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Must Lebanon Pay for Hizballah's Pride?

(Daily Star-Lebanon) Michael Young - Not only is there no desire in Lebanon, even among many in the Shiite community, to bear the potentially devastating consequences of continued conflict with Israel; there is also no consensus to continue providing Hizballah with the cover it needs to pursue a regional agenda that might harm broader Lebanese interests. The most the party should expect once the Syrians leave is a refusal on the part of all Lebanese religious communities to sign a separate peace treaty with Israel; beyond that, the bets are off. Hizballah would do well to avoid hitching its fortunes to the sinking Syrian ship. Despite the party's demonstration on Tuesday, the national consensus in Lebanon is clearly behind a complete end to Syrian hegemony. Hizballah's destiny is a Lebanese one, and must be negotiated with all other Lebanese communities. If that means the party must one day peacefully disarm, so be it. Lebanese society is under no obligation to accept permanent revolution and open-ended Syrian domination just so Hizballah can remain regionally relevant.
2005-03-11 00:00:00
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