My take on Palestinians civil rights in Lebanon.

Before you go any further in your reading, allow me in all modesty to point out to you once again my (few) readers the fact that I do not adhere to any political party; and moreover I am for the harsh prosecution of all our (past and present) political leaders.
Having said that, and keeping in mind that the bloggosphere has been busing lately (after a long period of silence) with two main topics which somehow are related; One that of breaking the Israeli embargo on Gaza, and second, that of Walid Beyk (imminent) proposal for Palestinian (refuges in Lebanon) human and civil rights.
 I have read many articles about the later subject and participated (shyly, in order not to offend) in some “web” debates, and still (as a human) I could not be swayed.
So here is my view on this particular “hot” topic, regardless of what I think of Walid Beyk.

Yes every single human being has the right to a decent life, to have his basic rights protected, access to basic medical care, schooling, a roof over his head, to live with dignity, to be able to work and be a “constructive” part of society..etc.
BUT:
In order to enjoy and be given such rights a person should abide by certain rules, especially when he is a host in a foreign land (to say the least and not use the term “refugee”).
The Palestinian problem was not caused by Lebanon, and it was not the Lebanese who deprived the Palestinians from their homeland; on the contrary, Lebanon (albeit forcibly) not only accepted a big influx of refugees, but (wrongly) signed the Cairo treaty giving Yasser Arafat and his group of thugs a free hand not only to cause mayhem, but also (at a certain point in time) try to establish the state of Palestine within the Lebanese borders.



No I won’t join; nor would I root for any flotilla trying to break the siege of Gaza, for according to me those who voted for a (so called) terrorist governance knew what they were getting themselves into.  Why should I help people who are not only divided amongst themselves, but people who tried to take over my country and contributed greatly to the 180,000 dead during our 15 years of war?
Before you get on your high horses and burn me to the stake, allow me to remind you of a sample of what took place in Lebanon between 1975 and 1982 (in order to keep this post relatively readable) at the hands of those refugees which some of our leaders are now claiming to be oppressed by their host country.




1)May 20, 1975
Five people were killed and 24 were wounded in Dekwaneh
Violent confrontations opposed Palestinians from the Tell El Zaatar camp and Phalange Party members. Businesses were closed in protest against the lack of security.



2)January 20, 1976
Damour massacre
Avenging the massacre of Karantina by Christian forces 2 days before, Palestinians and leftist Muslims attacked the Christian city of Damour, located about 20 kilometers south of Beirut, and murdered 350 civilians.

3)August 17, 1976
The Upper-Metn battle started. Over 600 shells fell on Faraya-Oyoune El Simane while Palestinians and Progressive forces continued their insane bombing of the capital.



January 6, 1978
The Begin Plan concerning the settlement of Palestinians in Lebanon made some noise.
The Lebanese reacted with firmness and indignation to the conspiracy initiated by foreign countries. According to Salim El Hoss, 'Every project expecting the settlement of Palestinians outside of their land is rejected.' The President of the Republic also rejected any project stipulating the permanent settlement of Palestinians in Lebanon. 'Our country should determine itself what it is able to offer. It is unfair to solve the Palestinian question by creating a Lebanese problem. We will make every effort to let our right prevail, he said.




4)May 2, 1978
A fight opposed the UNIFL and the Palestinians. The French barrack in Tyr was bombed and the commander of the French contingent was seriously injured.

5)April 14, 1982
A general war was raging between Amal and the Palestinians. Meanwhile, the fights continued in the South and reached Beirut and its suburbs where 15 deaths were reported.




6)July 19, 1982
While Beirut was still under blockade, sporadic confrontations opposed the Israelis and the Palestinians, and innocent victims continued to fall. The President of the AUB, David Dodge, was kidnapped in the middle of the campus.

The above mentioned facts, are whether we like or not, part of our bloody history; and more recent are the rockets fired from our homeland (after the 2006 war) into our arch enemy Israel from Palestinian factions such as Ahmad Jebril. What if Israel retaliated then? What rights can you give to people who have no respect towards the well being of the people of their host country?  Would you give, let alone accept, into your own home someone who raises his children on hate (and teach him at a young age how to use weapons) towards “some” of your fellow citizens? Please do not even attempt to reply with Sabra and Chatila, for I have seen firsthand what the PLO, Fath and Al Sa3ika did to fellow Lebanese (before Sabra and Chatila), including to those who now are the “prince valiant” to the Palestinian cause (Iztaz included).

