Manuela Paraipan’s latest article on Global Politician suggests that Israel’s attacks on civilian targets in Lebanon is really in the Lebanese government’s best interests:
By shelling Hizballah, Israel is not only doing itself a service, but also to Lebanon. For years, Lebanon has been a hostage of Hizballah and its providers. The Lebanese Prime Minister, Fuad Siniora lastly recognized it publicly, in an interview with the Italian, Corriere della Sera. Siniora said, “the entire world must help us disarm Hizballah, which obeys the political agendas of Tehran and Damascus.”
I will agree that Fuad Siniora would undoubtedly love to have control over his country, with an amenable parliament and a disarmed Hizbollah. His inability to deal with Hizbollah up until this point is rooted in Hizbollah’s popularity and the strength of its bloc and allies within the Lebanese parliament, which has come about as a result of the terrorist organization’s wide-ranging public support and the United States’ push for a truly democratic and representative Lebanon following the Syrian leavestaking. While Hizbollah’s inexcusable cross-border raid, murders, and kidnappings could have been utilized to undercut the group’s hold on southern Lebanon, the Israeli escalation has put Siniora in an impossible position. The continued shelling of Lebanese cities and the deaths of civilians, including Shi’a, Sunnis, Druze, and Christians, has counteracted any wide-ranging ill will Hizbollah afforded itself by overstepping its bounds. Now Hizbollah, which continues on despite heavy pressure from the legendary Israeli military behemoth, finds itself in a much stronger position politically than before. The lopsided use of force against Lebanese civilians who are not directly connected to Hizbollah, and in many cases may have opposed Hizbollah’s existence, is creating a frightening consensus throughout Lebanon despite former political leanings — a shared hatred of Israel.
The bombardment of Lebanon will eventually end, but Hizbollah will not disappear through sheer kinetic force. At best, it will become more of an amorphous organization with a reduced ability to utilize Iranian-made rockets to attack Israeli civilians. While that is an achievable and desirable goal, it does not mean that Hizbollah would be incapable of striking Israel directly through other, unconventional means. It is, after all, a terrorist organization. Instead of solving the problem of Hizbollah, Israel may just be forcing it into another configuration with even greater and more vehement backing from every day Lebanese than ever before. So, no, Manuela, I disagree that Israel is doing Lebanon or itself, really, a tremendous favor currently.
Related Posts:Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
