Lebanon the Conquered Nation
By: Michel Dalle
22/11/02

It was 1943 when patriotic, honest and courageous Lebanese Christian and Muslim leaders peacefully agreed on a "National Pact", a fair formula for sharing power and honouring Lebanon's Western and Arabic cultures, enabling the country to gain it's independence from France.  It was Forty-seven years later that  the "Taef Accord" was forced upon the people of Lebanon by cowardly and subservient Christian and Muslim leaders through which Lebanon's independence was marginalized and the sovereignty annulled.  Accordingly, Lebanon's identity, culture and history were murdered.

On October the 13th of 1990, Syrian tanks with their local puppets in the back rolled into the Presidential palace ending the last remaining resistance against the Syrian hegemony, while the whole world stood silent focusing on Iraq's Saddam Hussien and his invasion to Kuwait.  Syria was given full control over Lebanon for its pro Western roll in the Gulf war that year.

The Lebanese philosopher, Gibran Khalil Gibran wrote, "Woe to the nation that sees the victor's pomp as the perfection of virtue, and in whose eyes the ugliness of the conqueror is beauty".  We wonder how could any Lebanese even think of celebrating Lebanon's Independence Day when this independence became just a memory under the barbaric Syrian occupation?

The Beirut puppet regime, who is orchestrating the phoney celebrations is ignoring the fact thousands of Lebanese patriotic have given their lives fighting 'Henry Kissinger's' plan that aimed to turn Lebanon into a substitute Palestinian State? It is ignoring too that the Lebanese Army and the people fought fiercely against the invading Syrian Army in 13th of October 1990. Hundreds were massacred, and hundreds fell during the battle of honour. The Lebanese lost the battle and since then Lebanon is an occupied country governed by a Syrian installed regime.

It is a disgrace and a horrible shame for any Lebanese to celebrate the Independence Day, except through prayers and hard work to reclaim the confiscated independence. It is a kind of treason to even think that our country is independent when it's decision making process is in Damascus and not in Beirut.

How could any Lebanese with dignity and self-respect pose and celebrate the independence Day when hundreds of innocent Lebanese citizens, women, men, clergymen, army officers, soldiers and politicians are still arbitrarily detained in the Syrian jails without any kind of trial or even knowledge of thereabouts?

For Heaven sake, how can any Lebanese, no matter what his political or religious affiliation is, keep a blind eye on the horrible atrocities committed on daily basis against the people of Lebanon?

How could we celebrate when Syria has crippled our beloved Lebanon with tens of imposed and unfair treaties under the disguise of Co-operation and Brotherhood? Lebanon is not currently an independent country, but a satellite fully controlled by the Syrian Stalinist Baathist regime.

Those who celebrate the Independence Day as if the country is independent are either mentally sick, living in a world of fantasy detached from the bitter reality, or blind, deaf, mute and in a kind of physical and mental coma.  Meanwhile the minority who have lost all patriotic affiliations and accepted the slave's role cannot be blamed because initially they did not believe in the identity, entity or Lebanonism.

We the patriotic and sovereignists youth in occupied Lebanon and in Diaspora shall not celebrate the Independence Day, not this year on November 23, 2002, or in any coming year before we reclaim back our country and it's confiscated Independence. Till the day of liberation becomes a reality, we will keep praying and remembering our nation's martyr's who died for the 10452 km doctrine. Lebanon has seen for the past 7000 years hundreds of invaders, tyrants and conquerors. They all left and Lebanon the sovereignty, freedom, dignity and distinguishable identity remained. With the patriots' devotion, faith, perseverance and sacrifices our people and our holy country shall be victorious again...then and only then we will celebrate the independence Day.
Long Live Free Lebanon