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Lasciamo andare le polemiche inutili, pi=F9 spazio alla grandissima =
contro informazione. Saluti rigorosamente anarchici=20
M=20
+++
A Case for Hizbollah?
by Ran HaCohen
August 18, 2003
So here we go again, it seems. Blood-thirsty Arabs - Lebanese =
fundamentalists of the Hizbollah, "the Party of God" - bombed the =
Israeli town of Shlomi (10.8), killing a 15-year-old boy and injuring =
several others. Terrorist attack on civilians, three years after Israel =
has withdrawn its very last soldier from Lebanese soil. Isn't it the =
ultimate proof for the inherent terrorism of the Arabs, the decisive =
evidence that no peace can be made with Muslims? If you follow the =
media, it probably is. If you take a closer look at the facts - well, =
not quite.
=20
Who's Afraid of Hizbollah?
Despite its name, the Hizbollah are definitely no saints. Mother Teresa =
would not have been able to drive the Israeli army out of Lebanon after =
almost 20 years of ruthless occupation. The Hizbollah has its own agenda =
and interests, political and otherwise, and a limited fighting with =
Israel may well be among them. (But, as analysts usually forget, Israel =
and its army have their interests too, and peace might not be their top =
priority either.) An independent militia is indeed something that no =
sovereign state can tolerate; Israel is right in pointing that out. =
This, however, is not Israel's, but Lebanon's problem - a small, weak =
country, torn between conflicting religious and ethnic groups (including =
300.000 Palestinian refugees), and regularly invaded and terrorised by =
its stronger neighbours Israel and Syria. When Israel expresses concern =
for Lebanon's sovereignty, one doesn't know whether to weep or laugh. =
The existence of Hizbollah is none of Israel's business: It becomes =
Israel's business only if it violates the rules of good neighbourliness.
Precisely this is the aim of Israeli propaganda: to portray the =
Hizbollah as a terrorist group that violates the rules of the game. The =
facts, however, are that the Hizbollah pretty much follows the rules of =
good neighbourliness; it is Israel that breaches them. Since Israel's =
withdrawal from South Lebanon, Hizbollah has been concentrating on two =
kinds of actions: anti-aircraft fire, and a limited fighting against =
Israel confined to the Shaba Farms. Let's see what it's all about.
=20
Flack
Since the Israeli withdrawal, Hizbollah has fired no missiles at Israeli =
towns, though it undoubtedly possesses such weapons. The Israeli boy =
killed this week was hit by an anti-aircraft bomb that failed to =
detonate in mid-air and exploded on the ground. "Collateral damage", if =
you like.
Hizbollah's anti-aircraft fire has a clear target: Israeli fighter jets =
that regularly enter Lebanon's airspace, flying over the entire country =
from south to north as if it were theirs. The intrusion flights started =
in October 2000, just five months after the Israeli withdrawal, =
following Hizbollah's kidnap of three Israeli soldiers at the Shaba =
Farms. Last November, based on Lebanese sources, Israeli journalist =
Daniel Sobelman reported how up to seven Israeli jets at a time were =
flying in the skies of Beirut, drawing smoke-pictures over the Lebanese =
capital and repeatedly breaking the sound barrier in what Lebanese =
citizens conceived as humiliating and enraging provocations. Hizbollah =
leader Nasrallah said the anti-aircraft fire would cease as soon as the =
Israeli flights stopped; Israeli army spokesman refused to comment on =
its operations (Ha'aretz, 26.11.2002).
Now who is the aggressor here, who is the terrorist? Sending fighter =
jets across the border is the most obvious violation of sovereignty. No =
country on earth would tolerate that. Hizbollah's ineffective flak is a =
totally legitimate and justified act of self-defence. Israel's =
accusation that Hizbollah aims its anti-aircraft fire so that the =
left-overs fall on Israeli towns - even if true - is chutzpah incarnate: =
if you break into my house, don't complain that the wall I shove you at =
is rough.
