LEBANON Map Geography People Economy Military Lib of Congr Country Study

Islamic terrorists harbor: The second-largest party in Lebanon. Hizballah -- along with its backers in Tehran and Damascus -- were second only to al-Qaida in their global terror operations. Hizballah is part of the Lebanese government. Lebanese military forces actively collaborated with Hizbullah units by identifying Israeli targets for Hizbullah rocket and missile units, transferring intelligence about IDF troop movements, and paying pensions to the families of killed Hizbullah fighters. Hizballah is not only a terrorist organization, it is like an Iranian state within Lebanon.
Hisballah terrorists murdered hundreds of Americans, French and Argentinians. Hisballah terrorists attacked Israeli cities with thousands of rockets in 2006.

Islamic terrorists shooting at Israeli civilians use Arab civilians as human shields
Arab Palestinian terrorist militias occupy enclaves Lebanon and support Islamist Hizballah
Lebanese security forces are not allowed to enter the Arab Palestinian camps in Lebanon

Southern Lebanon ruled for years by the terrorist Palestinian militias until evicted in 1982 by Israel
100,000 dead and 100,000 maimed in civil war from 1975-1990
Civil war in 2008
Occupied by Arab Syria from 1976 - 2005 | Until 2008, Syria never accepted the legitimacy of a separate, sovereign Lebanese state, had no diplomatic relations and no delineated border with Lebanon | In Syrian textbooks Lebanon appears as part of "Greater Syria" | The former leader of the Druze (Kemal Jumblatt, father of the current leader), Sunni Muslims (Rafiq Hariri, father of the current leader), Christians (Bashir Gemayel) were all murdered by Syrian agents.
Major producer of drugs bound for Western markets
Arab Palestinians cannot, by law, hold full time jobs, purchase property, or become professionals
Palestinians and Lebanese Muslims persecute Lebanese Christians
Invaded Israel in 1948 with the declared intent of destroying her
Israel-Lebanon Peace Treaty Rescinded by Lebanon
Blood & Death Cult
Democracy in Lebanon destroyed by Islamic and Arab terrorists and their sponsors Iran and Syria

Shia Muslims mark Ashura (BBC, Mar 24, 2002): "Thousands of Shia Muslims - many bloodied from beating themselves - marched through Lebanon's cities on Sunday to commemorate the killing of one of their most revered figures, Imam Hussein."
Allaahuakbar.net
Ashura observed with blood streams (Ismail Zabeeh, Jafaryia Shia News Website, Jul 15, 2006): "Thousands slit open their heads with swords, big knives and razor blades streaming their blood"

Physicians' shingles in Lebanon| Arabic text: "Specialist for the followers of the religion X" (Eindruecke aus Arabien, accessed Jun 6, 2007)

Compare Freedom Score of Lebanon (Not Free) and Israel (Free)
Source: Freedom House (PDF, 187 KB)

Compare Human Development Index of Lebanon (0.752) and Israel (0.905) (PDF, 670 KB)
Source: United Nations Human Development Report 2003

Compare Corruption Index of Lebanon (2.6), Israel (7.3), Germany (7.3) and USA (7.7) Source: Transparency International (PDF, 1.8 MB)

Islamic terrorists use Arab civilians as a human shield. Israeli flyer warning Lebanese people after Hizballah attacked Israeli cities in July 2006: "To all citizens south of the Litani River Due to the terror activities being carried out against the State of Israel from within your villages and homes, the IDF is forced to respond immediately against these activities, even within your villages. For your safety! We call upon you to evacuate your villages and move north of the Litani River. State of Israel"

An Arab Dissident. Practicing law cost Beirut's Muhammad Mugraby his freedom (Claudia Rosett, Wall Street Journal, Aug 13, 2003)

