Shibaa farmers believe Hizbullah is their only savior

Source: Aljazeera.com, 26-5-2006
Six years after "Israel's" withdrawal from southern Lebanon, Lebanese villagers, who worked on the (occupied) Shibaa Farms prior to 1967 "Israeli" occupation, still believe that their occupied land will be freed by the Lebanese resistance movement Hizbullah.
"My farm inside Shibaa is still under occupation by the "Israeli" army, but I know Hizbullah will liberate it like they liberated southern Lebanon on May 2000," Abu Hussein, an 81-year-old Shibaa farmer, said on the eve of the 6th anniversary of "Israel's" pullout.
Standing behind a barbed wire that separates Lebanon from areas still under the "Israeli" occupation, Abu Hussein, pointed to a green hill, saying: "This where the land I inherited from my grandparents is located. I spent most of my childhood on this hill."
Hizbullah was the only armed group allowed to keep its weapons after the 1975-1990 civil war in Lebanon because it was considered as a resistance movement fighting an occupying force. Using a restless campaign of resistance attacks, Hizbullah was instrumental in leading to "Israel's" troop withdrawal after 22 years of occupation on May 24, 2000.
The water-rich (occupied) Shibaa Farms area is located at the convergence of Lebanon and Syria and the "Israeli"-occupied Golan Heights. The border region was seized by "Israel" from Syria in 1967 (locals say "Israel" started edging its occupation over Shibaa Farms since 1970). Despite their withdrawal from southern Lebanon, "Israeli" forces retained control of the area.
While the United Nations says that "Israel's" withdrawal from Lebanon is complete and that the (occupied) Shibaa Farms is "Israeli"-occupied Syrian land, Lebanon and Syria insist that the area is still occupied Lebanese soil.
"How can they ("Israelis") say that Shibaa is not Lebanese?" Abu Hussein asked angrily, as he showed a certificate of ownership of his land.
Since the "Israeli" withdrawal, relative calm has prevailed in southern Lebanon, despite sporadic shooting incidents in Shibaa Farms between "Israeli" forces and Hizbullah fighters who are determined to free the region from from the occupation.
In a speech marking the anniversary of "Israel's" withdrawal, Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah vowed to liberate Shibaa Farms "no matter at what expense".
"The "Israelis" have learned a lesson from their Lebanese experience and they know now that it is impossible for them to stay in Lebanese territories", Sayyed Nasrallah said.
For Abu Hussein and others farmers in the Lebanese village of Shibaa, which is not part of the occupied Shibaa Farms, the whole region is part of their village. Riding on his donkey, Abu Hussein reached a point where Shibaa Farms can be seen clearly as well as "Israeli" posts overlooking the area. "Look at the lush of green land those belong to the people of Shibaa village - we all have ownership certificates and we have presented them to the Lebanese government to hand them over to the United Nations," he said.
"But since we know "Israel" does not respect decisions adopted by the UN ... that is why we are counting on Hizbullah to liberate them for us."
Ironically, Lebanon's largely anti-Syrian government, which took power after elections last year following the withdrawal of Syrian troops, is under international pressure to disarm Hizbullah, which is classified as a terrorist group by the United States. UN Security Council Resolution 1559, which was passed in September 2004 and called for the Syrian withdrawal, also called for the disarmament of all local (Hizbullah) and foreign (Palestinian) armed groups on Lebanon's territories, but Hizbullah insists that the disarmament of its military wing must be linked to (setting up a strategic defense for protection Lebanon) a broad peace deal with "Israel" that stipulates its withdrawal from (occupied) Shibaa Farms.
In his turn, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud who said that "the resistance should be kept until a just and comprehensive peace is achieved in the region", adding that "if the Lebanese army were deployed along the borders (with "Israel") ... it would be turned into a police" force to protect "Israel's" borders, and this is not acceptable."
In his speech, Sayyed Nasrallah vowed that armed resistance was Lebanon`s only option in the face of the mighty "Israeli" military and in the absence of a powerful Lebanese army.
"It is the only available alternative before us," he said, adding defiantly that northern "Israel" remained "under the firing line" of his group`s rockets.
Despite growing international calls for Hizbullah`s disarmament, Abu Hussein still believes that the resistance movement is the only savior. "They have liberated all of southern Lebanon from the Zionist occupation... and they (Hizbullah) will force them ("Israelis") to leave from my land before I die," he said.