Aid cut to Lebanon a timely, wise move

Saudi Arabia gave Lebanon $4 billion for its army and security forces, to help them protect their citizens. There were no strings attached. The support given to Lebanon was to help it continue its emergence from chaos. This significant largesse was typical of the way in which the Kingdom consistently intervenes quietly to help fellow Arab states.
It is also likely that few would have heard about the $4 billion had the aid not been stopped. But now that it has, the vitriolic reaction, especially from segments of the Lebanese media, has been galling. But it has not been surprising. The rancor with which the loss of the security funding has been greeted actually demonstrates the wisdom of ending it.
Hezbollah is branded internationally as a terrorist organization. It has abused the Shiite community’s constitutionally-mandated role in Lebanon to inject a paralyzing poison into the political process. The country has been without a president for two years. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has always claimed he is acting in the best interests of the Lebanese people. Instead he has acted in the interests of his Iranian masters in Tehran and their ally Bashar Assad.
Hezbollah has used the political vacuum to extend its power and influence in the army and the security forces. Lebanon now speaks the language of Hezbollah. The Lebanese delegation at last month’s Organization of Islamic Cooperation, alone of all the member states, refused to condemn the Iranian aggression. In particular it declined to censure the Iranians for the attacks on the Kingdom’s diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad.
The message was clear. Hezbollah now calls the shots in Lebanon and Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. The people of Lebanon are no longer protected by its army and security forces. The great majority of Lebanese, including many in Hezbollah’s Shiite heartland want peace. They want to continue rebuilding their shattered country. But Hezbollah and its Iranian paymasters have committed Lebanon to the Syrian conflict in defense of the Assad dictatorship.
First it was Hezbollah fighters alone who traveled to fight in Syria. Now Lebanese army units have been committed to support the terrorists. In such circumstances, there could be no way in which the Saudi government could continue to fund the country’s military, intelligence and police.
It has been clear for some time that under Hezbollah’s domination, Lebanon was acting more and more as a proxy for Iran. As such it has been committed to a fanatically sectarian role. For a country with such a rich confessional tapestry, this is beyond dangerous. The divisions that once destroyed the most culturally vibrant and financially accomplished Arab state, are again being opened up. Economic growth that had been recovering with the end of the civil war is at a standstill. The dark shadow of anarchy is once more looming over the country. There are delicate compromises enshrined in the constitution which permit all Lebanese communities to be fairly represented in government. Those arrangements have been trampled underfoot. Lebanon is once more on the brink of disaster. The brutal war that Assad is waging for his survival threatens to overflow into its western neighbor. 
On this basis, Saudi Arabia could not continue its generous financial assistance. There is every reason to believe that that money was being used by Hezbollah to attack the Free Syrian Army and support the Assad military in crushing innocent Syrians. While the Kingdom decided to cut the aid to Lebanon it reaffirmed, at the same time, its commitment to help the Lebanese people who are suffering due to the antics of Hezbollah.
The Kingdom remains committed to supporting the Lebanese people in their search for peace and security. At the moment their country has effectively been hijacked by a foreign power. Young Lebanese in Hezbollah’s ranks are dying in Syria. The terrorists no longer encourage public mourning for these deluded “martyrs.” There are too many funerals. 
In the end, all sane people will turn against Hezbollah. Until then, Saudi Arabia will continue to be in the front line of the war on terror. And that includes all terrorists be they from among Hezbollah or elsewhere. But the Kingdom will never desert the Lebanese people. They are trapped in a nightmare that is not of their own making. The time will come to reach out again with generous help for Lebanon. Tragically that hour has not yet arrived.

Source : Arab News