The Actions and Agenda of the Hizbullah :: Politics Political Essays

The Actions and Agenda of the Hizbullah The Hizbullah are an extreme Islamic fundamentalist group. In fact, Hizbullah means 'Party of God." The Hizbullah came into existence in the social uprising of the late 1960's to the early 1970's by a Lebanese shia community. Then, following their charismatic leader Imam Musa Sadr, who mysteriously disappeared in Libya in 1978, the group developed until the Israeli invasion of 1982. This brought about Shiite radicalism, which is the Hizbullah's basis when it was created. Since then, the Hizbullah have been an influential part of Lebanon. The Hizbullah is a group of tactical genius. They have created an image as being of good intentions. They have helped to rebuild many communities in return for the people's backing. The agenda of the Hizbullah, which is known for its attacks on Israeli forces in occupied southern Lebanon, is now unclear. Israel withdrew from the "security zone" of southern Lebanon in May 2000. The only area of Lebanon where Israeli forces remained was Sheba'a farms. Many believed that because of the Hizbullah victory and the Israeli pullout, the Hizbullah would now focus on political and social agendas inside Lebanon. However Hizbullah has chosen to persist in its military strategy against Israel. Hizbullah's actions have the potential to trigger a full-scale, inter-state war. Some militant actions after the withdrawal have been: - the kidnapping of three Israeli soldiers from Mount Dov / Sheba'a farms. Hizbullah claimed that this advanced Lebanese interests: 'the liberation of disputed Sheba'a farms and the freeing of Lebanese detainees in Israel' and the Palestinian struggle. -the killing of an IDF solider in the Sheba'a area on November 26. Despite press reports of a possible Israel-Hizbullah swap of prisoners, Hizbullah continues to lay the groundwork for future military actions. For Israel, heavy retaliation against Hizbullah and its ally Syria, especially at a time of Israeli-Palestinian violence, risks opening Israel's northern settlements to Hizbullah fire and maybe even a full-scale military confrontation along the northern border. Aims for Hizbullah today: 1. Survival - leader, Nasrallah has said that Hizbullah is defined by its "Jihadic identity," a philosophy of continual military struggle. When Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon, recognized by the UN Secretary General as fulfilling the requirements of UNSC resolution 425, Nasrallah declared this inadequate. Hizbullah states that it will continue to fight to liberate Sheba'a. We will continue to fight to liberate Sheba'a." 2. Balance in Lebanon. Hizbullah wishes to seek a balance between continuing to fight against Israel and also to maintain popular support.