Lebanon: The game of death and love [Archives:2006/908/Opinion]
Atif Awad
When late Jamal Abdul Nasser and some of the Arabs who backed the idea and the strategy of confronting the Zionist entity the State of Israel by forming the Arab coalition countries: Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon before 1967 war, the response of the Lebanese politicians at that time was that Lebanon is a tourist country with its own specific features and privacies. Consequently, there was no need for the establishment of a military front in this country or in its borders with the Zionist state, and that the protection of such borders remains the task of its forces and resistance.
The Arab leader Jamal Abdul Nasser welcomed this Lebanese desire, as he was of the opinion that Lebanon, although part of the Arab world, has a unique privacy.
Since its independence in the forties of the last century, Lebanon has been always a unique Arab country with a unique privacy in the Arab region. This led Nasser to say: “Lebanon is the lung of Arabs through which they breath.”
Because of that exceptionality, the Lebanese were the most allergic to what happens in the Arab land as Lebanon was often charred by the fire of the increasing Arab conflicts, even if such conflicts take place in countries that are geographically far away from Lebanon. Lebanon, due to its geographical situation is considered to be the source for western civilization and cultures, as well as the door that is open for the western communities into the Arab world. The Lebanese people could utilize all such cultures and their intellectual talents in favor of the Arab region.
The antagonist Arabs never left Lebanon alone. They intervened in the Lebanese internal affairs, causing the Lebanese community to lose its unity and made Lebanon a battlefield for Arabs to fight each other. They exploited Lebanon's liberty and its ethnical structure, which also has its influence on the Lebanese structure as a whole. The situation was then converted to fierce battling and civil war between its ethics.
This country (Lebanon) started since then to rebuild itself after fifteen years of bitter fighting. Moreover, it was not only Lebanon that benefited from this experience, but there were other non-Lebanese people who gained their share of the benefit.
Meanwhile, the Arab armies had become unable to drive the Israeli military equipment away, and the Lebanese could, in a wonderful and unique manner, force the Israelis, who were occupying the south of Lebanon, to leave overnight.
But, like the reflective and sensitive mirrors, the situation remained as it was in the past, Lebanon remained the unique structure and the other Arabs never wanted to lift their hands from Lebanon.
Whenever the Arab citizen fears the change of force balances in the regions, he/she tends in secrecy to inflame this country with conspiracies. Undoubtedly, Lebanon is not that powerful force, nor was it a wonderful and transparent structure and liberty gate for its nation and beloved population.
O! Arabs, hostile friends, stop your being malicious to Lebanon since you can only master the inflammation of battles and conflicts in the Arab region.
Atif Awad is an Egyptian journalist and a short-story writer residing in Yemen
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[archive-e:908-v:14-y:2006-d:2006-01-02-p:opinion]
