The right to resist

I can't imagine Lebanon without a resistance, at least not until a new social contract is drawn up and agreed on by all parties and until a satisfactory resolution is reached to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict which would include a return of all refugees to the whole of historical Palestine. There are arguments that question the utility of the resistance after the year 2000 and the liberation of most of the occupied Lebanese territories. What these arguments fail to factor in, however, is the constant threat that an expansionary and unrestrained Israel poses in the long term.

Resistance is a right of all the Lebanese as Hussein Al Husseini said. It is our right as it was the right of the then newly formed independent State of Finland in the 1930s and 40s to fight the Russians who wanted to revoke its independence. In that endeavour, Finland aligned itself with the Third Reich and Finnish Jews fought along side German soldiers against the Russians.

No mere statement from this or any other Cabinet can cancel out that right and to all those who seek to achieve through this Cabinet what could not be achieved in years of failed attempts at national dialogue and consensus, I say reevaluate your priorities! Our country is in desperate need of a government now, now is not the time to score political points, now is the time to heed the pleas of your people and save our country and economy from complete collapse.

Wael Abu Faour, following a fine tradition of pragmatism and rationality in politics that Walid Jumblat has always shown, suggested finding a set of words for the statement that may be open to many interpretations, thereby allowing each side in the argument to put their own spin on what the statement actually means and by doing so saving this government from collapse.

I am not a die hard Hezbollah supporter, there are many things I can and do criticise the party for, its involvement in Syria being one. It would not be wrong to say that the party is showing an excess of Hubris, it's powerful and it's knows it. On the one hand that is good if your fighting Israel or in a stand off with Israel, but it's not so good if your trying to arrive at a consensus with partners in government, and especially when you allow strength to go to your head and allow it to prevent you from talking to the other sects and communities in the country if only to assure them.

All side in Lebanese politics should have a good long hard look in the mirror and ask themselves if they've done all they can to help save this country. In my view all sides need to reevaluate their priorities. 

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