The head of the American Action Group for Lebanon criticizes the “collective punishment” of the Palestinians
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, the head of the American Task Force for Lebanon, Edward Gabriel, criticized what he called the “doctrine of massive military punishment” that Israel imposes on the Palestinians, asking how many civilians should be killed before reaching the leaders of “Hamas.” He called for “conditioning” American aid so as not to continue killing innocent people. Revealing that extensive meetings were held recently with senior officials in President Joe Biden’s administration, including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in addition to lawmakers in Congress, he expressed “deep concern” about the possibility of the escalation expanding the longer the war lasts, warning of “increasing chances of committing crimes.” Mistakes” across the Lebanese-Israeli border.
Gabriel, a businessman of Lebanese origins who worked in previous American administrations as an ambassador and currently leads the support group, which is the largest Arab lobby in America, believed that “the time has come” and that it is “mature” to elect a president for Lebanon “now,” relying on a leadership role played by the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia in order to “reverse these terrible events” in the region, and to cooperate with the United States within the quintet, which also includes France, Egypt and Qatar, with the aim of “reaching a consensus” that allows moving forward to solve the presidential problem in Lebanon, but also so that Israel understands that “it has “There is a very great interest in what Saudi Arabia does” regarding the next day after the war in Gaza, and it believes that “there is a way forward to protect its interests, but what is most important is the establishment of a just and fair Palestinian state for the Palestinian people.”
Emphasizing that the worst economic disaster that Lebanon has witnessed since the mid-nineteenth century “is caused by an internal cause,” represented by “corruption and illegally armed militias, that is, Hezbollah,” he stressed that the way out of this crisis “needs a strategy that cannot be avoided.” “It passes through Iran, and it cannot pass through Israel.”
Here is the text of the dialogue:
*Everyone is watching the horrific news coming from Gaza and Israel. This affects Lebanon in many ways. But my question is: How do you explain the United States’ position regarding this conflict, including the possibility of its spillover into Lebanon?
– I think this is a very divisive issue in the United States. It caused a lot of pain and suffering among everyone. I can’t imagine those who lost loved ones. It is very difficult, especially for the Palestinian-American community. So, let me try to put this in a political context. You know, the big hug that Biden gave when he arrived in Israel seems understandable when you think about the hundreds of innocent people who were killed instantly. I believe this is an immediate reaction, no different from our reaction after September 11, 2001. But the massive and disproportionate response that occurred after that of killing Palestinians, including children and women, was met with a slow response from the administration. I honestly think this surprised the international community. They had to work hard and immediately to demand an end to the violence. I think they have made a great effort recently to try to stop the violence, and then they went so far as to just get a truce, which a lot of people don’t think is good enough. But for now, and given the doctrine of massive military punishment imposed by Israel, this is what America has been able to do so far. They (the administration) should consider conditioning future aid (to Israel) not to kill West Bank residents, and also ensure that innocent lives are not continually killed.
Attack against Lebanon?
* Yes, Mr. Ambassador, also because Lebanon may be severely affected. If you hope that there will not be a second Nakba, the entire region, including Lebanon, could face a big problem if it does. Are you concerned about the possibility of a second Nakba?
– I am very concerned because the longer this war lasts, the greater the chance of escalation. I think Iran has finally made it clear that it wants to see an end to the violence and negotiations regarding the hostages and prisoners. I heard the speech of (Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan) Nasrallah, who did not essentially call for escalation and, in practice, distanced Lebanon and himself from Hamas’ efforts. Also, the United States is very clear with Israel. We understood that (Israeli Defense Minister Yoav) Gallant initially wanted to preemptively attack Lebanon. And I think President (Joe) Biden and (Secretary of State) Antony Blinken worked hard to stop that. Now I believe our diplomacy is working. However, the United States must protect its assets as well. It has (war) ships off the shores of Israel and Lebanon. Currently, its work is limited only to bombing sites that affect American assets or American citizens. If it remains at this point, and the matter does not escalate between Israel and Hezbollah, I hope that diplomacy will succeed. But the longer it takes, the greater the chances of making mistakes.
Acting US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and Chairman of the US Working Group for Lebanon Edward Gabriel mediate among the members of the group (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Blinken, Noland, et al
* You had an effective role in giving Lebanon a protective cover, not only from what is happening now, but also in the past. Can you shed some light on what you’re doing here in the United States? I saw at some point that you met with Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and perhaps others behind the scenes. Can you tell us about what you do?
– certainly. In the past two weeks, we have held dozens of meetings. We met with more than 20 members of Congress and their staffs. We met with Secretary Anthony Blinken and Acting Deputy Secretary Nuland, and held three meetings at the White House and another at the State Department. We made a very strong effort. We are basically calling for three things: First, there must be a truce, a cessation of violence as soon as possible in order to prevent further escalation. In this sense, we feel strongly that at this point Israel’s military punitive doctrine is too harsh. How many Hamas leaders are there? Versus how many people must be killed before reaching Hamas leaders? At some point, this has to stop. Second, sometimes in the worst times, the time is ripe to elect a Lebanese president. World leaders need someone on the other end of the phone other than the caretaker to talk to about neutrality, about supporting the country, and making sure the Lebanese Armed Forces is doing its job. In order for there to be the right kind of message directed to Hezbollah, a president is needed at this stage. Now the conditions may be ripe. We call on the quintet, made up of the United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt, to meet now, and to go to Lebanon now. it is time. All parties are willing to put aside their personal candidates and seek a compromise, but they need leadership. The only party that can move the quintet is the United States, which must push and pull to do so, although I believe that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are great leaders in this effort. Finally, the United States must play a leadership role. You know, Thomas Friedman said: You may not care about the Middle East, but it sure cares about you. We have to face the fact that we need a strategy for the Middle East, a strategy for Lebanon that cannot go through Iran, and cannot go through Israel. It must be a strategy for Lebanon, part of a comprehensive strategy for the Middle East that includes our friends in the Gulf, and how we can work together to solve these problems. Those are the three big messages.
