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September Hotspots 2006
Lebanese-Israeli Conflict: Back to Basics
By Maggie Saylor '07
STAFF WRITER

I would like to preface this series by stating that this column is not meant to be a substitute news source. Being a responsible and informed citizen is an obligation that everyone should fulfill, and there are many substantial, credible news sources available to those seeking to keep up-to-date on current affairs.

Just scanning the headlines of the New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, CNN, and NPR can give you a good idea of what is going on in our world. That being said, I recognize that news stories are often complex and can be difficult to understand if one does not have a full background of the subject.

This column seeks to provide basic information that will help readers understand important news topics more clearly. It also hopes to bring attention to issues that students might not otherwise consider.

The summer headlines for 2006 were dominated by one topic: the Israel-Lebanon conflict. The papers called the fighting a potential World War III; the Israeli bombings of Lebanon and terrorist attacks of the militant group Hezbollah seemed to escalate to a point of no return. Many people wondered, will this be the spark to ignite our final descent?

Other people wondered, what's Hezbollah?

Good question, and one that I myself didn't know the answer to until I decided to do a little research.

The conflict between Israel and Lebanon has its most tangible roots in the 1970s, though much of the animosity stems from the centuries-old conflict between Muslims and Jews – a conflict that was exacerbated by the creation of the Jewish state Israel in 1945. Both religious groups claim much of the Middle East for historical and religious reasons. Co-habitation has been problematic to say the least.

Lebanon itself has a Christian president, but is populated by both Muslims (59.4%) and Christians (39%). Both groups have a history of conflict with Middle Eastern Jews.

From the 1970s to the 1990s, Israel, Syria, and the Palestinian Liberation Organization engaged in a war that often occupied Lebanese territory. Syria occupied the country for 29 years, and thousands of Palestinian refugees have made their homes in Lebanon. The nation is thus heavily influenced by the two groups and is often opposed to Israeli actions.

Hezbollah formed in 1982. It is a group of Shiite Muslims who originally joined together to combat the Israeli occupation at the time. Shiite, also known as Shi'a, Muslims, are one of four denominations in Islam, though Shi'a and Sunni are by far the two most common. Sunni Muslims make up about 85% of the world's Islamic population and Shiite's about 15%.

The two differ mainly in their readings of the teachings of the prophet Mohammed, and their legal systems. Sunnis believe in a democratic caliphate system, whereas Shiites prefer a hereditary system of Imams.

Since the group's conception, Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in violent conflict, consisting mainly of guerrilla tactics on the part of Hezbollah and air strike retaliations by Israel. The two have occasionally agreed on prisoner exchanges, but no real peace agreements have been made.

This summer, the struggle reached its peak when Hezbollah militants attacked Israeli soldiers on the border, killing three and kidnapping two. Israel responded by sending tanks across their northern border, and continued to bomb Lebanon and its capital city of Beirut until Hezbollah stopped their attacks and returned the two captured Israeli soldiers.

By the end of the fighting, there were 118 Israeli military deaths and 39 civilian deaths. There were 100-600 Hezbollah deaths, 1,100 Lebanese civilian deaths, and 980,400 Lebanese displaced.

Finally the two groups accepted a U.N. imposed cease-fire on August 14, 2006. The peace is shaky at best; Hezbollah refuses to disarm and Israel is ready to attack the moment they receive information of Syrian military support to Hezbollah. There are 5,000 U.N. troops on the ground to patrol the border, but they currently have a very weak mandate that allows them to do little more than observe the situation.

It is unclear whether the groups will decide to adhere to the U.N. peace resolution, or if the U.N. will provide the additional 10,000 troops that were stipulated therein. At the moment U.N. leaders are mediating talks between the two groups.

Related Links

NY Times
Washington Post
BBC