Sheikh Qassem: Had there not been an Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, It should have been Created

Local Editor, 25-01-2010

On January 24, the Lebanese National News Agency carried the following report:

Hizbullah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said during the funerary ceremony of the father of Sheikh Anis Jaber in the Husseiniya of Al-Barjawi: "In light of all these political differences and this propaganda launched by people on the domestic arena and abroad, had there not been an Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, it should have been created.

We cannot face the "Israeli" aggression except with the Resistance, and now that it is here, we must protect it, strengthen it and support it on the popular and financial levels and by all means. The enemy is still present and is still issuing threats, and we cannot face these threats except through the sufficient preparations to confront its arrogance and humiliate it in a direct way if it even considers to attack us in Lebanon.

"In regard to the raison d'être of the Resistance, we say it is necessary because all the countries in the region are hijacked by their own circumstances. We will not address whether or not the Arab and Islamic countries are required to fight "Israel", considering that these political and objective circumstances might prevent them from confronting "Israel" for a thousand and one reasons without the need for us to justify these reasons. So, what should we do?

"Surrender to "Israel"? What is required is for us to think of practical ways to confront it, and the resistance method is the one which will open the horizons of a solution and of victory. It is the one which will pave the way before our independence, our dignity and our pride and will restore the land. It is the one which will allow us to be free in our countries. Everyone knows that the Resistance was established as a reaction and as a defensive state. Had "Israel", the violating and attacking entity not existed, there would have been no need for the Resistance. But since the aggression has been ongoing for over 61 years, the Resistance is necessary to defend the nation from this "Israeli" project.

The Resistance never threatened to provoke a way, rather to respond to an "Israeli" one. The Resistance never chose to initiate tensions or concerns in the region, rather to confront the tensions and concerns created by "Israel". The Resistance never issued threats, since the threats always came from the "Israeli" side..."

Sheikh Qassem then expressed surprise vis-a-vis "those giving reassurances to Lebanon while they do not enjoy the ability to contain "Israel" and are trying to please it. We do not need reassurances from anyone on behalf of "Israel". What reassures us are our arms, our preparedness and our readiness, and if "Israel" is planning any action, it knows the level of the response. This is what reassures us and nothing else...

"Experiences have proved that "Israel" cannot be confronted with international pleading. It can only be confronted with resistance and cannot succumb except through resistance. We saw what happened during the liberation in the year 2000 when "Israel" exited Lebanon while humiliated by the strikes of the Resistance and not due to any other reason. Resolution 425 stayed in the drawers for 22 years and the American, European and international advice given to us to accept "Israel's" strikes, aircrafts and killing so as not to anger "Israel" were also ongoing for 22 years.

In the end however, had it not been for the heroic and brave fighters who invaded positions and killed "Israeli" soldiers to the point where the latter became afraid of even mentioning the name of Hizbullah, we would not have achieved victory and we could not have ousted "Israel" from this country with Allah's guidance and will...

"We do not deal with the Resistance in Lebanon as being the Resistance of a religion, a sect or a specific group. It is a resistance for all of Lebanon and is not subjected to sectarian quotas. It is not divisible between the sects and denominations and we will therefore not allow its discussion on the basis of its allocation to the sects in Lebanon.

Whoever wants to resist knows the way and should pay the price. We are not the ones who hold people's hands to get them to make sacrifices. We searched and paid hefty prices to learn the way and whoever wants to do it should act as we did. We cannot bring the Resistance and discuss the ways it should be allocated since that will kill it before it gets the chance to move just like all the other projects were killed under the headline of sectarian quotas and balance.

"Is there any small or big cause in Lebanon that goes through the Cabinet or through sectarian quotas without being mutilated or shattered to the point where we end up in despair while the bright, positive and reformatory idea dissipates? Everything in this country is sectarian and as a result, when the different issues are being debated, we reach endless complications.

Now, the municipal electoral law and the administrative divisions are on the table of discussion. Had we wished to proceed normally, each side would have had the opportunity to object, present arguments, present alternatives, accept or discuss its viewpoint before resorting to the constitution and the laws to allow the issue to take its course.

"Today however, discussions even in the context of the constitution are prohibited. Some want to resort to the constitution when it suits them but not when the result does not serve their interests. Let us discuss our internal issues calmly and find the common factors. There is no need for these tensions and disputes which are confusing everyone.

"As for American President Barack Obama who read verses from the Quran in Egypt on the basis of his wish to grow closer to the Arabs and Muslims through his knowledge of some verses of the Quran, and who spoke with extreme leniency, recently recognized that he has failed miserably in the settlement negotiations between the Palestinians and the "Israeli" entity. However, he was not fair when he held the two sides equally responsible at a time when the whole world knows that the problem resided on the "Israeli" side which refused to discontinue the building of the settlements, is destroying houses in Jerusalem..., is attacking our people in Gaza, killing the fighters and stating it does not wish to see a settlement.

"At best, it wants a settlement that suffocated the Palestinian people through an "Israeli" wall besieging them from all sides, even on the Jordanian border. "Israel" is the one that does not want a solution. Anyway, we never had any hope in seeing America accomplishing anything and we said since the beginning that America was conspiring with "Israel". We believe that the settlement will never be secured and the nation, the Arabs and the Muslims should all know that Palestine can only be restored through the Resistance. We will therefore adopt this method while relying on Allah and we will proceed with Allah's will."