Walid Beyk, sorry! Go suck on an egg. “Atfal Al hijara” go free Palestine, but not from my country!

N.B: For a comprehensive list of events from 1974 to 1990 visit: 111101

What ever happened to the Arabic dream?

Yes the video is long and so are the lyrics, but so is the way towards an equitable solution to the Palestinian problem. Keep in mind that the clip was made before the rise of Hamas, and when many Arab nations still "relatively" cared about the plight of the Palestinian people.
After this last war on Gaza, I wonder how many representatives of those Arab nations would have participated in this clip, and what the lyrics would have read.
If you have time (and only time) to kill, watch and read; and draw your own conclusions.
N.B: Enclosed are the only translation of the lyrics I could find in English, since I am not capable (nor do I have the time) to translate them myself.






Our dream will live in the hearts of generations after generations.
And what we say today will be our life-long commitment.

Chorus:
Perhaps the darkness of the night will distance us,
But the light's rays can reach the furthest sky.
This is our dream, for all our lives, an embrace to enfold us, all of us.

The dream is not impossible, so long as its fulfillment is conceivable.
And if the night becomes long, definitely afterwards there will be dawn.

Live up to all that you are, even when the truth is the difficult path.
Try, and you shall arrive; the dignity of the attempt will suffice.

Prove yourself to your own Time; believe in your ambitions, you will succeed.
Let your eyes see the truth, and the truth will be seen by others.

Challenge the world and revolt, and learn to remain courageous.
The journey of a thousand miles, starts with a single step.

Justice needs strength, so that you can protect it.
Never, by rhetoric and complaints, will the rightful land return.

Love has fire and spark, and eyes filled with hope.
Children, with stones in their hands, will reinvent the world.

From anywhere in the world, we speak the Arabic language.
And in the loudest voice and heartbeat, we call unity a rebirth.

Our children everywhere, are the light of the nations' eyes.
Fairness, Love, Goodness ... , are our message for all Time.

Sing and say with us: Art is aspiration and success.
From sadness, we create joy, from our thoughts, a path and a life.

A word of truth in a song, is spoken and passes in a second;
Perhaps after years, it may change the world with it.

Let the songs be true, and plan your time for action.
Love will find a door for all the closed paths.

The song cancels borders, and the heart is its nation;
As long as we live, we'll sing; as long as we can, we'll love.

Love is not by words, but by actions and feelings.
Be a light, a smile, a song, and a guide for the paths of others.

Our dream, for all Times, is the unity of all nations.
All the disagreements will disappear; it is enough that you are human.

Your art is your homeland in the exile; you'll find the proof wherever you go.
Sing of people and friendship, you'll find the world to be beautiful.

Love, in all the world's languages, and condense the years into seconds.
The bird's destiny is to fly, and our destiny is to sing these songs.

We hope the dream will become real, and break all hardened silences.
It is not too much for the truth to be bright, even while they call it foolishness.

The tree was a seed, and the story was an idea.
And since we love and dream, we'll reach the path of tomorrow.

[words printed in the video...]
The seed began with a vision ...
and the vision was a dream ...
A dream ... ended with a touchable reality
Operetta ... The Arab Dream
23 Arab dreamers participated in the singing ...
They came together from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Gulf.
95 performers, in love with the dream, fulfilled the dream
... and the dream continues

In the name of Palestine

If some of you still wonder why I was not able to shed any tear while watching the news early this year; here is a glimpse of some of the reasons why. From the PLO, Fatah, Al Saika, ..etc, all the way to Hamas, even omitting what took place outside my comfort zone (Achille Lauro, Brussels, Athens...etc)

This is where it began


This is when "sisterly" relations became incestuous


And these are a few samples why I lost all tolerance and hope.











Yes I know from the start what many of you will say, and once again I do not give a flying fuck (not to be mistaken by a kassam or a katyusha rocket); but I have raised my son differently.
To those child murderers (who wont understand, or seek to understand) I leave you with the following (and may you rot in hell).

GAZA Halte à l'hypocrisie arabe ambiante

Thanks to Del and M for passing on this interesting article.

