2 Friday, February 6, 1976

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Purely Commentary

Lebanon and the Catholic Clerics

Indifference in Christian ranks to the plight of their
Lebanese coreligionists marked one of the saddest chapters
in church history. The vatican had time and interest in the
Palestinians but there were more words for reprimands of
Israel than for declarations in defense of Christians during
the Moslem nine-month onslaught which may have ruined
that paradise in the Moslem world.
A spokesman for the U. S. National Conference of
American Bishops, Archbishop Joseph L. Bernardin of Cin-
cinnati, added to the shock over Church attitudes by his
statement issued last week in which he took great pains to
plead the cause of the Palestinians without taking into ac-
count Israel's insecurities, and inter alia he expressed a
good wish for thtt Lebanese. Archbishop Bernardin, who is
president of the American Catholic Bishops, went a long
way to ask for repatriation and compensation for the Arab
refugees. Is it possible that this cleric who is filled with
eloquence when treating the Arab question is unaware of
the expatriation, expulsion, exile and persecution of some
850,000 Jews who were driven from Arab lands and their
possessions confiscated by their tormentors? Couldn't he
have a word for those who were deprived of homes and in
lands where they even preceded the Arabs, and isn't there
clerical concern for Jews who have suffered so much at the
hands of the Moslems? If there is to be compensation, why
not for the Jewish refugees from Moslem countries?
The callousness with which the Catholic clergy and the
Vatican itself have treated the Lebanese Christians should
be cause for greatest concern when considering the state-
ments the Bishops now choose to issue under direction of
Archbishop Bernardin. There is a lack of glory and human-
ism in the manner in which the Church is acting in the en-
tire Middle East situation, not Jerusalem alone, on the
score of which the Church has become co-conspirator in ef-
forts to undermine the very humane and fair Jewish admin-
istration of the Holy City.
* * *
Clerical Inconsistency

Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum, whose services in strengthen-
ing Christian-Jewish relations in his role as the American
Jewish Committee's director of interreligious affairs are
widely known, wrote elatedly about Christian resentments
of the UN's abominable anti-Zionist and anti-Israel resolu-
tions. Included in the list of Catholic protesters is the name
of Archbishop Joseph Bernardin. Yet the Cincinnati arch-
bishop joined the ranks of Israel's antagonists with the con-
fusing declaration on the Palestinians. This clerical incon-
sistency hardly confirms an understanding of the issues
and is not helpful to good relations and to efforts for peace.

* * *

Let a Lebanese Express the Truth

Any attempts by anyone, anywhere, to destroy a peo-
ple or a community, to resort to genocide, becomes the con-
cern of human beings everYwhere.
In the situation affecting Lebanon, it is best to let a
Lebanese speak for his people. In a letter published in the
New York Times, Jan. 28, "D. D. H.," dated- Wakefield,
Mass. Jan. 22, 1976, the writer, identified by the N.Y. Times
as "a Lebanese student attending Tufts University," levels
a charge at the PLO, as the heading over his letter "Le-
banon: 'Arafat is Running the Show,' " indicates:

The crisis in Lebanon has
been described as a crisis
between the Christian righ-
tists and Moslem leftists,
the P.L.O. being regarded as
mediator and police force
disciplining the leftists.
This is absurd. The P.L.O.
had too much at stake at the
Security Council to bring
out the fact that without its
direct involvement the lef-
tist forces would have been
crushed long ago.
The Lebanese leftists are
a few unsuccessful politi-
cians, supported by a min-
ute number of Lebanese
nationals, who are figure-
heads for the P.L.O., hoping
that they might get to rule
this once-beautiful and
most advanced and civilized
Arab nation. Most leftist
forces are plainly Palestini-
ans.
It is surprisingly clear
now that Arafat is running
the show. Georges Habash
and Abou-Ammar, the radi-
cals, seem to be obeying the
orders of the great moder-
ate Arafat.
The most essential con-
clusion is that there are no

moderate
Palestinians.
P.L.O., F.P.L.P., etc., are all
the same: revolutionaries
seeking the destruction of
sound democratic econo-
mies. Israel will sign its own
death certificate if it even
considers conferring with
the P.L.O. or any other arti-
ficial and absurd Palesti-
nian organization.
While the Security Coun-
cil is trying to come up with
a resolution to justify the
rights of the P.L.O. and its
people, it might as well try
to come up with a resolution
justifying the rights of the
Lebanese Christians and
Moslems who just don't
want to live under Palesti-
nian rule but instead want
to live in peace with all their
neighbors. Before the Secu-
rity Council starts to re-
build a Palestinian state, it
should consider halting the
destruction of the Lebanese
state.
The Phalangists and lib-
erals undertook a very cou-
rageous act by attacking the
Palestinians. They wanted
to prove to the Security
Council and the world that

.

