The success of the petition against the Yadan Law demonstrates the power of citizen protests and reminds us that we are still—for now—living in a democracy with the limited power to effect change. It is time to put an end to this “newspeak” that consists of talking a lot but doing nothing. The massacres in Lebanon and the destruction of a country buried under bombs must stop. We are repeating the Gaza/Guernica operation with the destruction of everything—hospitals, schools, universities, and even one of the oldest churches of the Eastern Christians, which I, as an atheist, have always respected because it lived for centuries in harmony with Muslims. The total destruction of the village where my father and his parents were born and lived in harmony with Lebanon’s diverse peoples for a long time—until the creation of Israel, which changed everything—reminds me of a past that is, sadly, long gone!
Israel must dismantle this bizarre state where dozens of religions and ethnic groups lived in relative harmony before 1948. The migration of hundreds of thousands of refugees from Palestine turned everything upside down, driven by these refugees’ entirely justified desire to return to their lands. Nothing justifies Hezbollah—with its narrow-minded view of religion and its Iranian-style hegemonic desire to reject all other religions—yet Israel will never regain peace, assuming that is what the Prime Minister wants, which is an illusion given that peace means for him imprisonment for corruption and, hopefully, referral to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which awaits him impatiently. Not to mention the fulfillment of his dream—following in his father’s footsteps—of a state stretching from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates.
An illustration of this situation comes from the Argentine priest who remained in Gaza with the Muslims after the destruction of Gaza’s oldest church, clearly showing that the goal of the Israeli offensive is to make life impossible in these territories, including for the Christians who have lived there for generations. The argument that “we must drive out Hezbollah and its missiles” is of such blatant bad faith, for these missiles have a range that exceeds the few dozen kilometers that will be conquered and annexed by Israel. Unless it destroys and occupies all of Lebanon, this umpteenth invasion of Lebanon will solve nothing; like its predecessors, it will not bring peace to Israel, for the same causes produce the same effects, and the resistance will continue in other forms while making this rogue state increasingly unpalatable. France, traditionally linked to Lebanon, must take a strong stand, as the Spanish Prime Minister has done, and sever all ties with Israel. That would finally be a courageous act on the part of our President.
It is up to us, the citizens, to try to stop this massacre and finally to sign this other call for a boycott of this apartheid state, just as, a few decades ago, similar petitions were used to end apartheid in South Africa. We must vote for this call and compel the European Parliament to vote for a complete cessation of all economic relations with Israel. It is inconceivable to act as if nothing were happening and to continue this unbelievable extent of relations with this rogue state. On what grounds can Israel have access to European scientific funding, be part of Europe for every cultural event (Eurovision, for example), when—until proven otherwise—this country is not part of Europe? Economic pressure is the only weapon we have; let us use it. This initiative could also help the few courageous Israeli organizations that, under difficult conditions, are warning of the dangers of what this state is becoming: a theocratic empire that seeks to be “Arab-free” and dominate the entire region militarily. We know what history has done to Spartans and empires; this country will one day be destroyed by this policy. It is time to put a stop to it, if only to save it and, at the same time, save the Palestinians and the Lebanese from this yoke.
https://eci.ec.europa.eu/055/public/#/screen/home
https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/17/textes/l17b1444_proposition-resolution-europeenne
Photo Luis Quintero – Unsplash
