The Globe's Carolynne Wheeler reports on the sudden boom of Nasrallahs in Palestine and Lebanon:
He's three days old, just 6½ pounds and from the look of his sleepy eyes and screwed-up mouth, he's far more interested in his next meal than in hearing about the high expectations attached to his name.
[...]
At Ms. Anturi's home, her sister and her nieces join her in breaking into song and clap their hands in rhythm at the mention of a tune now making the rounds of radio stations and weddings, the title of which translates roughly as We Hail Thee, Hope of Lebanon.
The latest craze to hit the Palestinian airwaves originated with four brothers in the northern West Bank town of Yamoun, near Jenin. In a visit to the family home yesterday, the group had just enough time to sit for tea and play a quick rendition of their song before dashing off to the recording studio to cut their next single: We Are Victorious With the Help of God.
[...]
"His statements were comprehensive, covering all dimensions — low-key, no boasting; humble, honest, clear; and never quoted the Prophet or the Koran," said Mahdi Abdul Hadi, a political scientist who heads the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs.
[...]
"[Nasrallah] is a hero, and I hope God will always make him victorious. He made us hold our heads high," said Khalil Freihat, 24, taking a cigarette break on a street corner in Yamoun.
"The main lesson that we have to learn from Hezbollah is not to surrender our rights. We cannot surrender, we must fight."
[I'm trying to quote just enough to get a feel for the article, as always, you should read the original.]
4 comments:
It doesn't suprose me that people are naming their children after a leader...
What does suprise me is that these people really seem to think they won!
Brian: I think they won too.
Isreal targeted Lebanese civilians in the hope that they would blame Hezbollah. Instead Hezbollah and its leader is more popular than ever.
Note that this isn't the leader of Lebanon we're talking about, it's the leader of a particular group that Isreal had hoped to destroy.
... Ami.
I just got the latest issue of "The Economist". It seems they also agree with you. The front cover is "Nasrallah wins the war".
It seems that Nasrallah said "victory would consist merely of surviving". Since he's still alive, I guess by that measure, they won.
I'm aware that Nasrallah is the leader of a terrorist group based in Lebanon and not the Lebanese government. If he's allowed to keep his weapons, then the true loser in this whole thing is the government of Lebanon. As long as Hizbullah is able to start a war in Lebanon without the government's consent, they will be powerless.
I disagree that Israel "targeted Lebanese citizens," Ami. What I believe is that Hezbollah intentionally hid within the civilian population of Lebanon and attacked from this perceived safety. I believe Israel then attempted isolation of these forces by taking out roads, power, etc, for that area. Did it affect the civilians? Absolutely, but affecting and targeting civilians is two different cases.
Incidentally, it certainly appears that Hezbollah was victorious in the sense that Israel didn't destroy them. For those who would happily strap bombs to their children to blow up as many Israelis as possible (in fact brag about it), surviving to fight again would certainly be a victory. Will they win the battle, but lose the war? I can only hope so, but only time will tell.
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