By Philip
Slomovitz

Lebanese Tragedy, Its Challenge to Conscience of
Mankind, the Christian Role and the Vatican and
Danger to Israel from Arafat and PLO Domination

it is not a war between the nationals on the other.
Lebanese themselves where
Damned be the day when
the Palestinians are peace-
ful spectators. The violent the Lebanese nationals be-
battles are between the Le- come refugees in their own
banese Christian, Armenian land. They will put a dent in
and Moslem majority on the the world order by far
one hand and an invading greater terror than what the
force of Palestinians plus a Palestinians have ever
minute number of Lebanese dreamed of.
Isn't the "anonymity" of the writer of this letter a fur-
ther indication of fear in the ranks of those who would as-
sert themselves in areas where the Moslems predominate?
The situation remains sad and distressing. If the Chris-
tian would will be silent, whatever hope there is for justice
in Moslem-Christian-Jewish relations that remain will
grow and emerge even worse.
* * *

Courageous Israeli Christian
Defines the Impending Horror

Another Christian, this time an Israeli, has dared to
speak his mind and to analyze the existing Lebanese situa-
tion, as dictated by Arafat, in its most realistic state.
Atallah Mansour, a member of the editorial staff of the
Israeli Hebrew daily newspaper Haaretz, who resides in
Nazareth, Israel, wrote an article, "Lebanon: The Flourish-
ing Cedar Splintered," published in the same issue of the
New York Times that carried the "D. D. H." letter. In his
review of the existing situation and its effect on Israel, Mr.
Mansour declares:

NAZARETH, Israel — I
doubt if Lebanon has ever
occupied so much of our
thoughts here in Galilee as
it does today.
That tiny, hilly and
usually tranquil and pros-
perous state to the north of
Israel is traditionally con-
sidered the spiritual home-
land of us Israeli Arab
Christians.
We took much pride in
pointing to the fact that this
lone Arab state domi-
nated by the Christian-Ar-
abs is the only Arab state
out of twenty that permits
real, full-fledged civil rights.
All other Arab states across
the entire area between the
Persian Gulf and the Atlan-
tic Ocean are dominated by
absolute rulers. Some of
these regimes claim to have
been "elected" by God, the
others by consent of their
rifles.
Lebanon is the only ex-
ception. In Lebanon, a com-
plicated system of balloting
has offered all citizens the
right to be represented in
the Parliament and share in
shaping their future.
We were also proud that
Lebanon was the only free
Arab country that allowed
political parties and free
press to \ the extent that de-
mocracy meant more than a
slogan.
But above all we thought
of Lebanon with great affec-
tion because it was, for the
last millennium, the refuge
of all nonconformist and
suffering groups and indi-
viduals in the Moslem East.
The Christian Maronites
fled to Lebanon from the
north of Syria. The Moslem
Druzes and Shiites ran to
Lebanon from Egypt and
Iraq. The Armenian Chris-
tians arrived in Lebanon in
the aftermath of the Otto-
man-Turkish atrocities dur-
ing and after World War I.
Another wave of refugees
arrived in Lebanon in 1948
as a result of the first round
in the Arab-Jewish war in
Palestine, but these refu-
gees were received differ-
ently.
Their (and my) Arab

"brothers" in Egypt, Syria,
Jordan, Iraq and all Arab
League countries who en-
couraged the Palestine-
Arab leaders not to compro-
mise with the Jews in Pales-
tine decided after their de-
feat to seek vengeance
rather than reconciliation.
They decided "to keep the is-
sue alive" by not integrating
the Palestinian refugees
into their economy and so-
cial life. And so these Pales-
tinians lived in Lebanon, as
in Syria and Jordan, in spe-
cial "camps" of misery and
shame.
But Lebanon is not just
another Arab state and the
Palestinians there enjoyed
many of the privileges they
were denied in other Arab
countries. They established
their own political parties,
published their own news-
papers, and elected repre-
sentative bodies. -
These very privileges at-
tracted to Lebanon many
radicals, including Palesti-
nians, and many "agents" of
regimes from most Arab
(and non-Arab) countries
who attempted to exert in-
fluence on other Arabs from
other countries.
The Lebanese press flour-
ished and hundreds of pub-
lishing concerns were pay-
ing any author well who
was ready to advocate their
theses. All this was fine.
The troubles came knock-
ing on the Lebanese door in
1970. King Hussein of Jor-
dan cracked down on the
Palestinian guerrillas, who
seemed to pose a threat to
monarchy. The Arab
"brothers" in Syria and
Egypt hurriedly declared
their solidarity with the
Palestinians but failed in
fact to tolerate any Palesti-
nian grouping within their
own borders.
Palestinians seeking inde-
pendence found no haven in
the Arab world outside Le-
banon.
The dilemma for the tra-
ditional Lebanese was that
these refugees were not con-
tent with the political mea-
sures, but insisted on fight-
ing Israel from Lebanon's

