Bickerton+and+Klausner+Notes+pg.+206+to+208

The Lebanon-Israeli border was quiet after the 1949 cease fire. The Mixed Armistice Commission had no real problems except to keep sheep on the right side of their border (Bickerton and Klausner 206).
 * Lebanon and the Intifada: Lebanon**

After the Ottoman Empire crashed, France was given the Syrian and Lebanese territory as its own mandate. Though there were many religious affiliations in Lebanon, France tended to side with and favor the Maronite Christians, especially since the Catholics had accepted the authority of the Pope, and accepted Western ideologies (207). However, France did little to try and unite the other ethnicities and religiosities (namely the Maronites, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholics, Sunni and Shiite Muslims, and the Druze); therefore, these groups tended "to follow the dictates of their feudal or godfather-type lords (zaims) or their individual or confessional leaders" (207).

I. **Lebanon** a. Nearly all of the Lebanese institutions were under the will of the French high Commissioner. b. The French did little to promote Lebanese unity, so the the major sectarian and ethnic groups — Maronite Christians, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholics, Sunni and Shiite Muslims, the Druze — continued to follow their own separate leaders. c. Many differences existed between these groups. d. There was tension between the Maronites and the Lebanese (mainly Muslims). e. Between 1940 and 1941, Lebanon was under the pro-German Vichy government in France. The French "liberated" the Lebanese with the National Pact. f. National Pact - an unwritten agreement to make government possible by "power-sharing". It was based off of the 1932 census, which showed a Christian majority in Lebanon. Therefore, the Christians were favored in the the Pact. g. The Christian majority also was reflected in Lebanon's foreign policy. Obvious tilt to the west. h. By the 1970s, it was no longer possible to maintain the internal balance between sects. i. It was quite clear that the Muslims were now the majority in Lebanon - became more insistent for equality. j. Great economic differences between classes - Christian community was generally wealthier than the Muslim community.