Friday, March 11, 2005

Two Factoids On Lebanon

The Blogosphere is awash with laughter at the Bush admin, on the news that after the mass protest they grudgingly accepted that Hezbollah is a democratic political party (too), originating in this NYT article.

However, this article is also a prime example of mainstream media crap, with the usual crimes like failing to mention even passingly Israel's occupation of Syrian territory or quoting administration officials spouting rhetoric anonymously and without checking for facts. Factoid #1 regards the latter - this bit:

"Hezbollah has American blood on its hands," an administration official said, referring to such events as the truck bombing that killed more than 200 American marines in Beirut in 1983. "They are in the same category as Al Qaeda....

While the comparison is outrageous enough - the truck bomb hit US soldiers not civilians like al-Qaida, hit them in a country they invaded and not in New York City, and with the backdrop of US actions like warships shelling Lebanon -, the Marine base was not hit by Hezbollah. Hezbollah didn't even exist then! (Contrary to US/Israeli rewriting of history, formally established from various pro-clerical groups only in early 1985.)

It was done by off-shoots of the Daawa party. Yes, that one, the party of the future Iraqi PM. (Read Juan Cole on the details, also of other Daawa terrorist attacks.)

That was factoid #1. As for #2: while even the official propaganda and clueless journalism doesn't manage to cut a simple line over Hezbollah's foreign ties - i.e., there's both Syria and Iran - what goes amiss is Amal.

Amal what, you may ask? The thing is that not only is Hezbollah's relation with Syria a rather shaky one not without armed confrontation (a loveless alliance), there is actually a rival Lebanese Shi'a militia+political pary (founded in 1974 by a member of the Sadr family) that was Syria's real surrogate, the Amal movement. Only it was eclipsed so much by the Iran-linked but more domestic-based Hezbollah militarily that Syria had to deal with the latter.

2 Comments:

At 2:40 AM, Blogger JoshSN said...

I like this article on Hezbollah, Shia in Lebanon. There is no Part 2, that I am aware of.

 
At 10:14 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Greetings,

I have nothing but contempt to Amal movement AND its leader the DISHONORABLE Nabeeh Berry and his thugs.

they are nothing but thieves, cutthroats and trigger happy jerks that enjoyed riding Stolen , Non licensed BMWs, impose , rather ask for money directly from merchants, under arm threats, who are quite afraid to mention this and NO police or government protection was ever there !!!, those monsters enjoyed robbing people in their own homes UNDER arms, rape innocent girls and beat those who try to defend themselves brutally if not cripple them, and in the end have the nerve to say they are deprived ????

not only this, the amal movement WAS indeed involved in crimes against humanity, in particular the palestinian refugees camp, they are so strong and mighty and powerful shooting WOMEN and children in the legs as they tried to flee, this is documented in the canadian cases of refugee protection claimants and here is proof !!!!!!! scroll down and find the case presented by SABLANI ( I spit on that bad excuse of a human being)
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pub/war2002/section16.html
the amal movement was found guilty of crimes against humanity and any of its members is an accomplice!!!

my truth is, since their leader is in power now and head of the lebanse parliament with power of stating his thugs in all positions of the government , army and police, i say this is becoming a country governed by criminals and should definitely be cleaned.
the hizbollah is not any better. what would you expect from a party that has the power of a country within a country other than problems and grand treason and disregard to public safety of the citizens and also foreign nationals living there.

 

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