Home >> Middle East >> Syria & Lebanon  Email  Print Hezbollah uses politics of fear Linda S. Heard - 6/4/2009 A May 15th speech by Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has triggered dismay and outrage. Addressing graduating university students, he referred to the events of May 7, 2008 as “a glorious day for the resistance in Lebanon ”.
A year ago, in response to a government decision to shut down Hezbollah’s communications network, Nasrallah violated his sworn promise never to turn his guns on his own people. On that day, offices of the March 14th alliance were stormed by his militia, while thousands of West Beirut residents were driven from their homes at gunpoint. For the families of the 87 Lebanese killed and the 250 injured, Nasrallah’s characterization of May 7th as “glorious” is shocking.
Nasrallah’s glorifying of May 7th without any regard to the fallen - and the implication that if Hezbollah is thwarted again it wouldn’t hesitate to use the same tactics - has stunned Lebanese politicians, clergy and the public alike.
The International Lebanese Committee (ILC) for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559 has now sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. It states that Nasrallah has acknowledged he gave the order to “attack, murder and destroy innocent people of Beirut and the Shouf Mountains of Lebanon on that fatal day May 7, 2008”. The letter calls for the UN Security Council to “investigate”.
“Hassan Nasrallah by his own admission is guilty of terrorism, aggression against the sovereignty of a member state in the UN as well its army and security forces, which opted to avoid any confrontation that might deteriorate into civil sectarian strife much worse than the previous civil war in Lebanon that killed 200,000 civilians, in addition to a similar number of injured and homeless,” the letter reads.
According to the Kuwaiti Arabic-language daily Al-Seyassah, the ILC call is strongly supported by French, US and British parliamentarians. The paper quotes a spokesman for Chairman of the Senate Committee for Foreign relations John Kerry, as saying, “such a confession should be considered by international bodies fighting crimes against humanity and push the UNSC to establish an international independent investigation committee which does not report to any other entity in the world. Such committee must investigate the confessions and bring the one [Hassan Nasrallah] who has made them to justice for the crimes against humanity, the instigation of civil strife, and the driving of tens of thousands of people out of their homes under threat of death.”
Maronite Politician Antoine Zahra accused Hezbollah of seeking a “state that subjugates itself to their weapons and visions. They want a state that doesn’t resemble Lebanon ,” he said. Zahra is no doubt alluding to the fact that Hezbollah is financed and armed by Iran , which Nasrallah does his best to gloss over.
However, he is unable to wish away his organization’s 1985 manifesto, in which the Hezbollah leadership pledged their loyalty to Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini and to a goal of Lebanon becoming an Islamic state and neither can he hide the giant billboards depicting images of Iranian leaders starting along the road from Beirut International Airport and scattered around Hezbollah strongholds in the southern suburb of Beirut.
Moreover, when he addresses his followers, his fiery anti-Western rhetoric sounds as though it has been crafted by Iranian mullahs, but when he reaches out to the nation, he presents himself as a Lebanese patriot, who roots for all irrespective of their religious beliefs.
June 7th is the day the Lebanese will go to the polls to decide the shape of their new government. The battle is between the March 14th alliance that currently holds power and the March 8th opposition - a strange marriage between Hezbollah and Amal and General Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement Party.
This is arguably the most important election in Lebanon ’s history because it will define not only the country’s direction but also the political face of the region. The question is this: will the Hezbollah-led March 8th alliance gain more power, as some polls suggest?
Certainly, Nasrallah believes victory is within his grasp. In the meantime, he is attempting to threaten the nation with predictions that Israeli military exercises signify that it might be gearing up to launch a new war. His military wing as the country’s sole protector, he warns. In this respect, he is capitalizing on his military success against Israel in the summer of 2006, which he triggered when he ordered his men to capture and kill Israeli soldiers. However, a conflict that resulted in the sacrifice of over 1,200 Lebanese innocents as well as the destruction of infrastructure to the tune of billions of dollars was no “win” for Lebanon, however it is billed, and it was indeed a blatant defeat for Hezbollah.
Although Nasrallah is a smooth-talking master manipulator, the Lebanese should resist being seduced by his promises of security. With a perceived Iranian proxy at the helm, the risk of an Israeli attack on Lebanon is exponentially greater because Israel ’s new hard line Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, currently itching to strike Iran , could take the fight to Israel ’s northern border.
Nasrallah has proved to be ruthless when it comes to getting his own way, as we saw when he held the capital hostage with a year-long tent city in Downtown Beirut that stifled business, damaged the economy and hampered day-to-day government. The protest eventually delivered the Hezbollah-Aoun alliance 11 ministerial posts and an all-important power-of-veto.
Lebanese voters should think long and hard before they cast their ballots. If Hezbollah is perceived as the hand that rocks Lebanon ’s cradle, this will undoubtedly have negative implications for Lebanon and beyond.
Certainly, Lebanon ’s relationship with the US and Europe would suffer as Hezbollah has been branded a terrorist organization by six Western countries, including Britain which has legitimized Hezbollah’s political wing while declaring its military wing ‘terrorist’. This seems like a cop out. Hezbollah is one organization with one overall leader, and one destructive agenda. At present Washington and London are taking a cool ‘wait and see’ attitude just as they did during the run up to the landslide victory of Hamas in 2006. Then, after congratulating the Palestinians on free and fair elections, they wasted no time in punishing them for an unwise choice.
A Lebanon with Hassan Nasrallah pulling the strings from his underground bunker could also face strained relations with Egypt and Saudi Arabia and the entire Arab world, Egypt has accused Hezbollah of plotting attacks on its soil, while Saudi Arabia firmly backs the March14th Hariri-led alliance. It could also frighten potential investors and discourage tourism.
Lebanese voters should avoid being intimidated by Nasrallah’s scaremongering and hold to their own vision. Do they want a country that is peaceful, open and at ease with the international community or one that is fearful, isolated and plagued by conflict? It’s their choice.
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