Losers have no ‘right’ to object
Posted on 8/14/2006 1\
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times

THE destruction of Lebanon can never be described as a victory for Hezbollah. After the issuance of UN resolution 1701 no one has the right to claim victory or play with words to change their meanings. Once again we, Arabs, have been defeated in Lebanon. The responsibility for the destruction of Lebanon and playing with its future rests with a segment of the Lebanese, who are serving the interests and greed of Iran. We must admit we have been defeated in Lebanon because but for UN resolution 1701, which the government considers a victory for its diplomacy, Israel would have savaged the whole of Lebanon.

Unfortunately Syria and Iran view the UN resolution as biased. This means our dreams of seeing a stable Lebanon is still so far from coming true. We still remember Hassan Nasrallah’s second speech in which he tried to sell illusions to the Lebanese, who have lost their homes, claiming they would be compensated with clean and pure money from Iran. Now that Lebanon needs over 10 billion dollars to rebuild its infrastructure, Hezbollah will be making a big mistake if it really believes Iran will come to the rescue of the Lebanese.

It will be making a bigger mistake if it refuses to surrender its weapons. Hezbollah is no longer strong enough to exert pressure on the Lebanese government. Hezbollah’s soldiers, who have been killed in the war, have sacrificed their lives for Iran and not for their own country. In Hezbollah’s uncalculated adventure, in which Israel and the United States are on one side with Syria and Iran on the other, the people of Lebanon have been the victims.

In this situation there is no sense in talking about victory. Syria’s claim that the UN resolution doesn’t reflect the magnitude of Hezbollah’s victory is farcical. Syria cannot claim victory as it didn’t officially fight this war, unless Damascus considers Hezbollah has been fighting its war. If this is the case it must be denounced in no uncertain terms.

Nobody, except the governments of Israel and Lebanon, has the right to evaluate the UN resolution because it concerns only those who were involved in the war. Others, who fought from a distance, sacrificing the lives and countries of others, have no right to comment on the UN resolution.

e-mail: ahmedjarallah@hotmail.com