Lebanon five years later: no peace in sight.

Missing Peace Middle East Research

Jerusalem July 17 2011

Last week five years ago the second Lebanon war between Israel and Hezbollah (Hizb’Allah) began.

It was a war which initially brought the organization unprecedented power inside Lebanon and a formerly unknown status in the Arab world.

Now however, it seems that the real water-shed event for Hezbollah’s position was not that war, but the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated on February 14th 2005 in one of the most shocking political murders that Lebanon had ever seen. Since the Second Lebanon war Hezbollah has rebuilt its forces, tripled its missile arsenal aimed at Israel and has taken over Lebanon politically.

At the same time the movement, once popular as the 'resistance movement’ against Israel, has no doubt lost the support of the majority of the Lebanese people.

This process began in January 2007 when Hezbollah's forces invaded Beirut in an attempt to force its will upon the Lebanese government.



A civil war was narrowly avoided, but in May 2008 Hezbollah leader Nasrallah sent in his troops again. This time he secured the collaboration of the Syrian Socialist National Party.

The fascist pro-Syrian Lebanese militia helped Hezbollah to stage a de facto coup d’état: the ‘resistance’ had become an occupying power.



The Sunni Arab world, seeking to avoid the fall of Lebanon, organized a conference in Doha Qatar at the end of May 2008.

Rather than securing the protection of the legitimate government, the conference ended in surrender to Hezbollah’s demands. It sealed Hezbollah’s de-facto take over of Lebanon but also signaled the end of the Beirut Spring, which in fact was the first in a continuing string of Arab uprisings.



But Hezbollah’s seemingly untouchable position became shaky after news broke that the Special Tribunal of Lebanon, which investigated the Rafik Hariri assassination, had found evidence of Hezbollah’s involvement in the murder.

Now, following the indictment of four Hezbollah members by the STL, and with the unfolding revolution in Syria threatening the rule of Hezbollah patron Bashar el Assad, Lebanon once again could descend into the abyss.

Another civil war or a new and devastating conflict with Israel is certainly possible............

For full article click here: http://missingpeace.eu/en/2011/07/lebanon-five-years-later-no-peace-in-sight/