Saudi Arabia is key
*Thank you for pointing that out. I want to ask specifically about the potential role of Saudi Arabia to first help maintain Lebanon’s stability and also help it get out of this dark tunnel that it’s been in now for a while, which has now become very dangerous because of the escalation across the Blue Line. what are you doing?
– Yes, thank you for this question. I believe that Saudi Arabia could be one of the most important countries right now, to reverse these terrible events. I see two things that are important for Saudi Arabia right now. First, within the quintet, a consensus must be reached with Qatar, the United States, and other countries that will allow moving forward to resolve the presidential problem. They are key to that. What they say will greatly affect how other countries move. Naturally, the United States must work closely with Saudi Arabia to achieve this. Secondly, I think when you think about the need for the next day (after the war), you know, one of the things – we say to the administration – is that every time you talk about war, you have to include the self-determination rights of the Palestinian people. In this regard, I think that Israel has a very great interest in what Saudi Arabia does the next day. In this sense, Saudi Arabia has a great deal of ability to work with the United States, other Gulf states, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern and European countries, but really with American and Saudi leadership, for Israel to see that there is a way forward to protect its interests, but more importantly, to establish a just Palestinian state. And fair to the Palestinian people.
Neither Iran nor Israel
* Thank you, Ambassador. You mentioned some of the growing challenges facing Lebanon. There are other aspects: the financial and economic crisis and what I would call the crisis of the rule of law in Lebanon. There is no rule of law so we see militias and other groups acting without any care. To be honest, there is no state in Lebanon, and I ask: How can the Lebanese American community help on all these fronts?
– Well, it helps, you see, speaking with one big voice, not just the Lebanese American community, but the Lebanon Action Group also worked very closely with the think tank community in Washington to do one thoughtful process, one thoughtful policy moving forward. I think we are all united, the Arab American community, the Lebanese American community, and these experts on Lebanese affairs. In this sense, I think it is important to clarify some points: First – and you are right – this is the worst economic disaster since the mid-nineteenth century and its cause is internal, not because of external forces, nor because of a global recession. It is caused by corruption and illegally armed militias, namely Hezbollah. These are the two big issues that need to be dealt with. There is an IMF reform proposal before them, and we are working with all parties to reach consensus on it. We are working with the parties to reach consensus on the president. We deal with issues related to education, health and even the refugee problem. So we are united and trying to be useful. But in the end, it’s all about electing a president now. To do that, we will really need Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the Pentagon to come together with the Lebanese-American community that is pushing hard for this effort.
America’s secret weapon
* Everyone in the world thought that this was not only a beautiful country, but a very diverse country. There is coexistence. It used to be described as the Switzerland of the East, but now when you talk to people they say: Oh, this country doesn’t have a president, its parliament doesn’t work, its government is very weak. What is the benefit of Lebanon now? Why should we support Lebanon so much if the Lebanese themselves are not helping themselves and their country?
– Well, America has a very secret weapon when it comes to the Lebanese file, or Lebanese Americans: There are many very successful Americans, who are of Lebanese origin, and are very qualified and able to work to ensure that Lebanon remains a priority for the US Congress and for the United States. Second, remember that Lebanon is the most important pluralistic country in the Middle East. Moreover, there is a great educational system that preaches democracy, human rights, and Western thought. In this sense, Lebanon, through its university system, both primary and secondary, is a valuable tool to help train and educate leaders throughout the region. Many of them went to the American University of Beirut, for example. As I said, it is a country built on the rule of law, and its people are very educated. Despite the brain drain at the moment, and this situation is difficult, (Lebanon) has every reason, due to the diaspora around the world, and the educated Lebanese within the country, to control the situation. Remember that this is a slow process. Last year, parliamentary elections were held, and they defeated the majority in Hezbollah. Very slowly, but it’s definitely happening. It will take a concerted effort. From friends of Lebanon such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United States, France and others, in addition to this very strong Lebanese diaspora in the United States and around the world.
The Lebanese are not alone
*This is a very hopeful statement. The last thing is whether you have any direct message to the Lebanese at this critical moment…
– The Lebanese people should know that they are not alone. There are a large number of people who care about them. Lebanese Americans and the Lebanese diaspora around the world are working day and night to help them, directly with aid, and indirectly by ensuring that the international community focuses on solutions for Lebanon. You saw one of President Joe Biden’s most important envoys, White House Energy Advisor Amos Hochstein, who just passed by. You heard Antony Blinken talk about Lebanon very directly. We continue our meetings at the highest levels. Therefore, there is great interest in making Lebanon a priority. We hope that the maritime agreement (with Israel) is just the beginning of small tactical matters that can build confidence, and move on the land borders after that. Of course, these things get buried when there is a larger issue related to war. So let’s focus on that now, and make sure that the voice of the Lebanese people is well heard in capitals around the world. This is major work. The Lebanese people should know that they are not alone.
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2023-11-14 18:28:37
