Sayyed Nasrallah: Awareness Main Factor for Resistance to Exist

I seek refuge in God from Satan, the accursed. In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate; praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds; may the peace and blessings of God be upon our Lord and Prophet Mohammad and his good and chaste family members, righteous companions, and all the Apostles and messengers;

Dear scholars, brothers and sisters, peace and God's mercy and blessings upon you all.

At the outset I would like to thank the dear brother Sheikh Maher for his care, confidence and favorable judgment, I would also like to start with congratulating you all for these blessed days of victory and liberation, the days which made a new glory and a new awareness for our nation, in addition to a major historical event this nation's memory can never forget.

Brothers and sisters, 

Just like the title of the conference, in fact from the beginning and until the objectives are achieved the battle is accomplished. We are engaged in a battle of awareness, our nation's battle and the battle in the enemy's awareness. Memory is a part of this battle.
It is a part of the awareness battle, which we are all fighting in.

In the presence of the teachers, scholars and the dear ones, I do not need to confirm or to conclude the importance of the workings of the awareness factor in the resistance and in its triumph, in the rise of the nation, and for the nation to achieve its goals in the defense of its dignity, sovereignty, existence and sanctities.

But I wish to express with as brief words as I can, that awareness is not among the factors, foundations or conditions for a resistance movement to be launched and for it to continue, but rather an essential condition or requirement, as awareness is a condition of existence, and according to its definition it is the precondition for the existence of resistance.

It is the precondition for the rise of resistance, revolution and victory.

Not the second, third or fourth condition, but the first, primary foundational and the most important condition.

Should we choose to give an example, even according to religious upbringing or the scholars' teachings of the prophetic-way toward God the Exalted, the first, important and compulsory step for man's movement towards God Almighty, would be awakening.

If man has not...if man does not know who he is or where he is, or what step he should take next, which path to gaze upon, or which direction he should head, then the objective cannot begin to manifest, it cannot move, and if it does, its movement would be random, aimless, without clear boundaries or time frames; hence, it is bounced randomly around by life's events.

Awareness here is a precondition to existence, an ongoing condition because inattentiveness at any stage of the resistance and Jihad, is the same as in any stage of self refinement, self-development and self's Jihad, may lead to deviation.

Hence the requirement of awareness is a precondition to existence, a permanent requirement...a requirement for perfection.

Because in as much as this awareness deepens, strengthens, manifests in quality and quantity and expands, it will assist and accelerate the accomplishment of the task and the delivery of the objective we in the resistance movements have been pursuing since the beginning of the conflict with the "Israeli" enemy.

I think all resistance leaders and movements have worked intensively on this matter because attracting or rallying a group of fighters, activists and Mujahideen, by whom the strength of the resistance can only be based on their awareness and knowledge of what they do and commit themselves to.

An awareness we need for the strength of the resistance within its Mujahideen, and an awareness we need at the grassroots popular support level for any people fostering the resistance movement, because we speak of the resistance as a popular choice, and an awareness we need at the level of the nation, because the nature of the conflict can not be resolved by the resistance in a country but by the nation through its resistance, its concerted efforts, and the consolidation of its capabilities and abilities to serve this battle.

What I must register at the outset as well, as an accomplishment of resistance movements, in addition to resistance being the one from the start to have instilled a great deal of awareness in this nation with relation to the Arab-"Israeli" conflict, and also recorded an entire history for the memory we can resort to, and I will come back to this point a little later.

But the addition that must be recorded, especially during the recent years and stages in the course of the resistance movement, is that the resistance did not settle for a defensive activity or effort on the awareness level, meaning efforts were not limited to building the awareness of our peoples, nation and resistance fighters, but I can say on this front it entered an offensive phase, when it started to interfere in forming the awareness in the enemy's consciousness, or what the enemy refers to as 'burn in the awareness.'

"Israel" had always been on the offensive position, waging their media and psychological wars, imposing on us in the process certain patterns of thinking, assessments or conclusions with their relevant emotional and attitudinal implications and consequences. But for the first time the resistance, its deeds of Jihad, media, political and psychological war, has breached "Israeli" awareness, as admitted by enemy leadership and their elites.

