Goksel’s Rear-view Mirror…Memories of the 2000 Liberation
On the occasion of the Resistance and Liberation day, the 25th of May, Moqawama.org had an interview with Timor Goksel, former spokesman and senior advisor to UNIFIL who currently teaches at the Department of Political Studies and Public administration at the American University of Beirut.
In 1979, he was assigned as Press Information Officer/Spokesman to UNIFIL at Nakoura and later became a Senior Adviser of UNIFIL in 1995.
Timor witnessed every part of the Liberation of 2000, and was a major Keyline...
Timor Goksel said that historically, "Israel" never left a country without something in return, but this only time was a withdrawal for nothing in return; that's why this time it was a success... He explained that "Hizbullah was learning so fast, while the "Israelis" and the SLA* (South Lebanon Army which later became known as the Lahd militia) were no longer able to stand up for or find Hizbullah fighters, and so "Israel" ran out of cards." He further elaborated that ""Israel's" presence in the South was demoralizing to its army and so the army had no choice but to leave."
"I know Hizbullah since day one and they were progressing in a very short time. "Israel" was now dealing with a very well-organized, well-armed army," he added.
Then Timor's story on the popular move began: "Back in 2000, it was the March of the people before the Liberation which amazed me the most...The starting point was in the village of Kantara towards the village of Taybe. Hundreds of children, women, and men marched towards freedom..."
As UN officials, Goksel explained that they had to stop the people. "We told the people to stop and go back because we weren't sure what may happen from the "Israeli" side, but the people insisted on continuing their path. I remember an argument happened between the soldiers in Kantara and the people, yet the people were persistent. The people broke the gate in Kantara and moved on. All they saw ahead of them was liberty; they smelled it from miles and miles away."
Smoking his cigarettes as if living the moment, Goksel said the people then arrived to Taybe. "They united together and it was a beautiful touching scene. When the march reached Odeisse, then Markaba and Shakra all the nearby villages joined in, the people united to end the occupation and that was unforgettable," he continued.
Those were the moments Goksel recalled from the popular march.
The scene on the "Israeli" side was very different though. Goksel recounted "After that the "Israeli" plans went upside down, the "Israelis" had promised the SLA people time to pack and leave. They promised them two a weeks' notice. The whole situation was more of a panic for them though; they didn't have time for anything."
"Israel" could only care less about the Lebanese who betrayed their homeland for some money...seemed like what Goksel tried to say. He continued the other side of the story "The SLA had to leave their tanks behind; their military equipment. They left all what they had behind. They were given one hour to leave, not enough time for anything. Hundreds of cars were left on the border that day. The SLA people and their families ran away with nothing. Only selected people were allowed to take their cars. They lost everything, all those years they sold their country for money but eventually got nothing," the UN former official clarified.
Then was the story with Sheikh Nabil Qaouk, with the Resistance which only made things easier, and with the final victory as the occupiers withdrew, and the land was free again. "On Monday night, the 24th of May, "Israel" started to bomb some areas near Tebneen and Baraa'cheet. They weren't fighting at the villages, but they were firing very heavily nearby," Goksel. That night, Goksel was in Haifa in the occupied Palestine.
"I was in Haifa at 8:30 night. Sheikh Qaouk called me up, and said: My brother, the "Israeli's" are shelling in our areas and we are fighting. You tell them they have one hour to stop the shelling otherwise we are going to open fire all the way to Galilee," Goksel said.
He straightaway took action. "I immediately contacted everyone I know and luckily the "Israelis" had a meeting in Jerusalem, besides they probably overheard the conversation before that, because they listen to my phone," former UN spokesman pointed out.
"20 minutes had already passed and so they only had 40 minutes," Goksel
noted adding "The "Israelis" asked me, ‘Do you believe it?' I said
don't ask me that question, you know Hizbullah as much as I do. Again
they asked the same question, Goksel reiterated "Look don't ask me as a
UN official, as a person I'll say yes they'll open fire. These guys have
been fighting for 2 days...They gave you time to evacuate your people
because they don't want to kill them."
Only a little while later, the "Israelis" call Goksel to tell him "We stopped firing."
In 10 or 15 minutes all the SLA positions were evacuated. That night the
frontline disappeared. It all happened so fast, Goksel said.
"Hizbullah sent his delegations, Sheikh's and some members of the Parliament, they went to the families to comfort them," Goksel remembering the events said.
| It was unbelievable, 22 years of occupation ended within hours |
Goksel ended his brief story on what had happened then "The UN was in a state of panic too, we sent patrols to areas we have never seen before, we didn't know which roads to take, which roads to avoid. In peace keeping you can never guarantee security by yourself you are always in need of local assistance," he explained. Hizbullah was of great help... It was unbelievable, 22 years of occupation ended within hours."
Goksel who still resides in Lebanon, has witnessed the liberation along
with the people, who with the resistance bonded to form an undefeatable
power of powerful weapons, more powerful than the most advanced metal
arms... faith and persistence of realizing free Lebanon. Today, Lebanon
is only stronger with its tripartite equation, the Golden equation of
the people-resistance-army, who will together celebrate the anniversary
of the Resistance and Liberation day every year on the 25th of May.
*The SLA or Lahd Militia were armed, trained and financed by "Israel" and operated in a thin sliver of land in Lebanon along the "Israeli" border between 1978 and 2000,then as a proxy force of "Israel's" occupation army in south Lebanon. Lahd Militia was disbanded in 2000, when "Israel" withdrew from south Lebanon.
