Who is behind the entities that have taken to blowing their own horns? The platforms that are supposed to promote unity and tolerance have turned into caves for marketing hatred and division in these terrible circumstances. Just as there is an Islamic Tora Bora, there is a Christian Tora Bora!
O esteemed Niccolò Machiavelli, our governors, like diligent students of yours, have even put the devil in a predicament. Here he stands astonished at the communications that occurred among temporal and non-temporal entities to turn the kidnapping of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Rifai (which was clearly intended for murder) into a sectarian strife that leaves nothing in its wake. There is talk out of the spotlight about protests, roadblocks, and assaults, even if that requires confrontation with military and security forces. All of this was orchestrated to shine a light on the fragility of the sectarian situation (especially the denominational one) and its susceptibility to explosion… Who, apart from the incident, is behind the entities that have made a profession of blowing their own horns? The platforms that are supposed to promote unity and tolerance have turned into caves for marketing hatred and division. Just as there is an Islamic Tora Bora, there is a Christian Tora Bora!
There is no information about direct external involvement in promoting this atmosphere. However, there are players (in the corridors of hell) betting on transferring the Syrian scenario to Lebanon, without realizing that the region is currently, amid international chaos, on ice, as long as oil plays a pivotal role in the game of empires. This is the American directive: do not descend into the trenches. Naturally, this directive applies to Lebanon, where Washington understands that a spark here means an explosion in the region. We highly praise the Information Branch that managed to uncover the perpetrators. There are no political or intelligence backgrounds to the crime. But have we reached a point where one sheikh kills another close to him for the sake of revenge?
Meanwhile, some politicians, whose circumstances have made them shallow and lacking in vision, amuse themselves by spreading rumors that revive the equation "Suleiman Frangieh for the palace and Nawaf Salam for the Serail," an equation that started as a tactical test but was discarded from the early days.
Information indicates that the Saudis are not concerned about who becomes president or who becomes prime minister. Returning to Lebanon does not only await the resolution of the Yemeni problem by cementing the kingdom's geostrategic interests at Bab al-Mandab. While this matter is significant and sensitive, considering that the border between the two countries, with its vast historical overlaps, spans 1,458 kilometers, a close Saudi colleague of the court confirms that Prince Mohammed bin Salman is not willing to strike any deal with the Ayatollahs regarding any Arab country in a manner that cements their presence in this country.
It was also conveyed, "We do not deny that the great powers have put us all in a closed loop. But the Iranians have thrown a fictional condition at us, as Gulf countries, to withdraw American forces. We have told them more than once that America is not the principality of Monaco. We wonder how they call for the American withdrawal while boasting about controlling four Arab countries."
From the Saudi perspective, "It is natural for geopolitical visions between countries to clash or contradict. But we ask the Iranians, after nearly half a century of ideological mobilization and military mobilization against America, have they managed to budge it an iota? On the contrary, Tehran's policies have forced them to intensify and activate their presence."
As for the Saudi solution, "it is what we are doing now. Openness, including strategic openness, to both Russia and China, which limits the American influence that has accumulated over nearly a century and has become more sensitive with the emergence of oil as a fundamental factor in the struggle over how to manage the world."
In addition, the Saudis do not expect an imminent breakthrough in relations with Iran. The gulf is wide. The Iraqi efforts are closer to "emotional wishes." There are no practical proposals.
This is what the Lebanese, as victims of all these conflicts, should take into consideration. There is no choice but to draw the curtain on the celebration of political and sectarian madness. Everyone has washed their hands of our crisis, which it is time for us to resolve with our own hands instead of fueling the fire. Please, do not accuse the devil. He is innocent of the blood of that friend called… Lebanon!
