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It has been a month since the war raged in Gaza. A month of merciless warfare between Hamas and Israel. A month in which tens of thousands of people have been killed, wounded, exiled, and deprived of medical care, food, and water. A month in which South Lebanon was bombed, set on fire, and relentlessly attacked before the stunned eyes of an apathetic Lebanese political class completely overwhelmed by the course of events.
However, this silence raises some fundamental questions: Where has the opposition gone? What are the sovereigntists doing? Where are the people who never miss an opportunity to denounce the smallest misstep, who sound the alarm when Hezbollah or the Axis of Resistance camp indulge in the slightest deviation or the umpteenth attempt to circumvent the law, violate the Constitution, and flout the institutions? Where are they now? What are they doing, apart from delivering populist speeches and empty slogans on social networks or TV sets? What action or initiative have they taken to stop and curb Hezbollah’s bellicose impulses? Is there not a single official in the country capable of stepping up to the plate, breaking the status quo, and refusing to allow the pro-Iranian group to hold the Lebanese people hostage? Who put Hassan Nasrallah in charge of the country’s future and the fate of the Lebanese people?
Alas, the answer is simple. Some of them are too busy fussing and scheming their way to the presidential seat, while others prefer to face the facts and adopt a defeatist stance, putting forward their favorite pretext: “What can we do? We’re no match for the other camp.” This should fully explain the prevailing laissez-faire and cowardly attitude of the caretaker government and Parliament.
Contrary to what those in charge would have us believe, there are several possible solutions. Instead of the latter remaining glued to their screens to listen to or react to the words of the leader of the pro-Iranian movement, depending on their political orientation, it would have been preferable if a plan of action had been implemented, such as a call for a strike or civil disobedience, until the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. Indeed, if the opposition had closed ranks and presented itself as a united front, as it should have done, there would have been no need for emissaries from the West to come to Beirut unannounced to reiterate the importance of this decision and plead for its implementation in order to avoid a regional conflagration from which Lebanon would certainly not recover.
What’s preventing the opposition from regaining momentum and challenging the pro-Iranian militia? Is the struggle for political and territorial sovereignty now just an obsolete aspiration relegated to the bottom of the priority scale, whereas it was at the heart of all political discourse a decade ago? How many more Lebanese will have to bear the brunt of the state’s failing policies and the choices made by its political leaders? No one knows.
Nevertheless, one thing remains certain: This is Beirut and Ici Beyrouth will continue to denounce those who hinder the process of peace, security, and stability, as well as those who allow themselves to flout and compromise the country’s sovereignty.
This is why, dear members of the Lebanese political class, as you may already know, actions speak louder than words. In the meantime, keep talking, we are not listening!
