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Lebanon is the only country that has been directly affected by the Palestinian cause, as early as 1948. The main reason for this lies in the fact that Lebanon has never been a strong state capable of imposing its sovereignty over its entire territory and making decisions regarding war and peace. Indeed, Lebanon granted the Palestine Liberation Organization the right to conduct military operations from its territory, in accordance with the 1969 Cairo Agreement. As a result, Palestinian fighters have been omnipresent on Lebanese soil, often clashing with the Lebanese Army, particularly during the presidency of Sleiman Frangieh, in 1972 and 1973. However, political mediations and other compromises prevented the Army from achieving a decisive victory against these factions until the war broke out with them in Lebanon. Christians were the first to confront them until 1982, when Yasser Arafat left Beirut to return to Tripoli in northern Lebanon in 1983 after fighting the Syrian Army, only to return once more.
The presence of Palestinian armed groups and the absence of the Lebanese state to address them have led to Israeli attacks on Lebanon by land, sea, and air. There was the Litani Operation in 1978, followed by the Israeli invasion in 1982 and the ensuing destruction of Beirut. Not to mention the numerous casualties recorded during these years.
The Lebanese state has not learned any lessons from these events and has not taken measures to prevent Lebanon and the Lebanese people from paying a heavy price due to the Palestinian cause. In this context, it is essential to emphasize the role played by Hezbollah as an armed force aiming to liberate Lebanese territory from Israeli presence, and no one can oppose any Lebanese who wishes to resist aggression against Lebanese lands. However, the problem lies in Hezbollah’s regional role based on a project to eliminate Israel. Thus, a Lebanese actor has emerged to link the fate of Lebanon and the Lebanese to the development of the Palestinian cause, not through negotiations and peaceful solutions but through war. This is what is happening today with Hezbollah, which is fighting Israel in the name of this cause, while reminding that Israeli-occupied territories are still present and “Fatahland” is still there in one way or another, allowing Hamas and Islamic Jihad factions to conduct military operations from southern Lebanon in the total absence of the Lebanese state.
The second reason why Lebanon is the only country paying the price for the Palestinian cause is related to the Lebanese division on this issue. Indeed, some Lebanese align with this cause at the expense of national unity. Sunnis sided with the Palestine Liberation Organization and supported it at the expense of the state, the Army, and other partners in the country. Today, Shiites follow the same pattern by adopting the Iranian project aimed at eliminating Israel, ignoring the Lebanese state, its authority, its Army, and other national components, even to the point of paralyzing constitutional institutions, particularly the presidency.
In summary, it is not in vain that Salah Khalaf, also known as “Abou Ayyad,” launched the slogan “The path to Palestine passes through Jounieh.” Since then and until now, events have confirmed that the path to Palestine indeed goes through Lebanon.
