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God, another Nazi analogy. It’s getting so you can’t hold a mass rally without being compared the Nazis. It’s such tired and lazy rhetoric.
Again, no one here “supports” Hezbollah. What you and I think of Hezbollah is completely irrelevant to the fact that Hezbollah is currently the dominant political and cultural force in Lebanon. And this situation is almost entirely attributable to Hezbollah’s continued and successful military opposition to IDF incursions into Lebanon, as well as Israel’s total failure to deal with Lebanon in any context apart from the military one.
And congratulations on doing some actual research on Hezbollah’s origins. You’re doing better than Michael, who doesn’t even read the stuff he cuts and pastes here. Unfortunately, the Wikipedia article you’ve cited doesn’t actually support your contention that Hezbollah is an “an occupying force largely made up of foreign nationals….” Hezbollah was certainly influenced by Khomeini and the Iranian Revolution. An entire generation of Shi’ites across the Middle East was influenced by Khomeini and the Iranian Revolution. Notably, Islamic al-Dawa Party and the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the two main partners in the Iraqi government’s ruling coalition, were influenced by Khomeini and the Iranian Revolution. Nouri al-Maliki, currently Prime Minister of Iraq, spent his exile in Tehran and Damascus. So is Iraq currently under Iranian occupation?
By the way, speaking of logic: On the eve of the Polish invasion, the Wehrmacht had a force strength of about 2 million men. Hezbollah’s military branch numbers between 600 and 1,000 front line fighters, with perhaps 10,000 reserves. Nazi Germany had a population of 69 million and was the dominant industrial power in the world. In 1938-39, its economy was almost entirely focused on rearmament. The Luftwaffe was the most technologically advanced air force on earth. Lebanon has a population of 7 million and possesses almost no modern industrial capacity. Hezbollah is armed with between 12,000 and 20,000 short-range missiles and small arms. It has no armor and no air force.
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Yet Hezbollah is still the aggressor. If someone didn't want me to exist I would do my damnedest to survive. They are the one's who launch preemptive strikes. I think they are deplorable in that matter. Israel did pull out of the disputed territory and yet they continue to aggravate the matter, not to fight Israel but to flex their own muscles. To make them look as a protector to the Lebanese people. This is the mask they use to hide from the fact that they are only interested in power for powers sake. This does not make a conducive environment for a peaceful coexistence. Do you agree?
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I would agree that bombing civilians, whether with F-15s or Katyushas filled with ball bearings, is nonconducive to a peaceful coexistence. Absolutely, both the IDF/IAF and Al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya committed unforgvable and abominable atrocities in the Second Lebanon War.
But do I agree that Hezbollah is nihilistically attacking Israel because "they are only interested in power for powers sake"? No, because that's meaningless. Hezbollah has an agenda, just like any other affinity group. There is essentially no social infrastructure or civil society in southern Lebanon apart from Hezbollah. Hezbollah has established schools, including a school for children with Down's Syndrome, clinics, hospitals. Many of these are staffed almost exclusively by women, many on a volunteer basis. Now, is Hezbollah establishing a social welfare network where none existed before in order to "make them look as a protector to the Lebanese people," and thus, "hide from the fact that they are only interested in power for powers sake"?
To simply say that Hezbollah is the aggressor is just inadequate. Would it be better if Hezbollah had not launched those Katyushas, if it had not initiated the raid on Zar'it and Shtula? Undoubtedly.
But the reality that we all have to deal with here is that the Lebanese people, not just Hezbollah, don't feel that way. A majority of the Lebanese people believe that the only way to liberate Lebanese detainees in Israeli prisons is through the capture of Israeli soldiers and a prisoner swap, as was the case in 2000. The Lebanese people don't believe that that Israel has has pulled out of the disputed territory. The Lebanese government continues to press its claim to the Shebaa Farms.
By relying soley on the military option, Israel bears a high degree of responsibility for this animosity. Israel is a strong, stable, democratic nation. It is not going to be wiped of the map by Hezbollah or Iran or Syria or Hamas or all of them working together. Israel needs to use this position of strength to start coming up with some other solutions. Its been fighting Arab nationalism militarily for 40 years and has made zero progress toward peace.
