Changes in Hezbollah's Identity and Fundamental Worldview
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Hezbollah's Growing Threat Against U.S. National Security Interests in the Middle East
1 Hezbollah's Growing Threat against U.S. National Security Interests in the Middle East Dr. Matthew Levitt Fromer-Wexler Fellow and Director, Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy; Author of Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon’s Party of God (Georgetown University Press). Testimony submitted to the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa March 22, 2016 Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member Deutch, and Members of the Committee, thank you for this opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the relationship between Hezbollah and Iran, which is only growing strong in the wake of the nuclear deal with Iran. Barely ten days after the JCPOA was signed in Vienna, Hezbollah General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah stated that, “Iran's relationship with its allies is based on ideological grounds and come before the political interests.” 1 In April 2015, Nasrallah noted that even under sanctions Iran funded its allies, and anticipated that a now "rich and powerful Iran, which will be open to the world" would be able to do even more: "I say that in the next phase Iran will be able to stand by its allies, friends, the people in the region, and especially the resistance in Palestine and the Palestinian people more than any time in the past, and this is what the others are afraid of."2 Hezbollah officials are comfortable and confident that Iran will not abandon the group. As one Hezbollah official told al Monitor: “‘Hezbollah is more than just an ally for Iran.’ The relationship is similar to ‘that between father and son’… Hezbollah’s importance as an ally for Iran in the region has also become quite clear … The group has played a pivotal role in preserving the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Iran’s No. -
Jerusalem: Facts and Trends 2005/2006
The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies Founded by the Charles H. Revson Foundation Jerusalem: Facts and Trends 2005/2006 Maya Choshen, Michal Korach 2008 Jerusalem: Facts and Trends 2005/2006 Maya Choshen Michal Korach This publication has been produced with the support of the Charles H. Revson Foundation of New York and the Pratt Foundation. The statements made and the views expressed in this document reflect solely the opinions of its authors. Translation from Hebrew: Laura Wharton © 2008, The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies The Hay Elyachar House 20 Radak St., 92186 Jerusalem http://www.jiis.org.il - Table of Contents - About the Authors .............................................................................................. 7 Preface ................................................................................................................. 9 Area ....................................................................................................................11 Population ..........................................................................................................11 Population Size ...................................................................................................11 The Legal Status of the Arab Population ........................................................... 12 The Geographical Distribution of the Population .............................................. 13 Population Growth ............................................................................................. 14 Sources -
Defending Damascus, Betraying Beirut: Hezbollah's Communication
Defending Damascus, Betraying Beirut: Hezbollah’s Communication Strategies in the Syrian Civil War Research Thesis Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with research distinction in International Studies in the undergraduate colleges of The Ohio State University by Maxwell Scurlock The Ohio State University April 2017 Project Advisor: Professor Jeffrey Lewis, International Studies Table of Contents Part 1 – Background Information and Historical Context Introduction – 1 1. Historical and Contextual Background – 6 a. Shi‘ism in Historical Context – 9 b. French Mandatory Period, 1920-1945 – 10 c. Independence to Black September, 1945-1970 – 14 d. The Early Years of the Lebanese Civil War and the Emergence of Hezbollah, 1970-1982 – 17 e. Hezbollah’s Formation – 21 f. Hezbollah’s Early Ideological Framework – 23 g. Syrian and Israeli Occupations of Lebanon, 1982-2005 – 24 h. Political Turmoil, 2006 Lebanon War, and 2008 Lebanese Political Crisis – 29 i. Hezbollah’s 2009 Manifesto – 31 j. The Syrian Civil War – 32 k. Sunni Islamists in Lebanon and Syria – 34 l. Lebanese Christians – 37 Part 2 – Analysis of Hezbollah’s Communications 2. Theoretical Approach to Hezbollah’s Communications – 40 3. Hezbollah in Syria – 44 a. Hezbollah’s Participation in Syria – April 30th, 2013 – 44 b. The Campaign for al-Qusayr, Part One – May 9th, 2013 – 48 c. The Campaign for al-Qusayr, Part Two – May 25th, 2013 – 50 4. Hezbollah’s Responses to Terrorism – 54 a. An Attack in al-Dahieh – August 16th, 2013 – 54 b. The Bombing of Iran’s Embassy – November 19th, 2013 – 56 5. Further Crises – 62 a. The Assassination of Hezbollah Commander Hassan al-Laqqis – December 3rd, 2013 – 62 b. -
