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Some people
worshipped him; some disliked him. He was a leader to
many; to others, he was an enemy to be eliminated. But
above all, he was a man who carried a dream and who had
conviction, strength and popular support to make that
dream a reality. He had already begun weaving the threads
of a new fabric for his country when his life was cut
short by those who feared the changes he proposed. But his
spirit lives on in those who knew and loved him.
Out of the wound in
our bleeding hearts, out of the tears in our children's
eyes, out of our strong attachment to our land, he emerged
and struck lightning in the sky giving us hope and a
dream, a beautiful dream of a free 10452km˛ Lebanon. Free
of all foreign occupation and brotherly presence. He gave
us the dream of a strong unified Lebanon whereby all its
different ethnic and religious groups could coexist in
peace and harmony.
After the Cairo
Agreement, the situation in Lebanon was steadily
deteriorating, with continued violent outbreaks of
fighting between the armed Palestinians and the Lebanese
Army. Attacks by the armed Palestinians against Israeli
targets across the Lebanese-Israeli border grew more
numerous and deadly. After the Lebanese-PLO war broke on
in April 1975, Bashir joined his fellow militia members of
the Kataeb party in defending the Christian areas against
the PLO attacks.
When William Hawi,
Commander-in-Chief of the Kataeb Military Council was
killed in the Lebanese Forces siege of the PLO stronghold
in Tell Zaatar in July 1976, Bashir was chosen to succeed
him. By August 30, he was appointed head of the unified
command of the Lebanese Forces, a coalition of the
Christian militias of the Kataeb Party, National Liberal
Party, the Tanzim and the Guardians of the Cedars.
On July 7, 1980,
these Christian militias were unified into one as the
Lebanese Forces with Bashir Gemayel as their
Commander-in-Chief. By January 1981, Gemayel also held
positions as Chief of the Kataeb Security Council and
member of the Kataeb Political Bureau.
As
Commander-in-Chief, Bashir went on strengthening the
military branch of the Lebanese Forces, instituting
military training in schools of the Christian sector to
build up reserves. He also gave the Lebanese Forces a
broader political dimension and popular basis. He
organized public services in the liberated areas (Eastern
Region) to substitute for the lack of government provided
services. These included a public transportation system; a
popular committee to provide the daily needs of the
population such as water, electricity, road maintenance,
garbage collection, sewage, social relief services, etc.;
two radio stations and a television station; and a small
airport.
Under President
Elias Sarkis, a Council of National Salvation was formed
in June 1982 which grouped the major militia and political
leaders in an effort to draw up measures to end the seven
years of war which had shaken Lebanon. Gemayel
participated on the short-lived Council as the
representative of the Lebanese Forces.
As
Commander-in-Chief of the Lebanese Forces, Bashir had many
opportunities to meet foreign officials both abroad and in
Lebanon to discuss his vision of Lebanon. Most notably of
these were several trips he made to the United States,
where he consulted with officials from the State
Department, the White House, Senators and Congressmen; his
visit to Saudi Arabia in July 1982 to consult with King
Fahd; his meeting with European Christian Democrat
Parliamentary groups; and his meetings with US, UN and
Arab envoys who were working on finding solutions to the
Lebanese crisis.
Bashir officially
announced his candidacy for President of the Republic of
Lebanon on July 24, 1982. On August 23, 1982, Gemayel was
elected President of the Republic in a second ballot by a
vote of 57 for with 5 abstentions.
During the next few
weeks, he held countless planning sessions and intensive
meetings with Christian and Moslem leaders, preparing
plans for the rebirth of Lebanon. He began rallying l
Lebanese people, Moslems and Christians alike, around him
as no other leader in Lebanon had been able to do since
independence.
Nine days before he
was to be inaugurated President, Bashir attended his usual
discussion session at the Kataeb office in Ashrafieh. A
powerful explosion on the second floor ripped through the
building, killing Bashir along with 26 others. The hero
and hope of Lebanon was dead and all Lebanon mourned.
It was later
discovered that two members of the National Syrian
Socialist Party one of whom was related to the owners of
the building in which the Ashrafieh Kataeb offices were
located, were the instigators of the bombing and that
Syria was behind the assassination.
