Defence of the Nation Becomes Government Policy in Lebanon

On November 26, 2009, the new government of Lebanon issued a policy declaration stating that Lebanon would fight for the liberation of the lands still occupied by Israel and would defend Lebanon and its territorial waters.

This policy declaration would be unremarkable if it had come from almost any other government in the world. After all defending the country from external enemies is the first order of business of any sovereign government at least rhetorically. In Lebanon however, this statement represents a profound change. It comes as a result of significant developments in the power structure in Lebanon since 2006 when Israel launched it sixth war in Lebanon.

The Policy Statement by the new Government of the Republic of Lebanon reads in part:

It is the right of the Lebanese people, Army and the Resistance to liberate the Shebaa Farms, the Kfar Shuba Hills and the northern part of the village of Ghajar as well as to defend Lebanon and its territorial waters in the face of any enemy by all available and legal means.”

The implication of the statement is that resistance to Israeli aggression and to its continued occupation of parts of southern Lebanon is now government policy. The mention of the “Resistance” in the statement however is even more significant. Resistance to Israel in the past has not been led by the Lebanese government or its armed forces. Rather any real resistance to Israeli aggression has been organized and led by Hezbollah. The inclusion of the Resistance with the army signals that Hezbollah, its fighters and its arms are now an official and legitimate part of Lebanese defense forces. This marks a profound change in official policy which until now has been aimed at disarming Hezbollah and removing it as the only effective force of opposition to continued Israeli aggression against the people and territory of Lebanon.

This turn of events is a blow to U.S., Saudi Arabian and Israeli plans in Lebanon. These countries had been trying to engineer a government in Beirut that would be compatible with their interests in the region.

Israel invaded Lebanon in the summer of 2006 on the pretext that Hezbollah had kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. The real reason for the attack, which had been prepared long in advance, was to destroy Hezbollah militarily and to undermine its support among the population in southern Lebanon. Israel failed to destroy Hezbollah but did do a tremendous amount of damage to the infrastructure in the area all the way to the southern districts of Beirut. This is a normal Israeli tactic based on the theory that if you kill large numbers of civilians, destroy their homes, businesses and livelihoods they will blame the people that brought the destruction down on their heads, in this case Hezbollah. The same theory was applied to Gaza and Hamas last December and January.

Elections in Lebanon in 2005 had established Hezbollah and its allies as the second largest bloc in the Lebanese parliament with 35 of 112 seats and two cabinet posts. Hezbollah was also the only organized force that was actively resisting Israel. It was Hezbollah’s efforts that pushed the Israeli army out of southern Lebanon in 2000. Hezbollah’s history of staunch opposition to Israeli aggression has earned it no friends in the Israeli or U.S. governments. However, they have been unable to destroy it by force of arms or to weaken its support within the population in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese elections held this year were reported as a defeat for Hezbollah. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia backed a coalition of parties led by Saad al Hariri. Hariri became the prime minister but the new government was only able to establish itself through a coalition which includes Hezbollah and its allies. The November 26 statement linking the army and the resistance in the struggle to liberate and defend Lebanon is an indication that the latest U.S./Saudi/Israeli plan to marginalize Hezbollah and the resistance struggle that it represents has failed.

Back to Modern Communism