It was not Nasrallah's usual personality, that is, a sober and composed man, able to read events without being agitated. He began his speech in a tense and convulsed way, and he went beyond the limits of elegance and courtesy, until he reached the peak of agitation, no, of fervor.

Sayyed Nasrallah was over stressed. He seems to have failed to achieve the goals he longed to reach for regional interests. On the other hand, Siniora's stubborn and tenacious government is able to speak and implement the claims of a shouting population that does not miss a thing.

If we were to look closely at Hezbollah, his Secretary General, its political maneuvers carried out in the streets, and its 'unilateral' decisions, we would realize that it confirms the saying: 'Hezbollah is a government within the government'.

Hezbollah is now acting according to regional interests. It is backed by 'invisible hands', whose interests and goals are intertwined with the Party's political and sectarian agenda. Ultimately, the losers are Lebanon as a State and the countries of the region, especially after a regional force turned the party and Lebanon into a scapegoat and an arena for chaos and conflict.

We do not disagree with those who say that Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is a politician and a fighter who has a certain position among the Lebanese people and the Arabs. Nevertheless, his recent stances are anything but peaceful, and he himself has fallen into a trap from which he does not know how to get out. Through these sit-ins, perhaps Hezbollah is not aiming to bring down the government as much as to distract the world from the practices and the deeds of some revolutionary and nuclear States in the region.

Let us put the stances taken by the Party aside. After the 'divine victory', which made him the only decision-maker, Sayyed Nasrallah has pulled the rug from under the government's feet, and taken its will and administration, causing it to experience a 'claimed victory crisis', similar to Saddam Hussein's previous imaginary victories. He is doing so without observing the country's interests, security or stability.

Nasrallah must reflect on the gravity of the current critical situation with sincere realism and without any kind of passion! He must bear in mind: what did the 33-day war bring to his country because of the two kidnapped Israeli soldiers? There were hundreds of victims and thousands of injured, were there not? Villages and infrastructure were destroyed, were they not? This devastation paralyzed trade, tourism and investments, did it not?

Sayyed Nasrallah has placed a burden on the Lebanese people. As soon as the war with Israel was over, he transferred the battle to the Lebanese streets. Now Lebanon is on the verge of a civil war. Nasrallah has contributed to triggering it because of what he planned and calls for. This responsibility is shared by those backing him, namely, Michel Aoun and Suleiman Franjieh.

What this trinity calls 'sound democratic demands' is the spark that first lit the fire of strife and division, increased sectarian disputes among the Lebanese people, overthrew the government, made the Taif Agreement fail, and brought down the International Tribunal.

There is no doubt that the regional forces allied with Hezbollah are foreshadowing misfortune after misfortune, warning about a new explosion in the region. Meanwhile, the victim is Lebanon, and the loser is its population!

Hezbollah has not helped its country remain a State as the latter had wished to. On the contrary, it has shackled it, placed economic, social and religious burdens on it; it has made it a 'puppet' that is moved according to regional interests and objectives.

Michel Aoun claims to be democratic and patriotic. But he is the one who has moved from one side to the other at the expense of the Lebanese people, their security and integrity! Aoun was sent away from Lebanon by Syria; he remained a voice opposed to the Syrian presence in the country, and spent 14 years in exile. Now, he is back to settle his political accounts at the expense of a wounded country.

With intent or not, Lebanon is threatened by a civil war that would take it back to 1975, after sectarian slogans have increased, congestion and anger have grown, and squares have become packed with protesters and demonstrators.

Finally, a message to the Lebanese people from a person who loves them: 'Life is full of stones, but do not stumble on them; put them together and build stairs with which you can reach success'. Sit-ins, demonstrations and slogans do not always pave the way to success, even if they are expressive means. Success is built on consensus and agreement, and by abandoning differences. The objective is to construct the country, not demolish it because of foreign parties whose interests increase division and dissension.

By: Jameel Theyabi , Al-Hayat

Source: Al-Hayat , Ya Libnan