collateral damage
Out of context: Reply #18
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- KuzII0
What is happening in Lebanon is much more important and newsworthy because the battle there is geopolitical, and involves key global players battling for dominance in a vital strategic area of the world.
It is an event that began with the assasination of Hariri and Western pressure to force Syria out of Lebanon, which has resulted in Israel attempting to fill the power vacuum that has been left.
Lebanon was carved out of Syria by the French under the league of nations mandate, and incorporated territory that had been controlled by Damascos for centuries. It was an attempt to create a pro-Western enclave by manufacturing a disproportionately large Christian maronite population. A foothold for France in the Middle East. The five provinces that make up the state have been subject to great power play ever since.
"'The Muslims rule of Lebanon is artificial and easily undermined. A Christian state ought to be set up whose southern borders would be Litani River. Then we'll form an alliance with it." - David Ben-Gurion, first Prime Minister of Israel, 1948