The Rulers of Lebanon and How They Got On Their Seat Of Power Fighting Israel

 Nadene Goldfoot                    Biblical Days

           Jezebel (d: 843 BCE) she was able to influence her husband, King Ahab of Israel into anything.  

.  There was a time when they were friends: The king Hiram of Tyre sent artisans and cedar wood to King Solomon of Israel to help build the Temple.  The 2 kings jointly exploited the commerce between Elath and Ophir via the Red Sea.  

The Tyrian princess Jezebel, daughter of the king of Sidon,  married King Ahab, son of King Omri of Israel,  who ruled from 876- 853 BCE and introduced Baal worship to the Israelites, and the religious and cultural influence of Tyre penetrated to Israel and even to Judah. The Jewish population in Lebanon was ancient.  There have been Jews living today in Beirut.  There had been Jewish communities in Tripoli, Tyre, and Sidon.  They were engaged in commerce;  trading.

     Alexander the Great in red and white in the Temple in Jerusalem 

 By Assyrian and Babylonian history, Tyre was denounced by Ezekiel (Ch. 27), and suffered a series of Sieges and in 332 BCE, was captured by Alexander the Great.                            

                                   Modern Days

The situation today is impossible.  Lebanon has no power over their country at all.  Hezbollah rules.. It hasn't always been like this.

Lebanon rules by 1. The High-Level Power Sharing ("The Troika")

By unwritten convention (originating from the 1943 National Pact), the three highest offices in the nation are strictly divided among the largest communities: 

• President: Always a Maronite Christian.
• Prime Minister: Always a Sunni Muslim.
• Speaker of Parliament: Always a Shia Muslim.

From 1947-1949, Israel's War of Independence, Lebanese forces invaded Israel along with their peers.  In 1944, the middle of WWII, there was the population of 6,261 Jews in Lebanon.  After 1948 this number grew by Jews entering from Syria, and the population by 1964 was from 5,000 to 7,000l.  After 67's Six Day War, the number lessened,                       

Hezbollah

Most of the 1,000 remaining Jews by 1975  left during the Civil War and by 1990 less than 100 remained.  Hezbollah was formed in 1982 by Lebanese Shiite clerics, heavily backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.  Israel invaded Lebanon in June 1982 (often referred to as the 1982 Lebanon War - Wikipedia or Operation Peace for Galilee) to stop cross-border attacks, destroy the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in the region, and install a pro-Israel government in Lebanon. 

                    Bachir Gemayel -"General" Gemayel allied with Israel and his forces fought the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Syrian Army.

Two men served as President of Lebanon in 1982: Élias Sarkis and Amine Gemayel. A third president-elect, Bachir Gemayel, was assassinated before taking office.  He was elected president on 23 August 1982, but was assassinated before taking office on 14 September, via a bomb explosion by Habib Shartouni, a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.

 Championing the Shiite population—historically marginalized by the country's ruling Christian and Sunni elite—Hezbollah established itself as a premier resistance force fighting to expel Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, which Israel ultimately withdrew from in 2000. Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in May 2000 primarily because the 18-year occupation had become a severe military and political burden. The prolonged presence in the self-declared "security zone" proved unsustainable due to escalating guerrilla warfare from Hezbollah, mounting Israeli casualties, and a growing domestic protest movement demanding troops be brought home,

The Lebanese Parliament: Confessional Seats: or how they decide things, how they vote.   

The Lebanese Parliament is a unicameral body consisting of 128 directly elected Deputies. In accordance with the Constitution, all parliamentary seats are divided equally between Christians and Muslims.  

The seats are further sub-divided into eleven confessional branches (four within Islam and seven within Christianity). The distribution of the 128 seats among the eleven confessions listed here is formalized under the 2008 Election Law.

The single seat for Christian Minorities is intended to provide parliamentary representation for six recognized confessional groups. Lebanese citizens of any other religion, including two that are formally recognized by the State, are unable to be elected to Parliament.

Today:  The President of Lebanon is Joseph Aoun, Christian.  Again and yet again, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire that went into effect at 4:00 p.m. local time today. However, the situation dramatically flared overnight when an intense exchange of fire broke out just as diplomats were attempting to announce the fresh truce.Impact: The fierce exchange of fire overnight and into today resulted in the deaths of at least 18 civilians and four Israeli soldiers.   For the most recent flare-up between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli officials stated they launched strikes in southern Lebanon in response to Hezbollah killing four Israeli soldiers in an attack on a tank.