The most important results of the victory in 2000 and the July war are respectively the 'Intifada Uprising' and Gaza's steadfastness in the face of the last "Israeli" assault.

One of the most important results of this series of confrontations and events was that it struck at the heart of "Israeli" consciousness.

No matter how hard some of the Arab media tries to paint the enemy military and society's defeat into a soft victory for the enemy, the fact remains that what has befallen this enemy and its society is a real defeat and a major failure.

It is not important what is said by some Arab media outlets from our side, with certain known origins, funding sources and aims, what is important is what happens on the other bank of this conflict, in the enemy's memory, thinking, feelings, emotions and assessment of the course of the conflict, especially during recent years.

What happened prior to and during the July war stands as witness-example of what I say. For example, many "Israeli" television stations, whenever I or anyone of the resistance leadership in Lebanon or in Palestine gave a speech, though I was given the greater share in this regard, those speeches were broadcast live to a number of "Israeli" television stations, and were even translated.

The subject here is not about freedom of expression and opinion, or evaluating the opponent's point of view or to provide transparency in the "Israeli" media, but the pursuit of the "Israeli" administration of the Media to present the official spokespersons of the resistance-I being one of them, in the hope that it strengthens the backbone of "Israeli" society, tarnishes the image of the resistance or provide a terrorism view of this resistance.

After the July war, even during the final stages of the war, assessment settled on findings that the live direct coverage of appearances of myself and others in the "Israeli" media, had a positive impact in favor of the resistance in "Israeli" public opinion, and affected the "Israeli" consciousness and resolve, even exposed and belied decisions and choices made by the "Israeli" enemy leaders, as to the facts they had been presenting, which lead to 'a burn in the awareness' of the other party.

This is why one of the lessons of the July war has been since that time to the day, one of avoiding direct live broadcast of our speeches, instead they delete words and phrases, that do not serve the war the resistance is fighting against the enemy's society. Instead they try to present certain stands, even slice out segments and fragment others as is the case here in Lebanon these days, they cut and fragment the speeches in a way that serves the enemy one way or another.

The point I am underscoring is that in the consciousness and awareness clash, we have moved from the stage of defense to the counterattack. The Mujahideen of Palestine and Lebanon are making historical epics in the media, psychological and political jihad battle field, by keeping up through precision, intelligence and firm resolve and the investment of tremendous efforts.

Brothers and sisters,
In the awareness battle we are engaging in, we have the elements of strength, which we must focus on and benefit from, as we have actually done already, but I present it here for further development of this derived benefit:

First, we possess the strength of justness; in other words the cause, for which we-the Lebanese, Palestinian and other resistance movements- confront the Zionist project and occupation, is a just, fair, legitimate and clean cause.

This is a strength point.

Sometimes there is an artificial, fabricated and invented issue like the Zionist problem. I mean the political conditions that brought them to Palestine. They were looking for any country to establish a Zionist entity, Argentina was an option on the table back then, Uganda was too, many other places in the world were also proposed.

When the interests of the major powers in the world, especially English colonialism, necessitated a hostile entity in the heart of the Arab region, to form advanced military barracks for the Western forces of arrogance, they made the offer to help the Zionists, for which they produced the theory for the entity in order to be installed in Palestine.
Hence, the story of the 3000 years old exodus was used, the Promised Land, the historic and divine right to the Children of "Israel" in this land.

Had the major powers political interests intersected for Zionist Jews to settle in Argentina, of course they would have searched for a theory other than Promised Land and the promise by God Almighty to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the like (peace be upon them all)... Had they gone to Uganda or anywhere else, the situation would have needed to be theorized differently.

Therefore, the theory, concept and Zionist ideology utilized to legitimize the occupation of Palestine and the establishment of the "Israeli" entity in Palestine is based on falsehood, and the intersection of interests, whereas in the resistance case, we are not seeking the intersection of major political interests that require us to fight, nor do we need a theory or ideology to base our stand upon.

In the resistance case, we face with and invoke an unambiguous unquestionable right, by all criteria. Here is the land called Palestine, a land called Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, there is an Arab land, a Palestinian people living on the land of Palestine for thousands of years, and this people owns this land and its decision, they have the basic right to self-determination.

