why? Due to intra Arab prejudice

Submitted by Shishir (United Arab Emirates), Sep 12, 2012 at 08:57

The urban cosmopoltican Francophile Lebanese of all denominations, even Muslims, loathe the Palestinians who they see as riff raff and losers of the Arab world.

In the incredibly confusing and volatile world of Arab politics where yesterdays friend is today's enemy and vice versa (remember Arabs are a feuding not warring people) Palestinians were alternately welcomed by the Lebanese Muslims in their sectarian wars when allied with Syria but then Syria switched and allied with the Christians and the Christians in turn invited Israelis to deal with their Palestinian problem.

All the while Syria was undermining Arafat in Lebanon (the Syrian Defence Minister referred to him as the son of 10000 whores) while preaching Palestinian self determination.

Confused?You are not alone

Also somewhat OT it is very Lebanese to ingratiate themselves to a foreign power. When the Assyrian emperor Tiglath Pileser went to conquer what is today Lebanon,then Phoenician, the Phoenician king submitting his allegiance by kissing the despots foot and survive with this kingdome intact while the Israelites choose and ultimately lose and suffer devastation.

And so it is today the Lebanese Sunnis bow to Saudis, Shia to Iran and the Christians to whoever takes pity on them-yesterday it was the Israelis( who recalled the story of Hiram and Solomon to Menachem Begin to reel him in) and today its the Syrians.

In some ways very little has changed in that part of the world!

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