Hundreds of thousands of people stood Friday and chanted “God, God, protect Nasrallah.” It was the moment they had waited for: Hezbollah’s leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, in person, declaring that his militia was stronger than ever and that no army in the world could force it to disarm.
This was Nasrallah’s first public appearance since the war with Israel started in July and it was steeped in defiance: at Israel, the United States, Arab heads of state and those political forces in Lebanon aiming to clip Hezbollah’s political and military power.
If there was any thought the war weakened Hezbollah, Nasrallah had a different message: “It is stronger.”
Even after Israel’s 34-day bombardment of Lebanon, Hezbollah still has more than 20,000 rockets in its arsenal, he said.
“Not a single army in the world will be able to dismantle our resistance,” Nasrallah said as he stood beneath a banner that read “The Victory Rally.” “No army in the world will be able to make us drop the weapons from our hands.”
The crowd was mammoth, packing the 37-acre square in the southern suburbs of Beirut. There were plastic chairs for nearly everyone and baseball caps for protection from the sun. Hezbollah men belted out chest thumping music. The crowds waved flags, wildly cheering for Nasrallah, who has become a folk hero to many in Lebanon and throughout the Arab world. The audience came on foot, by car and by bus from the south and the north.
“Whatever Sayid Hassan wants Sayid Hassan gets,” said Hossain Zebara, 29, using a title reserved for descendants of the prophet Muhammad. Zebara said it took him 24 hours to walk from his home in southern Lebanon to be at the rally. “We came to show the American administration, the British administration, the French administration, that the resistance population is increasing, not decreasing.”
The rally also served to highlight the deep divisions among Lebanon’s political and religious factions, as the crowd at times chanted slogans calling Druze leader Walid Jumblatt a “worm” and “Jew” and calling for the prime minister to leave office.
Nasrallah sought to overcome some of that by calling for unity in a speech that tried to define him as leader who isn’t just a local force but a regional force as well. He gave voice to one of the primary feelings that has fueled anger throughout the Muslim world: a sense that Muslims are being victimized in places like Iraq and Gaza, and the world does not care.
“How long will it go on that the world keeps quiet?” he asked.
Arab leaders criticized
He aimed hard at Arab leaders, criticizing them for not being willing to fight Israel.
“These Arab leaders prefer to protect their thrones as opposed to protecting Palestine,” he said, taking a shot at the traditional power brokers such as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
In Israel, Nasrallah’s speech was immediately condemned as defying the international community by refusing to disarm.
Nasrallah had other messages, as well: He said Hezbollah would not disarm because the state is too weak to protect the people against Israel. He warned the international force deploying along the border with Israel not to spy on the “resistance,” and to focus on protecting Lebanon.
He also castigated Arab heads of state who recently asked the UN Security Council to help restart the peace process with Israel. He cautioned the Lebanese people about allowing political differences among sectarian leaders to become sectarian differences that might tear the country apart.
Lebanon’s premier targeted
And he repeatedly criticized the U.S.-backed government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, saying it is weak and should be replaced by a national unity government, which would give Hezbollah even more power.
No one knew whether Nasrallah would appear in person. Many in Lebanon talk about his assassination by Israel as if it isn’t a matter of whether, but when.
The rally, billed as a celebration of the “divine victory,” presented Nasrallah a chance to re-energize his supporters, to enhance his standing as a pan-Arab leader and to try to capitalize on his militia’s performance to buttress Hezbollah’s domestic political position.
While Hezbollah and Nasrallah have been hailed as heroes throughout the Arab world, and by their supporters, the group’s position in the Lebanese political landscape is more complex. They have been attacked by political opponents who are fearful that an empowered Hezbollah would exert even more influence over the country.
The 34-day war in Lebanon began after Hezbollah crossed the border and captured two Israeli soldiers. The ensuing Israeli incursion heavily damaged mostly Shiite areas in the south and the north and cost more than 1,000 lives, mostly civilians, including many children. But Hezbollah’s fighters never stopped, shooting hundreds of rockets into Israel, destroying Israeli tanks, an Israeli naval vessel and killing many Israeli troops, as well as civilians.
The size of Friday’s rally and the remarks of the participants were a strong indication that Hezbollah’s base does not blame the group for the death and destruction. They blame Israel and the United States.
“This is good, good,” said Fatima Saad, 50, whose son, Kasem, was killed in the war. “I am very proud,” she said as she patted a picture of her son pinned to her chest. He was 20 when he was killed.
Ahmed Hussein, 78, made the trip to Beirut from his southern village of Kafr Kila. He said his house and most of his neighbors’ homes were destroyed but that Hezbollah gave them tents and water tanks.
“All of us whose houses were destroyed, we came here for Nasrallah, to tell him what we lost is nothing,” Hussein said.