Former Lebanese Prime Minister Michel Aoun (Hudson Institute, Mar 14, 2003): "Many regions of the world today are in a state of a global and fateful confrontation with terrorism ... Lebanon, a small country by size but much larger in mission, was the first victim of modern terrorism. At the end of the 1960s, Lebanon, a multicultural society, began to absorb the shocks of the conflict between the East and the West. In the early 1980s it found itself at the frontlines of confrontation with Islamic fundamentalists. As a democracy and free market economy surrounded by autocratic regimes and directed economies, Lebanon strived to live under its secular and democratic constitution. In addition, Lebanon contributed to the drafting of the Human Rights Charter of the United Nations and it is the only Arab country that has signed it as of today. From their daily lives to their intellectual and cultural discourse, the Lebanese people lived and practiced tolerance and moderation. Lebanon became a model for all Arab intellectuals and a shelter for the persecuted among them, and was in fact commonly known then as the “Switzerland of the East.” Indeed, Lebanon was an oasis of freedom in the midst of the human desert that surrounded it. It was a cultural bridge between East and West, savoring the value of freedom in all its dimensions, from the freedom of creed to the freedom of speech, the right to differ, political plurality and diversity, and all the way to economic freedom."

Pining for Freedom. Syrian occupation suffocates Lebanon, and the world shrugs (Claudia Rosett, The Wall Street Journal, Feb 5, 2003)
Lebanon Report (Freedom House, July 18, 2002): "Syria continues to occupy the country with approximately 30,000 troops."
Lebanon is ruled by Arab Syria, designated as State Sponsor of Terrorism by the United States: "Syria granted a variety of terrorist groups--including HAMAS, the PFLP-GC, and the PIJ--basing privileges or refuge in areas of Lebanon's Bekaa Valley under Syrian control."
End the occupation (Alan Dershowitz, professor at Harvard Law School, JP, Sep 20, 2004): "When is the last time you heard about a demonstration on a university campus calling for the end of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon? How about never?"

Genocides, Crimes and Massacres Committed by the PLO and the Syrians Against the Lebanese, 1975-2002 (Guardians of the Cedars)

We need another PLO (Arab-American journalist Joseph Farah, WND, Sep 2, 2003): "Syrian troops deny Lebanon – one of only two Middle East nations with a recent history of representative government – its sovereignty and freedom. ... In addition, under Syrian control, Lebanon has become a haven for terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations. It has become a major producer of heroin and other drugs. Syrian domination has resulted in the worst imaginable human-rights abuses. People just disappear off the streets."

Reuters: Lebanese model Nathaly Fadlallah models the 'Dress of Revolution,' designed by Saudi haute couture designer Yehya al-Bashri. The dress was part of a collection featured at an Arab fashion festival in Beirut on September 17, 2002 to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian uprising against Israel. The dress is covered with faux bloodstains from the waist to the knees, and below the knees it shows an Israeli tank against a background of burning buildings. Reuters, by the way, classifies this as an "entertainment" photo. Needless to say, in Saudi Arabia, the home of the designer, the same woman would be imprisoned as a "prostitute" for daring to dress like that.

Lebanon: Torture and ill-treatment of women in pre-trial detention: a culture of acquiescence (Amnesty International, Aug 22, 2001): "Widespread torture or other ill-treatment of women detainees, especially those accused of major criminal offences, takes place in police stations. Women in pre-trial detention are routinely held in incommunicado detention and coerced to confess guilt or testify against themselves at a time when they lack the protection of the law. Women accused of political offences have also been tortured or ill-treated. Another vulnerable category of women are migrant workers, who have frequently been subjected to torture and ill-treatment in detention."

Patterns of Global Terrorism, Lebanon -2001 (Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State): "Several terrorist organizations continued to operate or maintain a presence in Lebanon, including Hizballah, the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS), the Palestine Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, 'Asbat al-Ansar, and several local Sunni extremist organizations. The Lebanese Government failed to hand over to US authorities three senior Hizballah operatives, including Imad Mugniyah, after the men were placed on the FBI's list of most wanted terrorists in 2001 for their role in the 1985 hijacking of TWA flight 847. Lebanese law prohibits the extradition of Lebanese nationals, but the Government has not taken adequate steps to pursue the cases in Lebanese courts, claims the individuals are not in Lebanon, and that it does not know their whereabouts. ... Hizballah, HAMAS, the Palestine Islamic Jihad, and other Palestinian terrorist organizations were recognized as legal organizations and were allowed to maintain offices in Beirut. The Government refused to freeze the assets of Hizballah or close down the offices of rejectionist Palestinian organizations. It also continued to reject the US Government's position that Hizballah has a global reach, asserting it to be a local, indigenous organization integral to Lebanese society and politics."

