The Neighbors of Hezbollah
Zouheir Kseibati Al-Hayat - 23/06/05//
If Lebanon’s fate is to continue with more cycles of blood-letting in order to strike fear into the heart of all Lebanese, and cross off all of their national symbols from the “black list,” is it enough for the opposition to demand that a revolt against the “security regime,” achieve what it can, and move toward running the country based on its crushing electoral victory? A victory that seems to herald the beginning of more cycles of bloodshed and seeing the country head toward a dark tunnel?
When a martyr falls, and Lebanon loses its “impossible” dreams and aspiration for freedom under the blows of terrorism and assassinations, is it enough for Washington to point the finger of accusation at Damascus, to build evidence of revenge against those who opposed the Syrian presence in Lebanon?
The question is the same, since the assassination of Rafiq Hariri and then Samir Kassir: if everyone’s head is under the guillotine, can Syria try to commit suicide as the Bush administration accuses it of everything from Lebanon, to Iraq and Palestine?
If we leave aside the problems of the Lebanese-Syrian relationship, and the sin of keeping Lebanon in prison for decades until the exit of Syrian forces, we find that many are falling into the American trap. Damascus is an easy target and the accusations are ready to be made. However, the mind appears to be the biggest martyr, when the Treaty of Brotherhood and Cooperation” turns into dark chauvinism, it’s obvious that the Lebanese and the Syrians will be its prison, under American guard.
Just as accusations of treason were the stage on which Hariri’s assassination was built, the stage remains up and is now welcoming accusations of crimes, made by the presidency and some of the opposition, while we are all prisoners of this extremism. Doesn’t Druze leader Walid Jumblatt know, for example, that setting up an inquisition for all members of the security organizations is like hunting ghosts, even if it were possible to try thousands of personnel for sympathizing or collaborating with Syrian intelligence or being biased to the wishes of Damascus?
Since the assassination list is a long one - as Washington assumes - and the country is being led into the unknown, we should ask about the worst that is to come, the goal of internationalizing investigation committees and the intervention of the FBI in these high-profile crimes, to collect “irrefutable” evidence. Wasn’t it present when George Hawi was killed, while Lebanese military justice was absent?
Some deep thought about the possibilities of seeing the coup d’état continue – and these are American possibilities – might see us realize that there is the possibility of Washington becoming involved in Lebanon’s security, under an international umbrella. We will certainly see everyone insist that the White House deal rapidly with the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons, even if this takes place via the Lebanese Parliament, which is now threatened with paralysis despite the opposition’s majority. There is also the possibility of exploiting the atmosphere and seeing clashes between Lebanese, the ground for which is being prepared by sectarian incitement, amid the new political alliances.
The Lebanese will test these new alliances and their ability to protect an alternative to the security regime. The US has a ready-made alternative and it seems that more FBI teams will arrive to investigate as the list of martyrs grows longer. The FBI is becoming Hezbollah’s neighbor in Beirut and the opposition appears to be split about the fate of the President. It is no longer able to put 1 million Lebanese in the street, due to the disagreement over priorities and red lines. It does not know the way out of the tunnel.
It’s not easy to confront decisive alternatives with big slogans that clash with different interpretations. Just as the Syrian-Lebanese “partnership” fell into the trap of selfish interests and ended with the tragedy of two peoples growing apart (with some calls for revenge after 30 years), the opposition has turned up on the American doorstep, with no way to move backward. It has come to “unwillingly” represent traditional politics despite its slogans calling for change. Parliament is absent, the spirit of Intifada has disappeared as the coming fear is ready to strike: who will be disappeared next?
Washington’s only answer for Lebanon is to use the country to increase the pressure on Syria after blocking it to the east in Iraq, and to end the resistance in the South with a security zone, which Bush can present as a gift to Sharon.
After the terrible consequences of the mishandling of the Syrian-Lebanese partnership, this mistake is replicated into new mistakes that are turning into a great crime against both countries.
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