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Disarming Questions

(Guardian-UK) Rory McCarthy - In southern Lebanon, in the towns and villages near the border with Israel, it is rare to see the Lebanese national flag. Instead the yellow flag flutters of Hizballah, the fundamentalist, armed Shia movement. In the south, Hizballah is more than just an armed movement; it is a de facto government. For 20 years, its guerrillas have been fighting against the Israeli military. Since Israel pulled out of southern Lebanon five years ago, questions have increasingly been asked about whether Lebanon still needs an armed Hizballah. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt demands that the movement give up its weapons: "Those who liberated the south from Israel must show allegiance to Lebanon." The dramatic decline of Syrian influence in Lebanon in the past year could have put pressure on Hizballah. But the movement has responded by using its political and its street strength to position itself as a guardian of Lebanon's large Shia community.
2006-01-25 00:00:00
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