8 August 1978

... At last, the Syrian game in Lebanon is revealed. And when we retired to the Lebanese mountain in November 1976, to protest the entrance of Arab troops to Lebanon, we were aware of our action, and events have established that our anticipations were correct:

1– The Syrians attempted to occupy Lebanon in 1975, using the Palestinian organizations. At that time, Minister Abdul Halim Khaddam declared: “Lebanon is a Syrian department”. The Syrians adopted the following plan:

– They offered the Palestinians all the financial, political and logistical support;

– They allowed all the Palestinian brigades to come to Lebanon in transit through their territory, namely, Al-Saika, Palestine Liberation Army, Ain Jalout Brigade, Al-Qadisiyya Brigade... in support of the Organizations that were already active in Lebanon;

– They participated effectively in the occupation of Damour and the slaughtering of children, women and old people, and in successive offensives against Zahleh, Zgorta, Qobeyat and others...

– They exerted in those days great pressure on the Lebanese authorities to prevent them from deploying the Lebanese Army;

– They sent, in conjunction with Libya, Iraq and others, thousands of Arab mercenaries to support the Palestinians;

– They bought, in conjunction with the Palestinians, several newspapers, news agencies and radio and TV stations with Arab money, in order to camouflage their conspiracy, to cover their savage invasion of Lebanon and to depict the Lebanese to world opinion as sectarians, fascists and aggressors... And they succeeded to a large extent...

– However, the Lebanese Resistance, represented by the Kataeb, the Liberals, the Guardians of the Cedars, the Tanzim, the Front of the North and others, filled the vacuum left by the Lebanese Authorities and Army, and succeeded, by its solid determination and the faith in its cause, to thwart the conspiracy throughout two years of ferocious fighting, and thousands of martyrs of our best youths offered on the altars of Lebanon, and thousands of innocent children, women and old people. And Lebanon also lost all his industrial institutions and his vital infrastructure...

2– The Syrians, unsatisfied with all the destruction they brought to Lebanon, were determined to conclude their conspiracy, but after a change in tactics:

– The Syrians admitted their all-out support to, and their connivance with the Palestinians, in the famous speech of 20/7/76 that restored the trust of the Lebanese in them;

– They helped President Sarkis to become President of the Republic in order to ensure a regime favorable to them... We all know how these elections were held and how the deputies were brought to the Parliament;

– They misled President Sarkis, the Lebanese officials and the world opinion that they were coming to Lebanon this time on a mission of peace in order to stop the war and implement the agreements concluded between the Lebanese Authorities and the Palestinians, the occupation of the Palestinian encampments and confiscating their weapons;

– The majority of the Lebanese believed this falsehood, and the Syrian troops entered under the cover of Arab Deterrent Forces, thereby winning a legitimacy allowing them free movement in Lebanon, occupying strategic positions in our Capital and the still unoccupied regions. And reinforcing them by and by with all sorts of heavy and lethal weapons;

– The Lebanese at first welcomed the wolf coming disguised as a sheep, believing that the war was ended and peace will return to their ailing Lebanon... But the wolf quickly shed his disguise and, showing his fangs, they set out to devour the Lebanese people... He started with submitting them to all kinds of intimidations and terrorism... like kidnapping, precautionary arrests, physical abuse and liquidation... And instead of confining the Palestinians to their encampments, as they promised, they tried everything to bring the Lebanese to their knees... And there was the explosion... the war was resumed... but this time with greater ferocity, greater rancor and greater destruction...

– And we are now back in battle... Battle for freedom, the freedom for which our ancestors have fought, throughout their long and fateful history...

– Our present desperate fight for Lebanon is in defense of honor... the honor of man in his country and of his right to live an honorable life...

APPEAL TO CONSCIENCE and HUMANISM
In the name of our valiant fighters:
In the name of those who fell martyrs in battle;
In the name of those who are still alive;
In the name of the children who were slaughtered;
In the name of the women clad in black;
In the name of the fathers weeping for their sons who left but did not return;
In the name of the thousands displaced who felt the pangs of hunger and were humbled by poverty;
In the name of the thousands of homes destroyed or sacked;
I appeal to the free world;
I appeal to the civilized world;
I appeal to the conscience of the world... if it still has a conscience;
I appeal to Humanity... if there still is humanity;
I appeal to all of them to tell them:
Are four years of watching us idly not enough?
Their human feelings, are they not stirred?
Has their conscience not awakened yet?
Are they willing to have this peaceful people whose only crime is to fight for their country, their liberty, their civilization, their innocent children?

I ask them all:
Why was the United Nations Organization created?
Why was the Security Council invented?
Why was the Charter of Human Rights promulgated?

I wish to remind them all that the World War lasted four years and the whole world participated in it, whereas the Lebanese war lasted four years and the entire world watched indifferently...
Are they not yet fed up with watching indifferently?

My query is directed to all the above... and to the Arabs themselves, asking:
What has Lebanon done to deserve all this suffering?
What are you, Arabs, doing in our Country?
Why are you in our country?
Is all the grief you have already caused to us not enough?
Are all the blood, tears and destruction not enough?
Has my country ever attacked you?
Has my army ever bombed any of your homes? Or slaughtered a child?

Dear Arabs,
Why don’t you return to your immense lands?
Why don’t you leave my tiny homeland alone?
Why do the Syrians not return to Syria?
And the mercenaries to their countries?
And the foreigners to their places of origin?
Why don’t you leave us live in peace?

And now, I ask myself:
For how long should we keep on fighting?
For how long should our youth die in battle?
For how long should my parents remain displaced?
For how long should my brother sleep in the shelter?
For how long should my children be frightened?
Why our children are not allowed to grow up?
Why don’t they spare them the horrors of war?
Why do they not allow them to play as all children play?
Why do smiles never appear on their lips?
Why has sorrow marked their faces?

And, again I ask you all:
Have we the right to live?
If yes is the answer,
What are you waiting for?
But if no is the answer,

We have decided to die... but with our heads held high!

I wish you to know that the freedom we are defending today is more precious to us than life...
And that contempt is worse than death.

At the service of Lebanon,

Abu Arz

8 / 8 / 78