Mick Hartley

Lebanese journalist, Tony Bulus, via Orit Perlov:

Today’s Lebanon has changed. A large majority of the Lebanese public sees peace as a real opportunity for security stability, economic recovery, opening the gates of tourism and investment, and strengthening regional ties for the benefit of both peoples, the Lebanese and the Israeli.

So who is delaying the process?

First: The Hezbollah militia and the Iran-loyal network, since their decisions are made in Tehran, not in Beirut, and their overriding interest is to preserve Lebanon as a theater of confrontation, not as a sovereign and functioning state.

Second: Remnants of the radical left, stuck in slogans from the 1960s and 1970s, while ignoring the collapse of many communist and socialist conceptions and their frequent transformation into repressive and failed regimes.

Third: Corrupt sectarian leaders who benefit from a weak state and a shattered economy, and who collaborate openly or behind the scenes with Hezbollah in a framework of dividing spoils, power, and influence. For them, a strong state is a direct threat.

The bottom line: Whoever opposes peace today is not defending Lebanon, but rather its continued collapse.