Adonis Diaries

Two days after the end of Epic War; (August 19, 2009)

From my diary of August 17, 2006

Note: I posted my diary of the epic war from July 15 to August 15 in my category “Diary of a war”.  I decided to post my diary for a few weeks in the aftermath of a major war to describe the climate and emotions.

            I read last night the open letter of Dr. Muhammad Ali Moukaled to Hassan Nasr Allah in the daily “Al Balad” of August 15.  It is about the difference in strategy between the opposition to the Zionists enemy (and imperialist interests) and the resistance to them that Syria was adopting in order to improve the conditions of negotiations with Israel and the US when reopened. He said that Syria works in its own interest regardless of the abuse and sufferings that the Lebanese resistance forces had to succumb to when it was totally controlled by the Syrian Baath regime during its mandate on Lebanon before April 2005. 

            A year ago, Dr. Moukaled wrote after former Hariri PM was murdered: “The Lebanese are the true protector of the resistance regardless how large is the support of Iran and Syria.  Without a unified front this resistance will end up a sectarian party as it began. Hezbollah has to start a dialogue with all the Lebanese political parties and organizations with the intention of relinquishing some of its principles otherwise it might be targeted in the final negotiations for a settlement.” He went on saying: “The main questions are:  Is Hezbollah a revolution or a State?  It is a revolution against the State of Lebanon or the State of Israel?  Is it a State within a State?”

            Dr. Moukaled says that Nasr Allah committed a mistake to refuse the offer of Israel to return the Lebanese prisoners, the withdrawal from the Shabaa Farms and substantial compensations in return for Hezbollah to disarm itself.  He claims that may be Hezbollah is holding on a secret program for instituting an Islamic State.  (I cannot dismiss this possibility of harboring an Islamic State but may be Hezbollah had to forgo easy victories by refusing Israel’s proposal until it feels strongly rooted within the Shiaa through the spirit of opposition and catering to this sect everyday needs that the government was impotent of providing.)

From everywhere in the Arab World there is a common question: “How should we enter the modern world?” Knowing that almost 70% of the Arabs are illiterate and despotism is the rule then the answer is by working toward instituting States that go beyond tribalism, feudalism and sectarianism, States that establishes the laws of the land and the true meaning of democracy, liberty and autonomy.

Today, Walid Jumblatt and Saad Hariri reacted to the speech of the Syrian President Assad.  I will dwell on the talk of Jumblatt with the media which was broadcasted around 12:30 p.m.  He felt sore that Hezbollah knew that Israel was preparing a major offensive on Lebanon around next October and didn’t warn the government or at least the main political players in Lebanon of this eventuality.  He said that this war could have been prevented if Nasr Allah had any confidence in the patriotism of our political leaders and the Lebanese army (the people have no such confidence).  He reminded Nasr Allah that Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000 because of the unity of Lebanon and the legitimacy of the resistance that was then acknowledged by the world community (world community never resolved our problems).

Jumblatt resumed: “This time around Hezbollah was dragged to a war without the backing of a unified Lebanon or any recognized legitimacy to carry on a resistance by taking Israeli prisoners.  Hezbollah would have spared us this calamity if it had asked or accepted a role for the army in the south so that Israel aggression would not have acquired any legitimacy.  He stated that the entrance of the army to the south of the Litany River at this junction is fraught with problems unless Hezbollah acknowledge completely the Taef agreement, the 1949 truth treaty with Israel, and integration within the Lebanese army. (A lot of fine talks that do not reflect reality in Lebanon social and political fabric)

I agree with Jumblatt that for over 30 years Lebanon and specifically its south has been the sole battleground for the regional conflicts.  With Israel’s separate peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan and a long lasting cease fire in the Golan Heights, Lebanon was reduced to be the scapegoat for regional and international conflicts when Israel’s interests were at stakes.

The main problem is that for a whole year, after Syria withdrew from Lebanon, our political leaders were not clear but on the petty factional political interests.  If Jumblatt made the effort to explain as clearly as today his ideas on the national scale I think Hezbollah would have responded positively.  Instead, Jumblatt spent his time and energy lambasting the Syrian regime and personally antagonizing the supporters of Syria as an important neighboring nation.

Before I left for the gym I read an article about Elisa Olmert, the wife of Israel PM.  She is a member of “Peace Now” and her four sons and daughters are taking after her in their political positions and are aggressively against wars and refusing to join the Israeli reservists.  Elisa has been politically at odd with her husband for 30 years but her silence against his ultra rightist tendencies is paramount to sharing her husband’s crime against humanity in his aggression on Lebanon.

I spent 4 hours at the gym, ate a hamburger and fries, but could not take a shower because the club lacked water and public electrical power by the time I was ready to leave.

Note: In August 15, 2009 Jumblat made 180 degrees turn around and is wooing Syria and dissociating from the March 14 Alliance.