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.
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.
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