Thread by @oldlevantine

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This is what remains of #CharlesCorm's short lived #AmitiéLibanoPalestinienne; bits and pieces of documents at the #CZArchives in Jerusalem, and an exchange of notes of goodwill like this one to #EliahuEpstein (Eilath) and his wife, "in recognition of [our] friendship"

Based on Epstein's recollections and #JewishAgency papers, there is a sizable slice of Lebanese history extirpated from Lebanon's official curricula and doctored up (or suppressed) by the curators of the private papers of Lebanon's "founding fathers." #Corm for instance believed

in the special responsibility incumbent upon the descendants of the #Hebrews and the #Phoenicians, and the obligations they respectively had to modern Israel and Lebanon. Layers of cultures have been deposited in Israel and Lebanon, throughout their history [he admitted...]

yet Israel and Lebanon ought to remain true to the cultures whose original homelands were Israel and Lebanon, and whose legitimate heirs the Israelis and the Lebanese ought to remain. #Corm was a great admirer of Jewish scholars who studied the history of the #Phoenicians--

among them #ShlomoReinach #YosefHalevi & #NahumSlouschz, all three of whom emphasized in their work the universal qualities and achievements of Phoenician culture and its contributions to humanity. #Corm sought to revive the old #HebrewPhoenicianFriendship in line with a policy

adopted in 1937 by then Lebanese President #EmileEddé. upon meeting #ChaimWeizmann in Paris, Eddé insisted on one day hoping to personally “congratulate the first President of the State of the Jews,” noting that “the first treaty of friendship between the Jews

and neighboring states shall be with Lebanon, with whom the Jews had always had good relations.” To this effect, and long before the #UNPartitionPlan a decade later, #Epstein met repeatedly with #CharlesCorm and #AlbertNaccache, to initiate the preparation for cooperation plans

between the future Jewish state and Lebanon, and put in place the necessary bodies to advance toward that goal. But until an actual Jewish State was declared and recognized by Lebanon, it was deemed not fruitful to officially discuss relations between the two countries.

Thus, & in preparation for the future, #Naccache & #Corm pledged to obtain the Maronite Patriarchate’s blessing, as well as the support of the Druze & Muslim communities in Lebanon, to sponsor the establishment of official bodies that would initiate a future friendship treaty.

Corm suggested that the most appropriate framework for such an official bond would be a “Lebanese-Palestinian Friendship Association”—"a neutral name" he noted, "that would facilitate the operation of the institution and the joining of our friendship."

[…] Corm likewise expressed hope that the Israelis would also be able to add non-Jewish personalities from among the residents of Israel to the future association….
[…] History would of course scrap all that nonesensical goodwill. The occupation of France by the Nazis,

the subsequent faltering of the “free French,” and the occupation of Lebanon by the British will give second wind #AraboFascist resentments. But Lebanese "Young Phoenicians" would ALSO play a #dhimmi part. #MichelChiha for instance, once an active member of the #YoungPhoenicians

circle would have a change of heart. He would in fact take a view in opposition to #Corm's vis-à-vis the Jews and Zionism. “His opinion of the Jewish national home in Israel was expressed to [Epstein] in conversations during the 1940s... Chiha feared that the Zionist enterprise

in Israel would be a factor in increasing extremist nationalism among the Arab public in Israel proper, and in the entire region, and beyond.” This “fanaticism” in Chiha’s view, will have a negative impact on the situation of other non-Muslim minorities living in Arab countries,

including non-Muslim groups in Lebanon. #Corm and #Naccache took a view insisting on renewing the #HebrewPhoenician traditional historical ties that existed in ancient times, striving toward cultural and political renewal in both the Jews' and the Lebanese' ancient homelands.