Sheik Nasrallah, Beloved of the Arab Street
Hatred for Israel, the infidel interloper in the Middle East Muslim community of communities has finally united Muslims. In some part, at least. Suddenly there looms a larger enemy in their midst than their ages-old enmity one to the other, Sunni against Shia. Israel, perpetually hated into eternity and beyond appears to have been momentarily been placed on the back burner of Islamic enmity. Now, thanks to the heroic efforts of Sheik Nasrallah, who has moved his Hezbollah Order of Death to a place in the Arab heart which had been long devoid of heroes, a celebration of victory over Israel is once again in the hearts and minds of its neighbours.Yes, Osama bin Laden was a hero for a while. Still is, but the passion for him has long been burned out in the stretch of time it has taken for him to blend into the background from his once-pre-eminent position as the catalyst of Death to America. Mind, the Iranians were there first, and they are even now struggling to maintain their momentum, still lustily shouting Death to America and its puppet, Israel. But now even the mad mullahs of Iran and their lunatic president have been left in the dust, eclipsed by the worthy deathmeisters of Hezbollah.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan all of whom enjoy a nervous peace with Israel, all of whom fear a resurgent Islamism which might have the means to overthrow their regimes, offered a cagey but unmistakable slap on the wrist to Sheik Nesrallah and Hezbollah immediately upon Israel's response to their provocation, taunting Israel to a defensive war.
But look here, Hezbollah, that tight group of several thousand well-trained Islamist regulars dedicated and patterned on Iran's Revolutionary Guards, aided by their loyal civilian Lebanese Shia cohorts also trained as reserve deployment, ready and willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater glory of Allah, augmented substantially by a formidable build-up of Syrian and Iranian armaments, underground bunkers and passageways are holding the mighty Israeli army at bay.
This hard-bitten, proud and death-inviting, death-dealing group has managed to do what no regular Arab armed forces has yet succeeded in; putting Israel on its toes, blasting back measure for measure, capably and with measured aforethought teasing Israeli soldiers into situational traps meant to extract from them the greatest sacrifice to the Muslim cause; the death and disablement of that indomitable team of national defense.
Or so the apprehension of events goes. Wild with exultation the Arab street demonstrates in support of Sheik Nasrallah - he is routing the enemy! He fights on behalf of all of us! He is, verily, the right hand of Allah. In Egypt ebullient crowds carry large posters of Nasrallah alongside those of former President Gamel Abdel Nasser, comparing them, celebrating them, Muslim heroes. But where Nasser's Egypt was humbled in defeat by Israel and Nasser recognized the utility of living in peace with his neighbour and had the courage to visit his one-time enemy, then offer peace, Sheik Nasrallah is unlikely to do so. Nasser was an Egyptian war hero, a respected and seasoned fighter for his cause, but he was an intelligent pragmatist. Nasrallah revels in representing Death Stalking The Land of Israel. His dedication to wiping Israel off the Middle East map is absolute.
In response to this turn of events (the macro reflecting the micro: family members sniping at one another, dysfunctional as a harmonious group, but let an outsider criticize that family or offer harm to one of its members and nothing will draw the fractious family members together as solidly as that perceived threat to the whole) President Hosni Mubarak now subtly nuances his earlier condemnation of Hezbollah; Jordan now says it is sending along medical teams to aid "the victims of Israeli aggression".
Saudi Arabia is warning that its peace plan of 2002 which offers Israel full recognition of all Arab states in exchange for a return to pre-1967 borders could go by the books.
“If the peace option is rejected due to the Israeli arrogance,” it said, “then only the war option remains, and no one knows the repercussions befalling the region, including wars and conflict that will spare no one, including those whose military power is now tempting them to play with fire.”How swiftly the tide turns in the Middle East. Reality is an illusion.
posted by Pieface @ Friday, July 28, 2006
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