-Caveat Lector-
Many of the problems in the Middle East resulted from "Western" incursion
following WW1. The French had control over Lebanon & Syria; the Brits had
control over most of the rest. Attempts to impose "Western"-style politics
and artificial boundary drawing didn't work out very well. Consequently,
little fiefdoms were set up as kingdoms with kings out of what had been the
Southern part of the Ottoman Empire now controlled by Europeans while
inhabited by Arabic people. Note that between the time of WW1 & WW2, the
Middle East as we know came into being. And, so we came to know Patton &
Montgomery & Rommel as historical figures. Since the end of WW2, most
foreigners were officially no longer in control; "Petro$$$ Politics" came
into vogue to pump oil out of and $$$ into the fief/kingdoms, the latest
chapter of which stars Saddam Hussein. Rogues such as Hussein or Nasser
aren't real popular in the "West"; something about losing control of all
the "Black Gold", "Texas T", oil, that is, something about that just didn't
set right with J Baker #3 (& Red Adair wasn't ready to retire) ...
>From ArabNet:
The British mandate
With Arab help, the British took Palestine from the Ottomans at the end of
World War I in 1917-18. The Arabs willingly helped the British because they
had been promised independence after the war.
Unfortunately, Britain had also made promises to the Jews -- and the two
sets of promises were scarcely compatible. In the Sykes-Picot agreement
made with France and Russia in 1916, Britain had promised to divide the
regions and rule it with its allies. In 1917 in the notorious Balfour
Declaration, Britain promised, in exchange for Jewish help, a Jewish
"national home" in Palestine.
The Balfour Declaration of 2 November 1917 was originally a letter sent
from the British Foreign Secretary, Arthur James Balfour, to Edmond J.
Rothschild, a prominent British Jew and supporter of Zionism. The letter
stated the British government's support for "the establishment in Palestine
of a national home for the Jewish people."
It made a further commitment on the part of the British government to make
"the best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being
clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil
and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or
the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."
With the Balfour Declaration, Britain's aim was to win the support of Jews
for the Allied cause in World War I -- both those Jews in nations at war
and those in neutral nations such as the United States. On 24 July 1922 the
declaration was incorporated into the League of Nations mandate for
Palestine which enumerated the terms under which Britain was given
responsibility for temporary administration of the country on behalf of the
Jews and Arabs living there.
The mandate lasted from 1922-1948, during which time the British found
themselves, because of their contradictory promises, in a most difficult
and untenable situation -- but one primarily of their own making. On one
hand, the Zionists anticipated large numbers of Jews immigrating to
Palestine and even begin to speak of the establishment of a Jewish state.
On the other hand, the Palestinians feared dispossession at the hands of
the Zionists and naturally rejected British promises to deliver their
country into the hands of what were, by virtually any definition,
outsiders.
Anti-Zionist attacks took place in both Jerusalem and Jaffa in 1920 and
1921, and a British policy statement in 1922 denied Zionist claims to all
of Palestine, limited Jewish immigration but nonetheless supported the idea
of a Jewish national home. The British proposed setting up a legislative
council as had been done in many of their other territories, but the
Palestinians, upon learning of how this was to be done, rejected the idea
as discriminatory.
Despite British policy and its back-and-forth nature, first supporting one
side and then the other, Jewish immigration did in fact increase. Indeed,
after the Nazi victory in Germany in 1933, immigration rose sharply and in
1935 over 60,000 Jews came into Palestine. An Arab revolt based on fears of
Jewish domination broke out in 1936 and lasted intermittently until 1939.
By that date, Britain had once again limited Jewish immigration and
purchases of land and by 1940, the struggle for Palestine had abated for
the duration of World War II.
After the war, the struggle resumed and though Britain refused to admit
100,000 Jewish survivors of Nazi death-camps, large numbers gained entry to
Palestine by illegal means. In 1947 Britain declared the mandate unworkable
and passed the problem over to the United Nations.
Here's a short history of Lebanon from ArabNet:
Under the Ottoman Empire
In 1516 when the Ottoman Turks conquered the entire eastern Mediterranean
coast, Lebanon became part of the Ottoman Empire. For three centuries the
Ottomans granted local leaders relative autonomy; two powerful chieftains
emerged, one Druze and one Maronite, but the intervening years were not
without turmoil.
Under Ottoman rule, Lebanon developed economic and religious ties with
Europe. Open to the West, it became a hot bed of political strife between
various foreign nations including France, Russia and Britain. These
powerful countries assumed the protection of certain ethnic- religious
groups, with France supporting the Christian Maronites.
In 1860, at the end of a bloody civil war that culminated in a massacre of
the Maronites by the Druze, Britain and France intervened and pressured the
Turks into establishing a new Christian-dominated administration for
Lebanon which lasted until World War I.
After World War I, Lebanon became a French mandate. During the 1920s the
French redefined Lebanon's borders, combining the largely Muslim-inhabited
coastal plain with the Christian-dominated mountains to create the Republic
of Lebanon. It remained under French mandate until 1943, when Lebanon
became fully independent.
Modern times
For a while after the independence of 1943, independent Lebanon was a model
ecumenical society. Its strategic Middle Eastern location and relatively
stable government made it a major trade and financial centre. But two fatal
flaws marred the country's chance for lasting peace.
The first cause for conflict was the unbalanced power-sharing arrangement.
Control rested with the right-wing Christian part of the population while
the Muslims, who comprised 50% of the population felt excluded from real
government.
A second problem arose as Lebanon was gradually drawn in to the
Arab-Israeli conflict. Although the country did not actively participate
militarily, displaced Palestinian Muslim refugees flooded into the country
and continued their attacks on Israel from Lebanese bases.