 Diplomatic Fallout: Conflict Flared: The situation repeated itself as Israeli forces unleashed lethal salvos just as a ceasefire was being finalized, a recurring pattern in the conflict.  Let it be known that Hezbollah strikes first and then Israel follows up to beat the heck out of them;  teach them a lesson of STOP FIRING !!!!!

The sudden flare-up prompted Iran to suspend planned peace and de-escalation talks with the United States in Switzerland. [What a way for Iran to get out of it!].  Massive Missile Arsenal: Hezbollah possesses a vast, highly precise arsenal of tens of thousands of rockets capable of striking deep into Israeli population centers, critical infrastructure, and military bases within minutes. An initial strike would trigger this retaliation, resulting in significant civilian casualties and infrastructural damage.  Israel is on top of this.  They know of this danger. 

I can just see Iran laughing like crazy, having Israel by their bootstraps, caught if they attack Hezbollah and caught if they don't attack and defend themselves.   I believe Netanyahu just gave the order to not attack defensively for the present.  ???

Although Israel agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, both sides have continued to report strikes and violations across the region, with Israeli officials warning that they will independently resume military action if they deem the truce conditions broken

Rachel, Laban's Daughter, Did "Call The Midwife"

 Nadene Goldfoot                                           

Looking back, I'm reminded of Rachel, daughter of Laban, sister of Leah, born in Aram,  wife of Jacob. She lived over 4,000 years ago. Laban was family, brother of Rebekah, wife of Isaac, father of Jacob.

That's how it was in those days.  Very few people were in Rachel's purview.  Most all were relatives.  

The birth of Benjamin and the death of Rachel. Oil painting by D. Chiesura after G.B. Cignaroli.

  She would have had a very natural birth with Joseph and Benjamin, but she would have needed midwives.  She died giving birth to her 2nd child, Benjamin.  What happened?  Hebrew mothers were said to be strong.  

I've been binging on England's "Call the Midwife."  I love that series, love the soothing music declaring its beginning.  I've seen so many babies born on this TV program that I've seen it all.  Next step is to actually be involved in a birth.  We're all so lucky to be here.  There's so many things that can go wrong in a birth.  

Being American, I went to the hospital in 1953 and 54 for my children's birth and didn't go through any such natural birthings.  I don't remember such pain and screaming of natural childbirth in my hospital experience. Yet it was natural enough for me. 

     Jacob tending Laban's sheep 

Rachel was the love of Jacob's life.  She's why Jacob stayed with her father and worked for 7 years, then working another 7 more years to be able to marry her.  She was the young beauty that won Jacob's heart.  Her sister, Leah, was known to have bad eyes.  Rachel must have been very young, maybe 13 to 15  when Jacob first noticed her among the children of Laban and Adinahand as he waited 7years and then thought it was she behind the veil and it turned out to be Leah. Local custom was that the oldest daughter is to marry first. He had to wait another 7 years to marry Rachel.                                       

They married 7 years after Leah and Jacob's wedding  and Rachel became pregnant with Joseph.  Joseph was Jacob's much loved 11th son, the youngest, but the 1st for Rachel, and so he made Joseph a very special multi-colored robe.  He treated him as a special son, so much so that Joseph's older brothers became so jealous that they sold him at the first opportunity to a passing camel caravan traveling to Egypt.  Jacob was told by his son that he had perished.  Jacob was insoluble.  The history of Joseph is thought to have been dated during the Hyksos domination of Egypt from the 18th to 16th century BCE.  Joseph did so well in Egypt that the pharaoh gave him grazing land in Goshen, which brought Jacob and his family to be in Egypt to live there and multiply, scaring the pharaoh eventually with their numbers.   Evidently the midwives were excellent.  But then, with the pharaoh worrying about how many Israelites were in Goshen, the midwives were asked to do something against their position of midwife.  

