Amb. Alberto M. Fernandez -- April 13, 2025, marks 50 years since the start of the Lebanese Civil War. On that day in 1975, two violent incidents occurred: Palestinian gunmen attacked civilians outside a Maronite church in Beirut, and Lebanese Maronite gunmen later ambushed a bus of Palestinians.
Most attention tends to focus on the infamous “bus massacre,” but the killing of Maronite Joseph Abu Assi after his son’s baptism is often forgotten.
The war lasted 15 years, drawing in regional and global powers, and devastating Lebanon. But the roots of this war were planted earlier, especially by Egyptian dictator Gamal Abdel Nasser. His key role came through the 1969 Cairo Agreement, which allowed Palestinian factions to operate militarily within Lebanon, creating a dangerous state-within-a-state.
Under Nasser’s pressure and with the help of PLO leader Yasser Arafat, Lebanese officials—ironically including Christian leaders—endorsed this agreement. The aim was to preserve Lebanese unity, though President Charles Helou worried about Palestinian attacks from Lebanese territory. Sunni Prime Minister Rashid Karami disagreed with Helou, reflecting the country’s deepening sectarian split.