In 1958 a Muslim rebellion ended when American marines landed in Beirut,
but in the summer of 1975 all-out civil war broke out between the Muslim
coalition allied with Palestinian groups and the Christian-dominated
militias.
In April 1976, an uneasy cease-fire was forced upon the two sides when
Syrian military forces intervened at the request of the Lebanese president,
Suleiman Franjieh and with the approval of the Arab League of States.
Nevertheless sporadic violence continued, and in 1978 Israel invaded
southern Lebanon in an attempt to eliminate Palestinian bases.
Withdrawing three months later after a United nations peacekeeping force
was sent to the area, they reinvaded in 1982, occupying Beirut and forcing
the PLO to evacuate its head quarters. For seven weeks the Israelis
relentlessly bombed the Muslim half of Beirut by air, sea and land. The USA
arranged for the evacuation of PLO fighters to other Arab Countries, and a
multinational Force of US and West European troops was deployed to Beirut
to protect Palestinian and Muslim civilians.
After the assassination of president-elect Bashir Gemayel, Israeli-backed
Christian militias massacred Palestinian civilians in the Chatila and Sabra
camps in West Beirut. A year later Israeli troops withdrew to southern
Lebanon. No sooner had they left when fighting broke out between Lebanon's
Christian and Druze militias, and terrorist attacks on the multinational
force including the US marine headquarters at Beirut airport resulted in
hundreds of casualties.
After 300 US and French troops were killed on October 23, 1983, the Western
forces pulled out. Factional fighting persisted and Westerners in Beirut
became the targets of radical Shiite Muslims with an allegiance to Iran.
In 1988 a parliamentary power struggle led to the formation of rival
Christian and Muslim governments. In 1989 the Lebanese parliament accepted
an Arab-brokered peace accord for national reconciliation. MPs elected
Maronite Rene Mooed as president who was assassinated 17 days later.
With the help of the Syrians, the Lebanese army took control of Beirut and
by 1992 under pressure from Iran and the US, all the foreign hostages
captured several years earlier were released.
In 1992 Mr Rafik Al Hariri was appointed Prime Minister of Lebanon. Mr
Hariri initiated many projects to redevelop war torn Lebanon, especially
the capital Beirut, and bring it back to its former glory. Mr Hariri and
Lebanese President Elias Hrawi strove to develop the Lebanese economy and
moral despite the presence of the Israeli self styled "security zone" in
South Lebanon.
On November 24th 1998, army Cmdr. Emile Lahoud was sworn in as the 11th
Lebanese President since Lebanon's independence in 1933. On 3rd of December
1998, Mr Salim Hoss became Lebanon's new Prime Minister following Mr
Hariri's sudden resignation. Mr Salim Hoss is no stranger to politics, as
this is the fifth time he holds the position of Prime Minister.
Enter the PLO, courtesy ArabNet:
The PLO
Functioning as a Palestinian government, the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO) was founded in 1964 as a political body representing the
Palestinians in their efforts to reclaim their country from the Israelis.
Originally an umbrella organization of refugee and military groups, it was
ultimately joined by professional, labour and student associations and also
by some individuals.
The purpose of the PLO is to help the Palestinians "to recover their
usurped homes" and to replace Israel with a secular Palestinian state. To
that end, it has been responsible for commando acts both in Israel and in
other countries.
The PLO works through three parts:
1.the Executive Committee, a decision-making body
2.the Central Committee, an advisory body
3.the Palestine National Council which is generally viewed as an assembly
of the Palestinian people
Yasser Arafat has been the head of the PLO since 1968.
In 1974 at an Arab summit in Rabat, Morocco, the PLO was recognized as the
"sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people". Subsequent to
this, Arafat addressed the United Nations where the organization was given
official observer status.
In 1970 the PLO commandos fought a short but bloody war with the Jordanian
army after which they were expelled from that country and settled in
Lebanon. Little by little, they became a state within a state, and thus
contributed to the disintegration of Lebanon after 1975.
The aftermath of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 was to disperse
some 12,000 PLO members to Syria and other Arab countries. Those loyal to
Arafat made their headquarters in Tunis, where an Israeli bombing raid in
1985 severely damaged their headquarters and other buildings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A<>E<>R
The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking
new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved
the absolute rejection of authority. -Thomas Huxley
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Forwarded as information only; no endorsement to be presumed
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material
is distributed without charge or profit to those who have
expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information
for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
----------
: From: Prudence L. Kuhn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
: To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
: Subject: Re: [CTRL] Lebanon: 02-21-99
: Date: Sunday, February 21, 1999 5:18 PM
:
: -Caveat Lector-
:
: In a message dated 2/21/99 1:28:00 AM Eastern Standard Time,
: [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
:
: << Last month, Israeli troops demolished 14 houses in Arnoun after an
Israeli
: soldier was wounded nearby. >>
:
: Yes, it seems that Israeli troops go in and out of Lebanon at will. I
guess
: it's all fine with everybody. I'm interested in the demolishment of
homes
: that the Israeli practice both on Palestinians in Israel and on the
Lebanese.
: Where did this idea come from? It can't come from World War II. This
country
: spent a lot of time rebuilding the countries of the Axis. It's probably
from
: something I missed somewhere. Anybody know? Prudy
:
: DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
: ==========
: CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting
propagandic
: screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid
matters
: and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and
outright
: frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor
effects
: spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL
: gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to
readers;
: be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and
: nazi's need not apply.
:
: Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
: ========================================================================
: Archives Available at:
: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html
:
: http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
: ========================================================================
: To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
:
: To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
:
: Om
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic
screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters
and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright
frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects
spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL
gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers;
be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and
nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