Confessions at a Funeral
Confessions at a Funeral Barry Rubin A funny thing happened at the funeral of Imad Mughniyah. Those who had for years been denying any connection with him and his international terrorist activities – Iran, Syria, and Hizballah – suddenly admitted that he was one of their favourite people. At the same time, other critical points came out. Mughniyah’s critical position as the link between those three allies, in their conduct of terrorism and subversion, stood out clearly. In addition, Mughniyah’s career as an international terrorist, who often operated against Western targets, showed how Hizballah – along with its backers in Tehran and Damascus – were second only to al-Qaeda in their global operations of violence. Let’s first look at the record of the man who Iran, Syria, and Hizballah were so eager to praise and ready to revenge. Mughniyah, a Lebanese citizen, first worked with the PLO and then with Hizballah, leading the latter group’s main terrorist operations. During the 1980s alone, Mughniyah was involved in killing 340 American and French soldiers in a peacekeeping force, 63 civilians in bombing the U.S. embassy in Beirut; kidnappings and sometimes executions of Westerners living in Lebanon; attacks on the U.S. embassy in Kuwait; hijacking an American airliner in which a U.S. citizen was murdered; killing two U.S. officials in Lebanon; and hijacking two Kuwait Airways’ planes. In 1994, he organized the bombing of a Jewish Community Center in Argentina, killing 86 civilians. The official Argentinean investigation concluded Iranian intelligence had hired Mughniyah and his unit for this job. -
Hezbollah's Nasrallah: the "Great Man" of the Levant Nathan William Swanson Iowa State University
Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2008 Hezbollah's Nasrallah: the "great man" of the Levant Nathan William Swanson Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the International Law Commons, and the International Relations Commons Recommended Citation Swanson, Nathan William, "Hezbollah's Nasrallah: the "great man" of the Levant" (2008). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 15387. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/15387 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Hezbollah’s Nasrallah: the “great man” of the Levant by Nathan William Swanson A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Major: Political Science Program of Study Committee: David Cunningham, Major Professor Robert Urbatsch Hsain Ilahiane Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2008 Copyright © Nathan William Swanson, 2008. All rights reserved. 1454686 1454686 2008 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................. iv I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... -
Jewish Communal Affairs
Jewish Communal Affairs American Jews and the Middle East ISRAEL, IRAN, IRAQ In December 2006, AJC issued a pamphlet, 'Progressive' Jewish Thought and the New Anti-Semitism, by Prof. Alvin Rosenfeld of Indi- ana University, which pointed to specific examples of left-of-center Jew- ish critics of Israel who went so far as to question the right of the Jewish state to exist, a position that Rosenfeld considered anti-Semitic. Few knew of the publication until an article about it appeared in the New York Times on January 31, 2007, and then it became a focus of public dispute. A number of discrete issues were debated back and forth, such as in- accuracies in the Times characterization of AJC and of Rosenfeld's the- sis, whether Rosenfeld had erred in lumping together friendly critics of Israel with virulent foes, and whether, as some critics alleged, his real agenda was to push an alleged Jewish neoconservative alliance with the Bush administration and Christian conservatives in support of the Iraq war. The most serious charge was that 'Progressive' Jewish Thought was meant to censor all liberal criticism of Israel by tarnishing it with the label of anti-Semitism. Rosenfeld countered that he could not see how point- ing out the anti-Semitic implications of those who wanted Israel dis- mantled amounted to censorship, and suggested that those making the charge were themselves engaging in censorship by seeking to silence Is- rael's defenders. As 2007 began American Jewish groups were focused on a potentially nuclear Iran whose president made no secret of his intention to destroy Israel. -
Biographical Sketch of Hassan Sayyed Nasrallah
