, relativism and especially opportunism. This war may be that ‘of others,’ but we are indeed the primary responsible parties!The immediate priority is to silence the weapons. We have no leverage over Israel or the United States, and therefore our only chance to achieve this as Lebanese is to convince Hezbollah to accept its defeat. The likelihood that this will work is infinitesimal, but we at least have a duty to try.Only in a second phase, once a cease-fire is established, will we need to engage in a great dialogue to rethink the Lebanese formula with the aim of laying the foundations for a viable state. A state that protects and unites all communities and that can present itself as a credible alternative to the militia party. Because one of the outcomes of this national dialogue, if it ever takes place, must be the disarmament of Hezbollah and Lebanon's departure from the Iranian sphere of influence.
The Lebanese people have more power than they realize.
As I have argued for months, Hezbollah is sensitive to Lebanese public opinion, because they claim that they are the "resistance" protecting Lebanon from Israel. Hezbollah's "honor" does not allow them to back down from war because of Israeli airstrikes, but that same honor can be utilized to do what the Lebanese people demand from it.
Since then, the facade that Hezbollah built that it was defending Lebanon has been torn down, and it is obvious to everyone that Iran is calling the shots. But Hezbollah still maintains the fiction that it is a Lebanese party dedicated to Lebanese interests. That is its entire claim to legitimacy.
Hezbollah has taken advantage of Lebanese fears of another civil war and used that fear to take over the country. Yet there doesn't have to be another civil war: the Lebanese people simply need to take to the streets to tell Hezbollah to stop shooting at an Israel that they cannot possibly defeat. The people need to show anger at Hezbollah for holding them hostage.
Articles like this are still rare in Lebanese media. Most Arabic media are still pretending that Hezbollah is winning, by highlighting and amplifying stories like how Haifa's shopowners are losing business from rocket warnings.
The Lebanese have turned timid in the wake of years of internal strife. But the entire world will benefit if they regain their pride and tell Hezbollah that its "resistance" is not wanted and that they do not want to be an Iranian satellite. Hezbollah won't give up, but it could stop the fighting now and give the Lebanese a chance to take back their country.
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