Hezbollah May Have Slit Its Own Throat in Lebanon
Ironically, the assassination of Lebanese Interior Minister Pierre Gemayel, an anti-Syrian Christian leader, may turn out to be the act that preserves democracy in Lebanon. The assassination is widely assumed to be the work of pro-Syrian Hezbollah forces, the Shiite terrorist right-hand of Syria. The assassination has sparked a tremendous outpouring of national grief and anger toward Syria that may counter the esteem Hezbollah gained during the recent Lebanese-Israeli border conflict. With insurgency and political assassinations increasing, Lebanon's pro-West, predominately Christian/Sunni government has been holding on by a thread. During the recent border conflict with Israel, Hezbollah usurped the government's role in Southern Lebanon, providing food, medicine and other social services, increasing its political stature and gaining a huge popular following in the area. But the rash of recent political assassinations commonly attributed to Hezbollah may prove its undoing.
The tense political standoff between pro-government Christians and Sunnis against Hezbollah-led pro-Syrian Shiites has reached the breaking point. In a bid for more power, Hezbollah has threatened to bring down the government, assassinating popular leaders and calling for mass protests to force political leaders to comply with its demands. But the Lebanese population is refusing to be bullied. Nearly one fifth of the country's population turned out for Gemayel's funeral, transforming it into a pro-government rally against Syria. Business leaders even took the unusual step of calling for a two-day national strike to force politicians to engage in dialogue and stop threatening street protests, a direct condemnation of Hezbollah tactics.
It took Lebanon years to crawl out from under the Syrian thumb and regain its independence. Though Hezbollah-stoked insurgency and unrest have taken Lebanon to the brink yet again, it looks like the Lebanese people have finally had enough. Hopefully, their government will find the strength to respond to the voice of its people, the courage to preserve its fragile political alliances, and the fortitude to fight back against outside forces. All the hard-fought gains Lebanon has made in the last 15 years will be lost if the country plunges back into the black hole of civil war. Having come so far, the Lebanese people deserve more from their government. Let's hope it's equal to the challenge.
The tense political standoff between pro-government Christians and Sunnis against Hezbollah-led pro-Syrian Shiites has reached the breaking point. In a bid for more power, Hezbollah has threatened to bring down the government, assassinating popular leaders and calling for mass protests to force political leaders to comply with its demands. But the Lebanese population is refusing to be bullied. Nearly one fifth of the country's population turned out for Gemayel's funeral, transforming it into a pro-government rally against Syria. Business leaders even took the unusual step of calling for a two-day national strike to force politicians to engage in dialogue and stop threatening street protests, a direct condemnation of Hezbollah tactics.
It took Lebanon years to crawl out from under the Syrian thumb and regain its independence. Though Hezbollah-stoked insurgency and unrest have taken Lebanon to the brink yet again, it looks like the Lebanese people have finally had enough. Hopefully, their government will find the strength to respond to the voice of its people, the courage to preserve its fragile political alliances, and the fortitude to fight back against outside forces. All the hard-fought gains Lebanon has made in the last 15 years will be lost if the country plunges back into the black hole of civil war. Having come so far, the Lebanese people deserve more from their government. Let's hope it's equal to the challenge.
