15 - 21 February 2001
Issue No.521
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 15 - 21 February 2001 Issue No.521 |
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Lebanese jitters
The resounding victory to the Israeli premiership of one of the Arabs' most redoubtable enemies, Ariel Sharon, left the Lebanese with the strong impression that their long-feared nightmare had come true.
Lebanese politicians believe that, at best, Sharon's advent to power will put on indefinite hold an already stalled peace process. As a worst-case scenario, they have not excluded the possibility of military escalation in the region.
In either case, further deterioration in an already precarious economic situation is what Lebanese politicians fear the most, which explains why their calls for internal unity and for focusing on the country's economic interests have intensified over the past week.
"Arik, King of the Jews," to some Israelis, Sharon is perceived by the Arabs, in particular the Lebanese, as a mass murderer. As Israel's then minister of defence, he was responsible for the Israeli invasion of Beirut in 1982. He is also remembered as the main culprit in the murder that same year of about 3,000 Palestinian and Lebanese men, women and children in the Sabra and Shatila camps in Beirut's southern suburbs.
His predilection for violence and his dislike of compromise and dialogue are two oft-mentioned characteristics of Sharon's. Most Lebanese politicians agree that his election constituted a setback to the peace process, a clear sign that Israel's top priority was less to achieve peace than to reach a strategic security arrangement. Some -- though very few -- politicians still hope, however, that signing a peace treaty with the head of the extreme rightwing Likud Party might still be possible and, if achieved, would be more "guaranteed," having been reached with the strongest opposition camp in Israel.
In an interview with Al Ahram Weekly, the speaker of the Lebanese House and head of the Amal Resistance movement, Nabih Berri, said he was worried about the possible repercussions of Sharon's election in the Arab world, and subsequently on the peace process.
"I am afraid that, instead of uniting in the face of Sharon, Arabs will be divided by fear more than ever before," the speaker said. He said it was essential that Arabs united to overcome their fear, noting that unity and solidarity were what made the resistance possible in Lebanon. "Had the Lebanese failed to unite, the Lebanese resistance would not have triumphed," he said, referring to Israel's forced withdrawal from south Lebanon last May.
But Berri added a reassuring note. "I would like to remind the Arabs that the resistance in Lebanon started effectively in 1982, when Sharon's strength was at its apogee," he said.
As for peace, he considered that it was no longer in the hands of Sharon. "By electing Sharon, the Israeli people have clearly expressed their opposition to peace," he said.
Senior Lebanese officials have expressed similar stands over the past week. Following the proclamation of Sharon's victory, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud underscored the need for a united internal stand in Lebanon, as well as a serious approach to current issues, notably the economy.
Lahoud said the results of the election confirmed that Israel had never desired a just and comprehensive peace. Israel's strategic choice, he said, was "limited to achieving security." He suggested that the United States should make an extra effort to preserve stability in the region, and should seek a way out of the frozen framework in which Israeli leaders had placed the peace process.
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri said Sharon's victory constituted a grave setback for Middle East peace. He said Israeli society was clearly divided between those calling for peace and those who believed they could achieve security and stability without making peace with the Arabs, especially with the Palestinians. "It was the latter camp that won," he commented. Describing the situation as "delicate" rather than "dangerous," he demanded solidarity on all sides.
He added, however, that should Sharon choose a comprehensive and just peace based on United Nations resolutions, the Arabs, including the Lebanese, would continue to seek peace irrespective of who was prime minister in Israel.
The deputy secretary-general of the Hizbullah resistance group, Sheikh Naim Qassem, told Radio Monte Carlo that Sharon's success illustrated "the aggressive Israeli mentality."
"We expect a difficult situation in the region, and accordingly should always be ready to defend our people," he said.
"The International Community should be aware that a new situation will develop because of excessive aggressiveness and because there is no room for reconciliation with a usurper bent on expelling people and depriving them of their rights," Qassem said.
The politicians' pessimistic statements were accompanied by demonstrations at the Ain Al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in the south. Normal activities in the country's largest camp, near Sidon, came to a halt as hundreds of refugees, young and old, gathered near the local office, shouting slogans against "Sharon, the killer." Other shouts of protest could also be heard. "There is no difference between Sharon and Barak: a murderer is a murderer," the crowd cried
The only positive incident to occur over the last week was a letter to Lahoud from the new American administration, delivered to the president by David Satterfield, the US ambassador to Lebanon, on the eve of the Israeli election. In it, the US administration emphasised its commitment to a "just and comprehensive peace," a term rarely used by the US. The administration also stressed the importance of completing the implementation of UN resolution 425, which stipulates the unconditional Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
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