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Hizballah Is No IRA

[Ottawa Citizen-Canada] Oded Haklai - The idea that Hizballah should be removed from Canada's list of banned terrorist organizations was raised following the visit of three Canadian MPs to Lebanon. One MP likened Hizballah to the IRA, with which the British government ended up negotiating the Good Friday peace accord. Another MP noted that some Lebanese regard Hizballah as resistance fighters. But the Canadian government rejected offhand the idea that Hizballah should be removed from the terrorists list There is a qualitative difference between the two cases that makes the comparison weak. The IRA's objective was to liberate Northern Ireland, not to destroy a neighboring country. Hizballah is not resisting any foreign occupation of Lebanon, since Israel withdrew from Lebanon to the international border more than six years ago. If anything, this organization is allied with foreign elements (Syria and Iran) who meddle in internal Lebanese affairs. Hizballah has an independent militia that challenges the authority of the Lebanese government, rather than a foreign occupier of Lebanese territory. Furthermore, Hizballah's stated objectives and association with Iran suggest that this organization's hostility toward Israel cannot be mitigated by negotiated political solutions.
2006-08-30 01:00:00
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