Kamal Joumblatt

Kamal Joumblatt (rear RTL كمالجنبلاط) is the founder of the PSP (Socialist party progressist), leader Druze Lebanon board (December 6th 1917 - March 16th 1977) it is the father of Walid Joumblatt.

Youth

Kamal Joumblatt was born in 1917, in Mukhtara in the Chouf, it is resulting from the family Joumblatt which profits from an important prestige in the community Druze. His/her father, Fouad Joumblatt was assassinated the August 6th 1931. After the death of his/her father, it is his mother, Nazira which will take again the torch and which will play an important political role in the country.

In 1926, Kamal Joumblatt enters a Christian school or it completes its elementary studies in 1928. With the college, he studies the French, the Arab , science and the literature, he comes out graduate from this college in 1936. It obtains a diploma in philosophy later one year, in 1937. It leaves then for Paris or it joined Faculties of arts of the Sorbonne, it also studies there psychology, civic education and sociology. It makes its return to Lebanon in 1939 or it continues its studies at the university Saint-Joseph or it obtained in 1945, a diploma of right.

It Marie on May 1st 1948 with May Arslan, girl of the emir Druze, Chekib Arslan. They had one son, Walid Joumblatt.

Political career

Kamal Joumblatt works as lawyer of 1941 with 1942, or he becomes official lawyer of State for the Lebanese government. Kamal makes its appearance on the political scene in 1943 after death of Hikmat Joumblatt. He is elected appointed Mount-Lebanon in September 1943. It joined there the Party of the constitutional block, the party of the president Béchara el-Khoury. In 1946, he becomes Minister for the economy, agriculture and the social affairs.

In 1947, it is elected for the second time appointed at the Lebanese Parliament, but it prefers to resign by showing the government to have faked the legislative elections. He also protested against president Khoury who he showed to be corrupted and to be too authoritative.

Kamal Joumblatt creates the Socialist party progressist (PSP) the March 17th 1949, the constitution of the party is voted on May 1st, 1949. The PSP was a political party Lebanese, socialist and secular, the party is opposed to the denominational character of the Lebanese policy. Joumblatt joined together in May 1951 with Beirut the first convention of the parties Arab Socialists. The same year he is re-elected for the third time appointed of Mount-Lebanon.

In August 1952, it organized a conference with Deir-el-Qamar in the name of the national socialist Face. It is under the pressures of Joumblatt but also those of Emile Boustany, Camille Chamoun, Pierre Eddé and Hamid Frangié (brother of future President Soleiman Frangié) that president Bechara El Khoury decides to resign on September 19th, 1952. The General Fouad Chéhab, chief of the army, will receive temporarily the capacity while waiting to give it to the new regularly elected President: Camille Chamoun.

The revolt of 1958

In 1953, Joumblatt is re-elected for the fourth time appointed. It founds the popular socialist Face the same year. It is by this party that the Lebanese one are opposed to the president pro-Westerner Camille Chamoun who followed an pro-American foreign politics and pro-British. It gave its agreement to the creation of the Pacte of Baghdad, which was seen by the nationalist Arabic like a tool for the western powers to control the Arab countries of the the Middle East. After the bursting of the war of Suez, Joumblatt supports Nasser and Egypt, while Camille Chamoun and part of the Christian elite Maronite supported the invasion of the country by Israel, the France and the the United Kingdom. Some say that this political divergence will lead to denominational violences in Lebanon.

In 1957, Joumblatt loses for the first time the legislative elections, beaten by a éminant member of the family Hamadé, adversary hereditary of Joumblatt. Two years later, he is the leader of an important political rising against president Chamoun, rising marked by street battles and attacks against the police force. Derière of the peaceful airs, Joumblatt causes the revolt. Revolted wanted that Lebanon belongs to the United Arab Republic, recently formed by Egypt de Nasser and the Syria. But president Chamoun calls upon the " Einsenhower" pact; who authorizes the the United States to send the Marines. It is Fouad Chéhab which, benefitting from the relative calm granted by the American intervention, which will be elected in the rules President of the Republic. He will bring back skilfully, and in the consensus, peace in the country.

