CIVIL WAR IN LEBANON AND MORE

ONCE AGAIN A UN "COBBLED" TOGETHER DETACHMENT OF TROOPS HAS ENTERED LEBANON TO KEEP THE PEACE. THIS REMINDS ME THAT AS YOGI BERRA SAID. "IT IS DEJAVU ALL OVER AGAIN". THE "UNFIL" FORCES HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN IN LEBANON SINCE THE UN RESOLUTION 455 WAS PASSED IN 1978. THE WAR THAT ACTUALLY BEGAN IN 1968 WITH ISRAELI COMMANDOS LANDING UNOPPOSED AT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO BLOW UP 13 MIDDLE EASTERN AIRCRAFT IN RETALIATION FOR THE KIDNAPPINGS OF ISRAELIS BY PALESTINIAN MILITIA.

DURING THE ENSUING YEARS THE BATTLE IN LEBANON HAS NEVER BEEN FOUGHT BY JUST TWO COMBATANTS. THERE WAS THE LEBANESE VS. LEBANESE CIVIL WAR, LEBANESE-SYRIA CONFLICT, PALESTINIAN LEBANESE VS. SYRIA, PALESTINIAN VS. ISRAEL, SYRIA VS ISRAEL AND THE LEBANESE VS. ISRAELI MOST RECENT CONFLICT. DURING THESE ENSUING YEARS THE "UNITED NATIONS INTERIM FORCE" IN LEBANON HAS DONE LITTLE TO STOP THE COMBATANTS. ALTHOUGH RESOLUTION 455 LIKE UN RESOLUTION 1701 CALLED ON AN IMMEDIATE CEASE FIRE AND MAINTAINING SOVEREIGNTY, POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE AND MAINTENANCE OF TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY.BOTH RESOLUTIONS ONLY DEMANDED THE FORCE TO OVERSEE THE DISARMAMENT OF COMBATANTS, AND WERE NOT AUTHORIZED TO USE FORCE TO DO SO.

DURING THE PRESIDENCY OF ISRAELS' YITZHAK RABIN AN AGREEMENT WAS REACHED WITH UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE HENRY KISSINGER THAT REDREW THE MAP OF THE MIDDLE EAST. THEIR PACT GAVE LEBANON TO SYRIA. THUS SELLING OUT THE CHRISTIAN LEAD GOVERNMENT OF LEBANON. AT THIS PERIOD OF TIME OVER 600,00 CHRISTIANS LIVED IN LEBANON, AND THE MARONITE CATHOLICS CONTROLLED THE LEBANESE GOVERNMENT. THE "SELLOUT" CEDING LEBANON TO SYRIA ALLOWED THE EVENTUAL CONTROL OF LEBANESE GOVERNMENT TO BE FIRST CONTROLLED BY THE "PLO" AND LATER HEZBOLLAH. THE MURDER AND RAPE OF CHRISTIANS BEGAN SHORTLY AFTER WITH AN ESTIMATED 100,00 KILLED AND THE BEGINNING OF THE RAIDS ON ISRAEL BY PALESTINIANS STAGED FROM SOUTHERN LEBANON. THE RADICAL MUSLIMS WANTED TO DESTROY THE PREDOMINANTLY CHRISTIAN LEBANESE ARMY BUT SYRIA STEPPED IN AND PREVENTED THE MASSACRE. THEY THEN DEMANDED THAT THE MARONITE'S LAY DOWN THEIR ARMS BUT DID NOT ASK THE PALESTINIANS TO DISARM. THUS THE FIGHTING HAS RAGED ON AND OFF FOR 30 YEARS WITH THE UNFIL FORCE LOOKING ON!

SYRIAN OCCUPATION OF LEBANON LASTED FROM 1976 TO 1978. SUPPOSEDLY AS A PEACE KEEPING FORCE IN 1989 THE TAIF AGREEMENTS MANDATED ISRAEL WITHDRAW FROM SOUTHERN LEBANON. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY SYRIA' REOCCUPYING SOUTHERN LEBANON. SYRIA STAYED THERE UNTIL 2005 WHEN PRESSURE FROM U.S. FRANCE AND THE UN FORCED THEIR WITHDRAWAL FOLLOWING THE ASSASSINATION OF PRIME MINISTER RFIK HARIR. A WAR THAT HAS RAGED FOR THIRTY YEARS OVER IDEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES, IDENTITY, NATIONALITY AND SOME STUPIDITY WILL NOT BE INFLUENCED ONE BIT BY A "HALF-ASSED" UN FORCE THAT HAS FAILED TO ASSURE PEACE IN LEBANON FOR THE THIRTY YEARS THEY HAVE BEEN THERE. ALL THEY HAVE MANAGED TO OVERSEE IS THE TRANSFORMATION FROM A ONCE PREDOMINANTLY CHRISTIAN COUNTRY TO A RADICAL MUSLIM CONTROLLED "KILLING GROUND!"