The former head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, recalled key moments from the Mountain War and the events that accompanied the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, stressing that the Druze recorded a “political victory” after the war, and that the field transformations at that time changed the course of internal and regional equations.
In the ninth episode of the “Witness to the Age” program, Jumblatt said that in 1983 he called for an end to injustice against the Druze, stressing that he benefited from the retreat of Israeli forces at that stage, considering that the Mountain War represented a fundamental turning point in Lebanon’s modern history.
He pointed out that the Druze achieved a political victory after the war, because they rejected what he described as attempts to “subjugate the Druze,” adding that the interests of the Druze converged at that time with Syrian interests, which contributed to changing the balance of power later.
Jumblatt revealed that former President Amin Gemayel admitted during his previous participation in the program that he was “shackled” during the Mountain War, and did not have full control over the decision within the Lebanese Forces.
In the context of his talk about that stage, Jumblatt confirmed that the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad was seeking to prevent Israeli forces from reaching the Masnaa area, noting that the Battle of Sultan Yacoub in 1982 constituted a turning point after the Syrian army succeeded in stopping the advance of Israeli forces.
He added that the battle of Ain Zhalta was also one of the main battles that accompanied that stage, noting that the anti-Israel forces were monitoring what he described as “isolationist” plans to storm the mountain.
Regarding the aspect related to the relationship with Israel, Jumblatt stressed that he had not concluded any agreement with the Israelis, stressing that he was forced to leave Beirut with the launch of operations against the Israeli forces.
He also recalled his meeting with former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres in Al-Mukhtara, saying that Peres told him that day that Israel does not kill innocents, but the facts on the ground were, as he put it, completely different.
Jumblatt considered that current Israel is witnessing an unprecedented rise in what he described as “biblical right-wing mobilization,” pointing out that this trend has become much stronger than it was in previous decades.
He concluded by saying that what is happening today reaffirms that the war that Israel is waging has ideological and expansionist dimensions, adding: “The goal is to achieve Greater Israel, but no one knows where the limits of this project can stop.”
