LEBANON: South liberated from Israel's occupation
RAMALLAH, Palestine — On May 23, Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon finally collapsed as its local militia, the South Lebanese Army (SLA), crumbled as thousands of Lebanese residents moving back to their villages that had been occupied for 22 years.
Jubilant Lebanese residents and members of the Lebanese resistance movements streamed into villages in the south, waving Lebanese national flags and the flags of Hizbullah, the leading liberation movement.
The withdrawal of Israel's troops, widely supported by the Israeli public, made the SLA's collapse certain. However, Israeli commentators expressed surprise at the SLA's rapid disintegration. The SLA evaporation illustrates its lack of popular support.
The SLA was formed in late 1970s by the late Major Saad Haddad, who had allied with Israel against the Palestinian resistance in Lebanon. The 2500-strong SLA was trained, equipped and paid for by Israel during its 22-year occupation and was led by General Antoine Lahd, a former Lebanese army general who has been sentenced to death in absentia by a Lebanese military court. Lahd returned to Israel from Paris during the recent events and is expected to move permanently to France.
Following the liberation of the occupied areas, many SLA members were arrested by Hizbullah and the Lebanese government. They are expected to receive light sentences. No SLA members were injured by Hizbullah during the events, in contrast to the killing of six Lebanese civilians by Israel and the SLA.
Hizbullah received strong popular support during its battle to liberate the south. The mass return to the villages was led by unarmed Lebanese mingling with members of the resistance movements.
Israel's defeat was greeted with an outpouring of joy by Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. "The Palestinian liberation movement trained Hizbullah during the 1970s and '80s on a political and military level. Look at what they have achieved and look where we are today", a Palestinian remarked to Green Left Weekly during the Israeli evacuation.
Israel's press have commented on the popular support for Hizbullah amongst the Palestinian population and speculated that the tactics employed by Hizbullah may be taken up by Palestinians in the occupied territories.
In contrast, official Palestinian TV relegated news of the Israeli defeat to third item in the evening news broadcast, after footage of a meeting between Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat and a European delegation.
The day after the Israeli withdrawal, and only a few days after eight Palestinian demonstrators had been killed by Israel's army in widespread protests across the West Bank — Arafat could be seen smiling with former Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres during a "peace soccer game" between a joint Israeli-Palestinian team and a all-stars team led by Brazilian soccer hero, Pele.
Despite the justified joy in the Israeli defeat (the first time Israel has been forced to withdraw from occupied Arab land in 50 years), speculation about Israel's intentions abound. The timing of Israel's withdrawal — weeks before a deadline set by Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Barak and before a plan to place UN troops in the area had even been discussed by the UN Security Council — has raised suspicions that the withdrawal is aimed at destabilising Lebanon and providing space for military strikes against Syria.
Israel still holds a number of high-ranking Lebanese resistance leaders in Israeli jails and has refused to withdraw from the area known as the Sheba'a farmlands which Hizbullah claims is Lebanese territory. The United Nations has given support to Israel's claims that it has withdrawn in compliance with the UN resolutions and has called for the disarming of Hizbullah in the area. The UN has also refused to press Israel on the issue of political prisoners due to "lack of information".
On May 26, Hizbullah stated that it would continue to fight against Israel until the prisoners are released and all Lebanese land is liberated. UN envoy to the Middle East, Terje Larsen, indicated that Israel's withdrawal made any further Hizbullah attacks illegal and Israel would have the right to "self defence".
BY AHMED NIMER