[Dean's World] Michael J. Totten: Hanging With Hezbollah

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Posted by Michael J. Totten:
Hanging With Hezbollah
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1167848860.shtml


   [Nasrallah_with_Gun.jpg]

   âIf they (Jews) all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of
   going after them worldwide.â â Hezbollahâs Secretary General Hassan
   Nasrallah, October 23, 2002

   BEIRUT â After Hezbollah mounted a protest aimed at bringing down
   Lebanonâs elected government, several thousand demonstrators remained
   downtown and camped out in tents, effectively occupying the center of
   the city. They first tried to seize and occupy Prime Minister Fouad
   Senioraâs office in the Ottoman-era Serail. But Seniora warned
   Hezbollah that if his office were taken he could not control his
   âstreet.â Translation: If you seize the stateâs institutions, the
   Sunni Muslims of Lebanon are going to kill you. Hezbollah knew this
   was true, and so they backed off. It didnât hurt that the government
   of Saudi Arabia backed up Seniora on this point. But Hezbollahâs
   occupation of the neutral parts of downtown continues even into 2007.

   I ventured downtown myself the day after the made-for-TV protest was
   over, when Hezbollah and friends no longer wanted attention from
   foreign media. Their lack of interest, if I could call it that, was
   instantly obvious. Ubiquitous security agents with the tell-tale
   sunglasses and earpieces stared at me coldly and turned their heads as
   I walked past.

   Hundreds of tents were set up in parks, parking lots, and squares
   downtown, most of them made of white canvass. I snapped a few
   pictures, and nobody stepped in to stop me.

   One group of tents in a parking lot across from the Hariri mosque were
   all made of black canvas. Whatâs up with the black tents, I wondered.
   So I walked over and lifted my camera to my face.

   Five ear-pieced Hezbollah agents aggressively pounced on me at once.
   [1]read the rest at michaeltotten.com

References

   1. http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/001355.html