A Case for Hizbollah? by Ran Ha-Cohen 11:18am Thu Aug 14 '03 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 Terrorist attack on civilians, three years after Israel has withdrawn its very last soldier from Lebanese soil.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. print article August 13, 2003 A Case for Hizbollah? by Ran HaCohen 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 Terrorist attack on civilians, three years after Israel has withdrawn its very last soldier from Lebanese soil.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. 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. 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". 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. 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 Ran HaCohen was born in the Netherlands in 1964 and grew up in Israel. He has a B.A. in Computer Science, an M.A. in Comparative Literature and is currently working on his PhD thesis. He teaches in the Tel-Aviv University's Department of Comparative Literature. He also works as a literary translator (from German, English and Dutch), and as a literary critic for the Israeli daily Yedioth Achronoth. Mr. HaCohen's work has been published widely in Israel. "Letter from Israel" appears occasionally at Antiwar.com. Archived columns A Case for Hizbollah? 8/13/03 Behind the Hudna Scenes 7/24/03 Mid-Eastern Terms 6/18/03 The Apartheid Wall 5/21/03 Israeli Militarism At War 4/16/03 Hebron, City of Terror 2/19/03 Ethnic Cleansing: Some Common Reactions 1/13/03 Ethnic Cleansing: Past, Present and Future 12/30/02 Israel Elections. So What. 11/14/02 Looking Behind Ha'aretz's Liberal Image 10/02/02 Fighters' Talk 9/16/02 Confronting Pro-Occupation Arguments 9/4/02 The UN From Qana to Jenin 8/14/02 Israel's War For Terrorism 7/31/02 The New World Order and the Stone Age 7/6/02 How Jews Cam Support Israel 6/17/02 Palestinian Enslavement Entering A New Phase 5/24/02 Killing and Taking Possession 5/4/02 In Times of War Crimes 4/19/02 Israel -- A Suicide Bomber? 4/12/02 Suicidal Truths 4/5/02 The Auschwitz Logic 4/1/02 Against Negotiations 3/28/02 Postmodernism Alive and Killing 3/16/02 Occupation Vs. Democracy 2/26/02 Terrorism Vs. Occupation 2/15/02 Peace Now. Now?! Well, Maybe Later 2/8/02 David Horowitz Rewrites the Past 1/23/02 Say No to a Palestinian 'State' 11/13/01 Who Cares About the Palestinians? 10/16/01 Dancing in the Streets 9/21/01 The Ideology of Occupation 9/4/01 The Chosen Pariah 7/31/01 Mideast War -- Really Imminent? 7/24/01 The State of the Army, Part Two 6/22/01 Building Settlements, Killing Peace 5/26/01 The State of the Army, Part 1 5/8/01 Israeli Left Sells Out Peace 4/13/01 Barak's Legacy 3/23/01 add your comments Source file

Capo by ? 2:14pm Thu Aug 14 '03 print comment no text add your comments

independent militia? by John Veldhuis 2:32pm Thu Aug 14 '03 print comment "An independent militia is indeed something that no sovereign state can tolerate; Israel is right in pointing that out." Israel has its own independent militia: the settlers. add your comments

fucking capo dope by kevin 3:33pm Fri Aug 15 '03 print comment 1) sheba farms are not part of Lebanon - so it has NOTHING to do with the hezbollah terrorists; 2) the idea that this anti aircraft missle "accidentally" went off at ground level (how convenient) is LAUGHABLE - it was set to go off at ground level you asshole. 3) the only thing worse then a scumbag arab terrorist is a scumbag terrorist supporting cock sucking kike. add your comments

Right Stupid? by Haukur T. 10:38pm Fri Aug 15 '03 Haukur@icqmail.com print comment Really, i don´t think so sheba is not recognised by UN as a part of Israel. Kevin you seem to be a rascist hateful biggot. The Arabs have all the right to hate israel even though i don´t like it but that´s a fact the israelis have none!! Sincerly yours Haukur add your comments

Manners by AKhalil 2:10am Mon Aug 25 '03 print comment Are all Israelis vulgar? or it just that they have no case so they think that by shouting and cursing they would silence their opponents? add your comments