Someone came here wanting to, or actually did swallow up a large part of this people, threw them into refugee camps and in the Diaspora. They killed them, committed massacres against them, prevented them from exercising their natural rights, and founded a state on the remains of this people's bodies and the torn-off limbs of their children, which now they call the State of "Israel." 

Brothers and sisters,

I would like to say that one of the most important elements of strength in the resistance, whether on the level of its awareness, its growing awareness or while performing its Jihad duty in the field; it is having a clear undeviating right that is unambiguous, doubtless without uncertainty and of good standing.

As I have said before, if we searched the entire globe today, in all the ongoing conflicts and struggles in any country or confrontation in the world, between different peoples, different states, among factions of one of this world's peoples or between different axis, no issue is clearer, more basic and more apparent, in its righteousness, legitimacy, fairness, humanity and morality, than this resistance cause of its struggle against the Zionist enemy and its regional project.

Some doubt, some uncertainty may trickle through as hesitation in one's resolve, causing us to question ourselves: 'are we right? Is our path right? Is our goal a just goal?'

In the resistance case, there is no room for that matter; there is absolute clarity on this point, and when man reaches absolute clarity on the question of right, he is no longer troubled or concerned whether he finds death or death finds him.

Here, when the world questions the secret of this legendary steadfastness of the Mujahideen of the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine and the corresponding communities backing them, while they endure massacres, withstand enormous sacrifices without a waver in their resolve, they will find it is because the real reason is not political, nor is it structure-organizational related, or caused by events on the battlefield.

The background springs from truth and justice, the resolve foundations for Jihad and martyrdom, at which level, either outcome is good whether triumph or martyrdom, hence, the youth and elderly alike, face death without fear or hesitation, because if we are right, then death is of no concern, whether we meet death, or it meets us...

...This is the first point.

The second point of strength we depend on in the making and development of awareness-raising is credibility.

The actual ability to establish the credibility of what the resistance path stands for, in that I mean when the resistance talks about a just cause of liberating the land, the sanctities and the homeland, then goes on to draw a particular course of action in truth, and in fact others now want to benefit from using other approaches, and they are free to do so, a right to choose we do not deny.

But in all seriousness the resistance jihad option, with its armed military resistance as the spearhead of this comprehensive Jihad resistance, that involves resistance in culture, knowledge, education, politics, media and mobilization, etc...along side it.

When you present this option, a debate arises over whether this option is really effective or feasible and if it could lead to results?

These are questions tied to awareness and conviction.

And I say to you from the outset, the resistance has been fighting the awareness battle in this issue, it may not be difficult for us in the resistance movements, to convince the peoples of our Arab and Islamic worlds of the justice in our cause, since even those who promote the culture of surrender with "Israel", and those who signed so-called peace treaties with it, when you discuss this issue with them, they recognize the justice in the cause, and say 'Yes, Palestine from the sea to the river, is the right of the people of Palestine', and they agree saying 'There is no legitimacy or legal right for the establishment of an "Israeli" entity on any part of the land of Palestine.'

Even signatories to these treaties acquiesce in a debate for the justness of the cause.

Therefore, this is one stage, and I believe that it is the easier stage in the awareness clash, but the more difficult stage in this battle is the one of persuasion to adopt the choice that serves this cause and the path to it, and this is in no way easy.

A lot of people who properly diagnosed their goal, failed to select the correct method and path to get there, and so they lost the way and wondered aimlessly for decades, the same way nations did for hundreds of years.

Here we are not talking about an individual or a small group that was lost wondering, but a people of an entire nation. It is easy to correct the deviation of one individual, for example, if one person is going to Tripoli city and loses the way, it is easier to track back to the right road, but if a nation deviates, great time-consuming efforts are needed to restore the proper choice and correct the deviation.

The key issue in the awareness battle is the election of the right choice that leads to the goal. We will lose the way if we do not elect the right choice and will not have reached the target at all; in the meanwhile our enemy grows stronger, more arrogant, more immune, more capable and more able in the validation of the principles of its project.

Here lies the difficulty of the subject of talking to the people about the military option-the armed struggle-armed resistance; all the available literature can be used here to define Jihad in its general broader sense as well as in its specific definition of 'fighting in the way of God.'

