Qāsim Naʻīm - Hizbullah : The Story from Within

This book made available by the Internet Archive.

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Operations and Military Combat Methods 69

Between Liberation and Negotiation 72

The Target Sphere 73

Islamic Nomenclature 76

Resistance and Public Work 79

Resistance and Political Work 79

Relationship with National Figures and Power Forces 81

Social Services 83

3. Key Milestones in the History of Hizbullah 87

From Invasion Until the First Withdrawal 87

The May 17 Accord 92

Prologue to the First Withdrawal 94

The Open Letter 98

The Assassination Attempt Against al-Sayyed Fadlallah 99

War in the Camps 100

Amal and Hizbullah 101

The Taif Accord 103

Testing the Army's Custodianship of Security 104

Harmony Between the Government and the Resistance 106

The Martyrdom of al-Sayyed Abbas al-Moussawi 107

The July 1993 Aggression 109

The September 13 Massacre 112

The April 1996 Aggression 114

The Ansaria Operation 118

Martyrdom of the Secretary General's Son 119

The Lebanese Brigade for Resisting Occupation 121

The Revolution of the Famished 124

Lebanon First or Jezzine? 125

Victory 128

Resolution 425 Has Not Been Implemented 131

Army Deployment in South Lebanon 133

The Shebaa Farms Operations 135

Trying the Collaborators 137

Captives Detained in Israeli Prisons 140

Freeing the Captives 143

Results of the Exchange Deal 147

4. The Palestinian Cause 151

The Zionist Project: Foundation Steps 151

US Support for Israel 157

The Aggression Expands 158

The Choice of Compromise and the Language of Numbers 164

Contents

Results of the Palestinian Armed Struggle 171

Security is the Pillar of Israel's Existence 173

Targeting Israeli Civilians 175

Signature Draws Israel's Boundaries 178

Postponing the Discussion on Liberation Borders 182

The Responsibility of Arabs and Muslims 183

5. Issues and Stance 187

Participation in State Institutions 187

Participation in Parliamentary Elections 187

Results of Participation in Parliamentary Elections 192

Entering the Executive Government 196

Functions and Services 200

Islam and Sectarianism 205

The Muslim-Christian Dialogue 205

Sectarianism Versus Devoutness 208

Civil Marriage 214

Mixed Marriage 217

Islamic Movements and the Question of Unity 219

Moderation and Extremism 222

Spreading the Hizbullah Experience 224

Unity of Coordination and Practical Unity 225

Kidnapping Foreigners 228

6. Regional and International Relations 235

The Relationship With Iran 235

The Relationship with Syria 239

Relationship with the Other Arab Regimes 243

Relations with the US 245

Relations With the European West 251

Communicating with Public Opinion 256

The United Nations Security- Council 257

7. HizbuUah's Future 261

Presence and Influence 261

Two Pressure Alternatives 263

The Persistence of Resistance 265

Lebanon and Palestine 266

Future Expectations 268

Appendix: HizbuUah's 1992 Election Programme 271

References 279

Maps

Map 1: The Occupied Zone of 1978 90

Map 2: The 1982 Invasion 91

Map 3: The 1985 Occupied Zone 96

Map 4: The Occupied Zones, 1978-85 97

Map 5: The West Bank and the Distribution of Jewish Setdements 165

Preface

At a time when the Islamic banner was perceived as an unattractive, inadequate source of persuasion in the face of confrontation against Israeli occupation and international pressure, Hizbullah emerged as a distinct party because of its very adoption of this Islamic banner, as well as of its conduct as a resistance force. Islamic resistance operations were of such unique success that they earned the praise of supporters of liberation and adherents of justice, as well as the wonder and disbelief of the occupiers. Enemy aggression was thwarted many times, and the occupiers' dominant position shaken. Hizbullah's importance rose further with actual victory, achieved on May 25, 2000, when Israeli troops were forced to withdraw from Lebanon as a result of Hizbullah operations - an unprecedented achievement in fifty years of struggle with the Israeli enemy.

Many questions surrounded Hizbullah: about the Party's reasons for inception, its goals, vision and values, about the time-frame it has set as an objective ... Is Hizbullah a temporary faction playing a definite role, it has been asked, or does it have the potential for continuity?

Equally, many answers, analyses and assumptions were put forward. Numerous published writings blemished the Party's image, with shreds of facts gathered mostly in presumptuous fashion. Gradually, the truth emerged through Hizbullah's open and declared mode of work, through its field operations, the expressions of its leaders and the practical implementation by its partisans and institutions. Where, then, is the truth amidst this amalgam of facts and suppositions?

Since the circumstances surrounding the Party's inception forced the deployment of all recruits directly in field of operational resistance, little time was left for Party leaders to draw up frameworks and articulate visions or write

Hi^hii/Jdh: The Story from Within

manifestos, raisons d'etre and manuals. Although such guiding beliefs are ejuite clear to Party leaders, they had yet to be laid in a format that addressed the queries of intellectuals, academics and concerned groups.

Many attempts were made to write about Hizbullah, by close Party supporters, the non-aligned and challengers alike. The Part)' itself had gathered and published many speeches, declarations, interviews and records of activist work, in order to create an asset base to aid in the Party's overall direction. A number of researchers conducted special interviews with Party leaders and activists, the better to present their direct and personal opinions. However, given the Party's level of recognition, presence and achievement - all realized within a short and critical time span in the midst of a blazing region that is set for many more developments - whatever has been written thus far is insufficient to document and analyze this robust experience.

I found myself facing the responsibility of contributing to such documentation, so I embarked on this self-set mission despite my time constraints and the effort required. This work expresses my understanding of the Hizbullah order and its experience and future plans as gathered through my direct involvement with the Party since its inception and in various capacities.

Speaking of the 'order' is imperative, for it delineates the vision and goals of this Party that have sprung from a profound belief in Islam: The religion before Allah is Islam [surrender to Gods will and guidance]} Hizbullah's framing of all issues emanates from such belief, and the Party's practical path is interconnected with the principles of faith it carries. It is not possible to generalize as to what 'Islamic' experiences concern, for many rationalizations exist and factions differ in their direction. The necessity to specify and scrutinize details thus emerges. The Islamic Resistance found a place in the hearts of many Middle Eastern populations, and the core reason for achieving such stature has to do with the order it followed: that order which reveals the foundations of the experience.