In Hezbollah's Heart
Is A Deep Hatred
DR. KENNETH W. STEIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
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U.S. Secretary of State gy organizing this effort had
Warren Christopher en- studied in Iraq with Ayatollah
gaged in intensive Middle Khomeni when he was in exile
East shuttle diplomacy there. There, they imbibed the
this week, he learned again the fierce ideology arguing that Is-
struggles of all concerned nego- rael's very existence is a moral
wrong against all Muslims, and
tiators in the region.
There are the state actors of that it is the religious duty of all
Syria, Iran, Lebanon, and Israel. Muslims to fight against any
Then there is Hezbollah (the par- peace with Israel.
As recently as January 11,
ty of God). Syria and Iran have
a variety of intense interests in 1996, the main spiritual guide for
maintaining their political and/or Hezbollah, Sheikh Fadlalah was
philosophical connection to quoted in the London based al-
Hezbollah, ties they are unwill- Hayah newspaper as saying, "We
reject Israel's legitimacy and be-
ing to drop.
And the Lebanese government lieve that a peace based on justice
can only be achieved when the
is not strong enough to make de-
cisions without first asking Syr- Jews leave and the Palestinians
ia. That seven Foreign Ministers return to Palestine."
Further, Hezbollah has an
visited Damascus, and not
Beirut, in an effort to stop the elected secretary general and
fighting in southern Lebanon is bureaucracy. Its fighters and
proof enough. Finally, Israel adherents are variously orga-
wants an iron-clad understand- nized, including along clan, fam-
ing where its northern-most cit- ily, and village lines. In 1992,
izens are free from anxiety to go Hezbollah fielded candidates and
won eight seats in the 128-mem-
about their daily business.
Forget for a moment the pow- ber Lebanese parliamentary elec-
erful motives of the state actors tions.
Like other militant Islamic
and concentrate on the objectives
of Hezbollah. Here one finds an _groups in the Middle East,
unrelenting Israeli enemy. To say Hezbollah feels that though while
that Hezbollah is just a tool of squeezed to the margins politi-
cally by the Arab-Israeli negoti-
Iran or Syria is to give it less cred-
ibility as a political force than it ating processes and rampant
deserves. Certainly, both Dam- secularism, their philosophy can
ascus and various power centers be best preserved by pragmatic
in Tehran provide certain degrees involvement in the political sys-
of political, financial, and logisti- tem.
But such engagement does not
cal support to Hezbollah, but it is
also a semi-independent actor in mean compromise of ideology.
Lebanese politics. Hezbollah en- Last September, Hezbollah Sec-
joys the support of many retary General Hasan Nasrallah
Lebanese Shi'ites (a Muslim sect). said, "There is absolutely no one,
Spawned by the 1979 Iranian Muslim or Arab, who has a right
revolution and nurtured by a to sell one single grain of sand of
weak Lebanese central govern- Palestine's land. We may not be
ment, Hezbollah became popu- able to remove Israel at present
lar among Shi'ites. Like other but this does not mean that we
militant Islamic groups in the should recognize it."
Last June he had said, "Do not
Middle East, Hezbollah gives
hope to the down-trodden and be afraid of the [peace talks]
disenfranchised through needed tracks or of a settlement.There is
social services that the central something that concerns the na-
ture of the Jews: their aggressive
government cannot provide.
Over the years, money from nature, their racist nature and
Tehran was used to reconstruct their corrupt and corrupting na-
homes and villages destroyed by ture. God Almighty, the creator
Israeli attacks. In 1989, the Israeli of all mankind, knows better what
newspaper Maariv reported that is a Jew. He tells us about these
more than $60 million flowed Jews, that they are killers and
from Iran annually into the criminals, that they are treach-
erous and corrupt ... No one can
Hezbollah coffers in Lebanon.
After the Israeli invasion of sequester this nation's resolve to
Lebanon in 1982, the Lebanese struggle; to restore the holy places;
Shi'ites struggle against Israel and to fight injustice, oppression,
continued. A number of their der- and vice. Israel is the symbol of
injustice, oppression, and vice in
Dr. Kenneth W. Stein is a
this region."
professor of Middle Eastern
Even if Syria and Iran wanted
history and political science at
to, the words of their leaders do
EM oiy University.
not suggest compromise.
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