Yes, this is a demanding matter for more than one reason: first, anyone becoming convinced in the justness of your cause may not carry burdens; one's conscience may be at ease with your 'fair cause.'

On the other hand, when people agree to the armed option corollary is their burden to carry and support this option, just as it is to the nation or country, where such choice exists.
I give an example from Lebanon, because we and the Palestinians have lived an extensive experience in this domain, but for example I remember in 1982 when we brought the forces that founded the resistance, Hizbullah was not the only one among these forces, Hizbullah was one party in the group that founded the larger resistance movement after 1982 "Israeli" invasion.

This is also remembered by some of the brothers and sisters, when people in our own homes among our own families used to have debates... they used to say "We had a just cause, but our choice was wrong."

You know, we acknowledge a religious elders' saying "A religious scholar will always find a way" (smiling).

That means whoever wants to fight "Israel" can find a fatwa (religious opinion); whoever wants to refrain from fighting can also find a fatwa; whoever wants to negotiate a settlement with "Israel" can, too, find a fatwa!

Hence, the story that if you want a fatwa, even if wrong jurisprudence-wise, a religious scholar can be found to decree it.

For instance, the day a settlement was signed with "Israel", based on which "Israel" was recognized and two thirds of the land were relinquished to "Israel", a religious elder can simply quote the Holy Quran saying "But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace" Quran 8:61, end of story!

Is this reasoning correct or incorrect?

This is an example of the old elders' saying 'a religious elder will always find a way!'

Back then, as youths, some used to say to us that we are excited with the zeal of youth and that our choice is like throwing ourselves to our demise, and that it is impermissible for the faithful to throw themselves to their doom.

That was based on the concept that 'We are unable to fight or face "Israel".'

In the world of jurisprudence, legal and religious discussion, and in Islamic movements, such language was certainly used in its broader terms which had been employed at national levels by some political forces, media outlets and elites.

Remember the story 'the eye that cannot resist the gimlet', which was literally saying 'we are weak, without capabilities, or abilities, and there is "Israel" that once defeated the entire Arab Armies in six days, on a number of frontiers all at once? ‘How can we-a small number of Lebanese youth- think of wanting to defeat "Israel"?'

This was the prevalent logic back then.

Here the problem lies in the consciousness, the conviction and in making choices and decisions.

Yes, at the outset we engaged in debates intellectual, jurisprudential, psychological and emotional in nature, but we needed a little fervor, intellect and benefit from past experiences of some predecessors.

But the point of strength in the resistance came only a few years later, when it managed [to succeed] through action in the field, Jihad and martyrdom by well-known martyrs from various parties and forces, starting from the operation carried out by Prince of the Martyrs Ahmad Kassir in Tyre. This completely destroyed the "Israeli" Military Command headquarters, killing more than a hundred officers and soldiers in an unprecedented counter-attack of its kind in the history of the Arab-"Israeli" conflict.

You all remember the grim face on Ariel Sharon, standing over the ruins of that building, and ‘Begin' (Former "Israeli" PM) announcing three days of mourning in "Israel".

From this blood and martyrdom operations, we managed to create a new level of awareness in the consciousness of our people and nation, with the correctness and credibility of the resistance choice.

Therefore, here we do not depend on past experiences of others to say whether such and such occurred in history, or such and such took place in Vietnam or anywhere else for that matter, in order to compare the correctness of our actions with....because the answer would automatically be 'Lebanon cannot be compared to those experiences, because Lebanon is a different kettle of fish all together.'
Good and well.

But there is an experience we ourselves created, by our youths, hence none can argue about different specifics, because now in Lebanon a different story is being told.

The youths of Lebanon in the fervor of their youth, rose up, engaged and lead the resistance. In addition, if we came to question, the resistance leaders today, at least those from Hizbullah, we would find that in 1982, their ages did not exceed 20, 21, or 22 years of age (Among them the martyr commander Imad Moghnieh who like all the leadership in Jihad, they become known after their martyrdom.)

Hence Lebanon with its own specifics and particular formula, with its male and female youths and the people who embraced this resistance, managed to prove the credibility of the resistance.

