Inauspicious timing

The message behind Hizbullah's attack against Israeli forces in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms might have come at the wrong time, reports Zeina Abu Rizk from Beirut
Defying an international public opinion hostile to any sort of military escalation in the region, Hizbullah launched last week its first attack in three months against Israeli forces in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms. This sent a clear message to the international community that a "war on terrorism" does not abolish people's right to resist foreign occupation.
Foreign officials and diplomats considered the move inappropriate, taking into account mounting criticism of resistance activities in the Arab world that are often erroneously associated with terrorism.
On the other hand, local authorities believe the operation took place "right on time," as it helped draw the line between resistance and terrorism, two distinct issues that should be recognised as such.
Last Wednesday, Hizbullah fighters fired 10 to 15 anti-tank missiles and mortar rounds at two Israeli outposts in the Shebaa Farms district.
Israeli artillery shelled the slopes of Jabal Rbaa Teben between Kfar Shuba and Halta in a bid to strike the retreating Hizbullah fighters. No casualties were reported. The attack was the first by Hizbullah since the end of June, when the resistance's retaliation to a missile strike led Israel to destroy a Syrian army radar station in the Bekaa Valley.
The latest attack came a day after Hizbullah Secretary-General, Sayed Hassan Nasrallah slammed the US as "history's most brutal terrorist." He also described as "sheer propaganda" US assurances that the war against terrorism is not a crusade against Islam.
Nasrallah has taken an increasingly strong stance against the US-led coalition, in line with views expressed by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. His harsh tone was a marked contrast to a speech he delivered three days earlier in which he called on Muslims not to fall into the trap of mistaking the war against terror as a Christian "crusade" against Islam.
In Israel, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the "simultaneous attacks going on against Israel on all fronts only prove what Israel has been saying repeatedly, that Hizbullah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are full-scale international terrorist organisations."
"They have to be treated accordingly, just as the world has created a coalition against [Saudi dissident] Osama Bin Laden," the spokesman said.
Staffan de-Mistura, the UN secretary-general's personal representative in South Lebanon, said Hizbullah's operation "could not have come at a worse time in view of the international climate."
The timing of the attack raised eyebrows among diplomats and security officials. "It is very surprising," said a security source. "The timing is strange and very risky, particularly while Israel is telling everyone that Hizbullah is a terrorist group that should be hit. Now Hizbullah is giving everyone an excuse to do so."
Two days after the attack against Israeli forces, Hizbullah was again on the US State Department's list of terrorist organisations. Hizbullah officials said they were not surprised and accused Washington of submitting to pressure from Israel.
In the eyes of the Lebanese authorities, Hizbullah's operation in the Shebaa Farms came "right on time" to remind the international community that the resistance was a legitimate right that should not be associated with terrorism or affected by international developments, as a senior political source put it. "Regardless of the latest international developments, the Shebaa Farms remain Lebanese territory. This is a principle and a constant that cannot be abolished or affected by events that happen in any part of the world, no matter how important these events are," the source said.
"By dubbing resistance groups such as Hizbullah, Hamas or the Islamic Jihad as terrorists, Israel is trying to prevent them from fighting to regain their territories, while creating a permanent excuse for Israel to maintain its occupation in these countries," he added. Hizbullah's recent operation, according to the source, amounted to a rejection of these Israeli attempts.
Surprisingly, the source said, neither the international community nor the UN object to Israel's daily attacks against Lebanon or consider them terrorist acts. The Lebanese authorities completely reject this double-standard policy, the source continued, adding that operations will continue "as long as there is a reason for them," that is, as long as the Shebaa Farms remain occupied.
Lebanese senior officials have avoided commenting on Hizbullah's operation, preferring to reassert their commitment to Lebanon's right to resist the Israeli occupation, and insisting on the need to differentiate between terrorist activities and the people's right to fight for their land.
Recommend this page
Related stories:
See Focus: War
Not in a rush 4 - 10 October 2001
Readying for battle 4 - 10 October 2001
Fall-out 4 - 10 October 2001
Fall-out 27 Sep. - 3 Oct. 2001
US Tragedy: The fall-out 20 - 26 September 2001
US Attacked 13 - 19 September 2001
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
Send a letter to the Editor