Jewish Bubba: What Went On Before Christians' of Lebanon's Major Saad Haddad And Their Friend, Israel

Saturday, October 5, 2024

What Went On Before Christians' of Lebanon's Major Saad Haddad And Their Friend, Israel

Nadene Goldfoot

Arafat, leader of PLO in Cuba getting aid against Israel

Fatah, started by Arafat, assisted the Lebanese National Movement during the Lebanese Civil War and continued its attacks on Israel, resulting in the organization becoming a major target of Israeli invasions during the 1978 South Lebanon conflict and 1982 Lebanon War.

And fighting Arafat when Hillary Clinton feels he's okay enough for her to back the Palestinian Statehood ! Possibly this picture-U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton, her daughter Chelsea on arrival at a Palestinian institute Dec 14.

visit to the Palestinian controlled area has been lauded by Palestinian leaders as a boost to their quest for statehood.], 1998-12-14. "The PLO’s legislature, the Palestine National Council (PNC), was composed of members from the civilian population of various Palestinian communities, and its charter (the Palestine National Charter, or Covenant) set out the goals of the organization, which included the complete elimination of Israeli sovereignty in Palestine and the destruction of the State of Israel." Somehow, such a neighbor would have no endorsement from me! They intended to wipe out Israel and its people !

During the 1970s, there was a cyclical pattern of guerrilla attacks carried out by Palestinian militants on Israel(PLO) and by the Israel Defense Forces on Palestinian targets in Lebanon. Around 1975, Israel sponsored the creation of a surrogate force, and Lebanese Christian (Melkite) Major Saad Haddad was the first officer to defect from the Lebanese Army to ally himself with Israel,

"Saad Haddad 1936 – 14 January 1984) was a Lebanese military officer who was the founder and head of the South Lebanon Army (SLA) during the Lebanese Civil War" starting in 1982. Haddad was born to a Greek Catholic family in Marjayoun. He received part of his training at Fort Benning in the United States. Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. In 1922 Camp Benning became Fort Benning.

Originally a Major in the Lebanese Army, he defected and formed the SLA and created the separatist State of Free Lebanon backed by Israel.

For years Haddad closely collaborated with and received arms and political support from Israel against Lebanese government forces, Hezbollah, and the Syrian Army. Haddad died of cancer in his house in Marjayoun 2 years later. Israel took care of his family. On 7 June 2012, Lebanese daily newspaper As Safir reported on the progress of Saad Haddad's daughter Arza (meaning "Cedar Tree" in Arabic) (born 1980 or 1981) as a researcher in ballistics and rocket science at the Technion University in Haifa. She obtained a master's degree in aeronautics in June 2012.

Before 1970, Lebanon's government was structured to share power between Christians and Muslims through a power-sharing arrangement called the National Pact:

President: A Maronite Christian (Catholic)
Prime Minister: A Sunni Muslim
President of the National Assembly: A Shi'a Muslim

WWI ended in 1918 and WWII ended in 1945 when the Allies then held a Mandate since November 11, 1920; a 30 year rights to rule a section of land of the Ottoman Empire), part of the Axis holdings. Lebanon was in the hands of France. while Israel was in the hands of Britain.

The National Pact was established in 1943, after Lebanon gained independence from France and the Maronites assumed power. The pact was based on a 1932 census and allocated political power based on religious sect. The pact also required that public offices be distributed among recognized religious groups.

The Maronites are a Syriac Christian group who are a significant part of Lebanon's population and culture. Here's some information about the Maronites in Lebanon:

Location: The Maronites are concentrated in Mount Lebanon and East Beirut.
Population: The Maronites today make up around 21% of Lebanon's population.
Another reference said, "They are believed to constitute about 30% of the total population of Lebanon. So they are losing much of their population.
Language: The Maronites originally spoke Aramaic, but today speak Arabic and use Syriac as a liturgical language.
Church: The Maronites belong to the Maronite Church, which is one of the largest Eastern ritechurches and is in communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
History: The Maronites played a central role in the creation of Greater Lebanon in 1920. They also played a role in the establishment of the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, an autonomous entity within the Ottoman Empire.

Economic impact: The Maronites benefited disproportionately from the economic growth that Lebanon experienced in the 1940s and 1950s. Why?

After a series of massacres between the Druze, supported by the British, and the Maronites, supported by the French, the Ottomans created, in 1864, yet another governmental apparatus, one that was essentially the basis for the present state of Lebanon. This was the governate of Lebanon, based on a system of sectarian representation with an appointed Maronite governor. The political and economic dominance of the Maronite community, institutionalized at that time, continued until tested and broken in the 1975 civil war in Lebanon.

The Lebanese Civil War, which lasted from 1975 to 1990, had many outcomes, including:

Partition of Lebanon
The war led to Lebanon being divided, with Christians in the north and Muslims in the south.
Confessional system
The war established a confessional system in Lebanon, with the Maronites in the most powerful positions, followed by Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims, and Druze.
Occupation by Syria and Israel
Syria occupied Lebanon until 2005, and Israel occupied southern Lebanon until 2000.
Creation of Hezbollah
The Shiʿi militia Hezbollah was formed to confront Israel. Hezbollah later became a political party and social welfare network.
Expulsion of PLO
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was expelled from Lebanon after the Israeli invasion in 1982.
Deterioration of the state
The war led to the deterioration of the Lebanese state.
Rise of militias
Militias formed to provide security where the state could not, often along communal lines.
Fatalities and displacement
The war resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and almost one million people left Lebanon.
Rebuilding of Lebanon
A small group of businessmen, including Rafic al-Hariri, rebuilt Lebanon.