Winning the Peace

Now that the cease-fire has taken effect in Lebanon, two questions come to mind:

• Will it hold? and
• What can be done to win the peace?

As far as whether the cease-fire holds, that is up to Hezbollah. They have been giving mixed signals as to whether they support a cease-fire, and under what conditions. While their ministers in the Lebanese government voted to accept the cease-fire, Hezbollah itself appears to be putting conditions on what parts of the agreement it will and won’t go along with. For instance, one news story says they won’t let the Lebanese army enter the area south of the Litani river.

A main part of the cease-fire agreement is that a force composed of Lebanese and UN soldiers will take up positions in the southern part of Lebanon in order to prevent further fighting. The agreement also calls for the disarming of Hezbollah, which they aren’t willing to allow. Worse, Hezbollah’s forces have more firepower and better training than the regular Lebanese army. Hezbollah can dictate to the Lebanese army whether or not they will disarm. Which makes me wonder: who really is in control in Lebanon? Is this just a case of the inmates running the asylum?

Is Lebanon even a country anymore, or is it now the de facto State of Hezbollah, dedicated to the destruction of the state and people directly to their south? The whole idea that there could be a separate militia so well-armed but not accountable to the country’s government boggles the mind. Especially when you consider that their “political wing” actively participates in that government. It’s as if the Michigan Militia held veto power over anything the U. S. government did and were capable of waging war on one of our neighbors — all while holding a significant number of seats in Congress.

One has to wonder what was Hezbollah’s motivation for agreeing to the cease-fire. Is this cease-fire just a chance for Hezbollah to rearm before they create further mischief, or are they really willing to settle their differences with the Israelis?

And for the Israelis, can they use this as an opportunity to win the peace with their neighbors? It would take some bold moves by the Israeli government in order to do so.

For instance, the Israelis could create a Marshall Plan for Lebanon by taking some of the responsibility for rebuilding the damaged areas. True, it would be expensive. And yes, Hezbollah may have started the war by kidnapping Israeli soldiers, but the civilians on both sides have paid a terrible price for this war. They all have a right to return to their homes, and if their homes were destroyed to have their homes rebuilt.

Israel would gain a lot by creating such a plan. For one, it would show the world that they do care about the problems of others. And it would show the world that they are willing to take responsibility for the results of their actions. That said, what happened is not entirely the fault of the Israelis. Hezbollah and the countries who support them must also bear responsibility for the destruction this war has caused.

Just as when a child who is picked on by others will eventually snap and strike out at those who taunt him, a group that continually launches rockets and mortars across national borders and who launch raids into another country should expect that one day the people they attack will fight back.

While many people may question the wisdom of the manner in which the Israeli government chose to strike back at Hezbollah, few should be surprised that it happened. The magnitude of the Israeli response, at first glance, seems out of proportion with the provocation. But when you consider the constant attacks they suffered, while exercising a certain amount of restraint, perhaps the ferocity of their response should be no surprise at all.

So Hezbollah and their sponsors should also shoulder some of the burden to rebuild the damaged areas — and not just in Lebanon, but in Israel and the Palestinian territories, too. Wherever their rockets, missiles, mortars or attacks caused harm.

Somehow, I doubt that they will do so. But imagine this: Israel helping to rebuild Lebanon, working side by side with the Lebanese and their government to create an environment that was better than before. That would truly go a long way towards mending the rifts between them. Perhaps it would even help them win the peace.