Just imagine Israel's reaction if a foreign jet had dared enter its =
airspace. Actually, why imagine? When a Libyan airliner - no fighter =
jet, mind you - entered the country's airspace by mistake in February =
1973, the Israeli Air Force shot it down, killing 106 civilian =
passengers. Israel claimed that it simply followed international law. =
Asked whether it would do it again, PM Golda Meir replied: "without a =
doubt".
=20
Shaba Farms
The other Hizbollah front is the Shaba Farms, a 14km-long and 2km-wide =
strip along the Israeli-Lebanese-Syrian border. The Hizbollah claims =
that it is occupied Lebanese soil. Israel denies this, and is supported =
by the United Nations. Knockout victory for Israel, then? Not quite. =
Even Israel concedes the area is occupied, but it claims to have taken =
it from Syria, not from Lebanon, and that it should therefore be =
negotiated with Syria. Great excuse to keep the fighting going, isn't =
it. Syria, for its part, says it has given it to Lebanon. Anyway, all =
parties agree that the area is indeed occupied by Israel. Violent =
resistance to occupation is considered morally and legally legitimate; =
it does not matter who carries it out. (Otherwise, the liberation of the =
Netherlands in World War II should have been left exclusively to Dutch =
forces, etc. - obviously absurd.)
So if we put aside Hizbollah's problematic position within the Lebanese =
State, Israel's northern neighbour is in fact clearly playing by the =
rules. It is Israel who is breaking the rules over and over again, both =
by its occupation of the Shaba Farms and by violating Lebanon's =
sovereignty.
=20
The Recent Escalation
The recent escalation was initiated by an assassination of a Hizbollah =
leader in Beirut on August the 1st. Israel was the prime suspect. As PM =
Sharon said when asked about assassinations (perfectly reflecting his =
"integrity"): "Some of the things we do we'll admit, other things we'll =
deny." In this case, Israel neither admitted nor denied. Typical =
terrorist conduct, by the way, precisely like Al-Qaeda's: terror attacks =
without taking responsibility.
In fact, the signs were on the wall well before it started: A leading =
critical Israeli expert for the labour market, Dr Linda Efroni, =
predicted it more than a month ago. In a television interview regarding =
the rising protest in Israel against welfare cuts, she warned that if =
social unrest did not stop, the government might initiate an escalation =
along the Northern border.
Whether aimed at distracting from social unrest, or (more likely) from =
police investigation into criminal offences by Sharon's closest allies =
including his own son, or simply expressing the desire of the army, =
frustrated by a certain restraint imposed on its actions in the Occupied =
Territories in the past weeks, to open a new front in the North - we =
have not heard the last of this story. Though the recent round seems to =
have been contained by international diplomacy (after all, given the =
fiasco in Iraq, the US doesn't need another front right now), it will be =
used to prepare the hearts for the next escalation, till the time is =
ripe for an overall attack on Lebanon and Syria. After all, Israel has =
never made secret of its refusal to tolerate the so-called "terrorist =
Hizbollah threat" along its Northern border, and that it would sooner or =
later have to "deal with it". When official Israel says "deal", it means =
war - in this case, as I explained in an earlier column, war against =
Syria.
Ran HaCohen teaches in the Tel-Aviv University's Department of =
Comparative Literature, and is currently working on his PhD thesis. He =
also works as a literary translator (from German, English and Dutch), =
and as a literary critic for the Israeli daily Yedioth Achronoth. =
HaCohen's semi-regular "Letter from Israel" column can be found at =
AntiWar.com, where this article first appeared. Posted with author's =
permission.
