Ending the Conflict in Lebanon

The United States, still in the process of putting together UN resolutions to end the conflict in Lebanon, has unsurprisingly taken the side of Israel in the current conflict, an action which could hurt attempts to stop the fighting. Since Israel moved into Southern Lebanon, America has openly provided Israel with military supplies, and has stood firmly behind Israel in its comments and in the details of the still-incomplete UN draft resolutions.

In the simplistic view being peddled by the Bush administration, which characterizes the conflict as an attempt by Israel to defend itself against the terrorism of Hezbollah, this support of Israel makes perfect sense. The reality of the situation, however, is not so simple, and neither are the effects of the position being taken by America in the conflict. The U.S. has not only supported Israel's right to defend itself, it has given the Israelis carte blanche to escalate the war to whatever levels it feels necessary. Furthermore, the U.S. has failed to pressure Israel to minimize the violence whenever possible, and has sidelined the Lebanese government.

By pretending that the conflict is simply between Israel and Hezbollah, and by treating the Lebanese government like a non-entity, America has failed to recognize the real victims of this war -- the people of Lebanon who have been placed in the middle of a bloody conflict. The numbers reflect the sad reality that innocent Lebanese are being hurt most, with more Lebanese civilians dying than Israeli civilians, Israeli soldiers, or Hezbollah militants. Furthermore, the primary concern of the U.S. in trying to end this conflict should be the welfare of those who are suffering most -- the Lebanese people -- however, President Bush seems much more concerned with not challenging the autonomy of the Israeli military, which has resulted in the escalation of the conflict and an explosion of civilian casualties.

The draft resolution currently being proposed by the U.S. has been rejected by the Lebanese government primarily because it reflects this attitude -- the resolution does not call for Israel to leave Lebanon, nor does it seek to include the Lebanese government in any substantial way. For all the talk from Bush and Rice of the neccessity of addressing the deeper causes of the conflict, they fail to realize that the weakness and exclusion of the Lebanese government is one of the most fundamental issues. Hezbollah has remained a power in Lebanon and attempts to disarm it have failed because the Lebanese government has been unable to assert power in the south -- a situation that could be changed drastically by U.S. cooperation with the Lebanese government.

While the Lebanese government is unquestionably weak and would likely be incapable of eliminating Hezbollah by itself, the U.S. has the power to engage the Lebanese government (which is pro-U.S. and wants the fighting to stop also) as a partner and turn the balance of power against Hezbollah. By failing to address the complicated nature of the conflict and unquestioningly siding with Israel, the U.S. is, in practical terms, siding against the people of Lebanon. If the U.S. truly wanted the bloodshed to stop, it would work to reconcile the interests of the pro-West Lebanese government and those of Israel, who both have a stake in the destruction of Hezbollah.

As things stand now, America is perceived throughout most of the Middle East as an instrument of Israeli belligerence, little concerned with the well-being of Lebanese Muslims. Arabs see the denunciations of Hezbollah's Katyusha rocket attacks on civilians, but then see Americans making excuses for the massive civilian casualties caused by Israel's huge air offensive. An unbiased approach to the conflict truly concerned with ending the fighting would seek to empower and assist the legitimate Lebanese government in disarming Hezbollah, while pressuring Israel to end its bloody -- and likely failed -- offensive. The horrific rocket attacks by Hezbollah have not slowed since the Israeli invasion, and there is no indication that Israel will be capable of eliminating Hezbollah. To the contrary, as long as Hezbollah resists and Israel continues to rain destruction on innocents, Hezbollah will grow stronger politically at the expense of the Lebanese government.

President Bush should adopt Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora's 7-point plan for ending the conflict, which is as follows:

1. An undertaking to release the Lebanese and Israeli prisoners and detainees through the ICRC.
2. The withdrawal of the Israeli army behind the Blue Line, and the return of the displaced to their villages.
3. A commitment from the Security Council to place the Shebaa Farms area and the Kfarshouba Hills under UN jurisdiction until border delineation and Lebanese sovereignty over them are fully settled. While in UN custody, the area will be accessible to Lebanese property owners there. Further, Israel surrenders all remaining landmine maps in South Lebanon to the UN.
4. The Lebanese government extends its authority over its territory through its own legitimate armed forces, such that there will be no weapons or authority other than that of the Lebanese state as stipulated in the Taef national reconciliation document.
5. The UN international force, operating in South Lebanon]], is supplemented and enhanced in numbers, equipment, mandate and scope of operation, as needed, in order to undertake urgent humanitarian and relief work and guarantee stability and security in the south so that those who fled their homes can return.
6. The UN, in cooperation with the relevant parties, undertakes the necessary measures to once again put into effect the Armistice Agreement signed by Lebanon and Israel in 1949, and to insure adherence to the provisions of that agreement, as well as to explore possible amendments to or development of said provisions, as necessary.
7. The international community commits to support Lebanon on all levels, and to assist it in facing the tremendous burden resulting from the human, social and economic tragedy which has afflicted the country, especially in the areas of relief, reconstruction and rebuilding of the national economy.

If the U.S. government continues along its current path of unquestioning support for Israel, the likely result will be the political empowerment of Hezbollah as violence continues and the clearly biased American "truce" is rejected.