"Those who gloat over Nasrallah's candor""They described the party and its war and leadership as adventurous and irresponsible because Hezbollah attacked an Israeli military post, killed seven of its soldiers and kidnapped two others. In gloat, some of them maliciously praised Nasrallah for his courage in admitting his mistake and for his self-criticism. However, the fact, which these and others do not know, is that Nasrallah has a big heart and fine human feelings towards his compatriots who were displaced and whose homes were destroyed. Moreover, a large number of their sons were killed. Nevertheless, as most parts of the interview indicated, this does not mean that he regrets his great achievement, which altered all political and military equations in the entire Arab region.
"Nasrallah was not the only person who did not expect the Israelis to harbour this level of rancour and hatred and to be thirsty for the blood of hundreds of innocent people in their response to the abduction of two of their soldiers in a legitimate and accurately calculated military operation. He was a man of ethics in his enmity, killed no innocent Israelis, was anxious to direct his rockets at military targets and avoided the bombardment of infrastructure, chemical plants and fuel storage sites in Haifa to avoid the killing of civilians. These traits and ethics are not familiar to the Israelis who blackmailed the whole world over the Nazi holocaust and who carried out and continue to carry out actions that are not less ugly in Lebanon and occupied Palestine.
"The abduction of the two Israeli soldiers was not the cause of the destruction of Lebanon. Rather, it was the pretext that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert used to implement his plan that was already worked out in cooperation with US military commanders. The aim behind this plan was to destroy Hezbollah and its personnel and military bases to deprive Iran and Syria of a strong military arm, which can be used against the Jewish state to retaliate for any aggression launched against the two countries as part of expected pre-emptive strikes to destroy the Iranian nuclear reactor and infrastructure. US journalist Simon Hersh spoke in detail about this Israeli-US plan in his documented report that he published in the New Yorker magazine. Many European and Israeli newspapers reported on the same plan.
"The splendid steadfastness, which Hezbollah fighters showed in south Lebanon, foiled the new Middle East project, which Ms Condoleezza Rice heralded. This project is based on perpetuating the current humiliation of the Arab and Islamic nations and consolidating the Israeli domination, so that one day we might see the Arab rulers who are the most prominent product of the United States pay tax to Tel Aviv and carry out its orders on how many barrels of oil they should produce. Hasan Nasrallah presented numerous lessons in resistance, modesty, strategic vision and good manners in talking to others with whom he differs. Nevertheless, the most prominent lesson, which he presented in his interview with the aforementioned Lebanese television network, is not only his humanity, but also the fact that he did not hesitate to criticize himself and admit mistakes, alongside the assertion of the achievements.
"So, let those people who tendentiously praised this courage name one single Arab leader who is ready for soul-searching and self-criticism in which he would admit the deadly strategic mistakes that he made, particularly those leaders who colluded in the US war to destroy Iraq and then occupy it and destroy its Arab identity, internal fabric and territorial integrity. Have we heard them admit their failure in their domestic policies, which starved their peoples and deprived them of their most basic rights? If what happened in Lebanon was an adventure, this adventure ended with the results that we know. Let everyone interpret these results as a defeat or victory as they please. But we now have the right to ask about the role of the wise men and what they are currently doing.
"We do not believe that they are wise and do not expect them to move an inch because they are the champions of inaction and believe in the zero option in politics, that is to say, not moving forward or rather not moving at all in any direction, so that the situation may remain as it is while they eat, sleep, enjoy the positions, thrones and wealth and plunder public money. The Palestinian people are slaughtered and the Lebanese people face an air and maritime blockade. Yet, we did not hear one single wise leader call on his uncles in Washington to lift this blockade. Instead, we saw them participate in this blockade, work to prolong it and collaborate to enforce it.
"Even if Hasan Nasrallah shows regret over the abduction of the two Israeli soldiers, he still achieved in 34 days what the Arab armies could not collectively achieve. He had the courage, which none of the Arab leaders who criticized him possessed. These leaders provided cover for the devastating Israeli aggression when he fired 4,000 rockets that shook areas deep inside Israel and forced one million Jews to stay terrified in shelters. He is a man who entered history through its honourable gates, just as he entered the hearts of 1.5 billion Muslims in various parts of the world. And the nation cannot reach consensus on a false view." - Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom
