August 16, 2006

TERRORISTS, BUT MORE THAN:

Hezbollah Leads Work to Rebuild, Gaining Stature (JOHN KIFNER, 8/16/06, NY Times)

[Hezbollah] is already dominating the efforts to rebuild with a torrent of money from oil-rich Iran.

Nehme Y. Tohme, a member of Parliament from the anti-Syrian reform bloc and the country’s minister for the displaced, said he had been told by Hezbollah officials that when the shooting stopped, Iran would provide Hezbollah with an “unlimited budget” for reconstruction.

In his victory speech on Monday night, Hezbollah’s leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, offered money for “decent and suitable furniture” and a year’s rent on a house to any Lebanese who lost his home in the month-long war.

“Completing the victory,” he said, “can come with reconstruction.”


Israel and the U.S. squandered the opportunity to help rebuild Palestine following Hamas's election too.

Posted by Orrin Judd at August 16, 2006 8:08 AM
Comments

Hezbollah’s reputation as an efficient grass-roots social service network — as opposed to the Lebanese government, regarded by many here as sleek men in suits doing well.....

Wow, pretty nice guys, huh? Without a doubt they do have a lot going for them in the propaganda front.

Orrin, I don't think the US/Israel had the same opportunity. Hamas wanted the money without the US recognition that went with it. We did send, and delivered, humanitarian aid and assume it did help the poor.

Posted by: Tom Wall at August 16, 2006 8:54 PM

Yes, we should have just recognized and love bombed them. Separate the extremists even further from the people.

Posted by: oj at August 16, 2006 8:58 PM

I get where you are going with the "rapprochement" with the "rational" wing of Islam, but how do Hamas and Hezbollah qualify?

How can you assist or work with Organizations that openly call for the destruction of Israel (and the US, BTW)?

It seems to me that they have to drop the "destruction" plank from their platforms.

Further, until they drop those planks, there should be no moral qualms on the part of the West over simply declaring war on them and killing them. (where optimal for the West)

Why should the West negotiate the terms of its own destruction while assisting the "rebuilding" of our killer's haunts?

Your posts smack of a (not very) humorous Hezbollah advertising tagline that would play wonderfully on Al Jazzera and Democratic Websites

"Hezbollah - more than just a terrorist organization."

Posted by: Bruno at August 17, 2006 1:39 PM

Because it's the idle chatter of dysfunctional peoples. Force states on them and they're so tied up in governing they have no time for terror and eventually no inclination.

Hezbollah is more than a terrorist organization.

Posted by: oj at August 17, 2006 2:00 PM
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