This is why now, during the days around the 25th of May, I wish to correct that the first real defeat of "Israel", a humiliating defeat to "Israel" without conditions, did not take place on Lebanese territory on the 25th of May of 2000, but it was in 1984 and '85 when the "Israelis" were forced to withdraw, humiliated, from Beirut -the capital- and the Dahiya suburb, from the mountains and parts of western Bekaa, Saida, Tyre and Nabatieh.

Even when some of "Israel's" allies tried to mediate a week delay in "Israel's" withdrawal, to give them time to regroup and coordinate their control among themselves, the "Israelis" refused to postpone their withdrawal even for one day!

This was the first defeat that founded for the greater defeat in 2000.

So the resistance was able to prove at an early stage through action on the field, the correctness and effectiveness of this option, an option we must strongly base ourselves on as we promote the resistance culture and awareness.

Political discourse and psychological warfare were built on field action, thus creating a burn in "Israeli" consciousness.

A large number of lies were conceived as facts, when in truth they had been "Israeli" fabrications.

Some of these lies were "the undefeatable army', 'God's chosen people' and 'the entity promised victory by God Almighty', yet this entity was defeated.

Here lies the importance of the resistance fighting the battle of creating a burn in "Israeli" consciousness, this battle brothers and sisters was fought not relying on speeches, as some attempted to liken the resistance speeches to commentaries made by Rahmat Saeed (I do not recall his correct name) before, during and after the 1967 war.

To the contrary, the psychological media war waged by the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine caused damage in the Zionist consciousness. Such war was not based on assumptions but on hard realities and achievements on the field, sullying the "Israeli" faces in the mud. This battle provided a scene. I don't know if you still recall when five "Israeli" soldiers were wailing, crying like fools, in the main avenue of Marjayoun town; now how much damage does this image do to the Zionists' consciousness?

Not to mention during the last war on Gaza, when the Palestinian resistance rockets provided scenes seen by the world, the Arabs and the Zionists, how the Zionist official and Zionist Minister were kneeling upon hearing the sound of the rocket, one jamming his head under a car and against its wheel.

This scene was not done by speeches but by the rocket, the battle, the confrontation and field action.

  Third: The points of strength, which must focused on:
• The mobilization ability available to the resistance movements, as resistance movements that are local and not imported from the outside world, we are the sons of this land, region and homeland. We along with our fathers and ancestors belong to its civilization, to its monotheistic religions, to its rich culture, literature, poetry, heroism, manhood and knighthood, to its affection, and morals, to its righteous prophets and messengers, great Mujahideen and martyrs, we belong to its Torah, Bible and Quran, hence we have sufficient heritage, legacy and intellectual, cultural, ideological and psychological wealth at this level to engage in a real awareness battle, based on intellectual, cultural, moral, emotional and foundations, in the full sense of the word.
This is one of the most important elements of the resistance strength.

There is no doubt the Quranic discourse, which entered the resistance battle in recent decades had a profound, dangerous and huge impact in the surge of the resistance and its embrace, in the patience of the people and their steadfastness in the face of losses and sacrifices. Regardless whether we come from the east or the west, or borrow from thinkers, poets or enthusiasts here and there, no one in the middle of battle can bring such words as: "It is not ye who slew them; it was God: when thou threwest (a handful of dust), it was not thy act, but God's" Quran 8:17.
No one can bring words of comfort, support and elevation during battle and continued confrontation, like words such as: "And slacken not in following up the enemy: If ye are suffering hardships, they are suffering similar hardships; but ye have Hope from God, while they have none." Quran 4:104.
Again to consolidate and stabilize the ardency, conviction and awareness of the people we read the words: "If God helps you, none can overcome you" Quran 3:160, or "If ye will aid (the cause of) God, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly" Quran 47:7

Where can we find such words, again when the entire world gathers in complicity against your right, cause and people, like what happened in Sharm el-Sheikh in 1996, no matter the length of the speeches made then, one, two or three hours long, none can match the message delivered in the blessed words : "Men said to them: 'A great army is gathering against you': And frightened them: But it (only) increased their Faith: They said: 'For us God sufficeth, and He is the best disposer of affairs.'" Quran 3:173

The Quranic speech which talks about Jihad, faith, heaven, dignity, honour, endurance of pain, and on having the patience God observes for which to remunerate the Mujahideen with martyrdom, the Godly aid, the divine support and advocacy, which we have not only read in Quranic Ayaat (verses) but we have witnessed with our own eyes, minds, hearts in the battlefields, including the July war. No doubt such vast wealth is a component of strength that will help us in our battle.