Unit of the opposition

Joumblatt chaired in 1960, the conference of the Afro-Asian people, and founded the same year the Face of national fight (FLN), a movement to which much of nationalist deputies belongbelonged. The same year, he is re-elected appointed, and the FLN gains eleven seats within the Lebanese government. He becomes minister for the second time, of 1960 with 1961 or he was Minister for state education and Minister for Labor as from 1961. From 1961 with 1964 he was Minister of Interior Department.

The May 8th 1964, it is elected appointed for the sixth time. In 1965, it joined the Arab nationalists and of the politicians progressists for creates the Face of the nationalist personalities. In 1966, it was appointed postal and telecommunications authority and Minister for Labor, Charles Hélou (Maronite). It also represented Lebanon with the Afro-Asian congress of solidarity and chaired in 1966 a parliamentary delegation in visit official in Popular republic of China.

For ideological reasons it supported the combat of the Palestinians against Israel, but it also collected the support of Palestinian living in refugee camps for Lebanon. The presence in Lebanon of hundred thousands of Palestinian refugees irritated much Christian party, but Joumblatt worked with them to establish an hard core of the opposition which were joined together around Arab nationalist slogan.

Requiring a new Lebanese order based on secularism, socialism, the Arabism and on an abolition of the denominational political system, Joumblatt could join together in its movement of the sunnites, of the Shiite , the Druzes and the Christians of left in a still embryonic movement of opposition.

Towards the civil war

The May 9th 1968, it is re-elected appointed for the seventh time. In 1970, it was appointed Minister of Interior Department again. It legalized the Lebanese Communist party, and the Parti social nationalist Syrian. In 1972, the Soviet Union gives to him the Prix Lénine for peace. The same year, he is re-elected for the eighth time appointed. The following year, he was elected unanimously as secretary-general of the Arab Front, a movement which supports the Palestinian revolution.

In the years 1970, the community Maronite is then principal the recipient of the Lebanese denominational system. Kamal and other Moslem leaders feel under-represented, even excluded by this system. The forces of oppositions require a better representation of the other communities in the governmental apparatus while wishing a Lebanese engagement more extremely in the Arab Monde.

Opposition, and their mainly Christian adversaries constituted of the armed militia. Joumblatt even had organized the PSP in an armed militia to him, it made of its party, the most important movement of the Lebanese National movement. It was a left coalition requiring the abandonment of the confessionnalism and the quotas. The MNL was joined by Palestinian, and held of good relationship with PLO of Arafat.

The civil war

In 1975, at the beginning of the Lebanese war, Kamal Joumblatt is one of the principal members of a coalition of parties known as Islamo-progressist. In August 1975, it established a political program to put an end to the confessionnalism in Lebanon, while calling into question the legitimacy of the Lebanese government.

From 1975 to 1976, Joumblatt controls with the assistance of the PLO 70% of Lebanon. He is opposed to the intervention Syria in 1976, then allied with the camp Maronite S.

Assassination

The March 16th 1977, Kamal Joumblatt is assassinated with hundred meters of a Syrian check-point, probably on order of Syria. The suspicions stand as mainly on the Parti social Syrian nationalist and on the Baath. His/her son Walid Joumblatt takes his place then. In 2005, Walid Joumblatt shows the Syrian secret services to have assassinated his/her father after nearly thirty years of alliance forced with them.

In June 2005, George Hawi the secretary-general of the Communist party, companion of war of Walid Joumblatt showed on Al-Jazeera Syria and more particularly Rifaat Al-Assad, brother of Hafez el Assad, to be at the origin of the assassination of Kamal Joumblatt. Of Lebanon, much thinks that Syria is behind the murder of Hawi which was made assassinate a few days later. The former collaborators of Syria is turned over against it, released by the strong standpoint of France and the United States, translated by the resolution 1559 of the Safety advice of UNO and their support for the movement of March 14th, born in the tread from the assassination from the former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, probably organized by the Syrian secret services according to the elements of board of inquiry installation by the Safety advice.

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