The Enemy is Israel: A commitment not a Perspective

Karim Chahin wanders in the streets of the southern suburbs of Beirut,

narrating tales about his friends and family members whose pictures are
hanged on the walls of the region. He reveals the pride he feels due to their
sacrifices and that they have martyred in the war against the Zionist Israeli
Army. Karim says : “There isn’t a state called Israel, its name is Palestine
and it will always be.” This statement is adopted by approximately every
Lebanese, except for those who never lived a war and never known what
the meaning of resistance is. Those few individuals always try to make an
entrance of the Israeli’s through the window, after the resistance have
closed the wide gates and prevented them from entering the Lebanese
territory. We are not talking here about a military invasion, but about a
cultural normalization.

Currently, the Lebanese are divided between admiration and objection for
showing a movie “The Spot” in the Lebanese cinemas. The debate lies
within being this movie directed by “Steven Spillberg”, the Jewish who uses
the income of his movies to fund the Israeli army. Spillberg had previously
announced that he had donated one million dollars for the Israeli army, and
that he won’t regret giving his soul for what is called “Israel”. Here in
Lebanon, those who had witnessed wars before 2000, and during the 2006
would oppose showing Spillberg’s movie for sure, and they consider it as
making connections with the enemy. They also provide a legislative
evidence, for the Lebanese constitution forbids any link with the Israeli
army. On the other hand, there is a group who denied stopping the movie
and considered it as a suppression of freedoms and rights. They add that a
movie is a kind of art, “we have the right to watch the movie and respect
the diversity”, says Sami Sharaf, a student in the fine arts faculty.

This dilemma started previously when the Lebanese director Ziad Doueiri
entered Palestine, specifically TalAbib to shoot his movie. This act is for
sure against the Lebanese laws and puts it as a national treason and a
dealing with the enemy. Recently, with the advertisement for the movie
“The Spot”, the issue of normalization has come to the front again.
Politicians, journalists, and experts discussed the case.

Moreover, and due to the severe threat of showing such movies, the
secretary general of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, included “The
Spot” in his latest speech. He said that these movies are like the wars and
should be stopped from screening in Lebanon. Sayyed Nasrallah, as a
leader for the resistance knows best about the tactics that the Israelis
consume to invade the Arab countries geographically, politically, and even
culturally.

In all cases, and because Spillbergs movie is a harassment to the Lebanese

Sovereignty, the authorities represented by the General Security
Directorate made a decision of not allowing “The Spot” to be screened.
However, Nohad Mashnouk, the minister of Interior and Municipalities,
interfered using his position, to give access for the movie in the Lebanese
cinemas. Maybe under the pressure, and as usual the Zionist lobby presses
on the USA allies in Lebanon to act according to their agenda. Although, the
representative of the Interior Ministry in the surveillance committee had
also took a decision previously to boycott “The Spot”.
Eventually, the movie is being screened in cinemas and the people are
attending. The public opinion is divided as well as the politicians, just as any
case that do not provide unity among all Lebanese.

On their behalf, the boycott campaign has condemned the minister’s

decision by allowing the movie to be shown. The president of this
campaign, Abed Al- Malik Sukkariyye, explains the great threat of displaying
such movies. He claims that Mashnouk has broken the law and the
Lebanese commitment to the Arab decision in considering Israeil has an
enemy and boycotting any material related to it. “If a movie harasses any
feeling of any religious group in Lebanon, should be prohibited and
prevented.”

This controversial issue also extended to social media, the platform where
everyone is free in expressing any opinion. Some were posting pictures of
attending the cinemas to watch the movie, neglecting the feelings of those
who suffered during wars with Israel and whom their beloved ones had
died due to a bomb or an explosion. While others who carry the resistance
thought and principles, launched a campaign “against normalization”, to
express their ultimate and certain refusal to accept any content or member
supporting Israel and its criminal policy.

Karim Chahin sighs as he feels sorry for those who support the enemy and
oppose their brothers in the homeland, he says that the main problem in
Lebanon is that there is a group which doesn’t consider Israel as an enemy.
“It is an enemy and it should be a commitment we all agree upon”,
concludes Karim.