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OrnotBitwise
08-02-2006, 05:49 PM
This is by a Syrian political analyst, so perhaps it should be taken with a grain of salt. Only a grain, though: he makes some very interesting points. I'll post only a small excerpt. I recommend taking the time to read the whole article.


DAMASCUS - Many in the Arab world are blaming the Lebanese for being so disunited and for not rallying en masse behind Hezbollah and its secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah. These divisions are strange for those who do not know Lebanon: there are in essence three Lebanons, each with its own history, objectives, alliances and leaders.

One friend from "Sunni Lebanon" cursed Hezbollah tremendously, saying that the Shi'ite militia had ruined her life, while another from "Shi'ite Lebanon" (which makes up about 40% of the population) said Hezbollah was the greatest thing about the Arab world since emancipation from the Ottomans in 1918. A third friend, from "Christian Lebanon", said Hezbollah was not the "Party of God" as its name means in Arabic, but rather "The Party of the Devil".

Still, there are many crossovers in Lebanon, according to a recent poll by the Beirut Center for Research and Information to test the country's pulse on the war in Lebanon. This was done before Israeli warplanes on Sunday bombed the ill-fated village of Qana, killing more than 51 people (including 22 children). This single event strongly increased anti-Israeli sentiment and a genuine desire for either revenge or an immediate ceasefire.

The survey was administered among the country's Shi'ites, Sunnis, Druze and Maronite Christians. It surprisingly showed that 70.9% of all Lebanese supported Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers on July 12 that sparked the Israeli retaliation.

. . .
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HH03Ak01.html

Cypress
08-02-2006, 05:59 PM
I'm always astonished when posters who profess to be knowledgeble on Lebanon, proclaim that "all" lebanese civlians bear collective responsibility for harboring and coddling Hezbollah. And that if Lebanese civilians get killed, its partially their fault for coddling hezbollah.

When I point out to these posters that they are supporting the killing of christian lebanese, druze lebanese, and others who absolutly do not support shai hezbollah, and that shias are a minority in Lebanon, those same posters have generally quietly slunk away from the thread.

leading me to believe, that these posters were previously wildly misinformed about lebanon.