We do have the report of midwives lying to the pharaoh who told them to kill the new-born sons of the slaves.   Pharaoh enslaves the Israelites, b) Exodus 1:15-21, Pharaoh commands midwives to kill Hebrew boys at birth, and c) Exodus 1:22-2:10, Pharaoh commands all Egyptians to throw Hebrew boys into the Nile River. Pharaoh sees no threat from Israelite females, yet it is females (the midwives) who are the very ones who begin Pharaoh’s undoing. The midwives’ vocation is to preserve and protect life. Pharaoh demands that they deny their vocation and kill. In the Bible’s first act of civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance for the sake of justice, the midwives refuse to obey Pharaoh’s deathly command. They lie to the authorities, breaking the law for the sake of justice and life. They explain to Pharaoh with their fingers crossed and a wink in their eye, the Hebrew women just give birth too quickly before we can get there!                                        

In his attempt to curb the growth of the Hebrew population, Pharaoh commands the midwives, namely Puah and Shiphrah, to kill at birth every boy, but to let the girls live. When the midwives are called to account for their failure to carry out the royal edict, they explain that the Hebrew women are “vigorous” (from the word hayyot; Exod 1:19). This term is related to the word for “animal” and may suggest that Hebrew women gave birth with ease.  

The midwives succeed in saving the lives of both Hebrew boys and girls. In the process, they protect the birth of one special child named Moses, the eventual leader of Israel who would overthrow Pharaoh and lead Israel to freedom.

Jacob had his 12th son, Benjamin,  by Rachel, but she died in childbirth. Accordingly, it had to be a hard situation, like some I've seen with the Midwives.  It would have taken a long time before the child came, and she must have lost a lot of blood.  Was it a breach birth when the baby comes out feet first?  That's hard to deliver and why experts are needed. 

Benjamin was lucky to have been born alive.  The midwives had to really work at it with his birth.  They could not save Rachel, however.  Not much improvement had happened in such cases by the 1940s and 1950s in England for breach births.  They did introduce a little gas with a mask over the mother's face, finally.  

Having midwives in England is as close as one can be with Rachel's birthing and her 3 midwives.  She was in her own home and bed with caring women.  After all, the biblical midwives took turns being midwife or mother.  Next time, it could be one of them going through such a disastrous birthing.  With each of their birthings, they learned.                      

Leah was made for giving birth.  She gave Jacob 6 sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun, and a daughter, Dinah. Rachel gave him 2 sons, Joseph and Benjamin, Bilhah gave him Dan and Naphtali.  Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, gave him Gad and Asher.  That adds up to the 12 sons who became the origin of the 12 Tribes of Jacob.  

She lived  at Haran in Aram-Naharaim.   Who were her midwives?  Possibly Leah and the handmaids of both sisters; Zilpah and Bilhah were the midwives.  This took place near Bethlehem. Up to then, the women were most likely skilled in normal-type births.  The women would have raised Benjamin.  Bilhah was Rachel's handmaid.  She became the mother by Jacob of Dan and Naphtali.  It was when Rachel thought she was barren after Joseph's birth that she had given Bilhah to Jacob to conceive more children.   

As Joseph played an important part in the history of the Israelites, so did Benjamin.  From him came the tribe of Benjamin.  His tribe occupied territory between Ephraim and Judah which included Jerusalem.  On one occasion, it was almost exterminated in a war with the other tribes as told in (Judg. 19-21).  Saul, the 1st king of Israel, was a Benjamite.  The territory was a bone of contention between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah after the division of the kingdom when Solomon died in 920 BCE,  and eventually, was partitioned between the two. 

In most societies, mothers nurse their babies for the first 2 years.  Who nursed Benjamin?  Hopefully, one of the midwives were still lactating and could nurse him, but otherwise, they may have turned to goats milk.  They didn't have baby bottles made of glass, either.  They would have had to use some sort of sheepskin devise like they have to hold wine, perhaps.  

Rachel gave her life in order to bring about Benjamin's birth.  Being pregnant was no guarantee of living afterward.  The women all took their chances in wanting to be mothers, more so than they do today.  Also, it was the day and age of children being the most important possession a man could have.  They had great value, socially and economically for both parents.   

                        A birthstool can be used even today..

1st midwife- Shiphrah:  2nd midwife- Puah:  Exod. 1:15)  Pharaoh said that when you deliver the Hebrew women and you see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you are to kill him"...instead they caused the boys to live.  

Perhaps it was Puah and Shiphrah who created the Jewish saying of L'Chaim!  To Life!  Puah is also identified by the rabbis with Mirium.  

Resource:

edited 3/2/2023 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_the_Midwife

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-21/commentary-on-exodus-18-22-21-10-3