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The relatively stable political system established by the Nationsl Convnant made possible a prosperous ecomomy which prevailed in Lebanon until the 1970s. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) attempted to seize control of Jordan as part of what has been called Black September (1970). The Arab Legion, Jordan's army, stood behind the King and domestic tribes. After a bloody fight, the Jordanians expelled the PLO (1971). The PLO established itself in Lebanon with the tacit agreement of the Lebanese who were persuing Arab solidarity. This proved to be a dreadly mistake. The influx of a large new community which did not buy into the Lebanese power sharing arrangement upset the fragile Lebanese compact. The PLO had a well-armed military wing which had almost seized control of Jordan which had a well-trained and equipped army. Lebanon did not have such a fiorce. The Lebanese Army was less well led and trained and divided by its various sectarian components. Tragicaly, the fragile National Pact brokedown under the strain (1975). The result was a destructive 6-year civil war between right-wing Christian militias and Muslims, both Lebanese Muslims and new Palestinian arrivals. This included first the Falange and the southern militia led by Saad Haddad. Later the Christian forces were led by General Michel Aoun. The Christians were pitted against Muslim and Palestinian forces. The most importnt Muslim forces were were initially the Amal movement and subsequently the more radical, Iranian-inspired Shi'ia Hezbollah organization. With the outbreak of fighting, the capital split along the �Green Line�, dividing the city. The Christians controlled the eastern sector of the city and the Muslim the western sector. The counyry's central Government all but broke down, despite repeated attempts by the Lebanese (but not the Plestinians) to find a new political solution. As aesult of Palestinia attacks across the border, Israel intervened (1982).
t was not until World War II that Lebanon became fully independent. Once the tide of battle turned, the Free French proceeded to grant idependence (1943). Until this time France unilateraly suspended the Constitution whenever it experienced problems. With the departure of the French, this was no longer possible. Beshara el-Khouri was elected the first President of independent Lebanon. President Beshara el-Khouri called on a Moslem Sunnite, Ryad el-Solh to serve as primeminister and form a Cabinet of Ministers. These two leaders helped craft the National Pact, a verbal agreement never formally established by the government. The National Pact defined Lebanon as an independent country with an "Arabic aspect", but not an Arabic country. The president was to be a Christian Maronite, the primemMinister a Moslem Sunnite, and the president of the parliament a Moslem Shi'ite. All the different religious comminities were to be representefd in the cabinet. The importance of the positionoffered were tied to the relative size of the religious communities. Lebanon unlike the other countries in the region would not have one official religion. The relatively stable political system established by the Nationsl Convnant made possible a prosperous ecomomy which prevailed in Lebanon. This was in sharp contrast ton the rest of the Middle East.
The stability prevailing in Lebanon was rocked by the Palistinians. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) attempted to seize control of Jordan as part of what has been called Black September (1970). The Arab Legion, Jordan's army, stood behind the King and domestic tribes. After a bloody fight, the Jordanians expelled the PLO (1971). The PLO established itself in Lebanon with the tacit agreement of the Lebanese who were persuing Arab solidarity. This proved to be a dreadly mistake. The influx of a large new community which did not buy into the Lebanese power sharing arrangement upset the fragile Lebanese compact.
The Lebnese Govrnmnt to help provide the drefeated PLO ifighters in Jordan a refuge, opened the border and allow the PLO sabtuary in Lebanon. They assumed that given their generosity, that the PLO would not disturn the delicate sectarian balance or use Lebanon as a base to attck Israel, thus inviting Israeli attacks. This was a grave mistake.
The PLO had a well-armed military wing which was strong enough to nearly seize control of Jordan during the Black September rising. And Jordan had a well-trained and equipped army. Lebanon did not have such a force. It had not been involved in the 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973 wars. The Lebanese Army was not only less well led and trained but even more more importantly badly divided by its various sectarian components.
There are 12 Palistinian refugee camps in Lebanon. About half of the 450,000 registered Palestinian refugees live in these camps. Most were establoshed during the First Atab Israeli War (1848) and then in the 1950s. The largest is Ain al-Hilweh. Mos are located along the coast well aware from Israeli border. They are supported by UNRRA. This means that Palestine refugees represent an estimated 10 per cent of the population of Lebanon. The PLO fighters given refuge by the Lebanese ought to use the camps for recruitment and support. Christiam militias conducted a massacre at
Sabra and Shatila (1982). Each country hosting Palestinian rfugee cmps have different laws and regulations governing the camps and refugees. The legal regimes are in sharp contrast to how the Isrealis treat refugee Jews from Arab countries. The Palestinians face many difficulties in Palestine. Lebanese law and ministerial decrees mean the refugees have no automatic right to work, to social security, to joining a trade union. There are at least 25 banned areas of work in Lebanon for Palestinians, including medicine, law, engineering and pharmacy, and there is no right to ownership of land or property.. Because they are not legally citizens of another recognized state, Palestine refugees are unable to claim the same rights as other foreigners living and working in Lebanon. Among the five countries which host UNRWA camps for Palestinian rfugeees, Lebanon has the highest percentage of Palestine refugees living in abject poverty. Three additional camps were destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War. A fourth was evacuated many years ago. The coflict in Syria beginning in 2012 has forced many Palestine refugees from that country, including men, women and children, to flee to Lebanon in search of safety. UNRWA is working to adjust to their numbers and their needs.