Fourth: The memory of the beginning of this conflict and the historical memory.
• Here I might say that the teachings of the Quran, Islam and the Prophets generally call for taking lessons from history. Why does the Holy Quran tell us stories starting from Adam and Eve, and the devil, the children of Adam, Noah, Hud, Salih and all the nations that preceded, was it just to kill time?

I say no, but because history is a lesson, a conclusion and a school.
He, who learns from a thousand years of history, is as if he has lived for a thousand years, he who learns from the lessons of five thousand years of history, is like having lived for five thousand years.

This is the cream of the lesson, a great deal of the peoples' time is wasted in vain, eating, drinking, walking, and sleeping etc... this is always repeated. As for key matters from which lessons are taken, they are the ones our lives are built on, our conclusions drawn from.

The strength of the resistance lies in bringing to mind the details of events as a constant revitalization of the memory, and this battle is a real battle.
The enemy always gambles on time until we forget, "we will not forget so long as the sky is blue."

The enemy wagers on our forgetfulness, that time makes the Palestinian people forget their land, in the hope that those living in camps become old, the once natives of Palestine will one day pass away.
An essential part of the Zionist project which many Arabs are helping in is the forgetfulness among the new generations who have not lived in Palestine or smelt its roses, olives and flowers.

On the other hand, we fight the memory-reactivation battle because it is the basis of the awareness we are talking about.
We have started seeing the strong presence of 'the House Key' (The keys Palestinian householders kept when the Zionist movement drove them out into Diaspora in 1948, as they were told they would be returning to their homes, have become symbols of the UN chartered Right of Return) in recent years through Arab satellite channels, all media outlets, radio stations, study and research centers, investigations, books, exhibitions, songs, concerts of traditional character, etc., in the camps, in events, demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territory where there are refugees.

Yes, this key must be turned into a symbol, the key to the house in Haifa and Jaffa; it must become a symbol the children, youth and adults grow up with. We must confront them with the resistance's strength points, experience, especially in recent years, and that this resistance is fair. For example in Hizbullah and the Islamic resistance we recognize, acknowledge and respect all the preceding resistance experience, apart from its intellectual, ideological and doctrine.

We respect these experiences, we draw lessons from its performance and work, from its course, strengths and weaknesses, and we build on and consider it part of all the achievements that have occurred so far.
You recall the 25 May 2000, when I stood in Bint Jbeil; I did not say this victory belongs to this or that side, but that this victory belongs to all who resisted since the first bullet was fired in resistance against the "Israeli" occupation and the Zionist project in the region.

When there is a resistance that preserves this memory, does not deny it and instead respects it, even cherishes it, and resumes from where it left off, rather than starting from scratch-Zero, which would be wrong.
We must build on the many achievements, positives, established results and continue; this is what I always call on.

I believe such a memory, the memory of the performance and sacrifices of resistance movements from all sides in the past positively help. Keeping a memory of the enemy's brutality, attacks and massacres, the way they founded their entity, the conspiracies, collusion, and the Zionist atrocities over 61 years or in the years to come; all this must remain present at the making of the awareness, and so too the resistance operations, performance and achievements must remain present, in order to maintain a burn in the Zionist consciousness.

Fifth: the jurisprudence or culture of priorities in the resistance movements
• This is an essential part of the awareness and awareness-building, and therefore we have always been advocates of giving absolute priority rather than relative priority to occupation-resistance and the confrontation of the Zionist project.
That is what has governed our performance all these years and still does.

This is what we have been and always call for in Palestine and in the performance of the Palestinian factions. Whether in Palestine or outside, even according to some observations we made regarding some performance in Iraq. We were forthright about our support for the resistance against the occupation forces in Iraq. But we certainly condemned all that lead to harming the people of Iraq, the perpetration of massacres, killing of citizens and the like.

Jurisprudence and the culture of priorities is an essential matter in the making of awareness and advocacy of the right track. We must continue the work based on these strengths we possess.

