Let us at the very least get the correct information?

GS Don Morris, Ph.D.

Interesting how the media is slowly introducing us to the "humanitarian" side of Hezbollah. No I am not exaggerating, I have watched several reports in the last 4 days, here in Europe and the Middle East, that appear to be making the case for Hezbollah. They all begin with the same type of introduction, Hezbollah ,masked men brandishing firearms, shooting into the air and soon they transition into the "human side" of the organization Hezbollah.

What do we know today?

• The literal meaning of Hezbollah is Party of God.
• It is also a Lebanese Islamist political party.
• Hezbollah began as a military resistance movement or as many call it a terrorist organization. It was founded in 1982 for the sole purpose of fighting Israel who occupied southern Lebanon until the year 2000. Hezbollah did not disband-it expanded.
• The organization views an Islamic republic on the Iranian model, as the ideal and eventual form of Lebanon. Hezbollah supports the destruction of the state of Israel and cooperates with other militant Islamic organizations such as Hamas in order to promote this goal.
• Hezbollah follows the distinct Shia Islamic ideology developed by Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
• Hezbollah is also the main political party and military organization representing the Shia community, Lebanon's largest religious bloc. The civilian wing participates in the Parliament of Lebanon taking 18% of the seats (23 out of 128).
• After last year's elections, Hezbollah held 23 seats (up from eight previously) in the 128-member Lebanese Parliament. It also participated for the first time in the Lebanese government that was formed in July 2005.
• Hezbollah has two ministers in the government, and a third is Hezbollah-endorsed.

Most of you reading this piece already know these details. I do have some questions for you. Do not each of the government's parties represent the government's policies? If, as the Lebanese Prime Minister said recently, he and his cabinet knew nothing of Hezbollah's intentions and resultant war actions, what reasonable government would not expel this party? If the government feared expulsion, why did it not invoke any of several international laws and request for immediate international action against Hezbollah? Is it not fair to say that Lebanon must bear the full responsibility of all of its governmental parties and if you do not accept this? Why not? Do you think for a moment that the USA would accept the Republican Party bolting from the stated international policies of the USA and kidnaping two Canadian soldiers while firing hundreds of rockets onto the Canadian civilian population? Why does the international community not hold the attacker and attacker's suppliers, Iran and Syria, accountable? Why does the media gloss over these kinds of questions ?

Hezbollah has evolved from its first days and it has been very clever as it has mutated and now has not only a political wing, it has the all important social component necessary for a terrorist group to survive in today's world. They know that it takes more than a militia or even a military to win today. One must win the hearts,the minds and the very souls of the people you purport to defend. One must be able to recruit new members-everyone who belongs to some organization understands this fundamental need. It is equally imperative that you create a structure that invites, supports and nurtures members of all ages-this sustains a social group's stability and ability to grow. Finally, this entire structure must be grounded in a fundamental belief structure and this structure must be reinforced daily. So how did all of the preceding occur? Simple, with the help of outside financiers, Iran, the social structure has been put into place.

We know this:

• Hezbollah boasts a large social development program.
• The civilian wing also runs hospitals, news services, and educational facilities.
• Its Reconstruction Campaign (Jihad al-Bina) is responsible for numerous economic and infrastructure development projects in Lebanon.
• The group currently operates at least four hospitals, 12 clinics, 12 schools and two agricultural centers that provide farmers with technical assistance and training.
• It also has an environmental department and an extensive social assistance programme.
• Medical care is also cheaper than in most of the country's private hospitals and free for Hezbollah members.⁽¹⁾

There is no better way to enhance growth in an organization than by offering free medical life services as well as establish an economic structure that ensures money into the members' pockets. Hezbollah has done this for the Shia people of southern Lebanon what the government could not do. Yet, they knew that this was not enough to sustain its growth over a long period of time. What was the missing component for Hezbollah to retain its membership and actually put into motion membership growth across all demographics?

This we know:

• Hezbollah began and still operates a satellite television station from Lebanon, Al-Manar TV ("the Lighthouse")
• It also operates as well a radio station, al-Nour ("the light").
• Qubth Ut Alla ("The Fist of God") is the monthly magazine of Hezbollah's paramilitary wing.
• Al Manar broadcasts news in Arabic, English, French and Hebrew and is widely watched both in Lebanon and in other Arab countries.

If you control all forms of the media from newsprint to video to radio, you can control the minds, hearts, souls and spirit of a people. You do not concern yourself with honesty in reporting, actually this concept flies in the face of one's objectives-to create a large group of people who believe that everything western is evil (except the technology that helps get this message out) and that death for their cause is greater than life on this earth. Imagine the power of shaping opinions and then ensuring that consensus abounds with regards to implementation of policies. Imagine if you controlled everything your children were taught, were told? This is what happens in the schools run by Hezbollah-they are taught to hate and despise-imagine two generations raised with this model-now you can better understand what we face in Israel. If it is true that they have operatives around the world, then so do you have to be ready for their terror actions.

Finally, what do we think:

• Hezbollah began as a terrorist organization and it learned to morph into more socially accepted components
• It learned that the western world would be drawn (and fooled) into accepting these components
• Hezbollah does not create anything, it is not a country, it is at best a social group bent upon the destruction of anything Western and not Shia
• It has no means of raising funds, it does not create, build or even manage well-it has a primary benefactor-Iran. Iran uses Hezbollah to its business and the world turns a blind eye to this.
• It is rapidly acquiring victim behaviors similar to those used by the people living in Gaza and Judea and Sameria-and we are falling for these arguments as well.
• They hide behind children and women, they store bombs, rockets and munitions under baby cribs
• They place ball bearings in the nose of their rockets to create death and destruction to any civilian within 75 meters of a rocket strike-they kill their fellow Arabs and excuse this as allowing them to become shahids. Wonder if they were asked to become such creatures?
• They fire these dastardly rockets directly into civilian targets-it is their strategy-and the world turns a blind eye. However, the victim behavior by Hezbollah is cried long and loud when an Israeli bomb mistakenly kills civilians-civilians the Hezbollah use as shields and the world now becomes deaf as well as blind.
• They have acquired dirty bombs and intend to use them upon us-guess who is next?
• Hezbollah is clearly an agent of Iran. Hezbollah has as its goal the eradication of Israel-the same as Iran.
• The media demands and receives transparency with the IDF-I have noticed that the complete opposite is true of Hezbollah-they do not allow the media in to their battle preparations-the media continues to poke itself in its eye
• According to Jan England, the U.N. Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, "the Hezbollah is involving the Lebanese people by its cowardice and that is the reason why it is responsible for hundreds of civilian deaths"

Japan, Germany and other countries had social systems designed to help the lives of their citizens. Did we excuse the militant actions when they attacked simply because, they really are more than a terrorist group? Any thoughtful, honest, caring person would agree that when a country is attacked by anyone who publicly declares it wants your demise, social programs or not, we shall return fire, we shall make you realize the huge mistake you just made. Until a group understands that they cannot win, that there is nothing in it for them by continuing to fight or until they are soundly beaten, war,death and destruction will not cease. In the history of the modern world, this is what changes a group's behavior. You want peace as much as we do-then have the courage and the wisdom to support us and/or do what we are willing to do-appeasement has NEVER produced long term results even though it makes many feel good. It is this action that actually contributes to many more dying than ever had to-time for many to step down from their ill-conceived plans of "peace".

End Note

1. Thanks to Wikipedia online-2006.