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France is the only country speaking in favor of Lebanon, but unfortunately it is only speaking.
Last week’s captivating statements by French President Emmanuel Macron had no effect and neither did the visit of his special envoy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, who was once a great minister of foreign affairs. France’s voice has not been heard in Lebanon for a long time, either on security issues or on the vital question of fighting corruption.
We all remember the French president’s statements on governance, whether delivered from Beirut or Paris. Upon arriving in Beirut on Aug. 6, 2020 — two days after the devastating explosion at the city’s port — Macron said: “The priority today is aid, unconditional support for the population, but it’s (also) the demand that France has been making for months, if not years, in fact, for essential reforms in certain sectors. Energy, public procurement, the fight against corruption. If these reforms are not carried out, Lebanon will continue to sink. This is another discussion that we must have and that I also wish to conduct today.”
Three days later, Macron told the International Conference on Support to Beirut and the Lebanese People: “I told them a few days ago in Beirut, and President (Michel) Aoun, whom I greet here, knows it: there are reforms to be made in the energy and public procurement sectors and in the fight against corruption. There is the audit of the central bank and the financial sector to be carried out, and the full involvement of the IMF and all international players.”
France’s diplomacy has become nothing more than a display of authority, and this is regrettable
Nathalie Goulet
The same declarations were reiterated by the French president at the Pine Residence, the official residence of the French ambassador to Lebanon, on Sept. 1, 2020.
With France, however, the Lebanese experience disappointment after disappointment.
France’s diplomacy has become nothing more than a display of authority, and this is regrettable. Long gone are the days when Jacques Chirac imposed his vision of peace in the region. Long gone are the days when France was expected and listened to in the Middle East. The voice of “Dr. Chirac,” as Yasser Arafat called him.
So, unfortunately, one resolution will not change the situation of the martyred Lebanese people, caught between their Israeli neighbors and Hezbollah — Iran’s armed wing in the region — which has just undergone an elimination operation, thanks to the pager explosions, worthy of the most sophisticated spy series.
While many applauded the Israeli secret services’ technical prowess — which, despite having reasons to be admired, was worth questioning — we forgot that this act of retaliation on Lebanese soil was also an act of war and that it resulted in civilian casualties. What would the world think if Vladimir Putin were to use the same methods against his opponents in Russia, Ukraine or elsewhere?
Our system of international law has deteriorated to such an extent that nothing can lead to condemnation, let alone sanctions or restitutions.
France’s new Prime Minister Michel Barnier this week said that “the question of Israel’s security is nonnegotiable,” foreshadowing his position and that of the government. As the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, pogrom approaches, the regional chaos is such that nothing seems able to stop the spiral of violence and the conflagration of the entire region.
The chaos is such that nothing seems able to stop the spiral of violence and the conflagration of the entire region
Nathalie Goulet
As the world gathers in New York for the UN General Assembly, the voice of the Gulf states must be heard. Perhaps it would be important for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation or the Gulf Cooperation Council to try mediation? They are Lebanon’s financial supporters and have no interest in seeing Hezbollah continue its work of destabilizing the region.
The Abraham Accords are yet another reason for the UAE, in particular, to act as a mediator. Oman also has a long history in this field. As for Saudi Arabia, it can also be a driving force. It is not in the Arab countries’ interest to allow the possible metastasis of this ongoing chaos.
The world cannot allow the situation to deteriorate like this; we have to act, and fast. Faced with the impotence of the international community, including Europe, who will stand up for the Lebanese and for peace, which must begin with an end to hostilities in Gaza and Lebanon and the return of the Oct. 7 hostages held prisoner for a year?
The situation arising from the terrorist attacks of Oct. 7 has led many Israelis to take to the streets, demanding an end to hostilities and the return of the hostages. The Israeli government seems to have turned a deaf ear to these protests and continues to pursue its worst-case scenario policy. This is a policy for which Lebanon and the Lebanese are still paying the price today, in front of an international community that is watching the disaster unfold.
This time, it was not the port of Beirut that exploded, but all of Lebanon and soon the whole region.
- Nathalie Goulet is a French senator for the Orne department in Normandy and the author of “An ABC of Terrorist Financing,” published by Cherche-Midi. X: @senateur61