They have realized that keeping Georges hostage has
become more costly than to release him. (Photo: Alia Haju)
The French government decided to submit to US and
Israeli pressure and extended the imprisonment of Georges
Abdallah.
Neither the French state nor the government have the slightest sense that
they are committing a terrible injustice. They simply don’t feel that anyone can
make them pay the price for their 28-year-old crime against Abdallah.
The French today are imposing additional conditions to releasing Georges, in
addition to just buying time. They want to do it secretly, so that their dirty
work will not see the light of day.
They want the occasion of his welcome in Lebanon to be under the cover of
night, at an unannounced time of their choosing. They want him to celebrate
alone with his family, so that his victory over his terrorist jailers will pass
unnoticed. The even want the pathetic Lebanese state to guarantee that
Abdallah’s release will take place according to their wishes.
More than that, the French are asking for all expressions of solidarity to
end, such as dismantling the sit-in at the French embassy in Beirut.
They want the Lebanese to be thankful to them for having decided to release
Georges. They want his family to write the French authorities letters of
gratitude for setting their son free. They want us to be like them, to admit
that we are terrorists too, without morals or a sense of humanity.
They have realized that keeping Georges hostage has become more costly than
to release him, for they are bound to pay the price of their crime sooner or
later. They also understand that persisting in their kidnapping of Georges will
open the gates of hell on them, something they have experienced before with
every place they colonized.
Their intelligence sources in Lebanon and the region are warning them that
the dangers stemming from the continued detention of Georges are increasing by
the day. The threat is not just coming from a small group of angry men, or a
wronged family.
More than that, the French are asking for all expressions of
solidarity to end, such as dismantling the sit-in at the French embassy in
Beirut.
One source recently informed anyone who was willing to listen in Paris that
there is a generation of young people – some who even lived and studied in
France – who are angry enough to commit acts that will cause the government big
problems both internally and abroad. But we have to ask our own government a few
questions.
It is true that Rafik Hariri – whether in government or outside it – never
raised the issue with his friend former president Jacques Chirac. It is also
true that successive Lebanese presidents and prime ministers have also failed to
raise the matter of Georges’ imprisonment, not out of fear of the French, but of
Georges himself, who they considered to be a terrorist worthy of punishment.
But to be fair, Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his government have dealt
realistically with the issue, forcing Paris to take notice that high-level
Lebanese officials are asking about their kidnapped citizen.
Despite this, there are those at the official level who “understand” the
demands of the French government, which wants the release of Georges to resemble
the return of a wanted criminal in Lebanon’s courts.
Others in the halls of power suggest that we must seriously take into account
French and American concerns over the release, as they try to strike a deal
behind the scenes that will put a limit to any public celebrations, or at least
prevent the participation of any government officials in them.
There will also be those who will call for a dose of realism in dealing with
this matter. They may even be members of Georges’ family or from among his close
friends and supporters, who believe that we shouldn’t blow things out of
proportion.
Some of them may not think it necessary, for example, that state officials be
part of any welcoming ceremony. But the criminal behavior of the French state in
dealing with the issue requires precisely the opposite.
Georges’ freedom should be celebrated by both citizens and the state – the
way he is received in Lebanon is now as important as his release. The symbolism
of the way he is welcomed here has one simple goal: the possibility that his
freedom will infect those who have surrendered among us to imagine that they do
love life.
Ibrahim al-Amin is editor-in-chief of Al-Akhbar.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic
Edition.
Uprooted Palestinian
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!
No comments:
Post a Comment