The linchpin of peace

Lebanon has been to taking on a more prominent role in the overall Middle East peace process as the conflict gets more complex with every passing year. And the delay in finding an amenable solution to the crisis — now 61 years in the making — is serving no cause except that of extremism on both sides. Ironically, during the earlier years of the Arab-Israeli crisis when Lebanon still had no direct quarrels with Israel, it used to be said that Lebanon would be the second Arab country to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state. But since then, more blood than water has run under Lebanon’s bridges. Today, given the twists and turns that fate and geo-politics have thrown at Lebanon, the Lebanese will very likely be the last people in the region to sign a peace treaty with Israel. The fact that Lebanon is increasingly playing a