Jumblat: Lebanese Have the Right to Wonder about their Fate in Case of a Regional War

Progressive Socialist Party MP Walid Jumblat stressed on Monday the importance of allowing the Lebanese state to control the country’s decision of war and peace.

He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa magazine: “We have no doubt over the effectiveness of the resistance’s rockets in displacing hundreds of thousands of Israelis, but the Lebanese people have the right to wonder about their fate and future in case a regional war should erupt.”

On this note, he lauded the Lebanese army for “gradually” imposing its authority in Tripoli and demonstrating that it has the ability to perform its duties, “especially when the political will to that end is available.”

“This will enable it to perform its defensive duties for Lebanon if a national agreement on the matter is reached,” continued the Druze chief.

During his latest speech, Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had said: "Even though the party cannot destroy Israel, it is capable of turning the lives of millions of Israelis into a living hell."

Commenting on the Non-Aligned Movement meeting currently held in Tehran, Jumblat said: “It is ironic that the non-aligned movement that was launched in 1955 by the likes of Jamal Abdul Nasser, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Joseph Tito against colonization has now been transformed into a meeting for regimes that practice all forms of oppression against their people.”

“The best indication of this claim is the direct protection some of these powers have been providing to the Syrian regime against the legitimate ambitions of its people for freedom and independence,” added the PSP.

“It is ironic that the Non-Aligned Movement would be attended by some Arab leaders who not too long ago were elected after revolutions that overthrew the symbols of oppression,” he continued.

“Instead of siding along with their people and their interests, these leaders are now standing against the rights of the Syrian people and their epic struggle that is crowned everyday by hundreds of martyrs, wounded, and prisoners,” stated Jumblat.

“It is also ironic that the Tehran summit would be attended by some Palestinian leaders who will sit next to representatives of the Syrian regime, the same regime that has committed greater atrocities against its people than Israel ever did against the Palestinians,” he remarked.

“As for Lebanon, we are not worried over the Lebanese official position represented by President Michel Suleiman who, with his habitual boldness, will take a stand that will fall in Lebanon’s national interest instead of those of regional powers,” he added.

“We hope however that Lebanon will not be transformed once again into an open ground for the wars of others given the Israeli madness, represented by Premier Benjamin Netanyahu, the Syrian contempt that wants to create instability in the country, and the chaos of rockets in Lebanon that have not been organized under a defense plan,” Jumblat said.

He therefore reiterated the PSP’s position that the resistance’s capabilities need to be incorporated in the official Lebanese military institution “in order to defend Lebanon and only Lebanon.”