Lebanon feels ‘abandoned’ in war with Israel

Qatari diplomacy played a pivotal role in support of Lebanon, former Lebanese prime minister Fouad Siniora said, during the ceasefire in the aftermath of the Israeli aggression of 2006, helping with the reconstruction of areas destroyed by the Israeli military machine.

Between 2006 and 2010 Qatar undertook, he continued, the reconstruction of many residential units that had been targeted by Israeli raids.

Siniora expressed his hope that Qatar will continue its support after the cessation of the current Israeli aggression.

Addressing a seminar organised by the Qatar Press Center (QPC) on The War on Lebanon and beyond, convened by Al Jazeera TV Channel journalist Hassan Jamoul, the former prime minister said that stopping the war on Lebanon is now in the hands of the United States after France was excluded, as Israel refused Paris’ participation in any agreement regarding Lebanon.

Siniora also spoke on the Palestinian issue, welcoming the decision of the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Galant on charges of committing war crimes in Gaza.

He said that this decision represents a slap in the face to Israel, and emphasised the importance of following up on the implementation of this decision in light of the pressure exerted by the US and a number of countries to try to abort it in its stages.

“We must stand up to be counted,” Siniora said. “We must rise to these challenges, and be aware of the dangers facing us, not only on the level of internal issues, but also with regard to our relations with major powers such as the United States.”

“We must have the ability to re-correct US policies towards our region, and work together to strengthen our Arab position in the international arena,” he added.

The former prime minister said that the Arab region has witnessed major changes over the past decades, which require a serious pause in order for lessons to be learnt from past mistakes.

He pointed out that the year 1979 was a significant turning point, as it witnessed, within 12 months, major events that changed the face of the region.
The most prominent of these events, he said, were the Soviet war on Afghanistan and the Iranian revolution, indicating that each of these events unleashed waves of extremism whose repercussions continue to be experienced today.

He cited the repercussions of the Iraq-Iran war, and the US-UK invasion of Iraq, which led to the collapse of the Iraqi state.

These transformations coincided with the Arab Spring, which led to military interventions by Hezbollah in Syria, and from there to Iraq and Yemen, and the increase in violence and extremism in the region.

He added that all these changes occurred while the Arab world was a spectator, rather than an active or influential actor in the events.

Commenting on whether Lebanon has slipped into a proxy war between Iran and the Israeli occupation, Siniora said: “The reality has gone beyond the idea of war between Iran and Israel, to become a direct confrontation between the United States of America and Iran.”

“American fleets (have been) sent to the region,” he continued, “...and the intensive naval presence in the Mediterranean confirm that Israel is (basically) a base for American interests in the Middle East.”

Concepts that have recently emerged, Siniora added, such as “unity of arenas” or “axis of resistance”, which talk about an alliance that includes forces from Iraq, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas, are just buzz words that need to be translated into reality on the ground, as Iran did not help Lebanon in the ongoing war with Israel.

“It feels as if Lebanon has been abandoned,” he stated.

In the context of Hezbollah, Siniora recalled the events of 2006, when the party took the initiative to ignite the front with Israel through a military operation that crossed the Blue Line, despite the pledges of its secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah during the national dialogue sessions not to carry out such operations.

Siniora stated that, as prime minister at the time, he contacted the party’s leaders and reminded them that the operation violated what had been agreed upon, which prompted the Lebanese government to take a clear position that it had not been consulted and was not aware of what had happened, and announced its disavowal of the incident, and stressing that the responsibility for confronting Israel lies with the Lebanese state.

He pointed out that following the events of October 7, he stressed the importance of not dragging Lebanon into the war between Hamas and Israel, especially given that the country is suffering from a political vacuum and a stifling national crisis.

Siniora said that Lebanon lacks a president and an effective government, with only a caretaker government that is not qualified to deal with the consequences of entering into regional conflicts.

“Lebanon was not prepared to bear more burdens in its current situation,” he stated.

The former prime minister said that under the current circumstances, the situation in Lebanon is untenable, and “we cannot continue in this situation characterised by dual power”.

“Things in neighbouring countries have changed radically, and we realise that Lebanon cannot continue in this way,” he added.

“We are not calling on Hezbollah to declare its surrender, but we are calling on it to return to the fold of the state, and to be part of the political system based on the constitution,” he said. “Everyone must unite under the roof of the state, so that we can build a strong and stable Lebanon, capable of facing the challenges that arise before it.”

Regarding how to end the war, the former prime minister pointed out that all parties to the conflict, including Israel, are suffering from major crises related to how to get out of this war.

Israel, despite committing genocide against civilians, and killing and displacing thousands, is facing major challenges related to a number of complex issues, most notably the issue of the hostages held and not yet released, in addition to the issue of the Israelis displaced from the northern border.

The other parties to the conflict, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, are also facing a huge challenge, with both suffering from the repercussions of the war.
Siniora called on pressure groups in the US to play an effective role in stopping the war, pointing out the importance of these groups moving at various levels to pressure the US administration to stop the aggression.

He also called on the Palestinian factions to organise their internal ranks and better organise their efforts, with the aim of unifying the vision and joint action, which would enable them to devote their efforts more effectively to the Palestinian cause, and contributes to achieving their supreme goal of liberating the land from occupation.