Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Lebanon
The Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Lebanon (SSNP-L)[a] is a Syrian nationalist party operating in Lebanon. The Lebanese section of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party advocates subsuming Lebanon into a Greater Syrian nation state spanning the Fertile Crescent.[6]
For the Syrian nationalist party, see Syrian Social Nationalist Party.
Syrian Social Nationalist Party الحزب السوري القومي الإجتماعي
Parti social nationaliste syrien
Parti social nationaliste syrien
Founded in Beirut in 1932 as a national liberation organization hostile to French colonialism, the party played a significant role in Lebanese politics and was involved in attempted coup d'etats in 1949 and 1961 following which it was thoroughly repressed. It was active in the Lebanese Civil War, particularly in clashes with the right-wing Lebanese Front, resistance against the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and in the South Lebanon conflict from 1985 to 2000 while also continuously supporting the Syrian occupation in Lebanon.
From confrontation to accommodation: 1950–1960[edit]
Following the execution of Saadeh and the arrest of its high-ranking leaders, the party remained underground until it started resurfacing with the events that transpired during the 1950–1960 period. With the outbreak of the Cold War and the rise of Marxist and communist influences supported by the USSR, the SSNP-L found itself facing a new ideological adversary, especially that most left-wing movements in the Middle-East rallied around Gamal Abd El Nasser and Arab nationalism.[10] An ideological clash ensued, as Nasser and most left-wing organizations in the Arab world advocated Arab nationalism, the SSNP-L retained its commitment to Syrian nationalism.
The party objected to the declaration of The United Arab Republic between Egypt and Syria, and during the Lebanon crisis of 1958, party members sided with the government and then-president Camille Chamoun, fighting against the Arab nationalist rebels in northern Lebanon and in Mount Lebanon.[11] The party was subsequently legalized.
Syrian Social Nationalist Party
present
10,000 fighters
Lebanese National Movement (LNM)
Lebanese National Resistance Front (LNRF)
Progressive Socialist Party (PSP)
Lebanese Communist Party (LCP)
Communist Action Organization in Lebanon (OCAL)
Al-Mourabitoun
Amal Movement
Hezbollah
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
Syrian Army
Lebanese civil war (1975–1990)
Post–civil war[edit]
In 2005, the pro-Syrian and anti-Cedar Revolution March 8 Alliance was formed, led by the Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah and including the SSNP-L. During the May 2008 conflict in Lebanon, the SSNP-L were aligned with March 8 against the Future Movement. At least 14 people were killed in the town of Halba, in the Akkar region of north Lebanon, as about 100 pro-Future Movement gunmen attacked an office of the SSNP-L. 10 of the dead were SSNP-L members, three were government loyalists and one was an Australian citizen of Lebanese descent on vacation in Lebanon, who was trying to get information at the SSNP-L offices about evacuating from the city.[18] The Australian, Fadi Sheikh, reportedly had his hands and feet cut off. In November 2008, SSNP-L members in Beirut attacked (pro-Future Movement) Future TV journalist Omar Harqous, leading to demonstrations by hundreds.[19]
In the 2018 Lebanese General Elections the SSNP-L fielded a total of 7 candidates participating in lists with various Lebanese 8 March alliance parties including: Hezbollah, Amal and the Free Patriotic Movement.
The Syrian Nationalist Party couldn't secure a single seat in 2022 Lebanese general elections.