The nature of Hizbullah

[angellous_evangellous]

I heard yesterday on NPR an American scholar say that the Bush Administration incorrectly label two legitimate resistance groups "terrorist organizations." I knew before he said it that he was specifically referring to Hamas and Hizbullah.

I think to myself, "how can two groups who fund and support terrorist activities be labeled a legitimate resistance group." Groups that exist to utterly destroy Israel and not to work towards peace.

So how can we argue that Hizbullah is a legitimate resistance group? Even using "resistance" to an illegal "occupation" by Israel clearly reveals an anti-semetic (by that I mean anti-Jewish) and anti-Israel perspective, legitimizing the existance of a group that indiscrimately kills Israelis and exists only for the destruction of Israel.

If Hizbullah and Hamas are not terrorist groups, then what is?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hizbullah

Hezbollah[1](Arabic: حزب الله‎ ḥizbu-llāh,[2] meaning “party of God”) is a Shia Islamist organization in Lebanon comprising a militia, a political party, and an extensive program of social development. [3] It was formed during the 1982 Lebanon War, and officially announced on February 16, 1985 when Sheik Ibrahim al-Amin declared the group's manifesto which included three goals: the eradication of Western Imperialism in Lebanon, the transformation of Lebanon's multi-confessional state into a Islamic state, and the complete destruction of the state of Israel.[4].

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Letter dated 14 January 2003 from the Chargé d'affaires a.i.
of the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations
addressed to the Secretary-General

http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/85255db800470aa485255d8b004e349a/2005131e10c4ac7485256cb10053e171!OpenDocument


6. With respect to Hizbullah, the organization continues its unprovoked cross-border violations of the Blue Line, threatening the stability of the entire region. In addition, Hizbullah continues to pose a serious threat worldwide in the light of its long involvement in international terrorist acts, its network of terrorist cells and contacts around the globe, and its declared intention of spreading suicide terrorism against the West as recently reiterated by Hizbullah secretary general and close Syrian ally Hassan Nasrallah. Syria supports Hizbullah's activities not only by providing the group safe harbour in Syrian-controlled territory, but by facilitating weapons transfers through Damascus, and providing political, financial and logistical assistance. In a shameless act of duplicity, Syria's continued vocal and active support for Hizbullah and its violations of the Blue Line come at a time when Syria sits on the Security Council and has voted in favour of Security Council resolutions against terrorism as well as resolutions, such as resolution 1428 (2002), which confirm that Israel has fulfilled its obligations under resolution 425 (1978) and call for respect of the Blue Line and for the implementation of Lebanese obligations.
7. Syria claims that Israel's allegations with respect to Hizbullah's illegal violations of the Blue Line, and regarding the organization's support from both Syria and Lebanon, are countered by the Arab summit conference and the conference of French-speaking countries that were held recently in Lebanon. The attempt to present the mere fact that some States attend meetings in Lebanon as evidence of support for Lebanon's position can only be described as bizarre, especially in the face of numerous Security Council resolutions that assert the contrary. At the same time, this perverse logic should serve as a caution to States that participation in such events is likely to be twisted by Syrian representatives to suggest an implied condoning of terrorism. It is a similarly perverse logic that enables Syria to call for respect for the territorial and political independence of Lebanon while maintaining an occupation of that country and using its territory to pursue a subversive terrorist strategy against Israeli citizens across the Lebanese border.

 

[jewscout]

if the rhetoric of Hizbullah were specific to lebanese-israeli relations i could perhaps believe such an idea as them being a "resistance" group...

that their leadership calls for the destruction, wholesale, of Israel as well as blatent anti-jewish rhetoric shows that there is something far more sinister going on...

 

[angellous_evangellous]

if the rhetoric of Hizbullah were specific to lebanese-israeli relations i could perhaps believe such an idea as them being a "resistance" group...

that their leadership calls for the destruction, wholesale, of Israel as well as blatent anti-jewish rhetoric shows that there is something far more sinister going on...

That you or any other person would consider this is incredibly shocking to me. Do you think that there is legitimacy to anyone resisting Israel? The word connotates an agression by Israel that the group is resisting - which is, of course, a point of view of Hizbullah and other groups that have grievences with Israel.

Curious that Hizbullah, not Hamas, is listed first in the open letter to the UN in 2003.

 

[jewscout]

Do you think that there is legitimacy to anyone resisting Israel?

i think anyone can resist anyone...it doesn't matter who the parties are you just have to not like what they do and act in opposition...

if Hezbullah is what they claim to be...then their only problem should be getting back the Shebaa Farms (which even the legitimate ownership of that is in question to some extent as the UN recognizes it belonging to Syria while regionally even Syria recognizes it belongs to Lebanon)...however the rhetoric of it's leadership seems to be a much more aggressive tone which, IMPO, only going to prove that it is not simply a "resistance" group

 

[c0da]

So how can we argue that Hizbullah is a legitimate resistance group? Even using "resistance" to an illegal "occupation" by Israel clearly reveals an anti-semetic (by that I mean anti-Jewish) and anti-Israel perspective, legitimizing the existance of a group that indiscrimately kills Israelis and exists only for the destruction of Israel.

George Galloway, the MP for the Bethnal Green constituency in London seems to think there is something very legitimate about Hezballah's activities.

http://heggle.com/item/380557/George_Galloway_PWNING_sky_news

I didn't like the guy to begin with, but after watching this, I just couldn't stand him!

*edit. Just watching another of Galloway's speaches in which he shouts out to the crowd "Hizbullah is not now, nor has it ever been a terrorist organization!". If that's not bad enough, the even more worrying thing is that this line is greeted by a huge cheer.

**edit. Nasrallah's name is also greeted with a huge cheer from the crowd.

http://heggle.com/item/434355/George_Galloway_Ceasfire_Now_Demo