 By: Elias Bejjani The rotten norms imposed on occupied Lebanon judge its oppressed people according to double if not triple manipulative standards. The self-interested Syrian occupant who is imposing these standards in occupied Lebanon, is doing so under the >justification of brotherhood" Syrians in occupied Lebanon behave as superhuman beings coming from AMars". They treat our people, their "brothers" as mere slaves infringing savagely on all their basic rights. God bless the civilization of these occupants who, still in their own country, live as if in the stone age while deluding themselves that we, the Lebanese, are just slaves and in need of their "rehabilitation".! God bless our beloved Arab brothers, especially the Syrians, who are masters of rhetoric and double standards. They have recognized, accepted and approved of Israel as a state not only once but hundreds of times while they still expect us, the Lebanese, to fight on their behalf for a cause they personally betrayed and buried. Our brave brothers recognized Israel in different ways and on every occasion. Some states, like Egypt, Jordan and the Palestine (PLO) were decent among themselves and did so openly, ending their war status bravely. Others, like Syria, while serving the interests of Israel all the time, still fight rhetorically and through a third party. The Syrians, as well as all Arab states, have accepted Israel through approving all designated UN resolutions especially 242 and 338, and through all other resolutions related to Lebanon. The Arab League unanimously approved all these UN resolutions including the Oslo and Madrid conference agreements in addition to many other accords that are still secretive. The mighty Arab states and especially Syria, granted themselves sole right to recognize the state of Israel, accept its existence, negotiate with it when they please and provide it with all formal guarantees needed for its security. At the same time they force our people to keep fighting the Israelis and brand any Lebanese in South Lebanon, or elsewhere, who just talk to an Israeli or is forced to work in Israel to feed his children, as a traitor. They even tagged most of the Lebanese living in the security zone (South Lebanon) as traitors because Israel occupies their land and arbitrarily sentenced hundreds of them through military courts, to death and life sentence in absentia. It is acceptable for the Syrians to receive Mr. Yasser Arafat in Damascus as a State President, kiss him on both cheeks, and call him a brother and a strategic ally in the Arab-Israeli crisis. It is also acceptable for the Syrians and other Arabs to hug Mr. Arafat passionately after he recognized the state of Israel openly and accepted the Oslo accord with all its consequences. It is also allowable for the Egyptian President to receive the Israeli Prime Minister and other Israeli officials in Egypt, to visit Syria when he wants, send his high ranking officials to Israel when needed, and it is appropriate for other Arab states to recognize Israel and exchange embassies with it. Syrians and most of the Arabic countries are using double standards in a very selfish and immoral pattern. They are treating our people as slaves who can not decide for themselves. What is considered a sin in Arab and Syrian eyes for our people, is not applicable for them and certainly not for their leaders if they decide so. The Syrians want to keep fighting Israel from South Lebanon through and by the Lebanese, while their borders with Israel at the Golan Heights have been completely tranquil and peaceful since they were occupied in 1976. Any Arab guerrilla who attempts to cross the Syrian-Israeli borders to fight Israel is instantly arrested by Syrian military intelligence personnel and sent to jail. In Lebanon, according to Syrian double standards, those who fight Israel from its Southern territories are tagged as heroes struggling to oust the enemy. The same individuals for doing the same thing from the Syrian Golan Heights are considered infiltrators, charged and sent to jail. Fighting Israel from Lebanon is a heroic and holy patriotic obligation, a duty that is encouraged and financed, while doing the same thing from Syria is a taboo and a crime.... What an unjust criterion! Lebanon is facing numerous internal and external enemies. The Syrians are on the top of the external list and of course we can not ignore Israel too after giving clear explanation of each occupant's role and plans. Although Israel is occupying South Lebanon (10 % of the country), it is not like Syria who occupies 90 % of Lebanon and fully controls its puppet regime. Israel is asking to leave Lebanon in accordance with UN resolution # 425 provided the Lebanese army safeguards the Lebanese side of the joint border to prevent cross-border infiltration. On the other side, Syria is doing all that it can to maintain its occupation of the country. The Syrian double standards are behind the existence of the Lebanese crisis and the ongoing tragedy of the oppressed Lebanese people. Lebanon will never regain its sovereignty, freedom, or democracy again as long as the free world is allowing Syria to enjoy its occupation. Syria must be forced by the international community to withdraw its troops from Lebanon and leave the Lebanese people to manage their own affairs. Lebanon is occupied and the Lebanese are not able on their own anymore to liberate their own country without the full support of the United Nations and the International Community. Lebanon as a free country is dying, it is time for all the free communities in the world to come for its rescue before it is too late. We the Lebanese people have been using all the peaceful, democratic and civilized means to convince the Syrians to leave our country. Perhaps the time has come to review these strategies and adopt different means that a ruthless occupant can understand. Long Live Free Lebanon. |