(I suspect much of what we may hear out of Beirut from Christians are false expressions of unity borne of fear of reprisal from the Islamic militants.)
Not quite. The calls for unity are real. There are real efforts by Christians and other Lebanese to get the Shiites to turn away from Hezbollah, and toward Lebanon. We want to earn their loyalty by being there for them during their darkest hour. I haven't heard of any Lebanese Christian supporting Hezbollah. People need to separate comments regarding Hezbollah vs comments regarding the civilian Shiite population.
It would certainly be wonderful if the Christians could somehow win over the hearts and minds of their Islamic countrymen, but history seems to indicate otherwise. I wish them luck.
Here is what Bridgett Gabriel, a Lebanese Maronite had to say:
"Thank You Israel
For the millions of Christian Lebanese, driven out of our homeland, "Thank you Israel," is the sentiment echoing from around the world. The Lebanese Foundation for Peace, an international group of Lebanese Christians, made the following statement in a press release to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert concerning the latest Israeli attacks against Hezbollah:
"We urge you to hit them hard and destroy their terror infrastructure. It is not [only] Israel who is fed up with this situation, but the majority of the silent Lebanese in Lebanon who are fed up with Hezbollah and are powerless to do anything out of fear of terror retaliation."
Their statement continues, "On behalf of thousands of Lebanese, we ask you to open the doors of Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport to thousands of volunteers in the Diaspora willing to bear arms and liberate their homeland from [Islamic] fundamentalism.
We ask you for support, facilitation and logistics in order to win this struggle and achieve together the same objectives: Peace and Security for Lebanon and Israel and our future generations to come."
Gabriel tells her readers that the Islamists have held Lebanon hostage ever since the Israeli withdrawal in 2000, assisted by Syria and its intelligence services. The only solution possible is to have Israel destroy the Islamist infrastructure in southern Lebanon, because the Lebanese are powerless to do it for themselves.
Let's hope it works out that way. Israel needs to be careful to avoid attacking non-Hezbollah areas or at least doing so in as limited a manner as possible. We need a democratic and independent Lebanon, and the non-terrorist Lebanese deserve it."
They don't condemn them either. They have to condemn them out loud NOW!
"I haven't heard of any Lebanese Christian supporting Hezbollah"
Because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean it did not happen.
Michel Aoun is head of the Chrisian Maronites in Lebanon. He used to be head of the army in the civil war of the 1980's. Now he has made a pact with the devil and Lebanon is reaping the wind.
"The Shiite-Christian embrace, which Nasrallah and Aoun repeatedly insisted was "not a political alliance or front against other parties, but rather a political rapprochement," was held at Mar Mikhail Church, located a few blocks from Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut's southern suburbs."
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2006/02/it_is_official_1.php