Hizballah (Party of God) a.k.a. Islamic Jihad, Revolutionary Justice Organization, Organization of the Oppressed on Earth, and Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine (Background Information on Designated Foreign Terrorist OrganizationsPatterns of Global Terrorism -2001, Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State: "Three members of Hizballah,'Imad Mughniyah, Hasan Izz-al-Din, and Ali Atwa, are on the FBI's list of 22 Most Wanted Terrorists ... Receives substantial amounts of financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic, and organizational aid from Iran and received diplomatic, political, and logistical support from Syria."

Palestinians in Lebanon (Julie Peteet, World Refugee Survey 1997): "Despite international law governing the treatment of refugees, the Lebanese state implemented laws to restrict Palestinians in a variety of ways. In 1962, legislation placed Palestinians on a par with foreigners so that their gaining employment required a work permit. While Palestinians circumscribed this requirement for nearly two decades, the post-1982 period has witnessed its vigorous implementation. For example, Decision no. 289/1, issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs on December 18, 1982, set out the categories of employment closed to foreigners, which range from banking to barbering. The ministry also issued a circular detailing the arenas of work open to foreigners, with work permits, as: 'construction workers and workers in ancillary tasks, excluding electrical installations, sanitation facilities and glass mounting; agricultural workmen; tanning and leather workers; excavation workers; textile and carpet workmen; smelters; sanitation workers; nannies, nurses; servants and cooks; car wash and ubrication workers.' In other words, Palestinians are forbidden to work in all but the most menial of positions."
Who Cares about Palestinians? (Arab-American journalist Joseph Farah, Aug. 23, 2001)
The Legal Status of Palestinian Refugees and their Relation with the Lebanese State (Nasri Saleh Hajjaj, Shaml, the Palestinian Diaspora and Refugee Center)
Lebanon permits Palestinians to work (ArabicNews, Jun 29, 2005): "The Lebanese minister of labor Tarrad Hamadeh said that Lebanon alleviated restrictions which prevent resident Palestinian refugees to work in most of the jobs. He said that "Israel was the one who expelled the Palestinians [in 1948 - MEI]. They are now in our country, accepting it or not, depriving them from work is a violation of human rights." The decision taken by Hamadeh permits Palestinians who were born in Lebanon to work in private sector jobs, used to be limited for the Lebanese citizens."
The End of 'Arafat'. Even if he lives, the idea of him must die. (Wall Street Journal, Sep 17, 2003): "If you look at the Nobel Prizes' own biography of Yasser Arafat, you find this remarkable sentence toward the end: 'Like other Arab regimes in the area, however, Arafat's governing style tended to be more dictatorial than democratic.' That is to say, Arafat by his own choice of governance--dictatorship over democracy--bears individual responsibility for the legacy he leaves. That legacy includes: the contemporary crime of hijacking and blowing up civilian-filled airliners; the attempted destabilization of Jordan and Israel and the successful destruction of Lebanon as a formerly sovereign nation; and decades of violated international agreements, culminating in the collapse of Oslo. ... has made possible any crime, culminating in the anti-moral act known as suicide bombers."

Peace Agreement between Israel and Lebanon, 17 May 1983 (Lebanese Forces): "The agreement was finally signed on 17 May following high-level US involvement including a ten day shuttle diplomacy by Secretary of State Shultz. The main features of the agreement include putting an end to the state of war between Israel and Lebanon a mechanism for treaty supervision military cooperation and the establishment of an Israeli mission in Beirut. Although the agreement was signed it was never ratified by the Lebanese government due to strong Syrian opposition to the treaty."

[Overseas based] Lebanese Forces
[Jerusalem based] Lebanese Foundation for Peace
[Overseas based] United States Committee for A Free Lebanon
[Overseas based] Guardians of the Cedars National Lebanese Movement

Trafficking in Persons Report 2002 (U.S. Department of State) (PDF, 630 KB) - Lebanon, Bahrain, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates

Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003, H. R. 1828, signed into law by U.S. President Bush on Dec 12, 2003: "To halt Syrian support for terrorism, end its occupation of Lebanon, and stop its development of weapons of mass destruction, and by so doing hold Syria accountable for the serious international security problems it has caused in the Middle East, and for other purposes."

Lebanon related documents at Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Lebanon - 2001 (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of U.S. Department of State)
Library of Congress's Country Studies (Lebanon)
CIA World Factbook (Lebanon): "Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since October 1976"