1 Biographical sketch of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah: “The Nasrallah Enigma” 10 Nov. 03 Source: Al-Bawaba A Small Glimpse into Nasrallah's World The movie tells the life story of Nasrallah, who was born to a poor family in a camp near Beirut. From a very young age, he was Lebanon's Hizbullah chieftain, Sheikh a remarkable student, devoted to the Hassan Nasrallah, is perhaps one of the most teachings of Islam, and attracted the enigmatic and magnetic leaders in the attention of the heads of the Shiite Middle East. leadership in Tehran, till the moment he It is only in became a leader in his own right in Lebanon. rare instances that he agrees Hassan Nasrallah is married to Fatima to be Yassin, who comes from the Al Abbasiyee interviewed village. They have three children remained by Western after their elder son Hadi was killed by journalists. Israeli forces at the age of 18. Nasrallah's remaining children are Muhammad al Jawad, As the Zeinab and Muhammad Ali. expected prisoner swap During an interview he once gave, Nasrallah deal between spoke of himself as a family man and stated the Lebanese that at home, he enjoyed spending time with resistance group and Israel seems to be his family. He reads many books, especially reaching its "final stages" in recent weeks, the memoirs of political personalities. He each and every word that Nasrallah says is has read the “Memoirs of (Israeli Prime being thoroughly analyzed and examined by Minister Ariel) Sharon” as well as Benjamin the Israeli intelligence services. Netanyahu’s book “A Place under the Sun”, with the intention of getting to know his In the meantime, Nasrallah has been already enemies. -
Hezbollah's Concept of Deterrence Vis-À-Vis Israel According to Nasrallah
Hezbollah’s Concept of Deterrence vis-à-vis Israel according to Nasrallah: From the Second Lebanon War to the Present Carmit Valensi and Yoram Schweitzer “Lebanon must have a deterrent military strength…then we will tell the Israelis to be careful. If you want to attack Lebanon to achieve goals, you will not be able to, because we are no longer a weak country. If we present the Israelis with such logic, they will think a million times.” Hassan Nasrallah, August 17, 2009 This essay deals with Hezbollah’s concept of deterrence against Israel as it developed over the ten years since the Second Lebanon War. The essay looks at the most important speeches by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah during this period to examine the evolution and development of the concept of deterrence at four points in time that reflect Hezbollah’s internal and regional milieu (2000, 2006, 2008, and 2011). Over the years, Nasrallah has frequently utilized the media to deliver his messages and promote the organization’s agenda to key target audiences – Israel and the internal Lebanese audience. His speeches therefore constitute an opportunity for understanding the organization’s stances in general and its concept of deterrence in particular. The Quiet Decade: In the Aftermath of the Second Lebanon War, 2006-2016 I 115 Edited by Udi Dekel, Gabi Siboni, and Omer Einav 116 I Carmit Valensi and Yoram Schweitzer Principal Messages An analysis of Nasrallah’s speeches, especially since 2011, shows that he has devoted them primarily to the war in Syria and internal Lebanese politics. -
Russia in Syria and the Implications for Israel Israel's Imagined
Volume 19 | No. 2 | July 2016 Russia in Syria and the Implications for Israel Amos Yadlin Israel’s Imagined Role in the Syrian Civil War Tha‘er al-Nashef and Ofir Winter Will Russia and Iran Walk Hand in Hand? Ephraim Kam Changes in Hezbollah’s Identity and Fundamental Worldview Roman Levi No Magic Solution: The Effectiveness of Deporting Terrorists as a Counterterrorism Policy Measure Adam Hoffman A Troubling Correlation: The Ongoing Economic Deterioration in East Jerusalem and the Current Wave of Terror Amit Efrati Troubles in Paradise: The New Arab Leadership in Israel and the Challenges of the Hour Doron Matza, Meir Elran, and Mohammed Abo Nasra Selective Engagement: China’s Middle East Policy after the Arab Spring Wang Jin China and Turkey: Closer Relations Mixed with Suspicion Galia Lavi and Gallia Lindenstrauss Israel and the International Criminal Court: A Legal Battlefield Bar Levy and Shir Rozenzweig Israel’s Second War Doctrine Ron Tira Strategic ASSESSMENT Volume 19 | No. 2 | July 2016 CONTENTS Abstracts | 3 Russia in Syria and the Implications for Israel | 9 Amos Yadlin Israel’s Imagined Role in the Syrian Civil War | 27 Tha‘er al-Nashef and Ofir Winter Will Russia and Iran Walk Hand in Hand? | 41 Ephraim Kam Changes in Hezbollah’s Identity and Fundamental Worldview | 53 Roman Levi No Magic Solution: The Effectiveness of Deporting Terrorists as a Counterterrorism Policy Measure | 67 Adam Hoffman A Troubling Correlation: The Ongoing Economic Deterioration in East Jerusalem and the Current Wave of Terror | 81 Amit Efrati Troubles -
War and Pride: “Out Against the Occupation” and Queer Responses to the 2006 Lebanon War