Today the real challenge in the battle for awareness is the following issue: Today we are fighting a great new battle of consciousness, the battle of re-identifying the enemy.

Over many years the resistance managed to clearly establish that "Israel" is the enemy and that the American-backed "Israeli" project is absolutely, entirely and completely the enemy and danger to the nation, the Arab peoples and governments, even to the so-called moderate Arab regimes.

But for a few years now, there has been an intersecting U.S. - Western - "Israeli" effort along with the efforts of some Arab states, attempting to present or create an illusory enemy to divert the nation away from the real enemy and true confrontation. This is illusory enemy is sometimes called the Islamic Republic in Iran, presented under the title of 'Persian ambitions in Arab territory' for which the historical Persian Safavid dynasty and its struggle with the Ottoman Empire is evoked, at times this is also presented through the title of Shiaas, 'conversion to Shiism', the 'Shiaa invasion', the 'Shiaa Crescent' and the like.

Work has been invested in this subject, and strong efforts continue in this direction still. Now with the "Netanyahu-Lieberman" government in "Israel", the Arabs are calling on "Netanyahu-Lieberman" to recognize the 'two-state solution', while "Israel" diversionary reply goes to "the Iranian nuclear file!"

When they ask Netanyahu to address the Arab-"Israeli" conflict, he replies with the need to first resolve the issue of Iran. And that Iran is a threat to both 'Israel' and the Arabs, therefore, 'Israel' and the Arabs must cooperate to confront the Iranian threat, and that the Palestinian issue and the Arab-"Israeli" problems can be addressed afterwards!

Is this not the logic the Netanyahu Government works on today, which some of the Arabs are going along with?

Of course, in recent days we heard good statements made the Arab-League Secretary-General, Amr Moussa, I also heard a statement by Mr. Saeb Erekat, and a number of officials that the threat is "Israel" and the "Israeli" nuclear program and not Iran or the its nuclear program.

The battle to make this awareness is huge, in order not fall for the assumption that this phase is overcome, as huge capabilities are being invested in finance, media and in the hiring of elites, in taking advantage of history, past and present analysis, lies, rumors, opinions, fatwas and the like.
I consider this to be today's challenge.

I would like to remind the Lebanese and especially the people of the states bordering "Israel" that "Israel" has always been playing on this concern, even in the Lebanese arena, it is carefully watching the cultural, intellectual and emotional environment, what people say and when to launch a military operation or a war on a country.
Its calculations are not only limited to weapons, ammunition and fighters, but takes into account the social environment.

In 1982, for example, among the fundamental reasons of our resistance that lead to the victory of May 25, is that in 82 when the "Israeli" enemy made the decision to launch war on Lebanon and reach the capital Beirut, it had carefully studied the environment and had arrived at a certain conclusion as a result of the accumulation-(I do not want to enter its assessment now)-of its studying the internal situation from before 1975 and beyond until 1982.
With the help of conditions and climates "Israel" back then reached the view that virtually says: 'You, the Christians in Lebanon are a minority in the very large Islamic vicinity, you are threatened with displacement, "Israel" is your guarantor of survival, "Israel" is your protector, therefore, your strategic presence, and interest lie in your cooperation and alliance with "Israel".'

Certain Christian elites considered and made theories of this option.
Now we do not want to assess their circumstances, because there are people who might say that circumstances brought them to that point, circumstances that call for closer analysis; all I am taking into consideration here is the results.

Then they came to the Shiaas (Well, we want to call things by their names as they are).
After 1982, the Shiaas were educated by Imam Mussa Sadr that ‘"Israel" is an absolute evil', that collaboration with "Israel" and its agents is forbidden, to reject the "Israeli" security zone, or what was branded as "the good fence."
Imam Sadr even issued the fatwa that decreed 'if anyone fell ill in the border zone or border villages, or nears death and his survival depended on entering the occupied land to receive treatment, that it was illegitimate and forbidden to receive "Israeli" treatment. And that a person dies in the process, he is a martyr.'

Still on "Israel's" observing our cultural, intellectual and sentimental environments, the existing living conditions prior to 1982 helping-(without going into assessment of the conditions back then)-we can assume there were large "Israeli" breaches, as it became apparent of recent, with the recent arrests of "Israeli" spy rings on Lebanese territories whose tasks were not limited to gathering information, but to stir strife, sedition and armed conflict among different factions, forces and political parties.

