22 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, January 16, 1981 Christian Indifference Is Allowing Syrian Takeover in Lebanon By REV. FRANKLIN H. LITTELL National Institute of the. Holocaust PHILADELPHIA With world attention oscil- lating between the Iraqi- Iranian war and Iranian- American negotiations over the kidnapped diplomats, Syria is beginning to move to complete its incorpora- tion of Lebanon into Greater Syria. For many centuries Lebanon was simply a dis- FOR YOUR ommonos & PRECIOUS JEWELS seee,44 ,zakt.,eary Sa Kl 755 W. Big Beauer Rd. (16 Mile at 1-75) Tray, Michigan Phone: 313-362-4500 trict of the province of Syria. Then, in the breakup of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War II, in 1946, French troops withdrew and the Lebanese republic was fully independent. Its con- stitution provided a careful balance between Sunni and Shiite Muslims, Maronite and Orthodox Christians. Unfortunately, each minor- ity had a private army. After Lebanon joined the Arab League, the Muslim forces became more aggres- sive toward the Christian minorities and more de- manding of military action against Israel. The Syrian dictatorship sponsored an attempted putsch in 1958, which was forestalled when President Eisenhower sent in the U.S. Marines. In 1975, Syria tried again, sending in thousands of troops in al- liance with two of the major Lebanese factions and their private armies. SPEEDY GREASY CUBE AND OIL CHANGE SPECIALISTS By then the situation was further complicated by the presence of tens of thousands of PLO ter rorists who had been dri- ven out of Jordan when their attempt to assassi- nate King Hussein and overthrow his govern- ment failed. After a savage civil war, in which over 100,000 Lebanese Christians went into exile and tens of thousands were killed, a stalemate developed be- tween different sections held by different private armies. Around Beirut, once a national capital, a "national" army has con- trol. The "national" govern- ment has conceded to Syria; the last diplomat at the UN, who pleaded in tears for in- ternational help in saving his country, has been re- placed by a Syrian puppet. The Christian enclave in north Lebanon has accom- modated to Syria. A section to the south is under control of United Nations troops. Another section is under control of the PLO. Along the border to Is- rael, a narrow strip is held by the Christian forces of south Lebanon under Major Haddad. The Muslim - Sy- rian - PLO thrust to destroy them has so far been thwarted. But the campaign is warming up again. The NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY • FREE OIL FILTER • 91184469 1020011t NINE MILE RD.OAK PARK,MI ANNUAL CLEARANCE SALE cyoth 50% OFF SUITS—SPORTCOATS---SLACKS OUTERCOATS & RAINCOATS • CESSINI • TINO MORELLI • REX-REGIS • MONTE CRISTO Reg. $225. Reg. $250 Reg. $300 SPORT COATS NOW FROM $5950 NOW $159 5° NOW $179 5° NOW $1995° SLACKS The Finest reg. $50.-$60. $275 ° HARRY THOMAS only FINE CLOTHES FOR 45 YEARS 24750 Telegraph Road at 10 Mile (next to Dunkin Donuts) Monday thru Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. SUNDAY 11 am. to 3 p.m. vmsoompir UN forces have again been fired upon from the Syrian concentrations: the UN forces have been attempting to erect a buf- fer. And Zahle, a Chris- tian city of some 100,000 population, has come under heavy attack by artillery fire and troops in tanks and helicopters. Christian forces along the Israeli border have also come under renewed attack. Meanwhile, there is no chance of effective outside intervention. Under the Carter Administration the U.S. made clear that it would not intervene any- where, regardless of how barbarous the provocations. Kurt Waldheim's United Nations, which has ample time to display two terrorist mayors from towns under Israeli military govern- ment, has no time for mat- ters such as the Chinese conquest of Tibet, the Rus- sian conquest of Afghanis- tan or the Syrian conquest of Lebanon. And the Christian estab- lishment is just as indiffer- ent. In part, of course, the Lebanese Christians pre- pared the way for their own destruction. For years they parroted the bellicose anti- Semitic and anti-Israel slo- gans of the Arab League: after a millenium as fos- silized minorities in the world of Islam they feared to take a position different from that of the world of Is- lam. The so-called "Near East Christian Council," based in Beirut, has been for de- cades a simple pipeline of Arab League propaganda. And now, when some of the Christian leaders have awakened to the fact that the Syrians and their co- believers intend the total destruction of the Christian communities, they find that no one listens. No one except the Is- raelis, that is, who have their own good reasons for trying to prevent an Anschluss of Lebanon to "Greater" Syria. As I pointed out in 1974, the Lebanese Christians' doom was sealed when they refused to join the 1973 Yom Kippur attack on Israel. What