Bashir was frank
and direct in his dealings with people. His zeal for the
Lebanese cause, an independent Lebanon free of all foreign
occupation, inspired many. This goal took him around the
world, meeting with Arab and Western leaders, in search
for solutions and support. He was a bold man, charismatic,
decisive. He maintained a clear political course,
attracting young, dynamic and specialized individuals to
the cause. He was forthright and realistic, a man who
refused compromise or half-way solutions. He was open to
dialogue and not afraid of criticism.
The Lebanese
emigrants had a major role to play in supporting the
Lebanese cause, Bashir believed. He instituted offices in
many countries overseas, including the Unites States,
France, Brazil, West Germany and Italy to keep those
governments informed about the Lebanese communities there
active in working for the liberation of their mother
country, Lebanon.
Gemayel
consistently worked for free, democratic, independent
Lebanon, pluralist in nature and strong, secure state. He
believed that Moslem and Christian can live together in
peace and that Lebanon need to maintain good relations
with the Western World as well as the Arab World. He
advocated the withdrawal of Syrian forces occupying
Lebanon since 1975, the withdrawal of Israeli forces
occupying Lebanon since June 1982 and disarming of the
Palestinians while on Lebanese soil.
When Bashir Gemayel
announced his candidacy for the presidency, he went beyond
confessional conflicts and personality quarrels. He
pursued a very sublime goal to unite all the Lebanese,
defend the country's sovereignty and champion a modern and
democratic Lebanon. Exhausted by so many years of war and
terror under foreign occupation, the Lebanese yearned for
independence, freedom and peace. This could only build
upon a country at peace with itself. For this purpose,
Gemayel ordered the Lebanese Forces as they prepared to
reenter their villages to refrain, under heavy penalty,
from any wrong doing to their Lebanese brothers. He firmly
warned against any breach of discipline.
"Those
against whom you fought; those who demolished your
houses, desecrated the tombs of our grandfathers... we
must respect their dead without any feeling of
vengeance. They destroyed our homes, but we shall
protect their homes... We must secure freedom and
protection for every Lebanese without discrimination.
(June 17, 1982).
In the Middle East,
where tyranny, fanaticism, turmoil and intolerance exist,
Lebanon was unique in his attempted to be the country of
stability, liberty and tolerance--peaceful by vocation,
democratic by tradition and liberal by civilization.
Bashir Gemayel was seen as the man to restore this freedom
and peace to his country. His candidacy was not only a bet
on the future of Lebanon, but also on the interests of the
Free World and above all the United States.
Bashir Gemayel's
sole purpose from founding the Lebanese Forces was that he
wanted an organization, a party that would always be
ready, able and willing to stand in defense of Lebanon. He
wanted it a strong political party and a strong military
power whenever the Lebanese army failed to defend the
country as was the case in 1975. The Lebanese Forces was
created to make sure that what happened in 1975 never
happens again and that the reasons, which lead to the
starting of the war be resolved in a final and permanent
way.
The Lebanese Forces
was needed and Bashir saw to that need. When the Lebanese
army unwillingly was divided there was a strong need for
someone to protect the true and free Lebanese from
Palestinian fighters who sought their Palestine through
our Lebanon.
The Lebanese Forces
and its allies resisted and liberated all of what was once
known as the liberated areas where no foreign armies
existed and where the Lebanese government and institutions
were working freely and where the Lebanese Army had a
presence.
The Lebanese Forces
fought everywhere on the Lebanese soil trying to resist
both foreign and local threats to Lebanon and its
independence, in many cases our resistance was successful
and we liberated our land due to the fact that the people
of certain areas backed us and stood behind us and
supported us and unfortunately we were not successful in
others due to the fact that many local threats were a
knife in our back working with the invaders against their
fellow Lebanese.
In the summer of
1978 Bashir Gemayel and the Lebanese Forces launched the
war that was later known as the one hundred days war which
ended in a great big victory for the Lebanese Forces
commanded by Bashir. Syrian and Palestinian forces were
taken out of East Beirut and from then on wards it BEGUN.
Bashir resisted the
Syrians and Palestinians anywhere they existed and
anywhere he could attack them starting from the north,
passing through Beirut all the way to the south and the
mountain.
Bashir Gemayel gave
his life for his dream and ours, he gave his daughter's
life and set the example. He paved the way and believed in
us to accomplish the mission.
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