Degrading Hizb’allah’s Social Safety Net

Critics of Israel’s tactics in South Lebanon have been railing against their “inability” to destroy Hizb’allah’s military might. While this might be true, al Bawaba points out that the military “destruction” of the Hizbies might not actually be the end goal of Israel. Instead, they are simultaneously striking at The Party of Allah’s social services infrastructure, virtually ensuring that they will be unable to participate in the eventual rebuilding of Lebanon to any meaningful extent. Israel is seeking to cut the Shiia support base that Hizb’allah has bought with medicine, television, food and other social services right out from under the Islamist nutjobs.
By Jove, that’s a great tactic! It’ll be interesting to see whether it works or whether Iran is willing to pony up the billions of dollars that would be required to return Hizb’allah’s previous social capabilities to working order.

6 Comments

I’m sorry, but cutting the Shia off from medicine, television, food and other social services is a good thing? You realize that the sane ones were simply milking money off of the nutjobs, right?
Dude you need to chill out, stop thinking that us muslims are your eternal enemies. One man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter.
Just look at things in an objective way. People are dying. They really don’t need to be.

Whoa, perhaps I need to make myself a bit clearer/finish my thought.
I’m not advocating denying Shia access to social services – I’m advocating denying them access to services provided by Hizb’allah. This degradation of Hizzie services allows the Lebanese government to step in and apply all of the international aid that should come pouring in and it lets the Arab League step up big time and help their Lebanese brethren.
I don’t think that all Muslims are my enemies; I do think that Hizb’allah is my enemy, nay, I know it is. Prior to September 11th, 2001, they had killed more Americans than any other single terrorist organization.

Dude you need to chill out, stop thinking that us muslims are your eternal enemies. One man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter.

That’s a load of bollocks. This isn’t relative – Hizb’allah started this conflict by kidnapping two Israeli soldiers and then ambushing the rescuers, killing 8. They’re not “freedom fighters,” they’re gangsters. They’re cravenly cowards that hide behind civilians instead of fighting and standing like men.

Just look at things in an objective way. People are dying. They really don’t need to be.

Darn tootin’. If Hizb’allah hadn’t started this mess, no one would need be killed, displaced or otherwise inconvenienced.

You see, that’s the problem. You don’t have complete information.
Hizb’allah had a reason to kidnap those israelis.
Ever since the last war, israel has held countless ‘prisoners of war’, who are actually civillians kidnapped by israel. A few of them had nothing to do with hizb’allah. Ever since israel retreated [not because of any international pressure either, but because hizb’allah forced them out], they held these innocents as prisoners. What hizb’allah was doing is prisoner exchange; one of the prime reasons it still exists is to get these prisoners back to lebanon. This wasn’t the first time that they did that, as israel simply refuses to return the civillians back home.
Hizb’allah was and still is the only ones providing these resources for the shia. Hizb’allah did more for the communities than any one else ever did. That’s why it has such support- if the government did so much, if the rest of the worl did so much- why are people chanting “hizb’allah”?
And they don’t hide behind civillians, they don’t fire from towns and cities and villages. Trust me that’s just israel. And don’t tell me ‘casualties of war’ like others, israel is deliberately doing that as anti-morale tactics.
And how exactly is hizb’allah going to stand and fight to a power like israel… lets not kid ourselves here, they would be crushed if they did. Its thier Gurella (I know I spelled that wrong) tactics that help them survive and do damage to the invaders.
And you may want to define terrorists. I think the KKK managed to kill more americans than hizb’allah did. And these are comparable tactics to that used by Samuel Jackson in the revelutionary war (once again sorry for the mispelling).
Realy in the view of most, israel started it back then, and started it now. An immediate ceasefire is needed for the aid to civillians. Forget the whole ‘terrorists will rearm’ business, what’s more important, kill 100 more terrorist or save 100,000 lives?
And the arab nations don’t give a [censored. -ed.] about lebanon. They’re too afraid of israel to do anything.
The government won’t do anything for the shia- before al-amal and hizb’allah, nobody did.
[Please watch the language. You’re welcome to discuss anything here, just mind the four letter words. Thanks. -ed.]

Oh, and before I forget my manners, thanks for being so calm and not cursing me out for agreeing wholeheartedly with you. I get that too often.

You can’t go kidnapping people and then expect an exchange – that’s not how it works. That there are groups of people who think it really will shows the level of thought put into these actions, and a tru lack of under standing of their enemy.
Unfortunately, the civilians in the area that Hizb’allah operates are PART of the problem, in that they ALLOW the propogation of hatred to continue unabated in exchange for services that by all accounts should be available by the government (and by many acocunts not allowed to compete with the H to the bizzle).
I submit to you that ANYONE who defends ANY group who maintains that another group of people don’t have a right to exist has no moral grounds to stand on when it comes to pointing fingers and talking about innocents.
After all – the ONLY reason Israel has a military that is to be respected is because the ENTIRE region they are in have attacked MANY times – talk about getting +1 experience points…
As long as we are on the subject – the entire arab world needs to get over the crusades – they were so a thousand years ago. While they are at it, forget spain – that was so 1490.