Lebanese leader: No peace with Israel

With leaders in Israel celebrating Syria's reported withdrawal of troops from Lebanon last month, hoping for future relations with the neighboring country, Lebanese opposition leader Walid Jumblatt told WND in an exclusive interview yesterday there will be no peace with the Jewish state anytime soon.

Walid Jumblatt

"I'm not in favor of peace with Israel as long as the Palestinian problem is not settled and as long as the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights is not returned back to Syria," said Jumblatt, the Druze leader who commands a large following and was responsible for many of the mass anti-Damascus demonstrations in March that urged for the removal of Syrian forces from Lebanon.

Syria withdrew the last of its troops April 26, ending nearly 30 years of direct military occupation and fueling hopes here that a new era of cooperation between Israel and Lebanon could begin.

"This is an historic process," Maj. Gen. Yisrael Ziv, the Israel Defense Forces' outgoing chief of operations, said in response to the Syrian withdrawal, adding events could eventually lead to a regional peace.

Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said, "The whole world is crossing its fingers. After the Syrian occupation of Lebanon comes to an end, we hope to see the Hezbollah occupation end as well, and that we will see a free and democratic Lebanon living in peace and prosperity next to us."

Jumblatt told WND in spite of U.N. resolutions demanding the dismantlement of all Lebanese militia groups, he will not immediately call for the disarming of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia backed by Syria and Iran that Israel has blamed for recent terror attacks.

"Maybe later we can incorporate Hezbollah's weapons inside the Lebanese army. For now, though, we are focused on the political process," said Jumblatt. "If you are to speak about disarming Hezbollah in the future, it must be through dialogue, not force."

Hezbollah recently vowed it would not give up its weapons, and said it would continue "resistance" against Israel.

"[Hezbollah] will not disarm," the party's political bureau spokesman, Ghaleb Abu Zeinab, said last month. "Hezbollah's arms are here to protect Lebanon from any Israeli attack and create a balance of terror in the face of Israel."

Senior Lebanese political sources told WND Jumblatt recently pledged to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nesrallah full support for the continued arming of Hezbollah in exchange for the group's backing of Jumblatt's party in the upcoming Lebanese elections. Jumblatt declined to comment on the subject.

The political dynamics in Lebanon are such that the Parliament is almost evenly split between the pro-Syrian camp and the opposition, with Syria-backed Hezbollah holding the deciding votes. If the Lebanese militia group backs the opposition, it would likely tilt governing power in the opposition's direction.

Parliamentary elections currently are scheduled to be held May 29. The opposition hopes to win a majority of seats in the assembly.

But Jumblatt said as long as pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud remains in office, May's elections will not free Lebanon of Damascus' grip.

"How can we move forward toward independence as long as we have the same president controlling us for the old regime? Lahoud must go," Jumblatt said.

Opposition leaders have accused Lahoud of attempting to stall the Lebanese political process. He was blamed for facilitating the resignation, twice in two months, of Prime Minister-designate Omar Karami, nearly deepening the worst political crisis in Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Former Lebanese Prime Minister Michel Aoun, seen by many in Lebanon as a symbol of resistance against Syria, returned to Beirut Saturday and has been jockeying for Lahoud's position. Aoun was exiled to France in 1991 after he led an unsuccessful military coup to force Syria out of Lebanon.

Aoun blasted Jumblatt's call for the continued arming of Hezbollah.

"Hezbollah needs to be disarmed. Period. We don't need any more resistance groups in Lebanon. Israelis are not occupying anymore. Syria removed its troops. It's time now to start building a country," Aoun told WND.

Jumblatt's reluctance to formalize relations with Israel has disappointed some here.

Reuven Erlich, director of Israel's Center for Special Studies, a think tank associated with Israeli intelligence, told WND: "If you look at recent history, Syria always succeeds in preventing any peace agreement or arrangement between Israel and Lebanon. Even now, with Syria still continuing its destructive influence in Lebanon, including the continued leadership of pro-Syrian politicians, no Lebanese leader dares to do anything unless Syria gives the green light."

Druze Israeli Knesset member Ayoob Kara told WorldNetDaily: "Jumblatt's linking peace to first settling the Palestinian problem or dealing with the Golan is a nonstarter. Maybe he says all these things because he is still afraid of Syrian power. Also, people in Lebanon are concerned about the Palestinians, so it's just a popular thing to say. If Lebanon continues to move toward independence and if there is a true coalition between the different populations in Lebanon, there is no reason at all for Israel and Lebanon not to be at peace."

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Lebanese fear continued Syrian dominance

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