While analyzing the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary General Hasan Nasarallah and subsequent developments one needs to understand the complex history of Lebanon and how the Israelis had in the past managed to exploit the inherent fault line to their advantage—and they are trying to do so again. Thus, the situation is somewhat different from Gaza, where Hamas did not have this disadvantage.
At the very outset it should be made clear in the mind that the Shias of Lebanon, like Sunnis, have been supportive of the Palestinian cause much before the February 11, 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran and creation of Hezbollah in 1982. Thousands of them had laid down their lives for this cause earlier too, but the western media deliberately link all these developments with the Iranian Revolution.
Lebanon after its independence on November 22, 1943 at the height of World War-II was considered as a Christian majority country, though no census has been conducted since 1932. Actually it was carved out from Syria by the colonial France in league with Britain and America. This project was always resisted by Syria which—as the creation of Israel five years later–saw a larger western design to create a Christian-dominated country in the region. Syria itself got independence on April 17, 1946, that is after the World War-II.
However, after the coming into being of a Zionist state of Israel on May 14, 1948 and the influx of lakhs of Palestinians into Lebanon,an overwhelming number of them Muslims,the demographic balance shifted in favour of the latter. Now Sunnis and Shias combined together to form majority, said to be about 60%. Both of them naturally had sympathy for the Palestinian refugees. The Christians, mostly Maronites, were inclined towards the West and Israel as they were the beneficiary of the colonialism.. Civil Wars
As per the original agreement of Lebanon the President will be a Maronite Christian, Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim and the Speaker of Parliament a Shia. The country got embroiled into a major crisis in 1958, but the social strife ended soon.
However, the relationship worsened by 1970s when more Palestinians came from Jordan to Lebanon and the country plunged into 15 years long civil war between 1975 and 1990—broadly speaking between Christians and Muslims who stood for Palestinians. Though in between intra-community tension, both among Christians and Muslims, also took place.
In the initial months of 1976 more than 3,000 Palestinians were massacred by the Christian militias in Tel-al-Zataar camp near Beirut.
The Israelis were openly on the side of Lebanese Christians and even invaded the country in the summer of 1982 and reached Beirut. The Christian militia, under the supervision of occupying Israeli Defence Forces carried out another massacre of 3,000 to 3,500 Palestinian refugees as well as Shias in Sabra and Shatila camps in Beirut between September 16 and 18, 1982.
Ironically, Christian Palestinians, though a small minority, strongly stood behind the Palestinian Muslims and fought against the Israelis and its Christian allies in Lebanon. This is simply because unlike Christians of Lebanon, they were the victims of Israeli barbarism which got full backing of the United States, the United Kingdom and France.
Iranian Revolution
As Lebanon was passing through civil war Iran witnessed a revolution in 1979. This certainly gave a big fillip to Palestinian cause as Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (not to be confused with the present spiritual head, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei)immediately snapped ties with Israel and the United States. America was declared as Great Satan and liberation of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem was made the primary objective of Iranians and all the Muslims of the world. He called for the unity between Shias and Sunnis. Contrary to this, Shah of Iran, whom he dethroned, was the best friend of Israel and America.
As Egypt had signed peace treaty with Israel way back in 1978-79 and Jordan too befriended Tel Aviv, Iran was left with no option but to invest its energy in anti-Israel campaign in Lebanon and Syria. Sometimes Tehran was criticized for getting dragged into the politics of these two countries.
Apart from other developments, it was in revenge for the Sabra and Shatila massacres which prompted the emergence of Hezbollah, which shot into limelight by carrying out suicide attacks against the US and French soldiers killing 241 and 58 of them respectively. They took place in Beirut on October 23, 1983.
Though Lebanese civil war ended in 1990 after Taif Agreement tension between Christians and Muslims continued, especially whenever Israelis would attack the country. It happened in 2006 too during the war with Hezbollah. The Christian population of Lebanon in general feel as to why should they suffer due to Israeli bombardment though they fully know that the Israelis have killed many Palestinian Christians in the past and during the present operation in Gaza too
Opening Old Wound
The Israeli strategy is to create rift within the Lebanese society and open the old wound. In that way the situation in Lebanon is different from Gaza where there is no such threat to Hamas. Israel still hopes to get support from the Christians, as many of them hate the powerful presence of Hezbollah, which is a political party as well and has two ministers in the present cabinet.
The open support of Iranians to Hezbollah and their involvement in anti-Israeli campaign as well as the Syrian factor too are resented by some Christian groups. A section of the western media highlighted how some Lebanese expressed their happiness over the killing of Hasan Nasarallah.
There is a lurking fear of deteriorating relationship between Muslims and Christians in Lebanon following the invasion of the country by Israeli army and the massive missile attack by Iranians on the Zionist state , which has taken a heavy toll.
The irony is that the western media is totally under-playing the entire history. Instead of discussing the bloody communal violence between Muslims and Christians in Lebanon, they are busy highlighting theso-called sectarian tension.
(Soroor Ahmed is the author of the book, The Jewish Obsession, published in 2004)
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