Lebanon: The Arena for a New Arab Struggle • 357leader could stop Sadat's (unacknowledged) march toward a separate peace
with Israel.
LEBANON: THE ARENA FOR A NEW ARAB STRUGGLE
In Lebanon a separate but related crisis was brewing: a civil war far more
lasting, costly, and bitter than that of 1958. This long conflict makes sense
only if we look at it from several angles.
The Religious Angle
The conflict was initially seen as one between Christians and Muslims.
Lebanon was a country deeply split along religious lines. The Maronites,
the largest single Christian sect, had long wielded power disproportionate
to their actual share of the population. Lebanon's Muslims, who made up
the majority of the population, sought equal rights for themselves. Not all
Christians lined up on the Maronites' side (many of the Greek Orthodox
did not), and not all Muslims had the same interests. Shi'i Muslims were
increasing, relative to the historically preponderant Sunnis, and as the war
continued, they more stridently demanded recognition of their status. It is
also a paradox that the first spokesman of the "Muslim" side was Kamal
Jumblat, a Druze landowner. In later years both Christians and Muslims
would become split into factions at war with one another. Religious issues
mattered, but other problems also divided Lebanon.
The Nationalist Angle
Some experts saw the war as one between Lebanese loyalists, who viewed
their country as a link between the West and the Middle East, and Arab
nationalists, who sought closer ties with Syria and other Arab states. This
aspect of the conflict invited other Middle Eastern states to intervene. Be¬
cause no Arab state would openly favor Lebanese particularism over Arab
nationalism, the policy adopted by any one government was apt to depend
on how much it wished to please Syria. And Syria's policy, as you will soon
see, changed often. Israel's backers accused the Palestinians of attacking
the Lebanese (meaning the Maronites, whom Israel was quietly support¬
ing). A half-million Palestinians lived in Lebanon, mainly in the south and
in refugee camps around Beirut. Many felt cut off from Lebanon's political
and economic life. Christian Arabs from Palestine had been assimilated