happened then was that the Lebanese army, its offi- cer corps chiefly Maro- nite Christian, refused the Arab League demand that they attack Israel from the north. Although they had mouthed the anti-Semitic and anti- Israel slogans for years, they refused to join the attack on Israel. • It was clear to me then that this would never be forgiven. In recent months some of the Christian politicians have awakened to the de- struction and genocide planned for them and their people. Take Charles Malik, a distinguished Christian Lebanese once prominent in the United Nations and in the World Council of Churches. At the 1954 CHARLES MALIK Evanston Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Charles Malik was one of two churchmen who pre- vented a sound resolution on Israel and the Jewish people from passing. In the last two years, fi- nally realizing that the Is- raelis for their own good reasons are the only force willing to give his people any help whatever, Dr. Malik has been writing old friends all over Chris- tendom calling for help for the Lebanese Christians. But it is too little and too late. A UN General Assem- . bly that cheers an Arafat and an Idi Amin is not going to worry about another genocide. And Christian councils, like the Near East Christian Council of Beirut or the National Council of Churches' Near East Panel, are too programmed for anti-Semitism and anti- Israel positions to change now. The Near East Panel's intellectual and spiritual dishonesty was demon- strated by this fact, among others: members of the team sent to judgt Israel talked with Charles Malik, but they suppressed his informa- tion because he did not say what they wanted to hear. He had changed his mind and his views of earlier years, and they didn't want to listen. Lebanon is down the drain as an independent re- public — another monu- ment to Muslim aggression and to United Nations inef- fectuality. Not to mention the hyprocrisy of the churches' establishment. Mexico to Buy Israeli Jets? TEL AVIV (JTA) Mexico's Defense Minister, Gen. Felix Lopez, arrived in Israel Sunday at the head of a 16-member delegation in- cluding the depty chief of staff and senior 'army offi- cers, as guests of Premier Menahem Begin. Lopez was to discuss with Defense Ministry officials the possi- ble purchase of Israeli- designed and produced Kfir fighter planes. Israel has for some years been seeking foreign buyers for the Kfir, already in serv- ice with the Israel Air Force for several years. But sales have long been blocked by American refusal to grant licenses for the use of the U.S.-made jet engines which power the aircraft. Agreement to allow their sale as part of the Kfir to Mexico and other countries was granted some months ago. - Australia was at one time interested in the Kfir but withdrew, reportedly under Arab pressure and the urg- ing of the U.S. aircraft manufacturers. Hints at a possible pur- chase by Mexico were seen in welcoming re- marks by Deputy De- fense Minister Mor- dechai Zipori and Lopez. Zipori hailed Mexico as a "great, free, democratic and independent coun- try, free from pressures by oil states and the great powers." Lopez replied that his visit had the full blessing of the Mexican President and should re- sult in measures to the benefit of both countries. Mexico has reportedly been interested in the Israeli-made plane for some time, as part of its program for re-equipping its air force. The Kfir is said to be competing with the American-made F-15E plane for an order of 24 air- craft. Mexico already has a number of Israeli-made air- craft and equipment, in- cluding the Arava and Westwind planes and elec- tronic equipment. Lopez inspected the •Kfir production line at the Israel Aircraft Industries factory Wednesday. His visit to Is- rael comes less than two weeks after that of Colom- bian Defense Minister Luis Carlos Camacho Levya, who also headed a delega- tion which came to inspect the Kfir fighter and discuss possible purchases. Bumper Year at Stock Exchange TEL AVIV (JTA) — The Israel Stock Exchange had a bumper year in 1980 but failed to meet Likud gov- ernment hopes that local industry would raise big capital through share is- sues. According to data re- leased by Exchange board chairman Dr. Meir Heth, of the 1.4 billion Shekels (ab- out $186 million) raised by new issues last year only 3.3 percent was by industrial concerns (down from 15.4 percent in 1979) while the commercial banks raised 70.9 percent (up from 63.1 percent). Of the 39 issues floated in 1980 only fou were industrial firms which apparently found it easier.to raise capital outside the stock exchange. Total exchange turnover was 16.9 billion Shekels, compared to 4.3 billion Shekels in 1979 — an in- crease of 67 percent when adjusted to allow for some 130 percent devalutaion during the year. • Who knows himself a braggart, let him fear this; for it will come to pass that every braggart shall be found an ass. —Shakespeare ,7;