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Lebanon, Bush and the Three Stooges |
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Tuesday, 05 June 2007 |
As the siege of the Nahr al-Barad refugee camp in the northern Lebanese city
of Tripoli enters its third week, the last piece of this strange puzzle has
finally been put in place. For completing the jigsaw of Tripoli, we have no less
than the Bush administration itself to thank, along with the three stooges of
Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.
It was a real mystery initially. The Salafis of Fatah al-Islam were first
brought into Lebanon (or released from their prisons) under the auspices of the
Siniora government and the money of Saad Hariri. This has been well-documented
by Seymour Hersh and does not need repeating here. Hariri the hypocrite, who
would probably blame the Syrians if his tea was served too hot, did not miss the
opportunity to do likewise over the standoff between the Lebanese army and the
foreign fighters of Fatah al-Islam.
So if the well-armed extremists were invited into Lebanon by Siniora and Hariri
Inc., why now turn against them? If they were to do their bidding against
Hezbollah (their real nemesis; presciently calling on the government to resign
for the past several months) what led to the current conflict?
It was by no coincidence that shortly after hostilities began with the unwelcome
guests, the United States and their Arab allies did not hesitate an instant to
either send or pledge sophisticated weaponry and arms to the Lebanese government
in order to combat "al-Qaeda's" presence there.
We should remember that none of these countries lifted a finger to stop the
Israeli onslaught of Lebanon last summer by even appealing to the United States
to call for a ceasefire. They too wanted Hezbollah destroyed.
So what Israel could not accomplish last year will now be done from within.
In both Lebanon and Iraq, the solution is to foment division among the people in
order to ignite a civil war. It is already well under way in Iraq. And if Israel
was unable neutralize Hezbollah prior to a US strike against Iran, it appears an
attempt to create a similar climate is taking place in Lebanon.
When was the Siniora government co-opted in this endeavor? Probably sometime
last year, after Siniora was seen crying on TV over the war but before
shamelessly hugging Condoleezza Rice during it.
Having Fatah al-Islam and similar groups in Lebanon are a double bonus for
Siniora and company: a radical Sunni presence to agitate against Hezbollah,
while the government, under the guise of combating this new threat, acquires
more weapons which they can then use to do their domestic dirty work.
The Lebanese, however, are not so naïve as to fall into a trap they have been in
before. Nor is Hezbollah likely to be provoked into taking up arms against their
fellow countrymen. That is a chance the United States, Israel and the Arab
dictatorships are willing to take though, in order to neutralize the Lebanese
front prior to taking on Iran.
Fouad Siniora, Saad Hariri and Walid Jumblatt, in this most ugly game, have
indeed proven the Lebanese government to be one for hire.
Comments posted are the sole opinion of the author and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of AIM. |