southern borders. The fact
that the tiny Lebanese
Army was unable to defend
them in turn from the Israe-
lis made them more and
more hostile to the only
Arab "brothers" who toler-
ated them.
Their hostile attitude to-
ward Lebanon could not
pass unchallenged. The
right-wing Christians began
preparing for a showdown
and left-wing Moslem radi-
cals decided to capitalize on
the "Palestinian- squeeze
play." Arab and non-Arab
states decided to support
one side or the other.
The result is known. But
what is not clear to many is
this: The civil war in Leba-
non struck a heavy blow to
the Arab world, to the
Christian-Moslem relations
in the Middle East, to the
Palestine Liberation Organ-
ization, and to the faint
hope for reconciliation be-
tween Israel and the Arab
states.
The Arab world is de-
stroying its financial center,
its most wide open ideologi-
cal forum, its schools and
best leisure resorts.
Moslem-Christian rela-
tions, knoWn to scholars of
Arab history for their rela-
tive tolerance, have failed to
develop to the point that the
Moslems will tolerate a sov-
ereign and different state
like Lebanon where the non-
Moslems are.
Now, most Christian Ar-
abs, like myself, believe that

modern Moslems are very
much like their forefathers
in insisting that Christians
are to be proteges, nothing
more.
The P.L.O. seems to be in
the worst position. If it suc-
ceeds in demolishing Leba-
non, it will cut the branch
on which it is sitting, be-
cause if Lebanon becomes a
part of Syria, or anything
similar, then the P.L.O.'s
political and military moves
will be entirely controlled
by Syria, just as is the
now within Syria.
And what about peace
and reconciliation between
Israel and its neighbors? If
Lebanon was not tolerated
by its Arab -- Moslem
"brothers," why should any
Israeli believe and trust that
the Arab Moslem world is
mature enough to accept the
Jewish-European state of
Israel?
The cease-fire imposed in
Lebanon is no consolation,
since it merely serves to in-
crease Syria's influence.
I know that very many
Arabs are far from aspiring
to any peace with Israel, but
many Arabs outside Israel
(including some leaders in
the P.L.O., in Egypt, Jor-
dan, and Syria) are signal-
ing Israeli "doves" that they
expect them to be more ac-
tive in balancing the
"hawkish" pressure inside
Israel. But is this possible,
given what we have wit-
nessed in Lebanon?

To the Moslem conquerors the Lebanese situation may
be a laughing matter. After all, Syria and Arafat's PLO
emerged the victors. But for Israel and for the free world
the plight of the Christians and the threat of PLOism and
Arafatism is menacing. Christians must especially awake
to the situation. D.D.H. and Mr. Mansour certainly have
contributed realism to a befuddled and shocking situation
in Lebanon that may have a dastardly effect on the entire
Middle East and on the peace of the world.
* * *
Captions for Savagery

If additional evidence is needed that what had occurred
in Lebanon was savagery, let-the reader turn to the last
page of the Jan. 24 Free Press and read the captions de-
scribing the photographs of the outrages committed in the
land that had been half Moslem and half Christian. Some of
the captions were:
The "progressive forces" in Lebanon's civil war burned
the Christian town of Damour to the ground Friday, leaving
the blackened wreckage as a monument to about 50 massa-
cred men, women and children.
Palestinian and Moslem gunmen laughed, screamed
and fired bursts of bullets into the air as they ran from
house to house, looting and burning the once prosperous
resort town of 25,000.
"We're just helping Christians by saving their be-
longings before the fire gets here," one Moslem looter
joked to a reporter who drove to Damour, 25 miles south
of Beirut on the Mediterranean coast.
Next to the road lay a bloodied shoe with a severed foot
still inside — a grim reminder of the slaughter of sor 50
men, women and children who refused to leave their
2S
as the leftists advanced.
Gruesome traces of the massacre lay about the streets
— the still smoldering remains of two charred bodies in a
doorway, a heap of bloodied scalps in a gutter and muti-
lated male and female sexual organs.
Is any other evidence needed to prove there are savages
not far from Israel's borders?

* * *

Conscience of Mankind

The attitude of the so-called free world in the Lebanese
crisis is both puzzling and shocking. There is silence in the
so-called "free world." People do not appear to be free any
more to speak out against atrocities and genocidal threats.
It's a sad era for mankind, whose spokesmen permit
the turning back of the clock. It's approaching midnight in
diplomacy, ladies and gentlemen, and the spreading bestial-
ities may soon be at your own doorsteps, unless you rise up
for decency and humanism.

