Putting an End to this Catastrophe
Hazem Saghieh Al-Hayat - 18/07/06//
Israeli revenge is horrendous. It may only be described as severe and
radical collective punishment. In the crushing confrontation that is
taking place, the Jewish State shows an instinctive inclination to regard its people as the super human.
What is more horrifying is the act that has awakened this inclination and that Israel can really take Lebanon 20 years back, as it had threatened to do.
The fact is that Hezbollah has been 'reading the situation intelligently', as some commentators are in the habit of saying. But the quantitative accumulation of its intelligence has led to a qualitative leap toward stupidity. Now, finding a reasonable way out is the party's only chance to preserve what remains of the virtues ascribed to it; it is also the only means to maintain what is left of Lebanon's infrastructure.
Has Hezbollah actually agreed to the deployment of the Lebanese army in
The South, as those who interpreted the recent Cabinet meeting believe? Would it accept the Lebanese government as an umbrella for a settlement, akin to what happened in Beirut in 1982 when the militants put themselves under the canopy of what was called at the time the Republic of Saeb Salam in Beirut? Or will Hezbollah continue to depend on the missiles it launches into northern Israel, indifferent to the mass destruction of the country and to itself?
It should be noted that the war that was triggered by the kidnapping of the two Israeli soldiers is a tragedy which the overwhelming majority of the Lebanese people hates and finds repulsive.
Politically and nationally, it is difficult to say that turning Lebanon into a scorched land for the benefit of an Iranian-Syrian project is a praiseworthy effort that enjoys popular approval.
Economically, it is also hard to say that causing the destruction of the infrastructure and ruining the summer tourist season encourages the support of the masses; especially since Hezbollah has its own economy that is independent from Lebanon's, and is not affected by the economic
situation in the country.
On the military level, it is difficult to convince the majority of the Lebanese that the rockets fired into northern Israel on the one hand and the ruinous disaster that is striking Lebanon on the other, manifests an equal balance of power. Consequently, it is difficult to hope for an Arab or international initiative that could bridge the huge gap between the military capabilities of the belligerents.
Finally, we could add that Hezbollah symbolizes a cultural element that is, for various reasons, totally unattractive to most Lebanese. It would be no exaggeration to say that the Shiite intellectuals themselves constitute a majority of those who are averse to the cultural model provided by the party.
All this cannot be made up for by enthusiastic, adolescent cries when the country is on the verge of devastation. The situation incessantly clamors for putting an end to this adventure called 'protecting ourselves from Israel'. It is hoped that putting an end to this adventure, which must take place as soon as possible, will help put the needed pressure on Israel to stop its brutal campaign.
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