A New Beginning

Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unlikely sources. Several posts and essays on this blog were inspired by clever bloggers who challenged me to reconsider my beliefs. On the other hand, some bloggers were so shallow that I had to give them a piece of my mind.

Today I was struck by the ignorance of one critic who questioned my assertion that the Lebanese militia of Hezbollah is illegal. I wondered how many other people believe such nonsense and began to type away. This post is the end result…

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The armed militia of Hezbollah is illegal by the terms of the Taif Accord which was signed by all of the surviving members of the Lebanese Parliament, ending 15 years of Civil War. These 62 deputies were the internationally recognized representatives of the Lebanese people.

The Accord specified that all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias should be disbanded. It also established Constitutional amendments and reforms that outlined the structure of the future Lebanese government.

Specifically, it stated that the militias’ weapons be delivered to the state “within a period of 6 months, beginning with the approval of the National Accord Charter” (the official name of the document). It was signed on October 22, 1989. As of this date all of the country’s militias complied with the Accord except for Hezbollah.

Not only is Hezbollah’s militia illegal under Lebanese law, but they are illegal under international law by the declaration of UN Resolution 1559. This document also “calls for the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias”.

Hezbollah has recently won 23 seats in the Lebanese Parliament and several other important government posts. This proves that the militia has been treated in good faith by the Lebanese and yet they still maintain illegal arms.

The fact that they are funded and supported by the foreign powers of Iran and Syria casts further doubt on the legitimacy of Hezbollah’s militia. Given the fact that the UN determined that there is considerable evidence that Syria and the Lebanese Security Services (which had been infiltrated by the Syrians) were involved in the assassination of former Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri, this is especially disturbing. In the aftermath of the assassination Hezbollah actually organized protests in favor of the Syrian government!

Despite the partial collapse of the Syrian controlled Lebanese government, the influence of Damascus is still persisting in the country. In the last year assassinations of prominent anti-Syrian activists like Samir Kassir, Gebran Tueni and George Hawi have highlighted the danger that the Lebanese still face when criticizing Syria.

In the Lebanese government there have been some who have advocated allowing Hezbollah to illegally retain its arms. The most prominent of them is President Emile Lahoud. He has the distinction of securing Syrian support to illegally extend his term of office by three years. This has been a serious point of contention in Lebanese politics and has made him very unpopular. Such willingness to violate the laws of Lebanon leaves no doubt that Lahoud and Hezbollah are serious obstacles to the full restoration of Lebanese sovereignty.

With the establishment of a new Lebanese military there is no need for any private militias anymore. Former militia members from almost all factions were united into one force that was fully equipped by the US, Britain and France. The main priority of the Lebanese military is as follows:

“Facing the Israeli occupation and its perpetual aggression in South Lebanon and West Bekaa and supporting the steadfastness of Lebanese citizens to ensure the complete withdrawal of the Israeli forces to internationally recognized borders.”

So why does Hezbollah refuse to disarm? Clearly, the country’s military is committed to defending the sovereignty of Lebanese territory against Israel and they are capable of protecting it without Hezbollah’s militia. As a matter of fact they are more capable of protecting Lebanon because they are not as willing as Hezbollah to incite Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory.

The Lebanese Civil War nearly destroyed the country because most political groups formed their own private militias. Sectarian violence became uncontrollable as the different factions formed and switched alliances many times over during the course of the war. Hezbollah is now creating renewed instability and the only sensible solution is to permanently disband their militia. The Lebanese government must be allowed to assume full sovereignty over its own country. There will never be peace in Lebanon until this is accomplished.



The Hezbollah Militia displaying the Nazi salute. “It is an open war until the elimination of Israel and until the death of the last Jew on Earth.” Hezbollah Statement 1992