In a January 20, 2021 article titled "Resistance Through Defending the People," Lebanese journalist Michelle Tueini, deputy general manager of the daily Al-Nahar, wrote that the Lebanese resistance, i.e., Hizbullah, does not actually fight for Lebanon but rather destroys it more than any enemy. Tueini, who is the daughter of renowned journalist Gebran Tueini, a staunch opponent of Hizbullah and of the Syrian presence in Lebanon who was assassinated in 2005,[1] added that the Lebanese are starving and their lives are held worthless by their own regime. In this situation, she said, nobody can wage effective resistance against Israel.
Tueini noted that the "failing, devastated and bankrupt country" of Lebanon has not prosecuted a single official for the deadly explosion in Beirut last year,[2] and has not even begun to vaccinate its citizens against Covid, She contrasted this with "the enemy state of Israel," which, valuing the lives of its citizens, has already vaccinated over a quarter it its population and is willing to release dozens of prisoners even for the dead body of one of its soldiers.
She concluded by saying that true resistance means waging an "ideological, cultural and scientific" campaign to build a well-governed and prosperous state that cares for its citizens and protects them.
Michelle Tueini (image: Youtube.com, March 26, 2018)
The following are translated excerps from Tueini's article:[3]
"It is a notable fact that the enemy state of Israel is leading the world in terms of the portion of [its population] that has been vaccinated against Covid. This reflects the value this country ascribes to the lives of its people. The countries of the world accord value to human life and regard the protection of human life as a fundamental principle, whereas in Lebanon we see terrible neglect in every domain. Can anyone understand why the Lebanese go to Dubai to get vaccinated? Why hasn't [Lebanon] begun vaccinating [its citizens] a long time ago? We are a small country with no more than 6 million people, so vaccinating 70% of the population and [thus] protecting the Lebanese is an easy task.
"The affair of the Beirut blast and the ammonium nitrate that was warehoused in the heart of the capital, leading to the destruction of the city and the death and injury of many, failed to result in the prosecution or imprisonment of any official, for Lebanese lives are worthless in the eyes of the regime, which has destroyed [Lebanon] and turned it into a failed, devastated and bankrupt county.
"In this situation, some are still convinced that it is possible to fight Israel, which is willing to exchange dozens of prisoners for the body of one of its soldiers. We are not saying anything new when we note that a state whose citizens do not feel valued, [and do not feel] that they play a useful role in their homeland, cannot wage effective resistance. Why do we [even] need the resistance [i.e., Hizbullah] when we lack bread and medicines? Why do we need resistance when our homes can be destroyed in an instant and people can be killed without reason? Why do we need resistance in a state that does not regard the [Covid] vaccine as a basic and simple necessity and does not strive to dispense it [to its citizens] as Israel, the UAE and other countries are doing? Why do we need resistance in a homeland where human [life] has become so cheap? Thousands of us are dying and they [the officials] do not even notice. Hundreds of thousands are starving and they take no interest. Young people are leaving the country and they do not care. The people's money is being stolen and seized, and they do nothing. After all this, we ask [them]: Do you still think we are capable of fighting Israel and confronting it? Can we fight a country that respects its people and prefers life over the mentality of death, hunger, poverty and backwardness?
"Is it not the case that true resistance means [waging] an ideological, cultural and scientific [campaign] that puts man before anything else… and aims to build a strong state with a government that is capable of rapidly vaccinating its people and maintaining [foreign] relations that benefit the country? Does it not mean [building] a law-abiding state that holds [officials] accountable, makes demands [of them] and oversees [their performance]? Is anyone still convinced that the resistance can be successful when it is destroying Lebanon and its people? Whoever really wants to defend Lebanon from its enemies must do so by building and developing [the country], not by destroying it.
"Those who imagine they are waging resistance for the sake of Lebanon must stop for a moment and see how the Lebanese people are scabbling for medicines and food, and how they are dying while none of those responsible are held accountable or punished. Resistance should be waged by protecting the people and the state by protecting the life of every human being. Don't make the mistake of believing that you are waging resistance against Israel, because what you are doing to your people is worse than what any enemy can do to us. What is certain is that a state [like Israel], which vaccinated 25% of its people within a week [sic], cannot be confronted by a failed state that kills its people with ammonium nitrate."
[1] Elements in the March 14 Forces held the Syrian regime responsible for the assassination. See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 8514, Journalists In Lebanese 'Al-Nahar' Daily In Pointed Criticism Of Country's Leaders: Your Corruption Has Turned Lebanon Into Hell And Is Driving Its Citizens To Suicide, January 22, 2020.
[2] On the explosion and responses to it, see MEMRI reports: Special Dispatch No. 8881 – Saudi Editorials: Hizbullah Is Responsible For The Explosion At The Port Of Beirut, August 5, 2020; Special Dispatch No. 8884 – Lebanese Journalist Flays State Officials Over Beirut Blast: Their Hands Are Stained With The Blood Of The Victims, They Must Be Ousted And Held Accountable, August 6, 2020; Special Dispatch No. 8910 – Lebanese Figures Demand That Hizbullah Arsenals Across The Country Be Dismantled, August 26, 2020.
[3] Al-Nahar (Lebanon), January 20, 2021.