+++
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Lasciamo andare le polemiche inutili, =
pi=F9 spazio=20
alla grandissima contro informazione. Saluti rigorosamente anarchici=20
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>M </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>+++</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>A Case for Hizbollah?<BR>by Ran =
HaCohen<BR>August=20
18, 2003</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>So here we go again, it seems. =
Blood-thirsty Arabs=20
=96 Lebanese fundamentalists of the Hizbollah, "the Party of God" =96 =
bombed the=20
Israeli town of Shlomi (10.8), killing a 15-year-old boy and injuring =
several=20
others. Terrorist attack on civilians, three years after Israel has =
withdrawn=20
its very last soldier from Lebanese soil. Isn't it the ultimate proof =
for the=20
inherent terrorism of the Arabs, the decisive evidence that no peace can =
be made=20
with Muslims? If you follow the media, it probably is. If you take a =
closer look=20
at the facts =96 well, not quite.<BR> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Who's Afraid of Hizbollah?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Despite its name, the Hizbollah are =
definitely no=20
saints. Mother Teresa would not have been able to drive the Israeli army =
out of=20
Lebanon after almost 20 years of ruthless occupation. The Hizbollah has =
its own=20
agenda and interests, political and otherwise, and a limited fighting =
with=20
Israel may well be among them. (But, as analysts usually forget, Israel =
and its=20
army have their interests too, and peace might not be their top priority =
either.) An independent militia is indeed something that no sovereign =
state can=20
tolerate; Israel is right in pointing that out. This, however, is not =
Israel's,=20
but Lebanon's problem =96 a small, weak country, torn between =
conflicting=20
religious and ethnic groups (including 300.000 Palestinian refugees), =
and=20
regularly invaded and terrorised by its stronger neighbours Israel and =
Syria.=20
When Israel expresses concern for Lebanon's sovereignty, one doesn't =
know=20
whether to weep or laugh. The existence of Hizbollah is none of Israel's =
business: It becomes Israel's business only if it violates the rules of =
good=20
neighbourliness.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Precisely this is the aim of Israeli =
propaganda: to=20
portray the Hizbollah as a terrorist group that violates the rules of =
the game.=20
The facts, however, are that the Hizbollah pretty much follows the rules =
of good=20
neighbourliness; it is Israel that breaches them. Since Israel's =
withdrawal from=20
South Lebanon, Hizbollah has been concentrating on two kinds of actions: =
anti-aircraft fire, and a limited fighting against Israel confined to =
the Shaba=20
Farms. Let's see what it's all about.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> <BR>Flack</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Since the Israeli withdrawal, Hizbollah =
has fired=20
no missiles at Israeli towns, though it undoubtedly possesses such =
weapons. The=20
Israeli boy killed this week was hit by an anti-aircraft bomb that =
failed to=20
detonate in mid-air and exploded on the ground. "Collateral damage", if =
you=20
like.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Hizbollah's anti-aircraft fire has a =
clear target:=20
Israeli fighter jets that regularly enter Lebanon's airspace, flying =
over the=20
entire country from south to north as if it were theirs. The intrusion =
flights=20
started in October 2000, just five months after the Israeli withdrawal,=20
following Hizbollah's kidnap of three Israeli soldiers at the Shaba =
Farms. Last=20
November, based on Lebanese sources, Israeli journalist Daniel Sobelman =
reported=20
how up to seven Israeli jets at a time were flying in the skies of =
Beirut,=20
drawing smoke-pictures over the Lebanese capital and repeatedly breaking =
the=20
sound barrier in what Lebanese citizens conceived as humiliating and =
enraging=20
provocations. Hizbollah leader Nasrallah said the anti-aircraft fire =
would cease=20
as soon as the Israeli flights stopped; Israeli army spokesman refused =
to=20
comment on its operations (Ha'aretz, 26.11.2002).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Now who is the aggressor here, who is =
the=20
terrorist? Sending fighter jets across the border is the most obvious =
violation=20
of sovereignty. No country on earth would tolerate that. Hizbollah's =
ineffective=20
flak is a totally legitimate and justified act of self-defence. Israel's =
accusation that Hizbollah aims its anti-aircraft fire so that the =
left-overs=20
fall on Israeli towns =96 even if true =96 is chutzpah incarnate: if you =
break into=20
