31 May - 6 June 2001
Issue No.536
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 31 May - 6 June 2001 Issue No.536 |
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Imaginary lines
Lebanon celebrated the first anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from the south amid increased tension over the Shebaa Farms. Zeina Abou Rizk reports from Beirut
Celebrations on Friday 25 May allowed Lebanese politicians to reassert their commitment to the full implementation of UN Security Council resolution 425 -- which stipulates the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon. They also reaffirmed that resistance operations will continue until the withdrawal is complete. Israel still occupies the 220sqkm area known as the Shebaa Farms along the Lebanese-Israeli border, under the pretext that it was seized from Syria, not Lebanon, and that the farms thus fall under Security Council Resolution 242, not 425.
At a ceremony at UNESCO's Beirut office, speeches insisted on Lebanon's right to resist ongoing Israeli occupation and to retaliate against any Israeli attack on Lebanon or Syrian troops stationed here.
In comparison to the strong positions adopted by Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's statement was noticeably more tactful. The premier chose to focus on the government's continuous efforts to find "a comprehensive peace."
Hariri also said Lebanon "seeks to strengthen confidence with the UN and urges it to recognise the legitimacy" of the claim to Shebaa. Hariri's rather tempered comments reflected his desire to avoid provoking a military escalation in Lebanon, which would, in turn, jeopardise his efforts at reviving the economy.
The premier added that Israeli threats against Syrian troops in Lebanon are threats against the entire country and that they will not stop the government from "fully coordinating with Syria." Hariri was referring to last month's Israeli attack on a Syrian radar position at the entrance to the Beqaa valley.
For his part, Berri warned Israel: "The south and the resistance will regard any retaliation against Syrian troops in Lebanon or in Syria as aggression against the south. This gives the resistance the right to attack all Israeli settlements." He also reiterated that Resolution 425 would only be fully implemented when Israel withdraws from the Shebaa Farms.
Hizbullah's Nasrallah said that Israel continued to threaten the entire region with war and that the only way to face Israel and the current economic crisis is for the people to close ranks. Last week, Hizbullah warned Israel that the "worst is yet to come" and that military operations would only stop with the farms' liberation.
Also on Friday, approximately 10,000 people in the southern city of Sidon turned out for afternoon prayers to mark the anniversary. Some 18 mosques closed their doors to worshippers to encourage them to gather in the city's Martyr Square.
Despite the undeniably positive impact of the Israeli pull-out, problems directly or indirectly linked to the withdrawal have emerged. Over the past year, opposition to the Syrian presence in the country has intensified, with a large group of (mostly Christian) Lebanese arguing that Syrian troops are no longer needed. Led by Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, the group called for the departure of the 30,000 Syrian soldiers deployed in the country. It also urged that the Lebanese army be deployed in the liberated zone to restore order and extend the state's authority to the freed areas, in compliance with resolution 425.
In addition, the Shebaa Farms issue and resistance operations there have led to conflict among key political players. In particular, the prime minister and Hizbullah have feuded since Hariri criticised Hizbullah's attack on the Israeli army in the Shebaa Farms last month. The premier had protested that the attack -- which killed one Israeli soldier and wounded two others -- was inappropriate at this point in time, as Lebanon was striving to revive its economy.
Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, who has on many occasions supported Hariri's remarks, went as far as to say over last weekend that the Shebaa Farms were not Lebanese. Jumblatt made these comments during an interview with a local radio station, raising questions as to the significance of such a declaration only a couple of days after his meeting with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. But Jumblatt later asserted that his comments were taken out of context, explaining that he had "maintained the Shebaa Farms are Arab land and all Arab land should be liberated." He added, however, that military and political liberation strategies have separate requirements -- a stance similar to Hariri's.
Others argue that Lebanon's official position on the issue is full of contradictions. According to this group, the government maintains the farms are Lebanese but is not doing enough to convince the UN of its claim. Lebanon should legalise its claim with the United Nations in order to internationally legitimise its fight to recover the area, these people believe. By providing an official document to the UN, approved by both Lebanon and Syria, Lebanon would impose a new reality that Israel and the world would have to deal with.
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