I remember being in Lebanon two summers ago, spending many days
in my family’s hometown at a house my uncle had just built. A
five-minute drive from the beach and surrounded by orchards, the
hills of Northern Israel visible from the balcony, it was truly a
unique place ““ where worlds collide.
But now that house and everything in it has been reduced to a
pile of ash. My family is hiding in a bomb shelter under a wealthy
neighbor’s house; others have crowded in the basements of the
two churches in the village.
My family members live in a town that is strongly Christian and
has no affiliation with Hezbollah, yet their homes have been
destroyed and their lives are hanging by a string. Israel is
telling them to leave, but roads are gone and traveling in open
space can easily lead to death.
Is this a “measured response” against Hezbollah
strongholds?
Hezbollah’s kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers was a
completely unjustified action, not the proper way to negotiate for
the freedom of Lebanese prisoners held in Israel. Yet
Israel’s inappropriate response has overshadowed disapproval
of Hezbollah’s actions, even among Lebanese populations that
do not support Hezbollah.
Lebanon is now a country held hostage. It has become the
battleground and its civilians the collective martyrs of Israel and
the U.S.’s war on Syrian- and Iranian-supported
“terrorists.”
The best solution seems to be the one proposed by U.N. Secretary
General Kofi Annan: Hezbollah should return the two Israeli
soldiers and Israel should agree to the cease-fire the Lebanese
government has proposed to end the rising number of civilian
casualties in Lebanon and Israel.
International forces should be deployed in Lebanon to aid the
Lebanese military in keeping the border peaceful and to empower the
government to regain control of the country.
Furthermore, Hezbollah should disarm according to U.N.
Resolution 1559. While Israel argues that it gave Lebanon enough
time to implement Resolution 1559, one has to realistically
consider the Lebanese government’s capability to do this
without tangible political and military support from the
international community.
After all, Hezbollah’s militia is more powerful than the
national military. Furthermore, if Israel gave Lebanon the disputed
Sheba Farms, it would likely take much of the ammunition out of
Hezbollah’s argument for a continued resistance movement
against Israel.
According to my relatives across Lebanon, food supplies are low
and communications capabilities are almost nonexistent. Roads,
bridges, homes and other civilian infrastructure are being
destroyed. More recently, Israel has not only hit Al-Manar
(Hezbollah’s station) but also towers belonging to the
Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, which British leaders condemn as
an attack on the nation of Lebanon.
Regardless of our political views, we all value human life. On
the brink of what Annan called a “major humanitarian
disaster,” and with no clear end in sight, a cease-fire must
be enacted to save a nation caught in crossfire.
Rizkallah is president of the Lebanese Social Club.