The Truth about Iran and Hezbollah

The Christian Science Monitor's editorial pages have started to sound more and more like that of the far-right neocon Wall Street Journal editorial pages.

For example, todays editorial in the CSM entitled "Iran Pumps Iron in the Mideast" (which, incidentally does not sufficiently distinguish itself as an editorial, and so is likely to be confused with news) resorts to the usual Shia scaremongering and repeats the claim that Iran is arming militias in Iraq ... even though the US Defense Department has had to grudgingly back off of that allegation.

And, the CSM goes on to repeatedly refer to the Hezbollah and even Hamas as "Iran's proxy" and the highly unpopular Sinora government as "democratic". Well, guess what -- one of the allies of Hezbollah in Lebanon in the recent fighting happened to be an organization known as the SNSP which has both Muslim and Christian members; more than half are Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholic. Also, one of the strongest allies of the Hezbollah has been the former Lebanese general Michel Aoun, who is deemed 'anti-Syrian'.

So while it certainly is true that Iran and the Shia in Lebanon have longstanding relations, to portray Hezbollah as some sort of puppet of Iran as the rightwing media in the US like to portray it. Rather, the US media labels the Hezbollah as "pro-Iranian" because the Israelis and their supporters in the US want to try to deny the organization's legitimacy.

However, like it or not, the Hezbollah is Lebanese and also quite popular among the Lebanese. Deal with it.

Here's a bit of background on Hezbollah that you should know about:

Hezbollah arose to battle Israel's occupation of south Lebanon from 1982-2000 and, more broadly, to advocate for Lebanon's historically disenfranchised Shi'i Muslim community. While it has many political opponents in Lebanon, Hezbollah is very much of Lebanon.

Comments

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What an editorial!! It states that Iran is now on the side of Taliban, its sworn enemy!!! Scaremongering and fabrication of lies to the perfection. Was this written by Judy Miller or Mike Gordon of the prestigious NYT?? I have lost all my respect for CSM, an Imperial mouthpiece for spreading propaganda.