Advocating for the establishment of the rule of law in Lebanon may seem utopian, even somewhat naïve, given the current circumstances and the sweeping changes in the Middle East. However, is it too much to ask that the Lebanese at least aspire to be free from the jungle law and the laughable, grotesque reign of scorn and absurdity? In short, is it too much to ask that they not endure the rule of “absolute nonsense” in their daily lives?
This questioning is prompted by two noteworthy recent events on the local arena: the renewed defiance of magistrate Ghada Aoun and the arrogantly delivered remark by a key figure in the Hezbollah-Amal duo regarding the compensation owed to the families of the “martyrs” who perished in South Lebanon.
In a statement to a local channel, the Shiite senior official displayed a repugnant scorn towards the Lebanese people and all local political factions. He emphasized that “the government has the sacrosanct duty to compensate the martyrs’ families and residents of South Lebanon, whether certain parties like it or not!” In short, this declaration implies: “The country belongs solely to us, we will act as we see fit, and you’ll bear the consequences of our actions, regardless of your opinions. No one else has the right to have a say!”
Hezbollah’s unilateral decision to reopen the front with Israel after 18 years of total calm, drags the country into a war that the vast majority of its population opposes. The pretext? Easing military pressure on Hamas in Gaza. Despite portraying itself as coming to Hamas’s rescue, Hezbollah targeted militants from this very fundamentalist Sunni group just months ago in the Yarmouk camp and streets of Damascus, among other Syrian areas.
No one is fooled by the pretext publicly stated by the Shiite party to justify its new military venture. The unspoken objective is undoubtedly to enable the Islamic Republic of Iran to strengthen its grip over the Lebanese landscape – alongside Yemen, Iraq, and Syria – aiming to impose itself as an indispensable and major player on the Middle East chessboard.
In this armed confrontation with Israel, nearly 400 Hezbollah senior officials and militiamen have been killed, 100,000 residents of the South have been forced to flee, villages and thousands of homes lie in ruins, with the agricultural sector suffering immeasurable damage. Moreover, the losses attributed to this war, instigated by the mullah’s regime, are estimated to be no less than $10 billion, according to a ministerial source… All of this to solely serve the Islamic Republic’s hegemonic ambitions. Adding insult to injury, the pro-Iranian group demands that the Lebanese government, and thus the taxpayers, foot the bill for “other people’s war,” despite having received no prior consultation or discussion regarding this confrontation… This “logic” not only reveals an unspeakable scorn, but also fosters the dominance of the jungle law.
Scorn and jungle law are also apparent in the Ghada Aoun’s matter. Not only does she disregard the expected duty of reserve for every magistrate and the obligation not to show allegiance to any partisan group, but Aoun also unscrupulously enjoys flouting all decisions made by her hierarchical superiors. Her pretext for this insubordination: a steadfast determination to wage a comprehensive war against corruption, all while openly aligning herself with a political faction whose leader has been sanctioned by the US administration for… corruption! Even worse, her witch hunt has benefited a party—Hezbollah—that fundamentally opposes Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence—the very principles that were once the founding slogans of the movement she keeps on supporting. It is the reign of the heavily laughable absurdity, and scorn in its most repugnant form…
