11 August 2009
Editorial
Worrying noises continue to emanate from the south of Lebanon. Whether they’re from Israeli politicians, top intelligence figures, or the Israeli military itself, the message is generally the same: watch out for Hizbullah “terror.” Hizbullah’s weapons might inflict damage on Israel, so watch out. If the Lebanese government doesn’t do x or y, then watch out.
From all of this uproar, one might conclude that the July 2006 war didn’t happen, that massive destruction wasn’t unleashed on Lebanon and its people, in the latest bid to destroy the “dangerous enemy” and punish its supposed enablers. One might think the 1996 “Grapes of Wrath” offensive didn’t happen, when Israel held an entire civilian population responsible for the existence of a resistance movement that was trying to eject a foreign occupation. One might think the Israelis didn’t withdraw their troops from almost all of Lebanon in 2000, since the rhetoric has remained the same. One might think that the July 1993 offensive didn’t happen, when again, Israel rolled out its latest war-to-end-all-wars, “Operation Accountability.”
The same, stale, warmongering rhetoric continues today. It’s astounding to think that Israeli politicians have learned nothing about how to deal with their northern front, so perhaps we should conclude that Israeli leaders are up to something.
Why all of the saber-rattling? Hizbullah has been there in the past. What’s new about Hizbullah today in terms of a situation that Israel itself didn’t help aggravate? Israeli leaders behave as if Hizbullah appeared out of thin air, as if there are no grievances involved, as if their military aircraft don’t treat our country like a place for pilot training and target practice.
This newspaper has issued the warning before, about the possibility of Israel’s quest to derail the Obama agenda, whether for actual foreign policy reasons, or reasons of domestic political survival.
This derailing could take place in South Lebanon, if we’re not careful. There’s been a flurry of activity by diplomatic envoys, moving mainly among America, Syria and Turkey, but the situation, and the rhetoric, remain dangerous. Some believe, mistakenly, that a military solution can work.
Thus, we should all be on the alert. We can’t rest on our laurels, or be proud about seeing a record number of visitors flock to our country, only three years after a devastating summer war made Lebanon synonymous with instability and bombs. A competent government team must get our country on course as soon as possible, and one of the next cabinet’s top priorities should be producing a feasible national defense strategy, with political, diplomatic and military components. There are aspects of policymaking that simply can’t be deferred. We owe it to ourselves, and our guests.
Copyright The Daily Star 2009.