my house, don't complain that the wall I shove you at is =
rough.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Just imagine Israel's reaction if a =
foreign jet had=20
dared enter its airspace. Actually, why imagine? When a Libyan airliner =
=96 no=20
fighter jet, mind you =96 entered the country's airspace by mistake in =
February=20
1973, the Israeli Air Force shot it down, killing 106 civilian =
passengers.=20
Israel claimed that it simply followed international law. Asked whether =
it would=20
do it again, PM Golda Meir replied: "without a doubt".</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> <BR>Shaba Farms</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The other Hizbollah front is the Shaba =
Farms, a=20
14km-long and 2km-wide strip along the Israeli-Lebanese-Syrian border. =
The=20
Hizbollah claims that it is occupied Lebanese soil. Israel denies this, =
and is=20
supported by the United Nations. Knockout victory for Israel, then? Not =
quite.=20
Even Israel concedes the area is occupied, but it claims to have taken =
it from=20
Syria, not from Lebanon, and that it should therefore be negotiated with =
Syria.=20
Great excuse to keep the fighting going, isn't it. Syria, for its part, =
says it=20
has given it to Lebanon. Anyway, all parties agree that the area is =
indeed=20
occupied by Israel. Violent resistance to occupation is considered =
morally and=20
legally legitimate; it does not matter who carries it out. (Otherwise, =
the=20
liberation of the Netherlands in World War II should have been left =
exclusively=20
to Dutch forces, etc. =96 obviously absurd.)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>So if we put aside Hizbollah's =
problematic position=20
within the Lebanese State, Israel's northern neighbour is in fact =
clearly=20
playing by the rules. It is Israel who is breaking the rules over and =
over=20
again, both by its occupation of the Shaba Farms and by violating =
Lebanon's=20
sovereignty.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> <BR>The Recent =
Escalation</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The recent escalation was initiated by =
an=20
assassination of a Hizbollah leader in Beirut on August the 1st. Israel =
was the=20
prime suspect. As PM Sharon said when asked about assassinations =
(perfectly=20
reflecting his "integrity"): "Some of the things we do we'll admit, =
other things=20
we'll deny=85" In this case, Israel neither admitted nor denied. Typical =
terrorist=20
conduct, by the way, precisely like Al-Qaeda's: terror attacks without =
taking=20
responsibility.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>In fact, the signs were on the wall =
well before it=20
started: A leading critical Israeli expert for the labour market, Dr =
Linda=20
Efroni, predicted it more than a month ago. In a television interview =
regarding=20
the rising protest in Israel against welfare cuts, she warned that if =
social=20
unrest did not stop, the government might initiate an escalation along =
the=20
Northern border.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Whether aimed at distracting from =
social unrest, or=20
(more likely) from police investigation into criminal offences by =
Sharon's=20
closest allies including his own son, or simply expressing the desire of =
the=20
army, frustrated by a certain restraint imposed on its actions in the =
Occupied=20
Territories in the past weeks, to open a new front in the North =96 we =
have not=20
heard the last of this story. Though the recent round seems to have been =
contained by international diplomacy (after all, given the fiasco in =
Iraq, the=20
US doesn't need another front right now), it will be used to prepare the =
hearts=20
for the next escalation, till the time is ripe for an overall attack on =
Lebanon=20
and Syria. After all, Israel has never made secret of its refusal to =
tolerate=20
the so-called "terrorist Hizbollah threat" along its Northern border, =
and that=20
it would sooner or later have to "deal with it". When official Israel =
says=20
"deal", it means war =96 in this case, as I explained in an earlier =
column, war=20
against Syria.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Ran HaCohen teaches in the Tel-Aviv =
University's=20
Department of Comparative Literature, and is currently working on his =
PhD=20
thesis. He also works as a literary translator (from German, English and =
Dutch),=20
and as a literary critic for the Israeli daily Yedioth Achronoth. =
HaCohen=92s=20
semi-regular =93Letter from Israel=94 column can be found at =
AntiWar.com, where this=20
article first appeared. Posted with author=92s permission.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>+++</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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