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Lebanese View of the Deal With Hezbollah

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, writing in the Beirut Daily Star, has an interesting take on Israel's agreement with Hezbollah. He thinks Prime Minister Sharon's intent is to eliminate Hezbollah's rationale for existence:

The personality of Sharon, hard-liner and former strong army general, might lead one to suppose that Sharon would not try to bring Israeli kids, or what remained of them, back home. Therefore it would be safe to assume that Sharon’s only motivation is to try to bring to an end all unfinished business with Hizbullah, and by the same token distance Lebanon once and for all from the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Less than four years ago, Hizbullah had all the legitimate excuses it needed to maintain its war against Israel. After Israel’s withdrawal from South Lebanon in May 2000, Hizbullah started using the issue of Lebanese detainees in Israeli prisons and the disputed Shebaa Farms as justification for occasional cross-border escalation. With the prisoners’ issue taken care of, Hizbullah loses another one of its strong alibis for fighting the Israelis. True, the deal boosts the party’s pan-Arab position, but this effect will not last for long...

Perhaps as an alternative to Hizbullah’s forecasted diminishing regional role, it is time for Syria to reinforce Lebanon’s diplomacy and foreign representation, which have been until now curtailed by Syria’s influence in the country. With the resistance losing its raison d’etre and its leverage, perhaps it is better for Syria to consider bringing back a sovereign Lebanon to the international decision-making process as a new ally to replace the resistance party.

I disagree with the analysis of Sharon's motives. I think Sharon's experience as a soldier who was wounded in 1948, and later a leading general, is precisely why he would overpay for the remains of IDF soldiers. I also believe that Hezbollah, with the support of Iran and Syria, will continue to find new reasons for its continued terror against Israel.

Hussain's column is quite interesting, though, particularly his respectful request that Syria allow Lebanon to reclaim its sovereignty.
posted on 1/28/2004