politics

enough already! i hear you cry. back to the palestinians for a second. enough has been said about them, and i feel very ambiguously about their situation. as does everyone, and that's part of the problem. the palestinians came to lebanon after the 1948 war as refugees, and they have kept that status ever since. they were armed by the lebanese in the 1970s to get them to fight as highly motivated cannon fodder against the israelis. they did, but afterwards refused to hand the weapons back, eventually turning them against the lebanese government when they sought peace. and the lesson? never give guns to people you think you can control, because you cannot predict what they will do with them. today the palestinians are not wanted by any country in the middle east, they have no rights, no wealth, but they do have arms. politics of course does not stop with the palestinians, the christians, too, have been fighting everyone and amongst themselves. will political fighting ever stop in a region so fraught with issues and so vital for many economies? we enjoyed the beach in byblos, had great seafood, a fabulous chateau kefraya, and forgot about fighting and wars until we passed the next army checkpoint.