Jumblat Says Shebaa Farms Maps Manipulated, Vows 'Calm' Confrontation
Progressive Socialist Party chief ex-MP Walid Jumblat has announced that the maps of the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms had been "manipulated," amid a war of words in Lebanon over the identity of the territory.
"After this flurry of accusations and attacks, I remind that after the liberation in 2000 I voiced the same stance, when I called for the redeployment of the Syrian army," Jumblat tweeted, referring to his call that Syrian forces withdraw from Beirut and Mount Lebanon towards the Bekaa.
"Back then, treason accusations were launched and today as well. There might be land lots owned by Lebanese citizens in the Shebaa Farms, Kfarshouba and elsewhere, but ownership is different than sovereignty, after the maps were manipulated," Jumblat added.
And reminding that the political parties had agreed during the 2006 national dialogue to "verify the Lebanese identity of the Shebaa Farms" and demarcate the border in coordination with the U.N., Jumblat said "the Syrian government refused to give Lebanon papers to confirm the Farms' Lebanese identity."
He added: "This resulted in keeping sovereignty ambigous until the moment, but we won a (Syrian) embassy (in Lebanon). This is the old new theory about the unification of the (Lebanese and Syrian) tracks" in the negotiations with Israel.
"Is it prohibited to think and remind? Anyhow, launch treason accusations and analyze as you wish. We will continue our path calmly and leave the podiums of libel and slander to you," Jumblat went on to say.
28 April 2019, 16:44
05
and this sectarian criminal comes out now and tells us Shebaa Farms are not Lebanese while for the last 15 years or so he has been hailing the iranian terror organization aka hezbollah as 'resistance'!
28 April 2019, 19:26
03
For those accusing him of treason for bringing the issue of the Shebaa Farms up, the solution is simple. They should ask the Syrian government, their ally, to give Lebanon the papers to confirm the Farms' Lebanese identity and thus help it demarcate the border in coordination with the U.N. This will verify the Lebanese identity of the Shebaa Farms, they become part of resolution 425 and Israel will have to withdraw from them. Because at the minute the farms are Syrian territory and this ambiguity suits Syria, Israel and Hezbollah.
28 April 2019, 19:31
03
Jumblatt is of course, correct. Sheba Farms was disputed between Syria and Lebanon. Israel occupied it when they went into occupation of the Golan. In 2000, when theUN set the border and got to the Sheba, they ran into the Syria/Lebanon Dispute and ruled for Syria.
At the time, in 2000, when Syria supported Hezbollah and its justification for remaining armed because this part of Lebanon remained “occupied”, we demanded of Syria to drop its claim to the Shebaa so as to prove the claim. Syria refused to relinquish its Shebaa Farms Claim, because it is their national territory, not Lebanon’s. The Hezbollah rationale to remain armed is false.
The fact that Jumblatt is calling Hezbollah’s claim out is telling. He is the Lebanese weather vane. Tough times for Hezbollah just ahead.
29 April 2019, 03:18
03
Today he says Shebaa Farms not Lebanese, next week he will say they are when hezbollah gives him what he needs.