Tragicaly, the fragile National Pact brokedown under the strain (1975). The result was a destructive 6-year civil war between right-wing Christian militias and Muslims, both Lebanese Muslims and new Palestinian arrivals. This included first the Falange and the southern militia led by Saad Haddad. Later the Christian forces were led by General Michel Aoun. The Christians were pitted against Muslim and Palestinian forces. The most importnt Muslim forces were were initially the Amal movement and subsequently the more radical, Iranian-inspired Shi'ia Hezbollah organization. With the outbreak of fighting, the capital split along the �Green Line�, dividing the city. The Christians controlled the eastern sector of the city and the Muslim the western sector. The counyry's central Government all but broke down, despite repeated attempts by the Lebanese (but not the Plestinians) to find a new political solution.
The Druze were a religious community primarily assiciated with the Shia in Lebanon. They had played an important role in the formation of modern independent state of Lebanon. And although a relatively small minority, they were an important part of the Lebanese body politic. The Druze supported Pan-Arabism and thus when the British left Palestine they opposed partition and like Arab groups, attempted to destroy Israel at its creation. The Druze supported the Palistinians meaning the PLO throughout the Civil War. Most of the Druze community supported the left-wing Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) founded by strongman Kamal Jumblatt. They fought with other leftist and Palestinian parties against the Lebanese Front, primarily composed of Christians. Kamal Jumblatt was assasinated (March 1977). Walid Jumblatt, Kamal's son, assumed leadership of the PSP. He helped to keep the small Druze community viable during the sectarian bloodshed that began with the Civil War (1975) and lasted until 1990. Fighting was particularly bitter between the Christians abd Druze (1983-84). A reconcilition was finally achieved. Maronite Catholic Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir was able to tour the Chouf region of Mount Lebanon dominted by the Druze (August 2001). He visited Mukhtara, the ancestral stronghold of Druze leader Walid Jumblatt. There he received a energetic reception by the Druze population. It amounted to a reconciliation between the Maronites and the Druze. It showed that the idea of Lebanese sovereignty had broad support among Druze and Christians. This became the core upon which the Cedar Revolution grew. There is also some Druze suoport for the Lebanese Democratic Party (LDP) led by Prince Talal Arslan. He is the son of Emir Majid Arslan who played an important role in the Lebanese independence struggle.
The PLO�s presence in Lebanon and terror attacks across the border ultimately led to the Israeli interventiom (1982). The Israelis drove most PLO guerrillas out of Lebanon. The Isrealis faced a well armed Syrian military on their flank. While the Syrian Army did not confront the isrealis dorectly, they did commit their modern Soviet equipped air force, including the much feared Mig-25 Foxbat. The Isrealis used American F-4 Phatoms to attack ground targets and the new F-15 Eagle to fly cover. The results were starteling. The Israelis shot down some 80 Soviet-built Syrian aircraft without a sinle loss in air combat. The Israelis reached Beirut, but failed to install a Christian-dominated government in power. The Israeli occupation gradually became a target of juch international criticism. Following the election of a coalition government in Tel Aviv, the Israelis deided to withdraw (early-1985) to a �security zone� along the southern border. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) supported Christian militias which became the South Lebanon Army (SLA). Hezbollah which grew from the radicalization of the Shia population, bore the brunt of the subsequent fighting against the Christian militias and the Israelis. With Iranian and Syrian support it steadily grew to be a significant political force in Lebanon. The Isreali Security Zone became the scene of a protracted attritional conflict between the IDF/SLA and Hezbollah fighters which only came to an end when the Israeli government decided to pull their troops out of southern Lebanon (1989). Without IDF support, the SLA collapsed). The Syrian army in the rest of Lebanon proved to be the ultimate power broker. They enforced a political settlement. This process began with the election of a National Assembly (November 1989). President Ren� Daowad was assasinated. A new President, Elias Hrawi, became one of a new troika including Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss and the speaker of the parliament, Hussein Husseini.
After the Israelis withdrew from Beirut, the situation got a lot more complicated and what has become known as the the War of the Camps developed. Thhe situation wa not only complcated by Lebabon's diversed religious mix (Christian, Muslim/Sunni-Shi'ia, and Druze mix), This is not a problem in increaingly tolerant Western society. It is Islamic society which intoleranbt of religious diversity and seemingly becoming icresungly intolerant. Aded to the major Lebanese divisions are many subgroups as well as the influx of mostly Sunni Palestinian refugees with left-wing secular orientation. And Syria occupying most of Lebanon, further complicated the situation. Syria waa a largely Sunni country, but the Assads coontrolled the Government and the Army of minority Alawite regime. The Alwite were situated towad the Shi'ia in the Muslim spectrum. The refugee camps were primarily for thr Palestinians, but as a result of the Civil War, there were many Lebanese in the camps by the 1980s. But the Shite Amal Movement and the Syrains saw the Plestinian camps as a threat. The Shia Amal militia aailed the Palestinian camps in Beirut. While the Israeli supported on the camps is given great attention, the Shi'ia Amal attacks are basicvally ignored. The Lebanese Civil War is commonly characteized as being a Muslim versus Christian conflict. Actually it was a much more complicated, multifaceted conflict, especially the war of the camps. There was a much violence between Christians and Muslims as there was inter-factional violence between Muslim groups, if not more. There was conflict between Nuslims of the same school such as Shi'ia grops (Amal and Hezbolah). And while the Druze were essebtially a Muslim group, thet are seen as heretical by many Muslims. The Fruze cameinto conflict with Amal abd Chrustian militias,. but formed allinses with some Palestinians. The Christians also were not united. There was fighting between the Lebanese Forces (LF), a primarily Christian Maronite militia led by Samir Geagea, and Michel Aoun's Christian-controlled faction of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
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