Lebanese Columnist: The Failure Of The Palestinian Authority And The Lebanese Government To Condemn Hamas' and Hizbullah's Attacks On Israel Is A Political Fiasco

In his October 23, 2024, column titled "Lebanon Is Not Hizbullah and Palestine Is Not Hamas," Lebanese journalist Khairallah Khairallah presents several key arguments:

1. Failure to Condemn Militant Actions: Khairallah criticizes both the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Lebanon's interim government for their lack of political courage in condemning Hamas' and Hizbullah's attacks against Israel. He suggests that such condemnations could have prevented the tragic harm suffered by the people of Gaza and Lebanon.

2. PA's Missed Opportunity: He argues that the PA leadership "failed the test of the Al-Aqsa Flood" by not unequivocally condemning Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. Khairallah points out that the PLO, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, even called Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar a "national hero" in the eulogy it issued after his death.

3. Lebanese Government's Hesitation: Khairallah criticizes Lebanon's interim government for its hesitant stance on Hizbullah's full subservience to Iran and its decision to attack Israel from South Lebanon. He notes, however, that the Lebanese government has recently begun expressing "courageous positions" against Iranian involvement in the country.

4. Need for New Leadership: He stresses the necessity for a new Palestinian political leadership that can convince the world that "Palestine is not Hamas" and that not all Palestinians are masked and armed gunmen. Similarly, he calls for an official Lebanese statement declaring that Lebanon is neither synonymous with Hizbullah nor an Iranian colony.

Khairallah concludes that both the PA and Lebanon's interim government missed critical opportunities to distance themselves from militant actions, thereby failing to protect their respective populations from ensuing tragedies.