March 16

By Walid Joumblatt

,My friend Uri

Thirty eight years ago, the Syrians subdued Lebanon with the blessings of the infamous Secretary of State Henri Kissinger.

At the time Hafez Assad was the ruthless leader of Syria.

The purpose was to break the Lebanese left led by Kamal Joumblatt and to control the PLO headed by Yaser Arafat.

Kamal Joumblatt was killed on March 16, 1977.

Every year we put a red rose on his tomb to heal our endless grief.

Today is the 38th anniversary.

Arafat survived until 1982 when he was forced to leave Beirut besieged by the Israeli army, by Sharon ‘s troops.

Later in 2004, he was poisoned at his headquarters in Ramallah besieged again by Sharon’s troops.

Kamal Joumblatt defended a free Lebanon and refused Assad’s offer for a federation.

Kamal Joumblatt told Assad:

“I will not enter the great Syrian prison”.

المختارة الضريح

Arafat fought for a free Palestine from Israeli occupation and Arab regime dominance.

For Assad there is no Palestine.

Palestine is the south of Syria.

For Sharon too there is no Palestine.

Strange anachronism how Palestine does not exist for both ideologies, Baathism and Zionism.

Today it is almost the fifth year of the Syrian Revolution.

The revolution for freedom and dignity.

mesquita-al-aqsa

Today another Secretary of State John Kerry has an infamous statement.
“We should talk to Bashar the son of Hafez”.

Like his predecessor, there is no freedom for Syria or Lebanon needles to say for Palestine.

Kamal Joumblatt wanted a free Lebanon, Arafat a free Palestine and the Syrian people a free Syria.

Today is a sad day, a very sad day.

All the roses of the world, won’t be enough for Syrian grief.