It is no secret that rightwing policy breeds rightwing opposition. Such is true for the government of Israel that implements these policies and then castigates those who oppose them. Such was the case in 1982 when Israel invaded Lebanon which gave rise to Hezbollah. Such is true today which has given rise to Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza. Does the Israeli government truly believe that it can forcibly wipe out the entire resistance it created? From the looks of it, it certainly seems so.
Israel is currently trying to ignite another civil war in Lebanon by driving a wedge between the Lebanese government and Hezbollah. Israel is also dropping pamphlets trying to shift Lebanese public opinion against Hezbollah, most notably targeted towards the Lebanese minorities. They see this as an opportunity to throw Lebanon into political chaos, thereby minimizing Hezbollah’s threat against them.
However, the strategy is flawed in that resistance is not something that can be exterminated by force. You cannot bomb a mentality or an idea, so entrenched within the Lebanese society as a whole, into submission. If anything, force strengthens the resistance and is reflected by the Lebanese Defense Minister’s claim that the Lebanese army will join Hezbollah if Israeli ground troops are deployed. So much for turning the Lebanese government against Hezbollah.
Pakistan has used force against the rebels in its Balochistan province, but historically negotiations have kept the conflict in check. Even England has started to negotiate with the IRA. Negotiations are a key aspect in any external or internal conflict and Israel must recognize that for the good of its own people, otherwise they may celebrate a short victory now only to see the resistance build itself up again.
Copyright Aurangzeb Qureshi 2006
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