Joseph Aoun should start by recognizing what he owes Israel

Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, promised the stars and the moon in his inaugural speech, and I wish him success, but even if he is only able to deliver a fraction of what he promised, he should remember that he couldn’t have done it without Israel. However, instead of recognizing that, Aoun’s speech repeated the same false narrative that we have come to expect from Lebanese politicians.

The is no doubt that the deadlock that has prevented Lebanon from electing a president for two years and two months was finally resolved only because a significantly weakened Hezbollah was no longer able to block the election of a president. And not only was Aoun able to get elected against the wishes of Hezbollah, but he also made sweeping promises to remove Hezbollah as a military and criminal organization in Lebanon.

Aoun said, “If we want to build a nation, we must all be under the roof of law and justice, where there will be no more mafias or security islands, no more leaks or money laundering, no more drug trafficking, no more interference in the judicial system, in police stations, no more protections or clientelism, no more immunity for criminals and the corrupt.”

He promised to “ensure the state’s right to hold a monopoly on weapons, and to invest in the army to monitor the borders, maintain their security in the south, define the boundaries in the east, north and at sea, prevent smuggling, fight terrorism and preserve the unity of the Lebanese territory.”

The reference to Hezbollah’s military capabilities, to its criminal activities, and to its illegitimate control over government institutions, is unmistakable. And he was roundly applauded for making these promises. This would have been unthinkable just a few months ago.

What happened to make this possible? What happened is that Israel defeated Hezbollah and forced it into an agreement that involves removing it from the south and replacing it with the Lebanese army. Hezbollah is now a shadow of its formal self, and the weight it carries in Lebanese politics has weakened accordingly.

Aoun should also remember that Israel did this at a very high cost to itself, including the death of dozens of soldiers. While Israel did this for its own citizens and not specifically for Lebanon’s benefit, the benefit to Lebanon is undeniable. Hezbollah has been a cancer for Lebanon for a long time and thanks to Israel, Lebanon finally has an opportunity to eradicate that cancer.

But far from expressing gratitude, Aoun repeated the rhetoric about Israel that we are used to hearing from Lebanese politicians.

He promised “to eradicate the Israeli occupation and repel its aggressions on all Lebanese territories”. That is hypocritical and laughable on several levels. First, there is no Israeli “occupation” in Lebanon. Not only has Israel made it clear that its presence in Lebanon is temporary for the specific purpose of ending terrorist aggression on Israel, but it even signed an agreement to withdraw and is already in the process of doing so. And how exactly would he “repel” Israeli “aggression”? He has wisely kept his army away from the fighting with Israel, and that’s because he knows that he could not fight Israel, and more importantly, he also knows that Israel is in fact doing his work for him.

Aoun also promised to “adhere to the principle of rejecting the settlement of the Palestinian brothers, thus preserving their right of return and strengthening the two-state solution.” Refusing to give the Palestinians equal rights in Lebanon is a shameful policy that does not strengthen the two-state solution, on the contrary. It perpetuates the illusion that the so-called Palestinian “refugees” will one day be able to live in Israel, therefore transforming it into an Arab state.

I realize that stating bluntly his gratitude for Israel’s defeat of Hezbollah would have ended his presidency very quickly, but that by itself proves the depth of Lebanon’s problems. Lebanese society is built on lies and deception, and Aoun is continuing that toxic tradition by being dishonest in his words about Israel.

Aoun promised that “every Lebanese in the diaspora will be proud of Lebanon, just as Lebanon is proud of its expatriates,” but as a Lebanese expatriate, I cannot be proud of a country that continues to perpetuate lies about a neighbor that just gave it a new lease on life.

Aoun stated that now “begins a new phase in the history of Lebanon.” If he means it, then it’s time for Lebanon to start telling the truth about Israel.