Hezbollah...So We All Agree

By Tariq Alhomayed
This commentary was published in Asharq al-Awsat on 10/04/2011
 
It seems that the "Wikileaks" documents have begun to have a positive effect in Lebanon, as today we see a media battle taking place between the Shiite Amal movement, and the Iranian sponsored Hezbollah. This is a positive development because, although we've yet to see them reach a consensus, we are witnessing them settle scores amongst themselves.
 
In the "Wikileaks" documents, it was revealed that during interviews with the Americans, a number of MPs and ministers belonging to the Development and Liberation Bloc, affiliated with Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri, had shown indignation towards Hezbollah, its weaponry, its domination of Lebanon, and they even talked about Hezbollah's apparent subordination to Iran. The documents also revealed the restlessness of Berri's men with regards to Syria, saying that if a clear arrangement was not reached with Syria to deal with the International Tribunal for the Assassination of Rafik Hariri, then Hezbollah would turn Lebanon into a living hell by resorting to car bombs and terrorist attacks. To make matters worse, the sources claimed that Syria was also capable of mobilizing its agents in Lebanon, namely the Palestinians, and its sleeper cells, in order to do the same thing!
 
These are important words, and they must be taken seriously, rather than just be labeled as propaganda. This is for the simple reason that Hezbollah itself is taking these words seriously - it has called for the immediate resignation of each political figure quoted in the Wikileaks documents. Berri's group, like Hezbollah, have already relied much on the Wikileaks documents to damage their opponents like Saad Hariri and Fouad Siniora, let alone other Arab countries, so they cannot deem them to be credible here, and false there. How could Hezbollah, or the Amal movement, claim that the documents are true when they serve their interests, and false if they do not? Furthermore, these documents are not the first, but there have been other documents revealing that followers of General Aoun have talked in the same vein about Hezbollah!
 
Through these Wikileaks documents, which quoted followers of Nabih Berri and revealed their opinions of Hezbollah, the danger of its weaponry, and its affiliation to Iran, we can deduce that the so-called moderate Arab camp has been, and still is, correct in its view of the gravity of Hezbollah and its weapons, the seriousness of its alliance with Syria, and the role they play in Lebanon. This is not the opinion of the moderates only, but also the view of Hezbollah's allies in the Amal movement, as the documents show.
 
It is true that the events in our region today, and the position of Iran and Hezbollah towards them, specifically their stances towards what is happening in Bahrain and Syria, have exposed Tehran and Hezbollah completely. While they criticize the Bahraini government, in support of the Shiites there, we find them supporting the regime in Damascus, which is suppressing the Syrian demonstrators with violence, even depicting the demands of the Syrians as being fostered externally. Yet more importantly here are the Wikileaks documents, and what they reveal about Hezbollah's allies in Lebanon. They reveal that everyone, whether in Lebanon or the wider region, or even in the Shiite Amal movement, is in agreement about the affiliation of Hezbollah towards Iran, and the danger of its weaponry, and this is highly important!