Editorial
The seizure of an arms shipment allegedly heading to Lebanon this week comes as Israel seems to have embarked on a full-speed diplomatic campaign to establish that Lebanon is the source of the growing instability in the region. Lebanon, without a sitting government, has unfortunately been incapable of efficiently refuting this claim.
Israel’s allegations that the arms shipment it confiscated was headed to Lebanon remains to be proven. But added to a recent report by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that criticizes Hizbullah of stockpiling arms, in contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, Lebanon’s image has taken a battering in recent weeks.
Israel’s strategy is clear: by accusing Hizbullah, Iran and its other adversaries of bellicose intent, it is reinforcing the perception that its aggressive policies are justified by an existential threat, and distracting observers from its own contributions to the tense regional security situation.
The Lebanese political class, meanwhile, has shown a divided face, and has been incapable of effectively pleading its peaceful intentions.
In the current climate of cut-throat politics, why would Lebanese politicians jump to the defense of their arch-rival Hizbullah in the international political arena when the resistance group could use its political capital to make gains in the process of the government formation?
Such a pitiless political attitude has been serving political parties in their individual quests for power. These parties, however, should be alerted to the fact that their discord may end up costing the very citizens whom they “represent.”
Political leaders may be foes at home, but in the grand scheme of things, their interests should converge against a common rival.
It is only by forming a government and formally overcoming their differences that Lebanese politicians will find the required unity to speak up to the international community as a state defending its sovereign interests should do.
Only then will Lebanon be in a position to present the complexities of its case.
Meanwhile, Israel’s view that Lebanon is responsible for the current climate of insecurity threatens to gain more ground in the absence of a strong rebuttal, while its own culpability in compounding an inflammatory situation threatens to fade away from the public perception.
The divisions in Lebanon made worse by ongoing squabbling around the process of forming a government could mean that the country will lose this diplomatic battle without ever having the opportunity to offer a true fight.
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