War and Pride: “Out Against the Occupation” and Queer Responses to the 2006 Lebanon War Natalie Kouri-Towe Department of Art History and Communication Studies McGill University, Montreal August 2008 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts in Communication Studies © Natalie Kouri-Towe 2008 ABSTRACT In this thesis, I examine the role of queerness, solidarity and movement in anti-war activism relating to the 2006 Lebanon War. I investigate two events called “Out Against the Occupation” that were organized during the summer of 2006 in response to the war. These events emerged as a queer response to the context of various gay pride events held throughout the war that failed to develop an anti-war response to the war in Lebanon. These gay pride events include the Divers/Cité festival held annually in Montreal, the first World OutGames held in Montreal, the World Pride events held in Jerusalem and the Queeruption gathering held in Tel Aviv. I argue that we must rethink the role of movement, queerness and solidarity in order to understand how movements of resistance emerge. I do so by examining the role of subjectivity in how we come to move and orient ourselves towards others. RESUME Dans ce mémoire, j'examine le role de la sexualité queer, la solidarité et le movement dans les mobilisations contre le conflit israélo-libanais de 2006. J'examine deux événements appelés “Out Against the Occupation,” organisés durant l'été de 2006 en reaction à la guerre. Ces événements émergaient d'une réaction allosexuelle au contexte de plusieurs événements se rapportant à la fierté gaie qui ont été organisés durant la guerre au Liban. -
The Iranian Threat Network and the Export of the Islamic Revolution
The Iranian Threat Network and the Export of the Islamic Revolution Dr. Eitan Azani, Mrs. Lorena Atiyas-Lvovsky, Mr. Danny Citrinowicz, Ms. Dafna Messing July 2020 Iranian Threat Network and the Export of the Islamic Revolution The Iranian Threat Network (ITN) is comprised of entities operating in the regional and international arenas.1 It contains a wide array of actors and serves Iran as a strategic tool to promote its interests. It is intedned to disseminate the ideology of the Islamic revolution, preserve and position the Shiite on the Muslim world and provide Iran with tools that will enable it with leeway and assist the latter with accomplishing its regional and global goals. The threat posed by ITN was highly visible after the elimination of Qassim Soleimani, al-Quds Force leader.2 For example, Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary general, called all ITN elements to unite under al-Quds Force, drive the Americans out of the region and avenge Soleimani and al- Muhandis’ death.3 It should be noted, Iran is not interested in directly confronting the U.S. and thus its choice it to use ITN. Even though the latter is comprised of various entities with varied alliances and commitment to Iran, Soleimani was (and still is) a role model both in Iran and outside. He was the architect that led and solidified ITN. His activity as a key player in the regional campaign and the personal relations he had forged with militia leaders across the Middle East strengthened ITN and provided him with a special stature among its members.4 ITN is comprised of Iranian proxies and actors collaborating with Iran to promote the latter’s interests globally. -
Master Thesis in History University of Oslo
HIS4090 Autumn 2018 Candidate 317 A Convergence of Narratives: The Holocaust & Israeli historiography since 1982 Master Thesis in History Torstein Kvernvold Myhre University of Oslo Department of Archeology, Conservation and History (IAKH) Autumn 2018 1 HIS4090 Autumn 2018 Candidate 317 Acknowledgements I would like to thank the faculty at IAKH at the University of Oslo, and in particular my supervisor Douglas Rossinow for giving me invaluable feedback at critical stages during the writing of this thesis from January 2017 to November 2018. His guidance has been crucial in helping me do research that made this paper possible. My fellow students at UiO have contributed greatly to stirring some of the journey this writing process has taken me through. My dear father has also continued to give me crucial guidance in the art of argumentation. I would also like to thank mr. Norman Finkelstein for indulding in a personal correspondence with me, both in person and in writing. His answers to questions have greatly contributed to helping me place this thesis in a political-ideological context. I would lastly give a dearest thank you to my dearest Kristine, for her unrelenting patience on my behalf. 2 HIS4090 Autumn 2018 Candidate 317 Abstract This master thesis is a historiographic analysis of how the Holocaust has been utilized to strengthen and legitimize Israel as a Jewish state, and how this push has shaped academic, cultural and political discourse on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict since 1983. By analysis of secondary literature on Israel's relationship to the Holocaust, this thesis will explore how perceived links between the two play a key role in the shaping of academic and political discourse on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.