Not all Isreali's are assholes by Marcus 10:38pm Mon Aug 25 '03 print comment I would not say that all Isreali's are assholes as I would not say all Arabs are assholes either. What is fact is that when Isreal flies over Lebanon it gets fired on. When jets don't fly we have no anti-aircraft fire. Also fact is the Isreali government does not tell it's citizens that they are flying over lebanon minutes before an anti-aircraft missile is launched. If the Government were honest with it's citizens then chances are the Isreali public will ban flights altogether over Lebanon so they can have peace on the border. As far as Shabae Farms, well if they want to give Lebanon no excuse to attack, simply give up the occupation regarless of whom it belongs to......It will save jewish lives. Isn't that the most important thing for Isreal........Security. This way if an attack were to happen after all tyhe above, then the world will embrace a full Isreali defensive which we don't even need to ask what may happen. Point is Isreal will be justified in destroying Hezzbollah in the international community eyes. add your comments

Not all Isreali's are assholes by AKhalil 1:39am Thu Aug 28 '03 print comment Well, then the non-assholes of Israel need to tell the rest of us about the assholes of Israel to let us know who is the asshole and who is the non-asshole. When the non-assholes are silent, all we hear from are the assholes, and we are then justified in assuming that they all are assholes. Unless, of course, the assholes are not really assholes at all, but are non-assholes who want us to think that they are not non-assholes. In that case: what are they planning this time? add your comments

non-ass Holes are the indeed silent majority by silence:::: 1:49am Thu Aug 28 '03 print comment They are ass holes on behalf of the non-ass holes to combat anti-Semitism. Got beef? add your comments

Beef by AKhalil 6:58pm Thu Aug 28 '03 print comment I thought Middle Easterners liked lamb and goat meat. What is the Beef about? add your comments

SO which of his immediate family members by Treason Monitor 11:44am Tue Sep 2 '03 print comment is Ron HaCelev prepared to have blown up by the Hizbollah for peace? add your comments

Here's an Idea by Arnie 12:48pm Wed Sep 3 '03 print comment Suppose HaCohen were to be swapped for one of those Israeli hostages being held by the Hizbollah, and left there to promote his ideas jointly with them. I mean, wouldn't this instantly raise the average level of scholarly thought and research at Tel Aviv University by 13.6%? add your comments

? by ? 5:19am Fri Sep 5 '03 phone: would anyone actually post his #? print comment is the IDF bored enuff to go and bother with lebanon? * why did the IDF invade Lebanon in the first place? *why is the main provider of the Hezbullah and why? *How exactly is HaCohen trying to portray the Hezbullah? add your comments

CosUchto Ran HaCohen by Abu Garwa 5:17am Tue Sep 9 '03 print comment Hezboallah and Hamas and all the other 'freedom fighting' groups should be wiped off the face of the earth, by any means necessary. Once we have eliminated these sub-human thugs, we can start from scratch- and hopefully make fewer mistakes. In the meantime, these primates (and the Ran HaCohens of the world) are simply making the problem worse. add your comments

Seriously... by Francisco Madero 11:53pm Fri Sep 12 '03 print comment Racism runs rampant on this web page, from both political perspectives. I say this objectively as a Texan. If you all realized that genetically you are all no more than 0.00000000000001% different you would realize that it is impossible for either Arabs or Israelis to be inherently evil, or inherently superior. A racist Israeli or a racist Arab is no better than a Nazi, and no less ridiculous. You all have to get over yourselves and stop acting like bratty children. Name calling just makes you look immature. How old are you? add your comments

Leftists by Glenn 5:01am Sun Sep 21 '03 glroga@comcast.net print comment Leftists never fail to align themselves with the most reprehensible fascistic murderers on the planet. Hizbollah's views on every major issue of the day would offend "progressives" (except their hatred of Jews, of course). add your comments

religious disgrace by E.A. 9:22am Sat Sep 27 '03 print comment All involved in the carnage, rather it be Israel or whatever Arab side, is a disgrace to their religion. Just come out and say you're an atheist pro fascist if you want to kill and kill because you definitely haven't read anything religious. Religions have been misinterpreted to seek revenge when truthfully they're all about PEACE. There are truly beautiful human beings on both sides, fighting for peace and that story is so supressed by media coverage. The Israeli / Arab conflict is probably the most propagandized event ever. To get the truth is a challenge for anyone. Until we begin to shed this Militaristic War Pig mentality, the human spirit will decay and we all will be lost. add your comments