DATE=4/30/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=LEBANON - HEZBOLLAH
NUMBER=5-46231
BYLINE=SCOTT BOBB
DATELINE=BEIRUT
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
/// EDS: THIS IS THE FOURTH IN A SERIES OF FIVE
BACKGROUND REPORTS ABOUT LEBANON ///
INTRO: The announced withdrawal of Israeli troops
from south Lebanon has raised the prospect of an end
to violence in Lebanon after one-quarter of a century.
The withdrawal is being hailed in the Arab world as a
victory, and the Hezbollah Movement that led the
resistance to Israeli occupation is receiving a great
deal of praise. V-O-A Middle East Correspondent Scott
Bobb has visited Hezbollah in Lebanon and he reports
that although it is still involved in military
activities, it has become much more than a guerrilla
group.
TEXT: The Hezbollah movement is best known in the
west for kidnapping foreigners a few years ago and its
attacks on Israeli troops in south Lebanon.
/// SOUND OF SHELLING -- FADE UNDER ///
The attacks have led Israeli forces to retaliate
against Lebanese villages, like this shelling near the
town of Qana last week, causing thousands of
casualties and tens of thousands of displaced people.
Yet, Israel's announcement that it intends to withdraw
from south Lebanon has brought hope of an end to the
violence and cries of victory from Lebanese officials.
Hezbollah was founded in the early 1980's reportedly
with Syrian support and money from Iran. Hezbollah
leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, noted in a recent
interview (on Gezeira television) that the main source
of inspiration for his movement remains the Iranian
revolution.
/// NASRALLAH ACT - IN ARABIC -- FADE UNDER ///
Sheikh Nasrallah said Iran shares Hezbollah's victory.
He said, for the youth who died in the struggle, the
prize is heaven, and the one who inspired them is Iran
and its late leader, Ayatollah Khomeini.
Nevertheless, Hezbollah has also become increasingly
involved in civic activities. With donations from
Iranian religious foundations and individual
contributions throughout the Islamic world, Hezbollah
provides social services like schools and health
clinics to poor people in Lebanon.
It recently launched its own television station.
/// SOUND OF HEZBOLLAH TV STATION PROMO -
FADE UNDER ///
The station promotes a panel discussion on political
issues and a call-in program, before a conservatively
dressed announcer appears to read the news.
Hezbollah has also developed a flair for public
relations that is helping to improve its image abroad.
An American journalist working on a report about the
movement is warmly received by the multi-lingual staff
of Hezbollah's public relations office, located in a
working class suburb of Beirut. The staff provides
contacts and interviews for the journalist and helps
arrange a trip to the war zone in the south.
Although Hezbollah is still officially a movement, it
is looking more and more like a political party. It
elected nine members of parliament in elections four
years ago and was even more successful in local
elections last year.
The Hezbollah deputy from Bekaa District, Sayed Amar
Moussawi, tells V-O-A Hezbollah has evolved.
/// MOUSSAWI ACT ONE - IN ARABIC -
WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION///
I don't think Hezbollah has really changed its
political direction. It's like a child growing
up.
/// END ACT ///
Sheikh Moussawi says Hezbollah is involved in much
more than the resistance in the south. He says it has
always been eager to help people, mostly the poor.
/// BEGIN OPT ///
Asked about Hezbollah's history of kidnappings and its
hostile position regarding the United States, Sheikh
Moussawi says Hezbollah would like more foreigners to
visit Lebanon because it wants them to have an honest
view of what is going on here.
/// MOUSSAWI ACT TWO - IN ARABIC -
WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION ///
We have no problems with Americans coming to
Lebanon either. We have problems with the
American government. We believe the American
government is unfair. It helps Israel unfairly.
And we'd like to see them have a more balanced
policy toward the Arab world.
/// END ACT ///
Hezbollah is not the only Islamic party in Lebanon.
Its main rival among the Shiite communities is Amal,
which also engaged in terrorist acts before entering
politics. Because of Hezbollah's rising popularity,
Amal has been pressed recently to remind Lebanese that
it too resisted Israeli forces and it too continues to
conduct military operations.
/// END OPT ///
A professor at the American University of Beirut and
expert on political Islam, Nizar Hamzeh, says groups
like Hezbollah and Amal in Lebanon have changed.
/// HAMZEH ACT ONE ///
Islamic movements in Lebanon have evolved from
small groups or even underground, into more,
some sort of political mass movements.
/// END ACT ///
/// BEGIN OPT ///
Professor Hamzeh says the goals of Islamic movements
in Lebanon remain the same, but their methods are now
different.
/// HAMZEH ACT TWO ///
Islamic movements have managed to a great extent
to move from what they call achieving Islamic
Sharia, or Islamic state, through revolution,
through violence, through militancy, into some
sort of achieving such objectives by working
from bottom up, from grassroots society, and
participating within the system rather than
working outside the system.
/// END ACT ///
/// END OPT ///
Hezbollah leaders insist Israel must withdraw from all
Lebanese territory before they will cease military
operations. They also have a list of demands that
have yet to be met and say they will continue to
support Syria which is deadlocked in its peace
negotiations with Israel.
As a result, the door is still open for Hezbollah to
continue its attacks for some time to come. But
experts say Hezbollah increasingly is focusing on the
political arena in Lebanon, where because of its
social programs and history of resistance, it already
is a major force. (Signed)
NEB/SB/JWH/TVM
30-Apr-2000 07:24 AM EDT (30-Apr-2000 1124 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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