Tribune. Lebanon must be saved. By the Lebanese first, by the international community too.
Imagine for a moment that this is not so. Violence would eventually erupt in the streets, allowing the most violent to unleash themselves. The countries of the region, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, would find a pretext to intervene, making Lebanon once again the object of regional and, soon, global tensions. The exodus of the elites would be intense. The proof of the peaceful existence between Sunnis, Shiites, Christians and Druze would be flouted. Religious freedom and full citizenship for all, which only Lebanon enjoys in the Arab world, would appear to be a failure, discouraging all those who struggle for freedom. The risk of a major global crisis is therefore not unthinkable.
The political leaders had committed themselves to President Macron on an action plan resulting from a verbal agreement by officials, and not resulting from a roadmap imposed by France as has been said too often. Today the leaders appear as liars and incompetents.
Desperation
It would be unthinkable for the international community to trust them to put in their hands the means of recovery, which Lebanon needs the most. This would only serve to push the country further and would be seen by the population as an insult. The Lebanese have the right to be respected.
And yet there is an urgent need to act. A recent trip to the region showed me how deep the despair of the Lebanese is, with the abuses and instrumentalisation that it can engender. We must take concrete, symbolic and meaningful actions. Gestures that restore hope to new Lebanese generations and curb the desire for exile, straightening out young adults, giving them the desire to move forward, to love their country and to put themselves at its service.
It is necessary to identify the fundamental needs, which are at least two in number: the school and the hospital, which are at the service of all and which mark Lebanese social life, enable it to survive.
The school, important for itself, carries an even greater stake in being truly the place of social life between all the religious communities. And in this period of acute health crisis, the hospital is the concern of the most vulnerable. However, the Lebanese State, a failed State, has neglected to pay its share to these two institutions.
You have 34.11% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.