Hazem Saghiyeh

It could be said that Mr. Rami Makhlouf, the cousin of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the foremost man of corruption in Syria, is very stupid – and that this is why he allowed himself to speak in the name of a regime in which he does not occupy any official position, and (worse still) to link Israel’s stability and security to Syria’s.
Such allegations of stupidity would be based on the fact that he has laid bare the secret so thoroughly that it is difficult for it to remain a secret at all anymore. He is a witness who has testified against his own family, and this is why the regime had to disavow his interview with the New York Times.

But perhaps it could also be said that Mr. Makhlouf is very clever. His intelligence led him to make a crystal-clear offer to the Israelis, and to the Americans behind them, witnessed by the world. The offer is this: Save the regime and take what you want. Because Mr. Makhlouf has no official capacity, the regime can disavow his remarks if they provoke negative reactions. This is exactly what happened.
This assessment is encouraged by the fact that the Libyan regime had already set a precedent in asking the Israelis for help at a moment of crisis, without having to deny or clarify. In the hour of truth, one “spits the stone,” as the popular Arabic expression goes.

Whether it is stupidity or intelligence, we must certainly thank Mr. Rami for one thing: that he revealed what his uncle and cousin’s regime means by “opposition” and “resistance.” The criticisms that were directed at the Damascus regime regarding its policies on Palestine and Lebanon never found a more precise or credible confirmation than what the president’s cousin himself has now uttered.

However, this Makhloufian revelation, intentionally or unintentionally, poses an extremely important question to the resisters and oppositionists among us: What is the meaning of resistance and opposition after this? Is it permissible to keep the Palestinians and Lebanese resisters and oppositionists forever, as part of a project whose true goals Rami Makhlouf himself has declared?

The Hamas Movement answered this question cleverly. It agreed to reconciliation with Fatah under Egyptian sponsorship, thereby hinting that it no longer prioritizes the national Palestinian interest. This is being evaluated as an initial step on the road of gradual transformation … unless the arrogance of Netanyahu and Lieberman frustrates such a course.

But what about Hezbollah? Has the time not come to “spit the stone” here as well, and to say that the weapons’ real goal is a sect, with its guarantees, positions, and shares, and not Resistance itself?
 
If the party does this it will be truly courageous, and it will have shifted to the street of honesty and frankness. When talk becomes true, national dialogue among the Lebanese will acquire real meaning.
Meanwhile, we reiterate our thanks to Mr. Rami, who has carried us to the shores of light and clarity.