Lebanon, either the state or the battlefield
By: Elias Bejjani *

May 20/2011

Medically proved scientific strategies teach us that treating any disease has to start first with an accurate diagnosis in accordance with recognizing a set of signs and symptoms. Once the diagnosis and the cause or causes are pinpointed and identified, the treatment is initiated through which the main cause of the disease is targeted. Meanwhile, treating only the diseases' signs and symptoms without identifying and treating the primary cause is a waste of time, effort and resources. Such a derailed strategy leads to the disease becoming worse and putting the patient’s life at dire risk.

Based on this scientific strategy and concept one can examine Lebanon's ongoing problems. Since the early seventies Lebanon's main and disastrous problem has been the confiscation of its independent, freedom, and sovereignty as a state. Sadly, the Arab states and Iran have turned this multicultural, democratic and deeply rooted country into an arena, a mail box and a battlefield for their deceit and a windmill of wars against the State of Israel.

The Arab regimes without any exception and the Iranian mullahs were able to achieve this evil ploy and turn Lebanon an into arena and a backyard for their fake wars and schemes because certain Lebanese communities have never recognized Lebanon since 1920 as an independent entity, and, accordingly, became  Trojan horses for foreign and neighboring powers: the Egyptians, Syrians, Iranians, Libyans, Islamic terrorists, fundamentalists, etc.

To secure stability in their countries, safeguard their thrones, wealth and ruling power, and to conceal their corrupt nature and practices, these dictatorships, Stone Age and oppressive regimes aimed on destabilizing Lebanon through religious strife, bribery, fraud, terrorism, murder, assassinations, ministates, militias and division.

Sadly, these regimes with the help of Lebanese Trojans, fundamentalists, opportunists and mercenaries were able to dismantle the foundations of the Lebanese state and to turn the whole country into an arena for their destructive ploys. They used the Lebanese people as fuel in their camouflaging war against Israel under fake banners of resistance (Mukawama), obstruction (mumanaa) liberation, Arabism and fundamentalism; while in reality the majority of them have either officially signed peace accords with Israel or covertly have established very close and friendly relations with her government.

An independent Lebanon with democracy, freedom, openness, equality, respect of human rand a just judiciary is the worst enemy for all Arab regimes as for Iran because such a Lebanon exposes their oppressive and dictatorial regimes. They all continue hindering Lebanon from regaining its independence, unity and stability so they can keep on forcing their own people into intolerance, fanaticism, ignorance, illiteracy, rejection of others and fundamentalism.

The Syrian totalitarian Baathist regime is the most notorious in all schemes of deception, oppression, fundamentalism, ethnic cleansing, crime, assassinations, hatching and exporting terrorism, and in all matters of malicious interference in other countries' internal affairs. This regime has managed to remain in power since the early sixties because of the no peace, no war status in the Middle East that its rulers adopt, advocate and implement.

Under the camouflage of resisting Israel, the Syrian regime oppresses, impoverishes, humiliates, persecutes and kills its own people, while at the same time keeps on destabilizing neighboring Lebanon through all means, including murder, sectarian strife, fake resistance against Israel, terrorism and bloody abuse and manipulation of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian refugees in both Lebanon and Syria..

In this devilish context, the Syrian regime derives its life elixir from the false and deceptive support it allegedly provides to the Palestinian cause, while for the last 40 years has been aborting all peace initiatives between Israel and the Arab countries under the big lie of resistance. Peace with Israel is the number one enemy for the Syrian regime because once it happens, all its lies and deception will be unveiled and the Syrian people would revolt and eliminate it. The kind of brutality and massive slaughter that this regime has been using against the Syrian peoples' uprising for the last three months explains its evil and deceptive nature and mentality.

Last Sunday, on the Palestinian Nakba Day, (anniversary of Israel’s founding in 1948), the Syrian rulers with their vicious Iranian allies instigated and orchestrated bloody confrontations on both Syrian and Lebanese borders with Israel. The victims and fuel for these futile confrontations were sadly the Palestinian refugees who by thousands were bused by Syrian and Iranian means of transportation, full supervision, facilitations and financing to Majdal Shams on the Golan Heights and the Maroun al-Rass in south Lebanon. The demonstrations ended with more than 13 Palestinians killed and hundreds injured when the Palestinian demonstrators tried to cross the border fences to attack the Israeli army.

According to a report published by Ken Timmerman on May 17/11( http://www.newsmax.com/KenTimmerman/iran-israel-syria-hamas/2011/05/17/id/396681)
"The Iranian regime called the political leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah to Tehran last month, to work out the details of an unprecedented series of protests they wanted them to launch along Israel’s border on the anniversary of Israel’s founding in 1948, according to Iranian dissidents. The meetings were an overwhelming success. Thousands of Palestinians participated in organized protests, storming across mine fields and border fences into Israel from the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, and Syria."

Based on all of the above, we strongly believe that Lebanon will not know peace or stability before its borders with Syria are fully controlled, and not before forging a peace accord with Israel as Egypt and Jordan did years ago, and as is the case with most of the Arab countries which overtly or covertly has ended the war status with the Jewish state.

In conclusion, the Lebanese people and their leaders need to pinpoint the main problem of their country and accordingly look for an everlasting and curative solution. Lebanon's main problem lies in the "arena, battlefield and mailbox" status that has been forced on the country by Iran, Syria and their militant proxies and outlawed Syrian Iranian and Palestinian ministates. To finally put an end to this bizarre status, Lebanon needs to immediately close this "arena", end the war status, sign a peace accord with Israel, and then work hard to regain its independence, free decision making process, and sovereignty. All ministates erected in Lebanon by Syria, Iran, and the Palestinians must be dismantled and all militias disarmed. All other temporary endeavors that address only the symptoms of the problem and not the main cause will make things worse.

Click Here to read the Arabic version of the above editorial
http://www.10452lccc.com/elias.arabic09/elias.dawlat18.5.11.htm

Click Here to listen (Window Media Player) to the above editorial in Arabic
http://www.eliasbejjani.com/elias%20audio11/elias.peaceaccord20.5.1.wma

*Elias Bejjani
*Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
*Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
*Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
*Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/.
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