Jefferson Corner

In today’s Asharqalwsat, the columnist Samir Atallah used a quote from the former Lebanese prime minister, and I might add a Sunni, a quote that made me stop to think about writing this posting. Dr. Salim Al-Hos, alumni of Indiana University, was quoted as saying that Lebanon is about lots of freedoms and little democracy. How can any one disagree with that?
Lebanese, like Israelis always brag about their “democracy” and how their respective countries are a light unto other nations. Well, let us not take such statements too seriously otherwise George Bush might get a new ideas about democracy at home, in the US.
The sad facts and in both cases, in Israel and Lebanon, are built around and are “designer” democracy where ethnicity and religious affiliation, sectarian loyalty are at the core of such democracies. We know about the Jewish State and its special and selective democracy, where generals, murderers and criminals rule the country just like a mafia. In Lebanon, it “families” that rule Lebanon and it is the sectarian affiliation that is the basis for such a state. How can both countries, in the 21st century meets the requirements of modern day democracy, where citizenship, its rights and privileges are not based on religious affiliations and ethnicity, but where citizens are equal in the eyes of the law irrespective of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin.
In Israel non-Jews are thirds, perhaps tenth class citizens with rights and privileges are exclusive of Jews and where indigenous people, the “natives” Palestinians are at the mercy of the Jewish state every day of the week, with the possibilities of losing their property and land if not their lives to trigger happy and new Jewish immigrants.
Lebanon was and will always remain, a sectarian state, where citizenship and its rights and privileges are always defined by ‘religious affiliation” or “taifa”, not simply with the birthright. Where loyalties even among the most educated belong to the leadership of the “taifa” and not to the state. Lebanon is also most famous for its “families” like the Jumblat, Shamoun, Jemael, Arsalan, Asa’ad, Frenjeih and recently Harriri. So far Sayed Hassan Nasrallah and Nabih Berri did not try to build a ‘dynasty” where the mantle of power and authority is passed on from father to son irrespective of competence.
For a long time there was a collusion between the Maronite Christians and their Beiruti Sunnis where political and economic powers where shared between these two groups. The late Rafiq Al-Hariri changed all that being the son of Said and not Beirut. Lebanon is also the country, with the support of the late Hafiz Assad that appointed a criminal and mass murderer of Palestinians in Sabra and Shatilla as a minister. Also in Lebanon, leaders of militias responsible for the murder and killings of hundreds of thousands are the rulers and decision makers in the country, and where those responsible for the disappearance of tens of thousands roam free and are considered ‘socialites” invited to the best of restaurants and to national debates that determine the future of the nation.
Perhaps what Lebanon needs more of, is democracy to match its freedoms. Yes, there are lots of personal and social freedoms, but the most basic freedoms of all, the rights and privileges of citizens are dictated by old and rotten ideas of sectarian affiliations. Of course, unless and until such time, Lebanon gets over its “sectarian burden” Lebanon and its people will never be free and democratic. Of course Israel is a mental “Jewish” case and the only solution for Israel and its sectarian democracy is a one state solution, only then can the Jews reclaim the long stated phrase “a light unto other nations”. The only light now is the one coming from a tank and an F-16 killing and murdering people.

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“…. Settlement can thus develop under the protection of a force that is not dependent on the local population, behind an IRON WALL which they will be powerless to break down. ….a voluntary agreement is just not possible. As long as the Arabs preserve a gleam of hope that they will succeed in getting rid of us, nothing in the world can cause them to relinquish this hope, precisely because they are not a rubble but a living people. And a living people will be ready to yield on such fateful issues only when they give up all hope of getting rid of the Alien Settlers. Only then will extremist groups with their slogan ‘No, never’ lose their influence, and only then their influence be transferred to more moderate groups. And only then will the moderates offer suggestions for compromise. Then only will they begin bargaining with us on practical matters, such as guarantees against PUSHING THEM OUT, and equality of civil, and national rights.” With these word printed in Haaretz Daily 1923, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, the father of Revisionist Zionist, later the Likud declared his “Road Map” to get rid of the Palestinians, making sure they have no other choice but to give up all hope and accept the conditions laid out by the Zionist settlers. Transfer or Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians from Palestinians is the hard-core philosophy and ideology of Zionists, whether on the liberal left or the extreme right. Zionist leaders from Ben-Gurion, Moshe Sharett, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, Haim Weizman, Yosef Weitz, Avigdor Lieberman, Shimon Perez, and Bibi Netanyahu among others, all subscribe to the racist and fascist ideas of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, not only to achieve a “Jewish Majority” in Palestine, but also to enable Israel and the Zionist movement to steal their land and property. It is a double edge sword with two missions achieved in one stroke. Of course to do that, the Zionist have to implement harsh measures, including the killing and murder of the largest number of innocent people. This was the case back in the 40’s and this is the case now in Gaza and the West Bank. Except this time around the Palestinians are not going anywhere. It is so ironic that the most committed advocates of such measures against the Palestinians happened to be European and American Jews, who somehow have some real issues and problems with being “Jewish” in their home countries. How could any one explain the ideology of these “immigrant/settlers” coming from Moldavia, Odessa or Poland or Brooklyn? These Jewish immigrants are so hostile, full of hate with racist attitude toward the Palestinian, not only they wish Palestinians simply disappear, but they also advocate their liquidations, assassinations and targeted killing. Of leading Palestinians as the case with the new deputy prime minister, Lieberman. They must have some serious psychological problems, perhaps too angry with themselves being born Jews. How can any one explain such attitude, ideology and philosophy? More to follow.

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