According to "Israel's" reading, "Israel" saw that post 1982 conditions and social environment, the south in particular and the Shiaas in Lebanon in general, should it enter Lebanon, the Shiaas, annoyed and uncomfortable with the existing reality, will not fight.

But this assessment though may have held for the first few days of the invasion and to a limited extent, but it soon and quickly fell, within the first few weeks the resistance movement took off, the "Israelis" clearly declared their being surprised by the resistance that erupted mainly in south Lebanon.

"Israel" always tries to exploit minorities in Lebanon and the region. The experience of the Christians, Druze and all that collaborated with the "Israelis" in Antoine Lahd's experience proved the Zionists only interested in their project and how to protect it against this region's people, population, religious confessions, minorities and majorities, that they are not connected on the humanitarian or ethical levels to any person, confession or group in Lebanon.

That is what they worked on in the past, as for today they are working on the same subject on a larger scale.
Imagine that some voices from the Arab-Gulf and elsewhere, on some elite levels blatantly say: "we should cooperate and ally ourselves with 'Israel' to protect the Arab world." Some go as far as saying "to protect the Sunnis from the Persian Shiaa Iran!"
What does this mean?

Today we face this challenge, this is not a simple issue, in my opinion, and the final battle for the US-Zionist project in the region would be to cause an Arab-Iranian conflict, a Sunni-Shiaa conflict. If we succeed in foiling this attempt, we would certainly destroy the US-"Israeli" evil mind in the region, thus the battle we are facing becomes unambiguous.

Regarding Iran, the issue is clear.
Iran is the nation whose Imam declared the most sacred of days in Muslims' history, the last Friday of the blessed month of Ramadan-the global Quds Day, to keep al-Quds in the memory, in the faith, in prayer, in the fasting and in al-Qadr eve.
Iran changed its strategic alliances in the region when it toppled the Shah. Iran is the first to have opened a Palestinian embassy on its land in Tehran. Iran clearly states that it is proud to support, unconditionally, the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine at a time others are warned not to.
Iran openly expresses its pride in supporting the Palestinian people, when resistance supporters are branded terrorism supporters.
Iran stands by regional resistance movements without placing conditions or limits.
No one should be ashamed to say: Yes, we are in contact with Iran and we are proud of the Iranian support.
We hope that all Arab governments and regimes lend a helping hand to resistance movements like Syria and Iran are doing. Iran's the only voice standing against the Zionist project.

Who dares say what President Ahmadinejad did about Zionism? This is not a man who leads a liberation movement, who can say what he likes and walk away unconcerned with repercussions, he's rather a head of a state that has interests, trade and economic relations with other countries.
The leaderships in Iran deal with the issues of Palestine and the Zionist project outside calculations, I, as well as all the Palestinian brothers who opened up to Iran know this leadership well.

When Iran supported us, and it is still supporting us, to liberate our country, it did set conditions or dictates. It did not instruct us on what's ok and what' not ok. Even when we fail to notice it, it did not blame us, on the contrary, they understood our circumstances.

The leadership in Iran believes that it is doing its religious, historic, ethical and doctrinal duty, as it considers itself answerable on Judgment Day. Otherwise the Islamic Republic would use Palestine, its people and the peoples of the region as bargaining chips for its interests; it would even bargain its own sovereignty and dignity. The Americans would not have any problem with that as long as it serves its interests and project.

I would like to end my speech with a call on the honorable scholars, I say yes, the battle for awareness today is facing the scheme of sedition and, the scheme of creating an illusionary enemy and misleading people about their real enemy, to push the nation to a battle and a confrontation that serves the Zionist enemy.

We ought to engage in this awareness battle, to continue our resistance and path God willing.

I am one of those who strongly believe that this nation has gone beyond the founding for victory to an awareness phase of creating actual victories, as it did in year 2000, 2006, and God willing as a nation, as they say, we are on an upward curve while our enemy is on the downward curve and victory is but from God the Almighty the Exalted.

Special greetings to the family of the martyr commander Yihya Ayyash and the prominent academic Amin Sayegh honored through this honorable conference.