"L'information : une poignée de blessés est évacuée de la bande de Gaza afin de recevoir des soins en Libye. Moi, je me souviens des milliers de Palestiniens qui croupissent dans le Sahara, à la frontière égyptienne, depuis que le colonel Muammar Kadhafi les a expulsés [en 1995].

La scène : le président soudanais en uniforme parle à ses généraux pour dire que la mort de centaines de Palestiniens constitue "un génocide". Moi, je me souviens d'un génocide qui a lieu au Darfour.

La nouvelle : en Irak, le mouvement de Moqtada Al-Sadr [radical chiite] organise des manifestations de soutien à Gaza. Moi, je me souviens du sang que les milices sadristes ont fait couler et des milliers de réfugiés palestiniens qui ont dû quitter Bagdad et qui campent dans le désert à la frontière syrienne ou jordanienne en attendant que quelqu'un veuille bien les accueillir.

La surprise : Ayman Al-Zawahiri [le numéro deux d'Al-Qaida] dénonce le bombardement de civils. Moi, je me souviens de la "résistance" irakienne qui, le même jour, envoie une kamikaze se faire exploser au milieu d'une manifestation de soutien aux Palestiniens à Mossoul, faisant des dizaines de victimes.

L'annonce : des groupes gauchistes et islamistes de l'opposition égyptienne manifestent contre l'offensive israélienne. Moi, je me souviens de leur silence face aux crimes commis au Soudan et de leurs cris de soutien à Saddam Hussein, l'ancien président irakien pour qui le chemin de Jérusalem passait par le massacre de centaines de milliers de ses propres citoyens.

La publicité : la chaîne satellitaire du Qatar Al-Jazira diffuse une campagne contre l'impuissance des régimes arabes. Moi, je me souviens des bombes qui transitaient par le Qatar avant d'être acheminées vers Israël au moment de la guerre contre le Liban en 2006. Qu'à cela ne tienne, le Qatar a été le seul pays arabe qui a eu droit à des affiches placardées par le Hezbollah en remerciement pour ses généreux dons d'argent. Je me souviens que le Qatar abrite la principale base militaire américaine du Golfe et héberge un représentant des intérêts économiques israéliens [cette représentation vient d'être gelée].

La surprise : le régime syrien autorise des manifestations… contre la passivité des autres régimes arabes. Moi, je me souviens du calme qui règne aux frontières de ce pays "du front du refus" et au sort de tous ceux qui s'aventureraient à les traverser afin de s'infiltrer en Israël. Je me souviens de la chasse que Damas faisait dans les années 1970 et 1980 pour combattre l'Organisation de libération de la Palestine (OLP).

L'image : Khaled Mechaal, le chef extérieur du Hamas – installé à Damas et non pas sous les bombes à Gaza – déclare : "Nous avons limité nos pertes." Il ne parle que des pertes dans les rangs du Hamas, réduisant les centaines de morts et les milliers de blessés à une variable d'ajustement.

Israël promet à ses citoyens la tranquillité, fût-ce au prix de rayer Gaza de la carte. Quant au Hamas, il promet à ses citoyens la mort prochaine, fût-ce au prix du tir d'une misérable roquette. Quelle belle stratégie, grisante et prometteuse ! Elle permet au Hamas d'annoncer la "victoire" quels que soient les résultats de la guerre et quel que soit le nombre de victimes. Une victoire incontestable. Car comment ne pas être désarmé face à celui qui défend l'idée selon laquelle on détruit Israël en lançant des roquettes alors qu'on sait que les représailles provoqueront la mort de centaines d'enfants palestiniens ?

Ce que nous avons appris encore et encore, c'est que chaque fois qu'on a encensé la résistance, on a récolté une guerre civile. Les Arabes en général et les Palestiniens en particulier sont fatigués par soixante années de conflit. Il en va de même pour les Israéliens. Pour les adeptes de la résistance, la fatigue relève de la "défection" du côté arabe, et de la "faiblesse" du côté israélien. Ils veulent relancer le conflit et lui insuffler une nouvelle vigueur. Mais dans quel but ? La seule chose qui nous semble acquise, ce sont ces "victoires divines" qui se traduisent par des guerres civiles, des invasions américaines, des raids israéliens."

Youssef Bazzi
Al Mustaqbal

Don't you ever wonder why most of the Arabs states tried at one point in time to get rid of the Palestinians?
Any comments??????????