Is it time to disarm Hezbollah?

Jameel W. Karaki
The latest manifesto by the Hezbollah has made it a turning point in the policy rhetoric and behavior of the party after the last document that was submitted by Sayed Ibrahim Al Amin AlـSayyed 24 years ago. Today, the party is now focusing on the perception of the home nation, resistance, State and political system. Maybe this change was prompted by the political, regional and local circumstances as well as in liberating Palestine and its alliance with Tehran.
This new manifesto also represents the localization of this organization with its proposal of a defensive strategy that is shared among the Lebanese army, people and the armed forces of the Hezbollah against the Zionist aggression on Lebanon and the continuity of its threats and violations over its national sovereignty. At this stage it is impossible for the Lebanese army to ever equal or even match the sophisticated Israel arsenal and military forces.
To make matters worse, Israel does not respect any international resolutions or treaties. In fact it blatantly chooses to ignore them through continued aggression over its Arab neighbors. The Hezbollah meanwhile is playing an uncanny game with Israel based on the concept of: ''The Rules of the Game'' along the ''Blue Line,'' by not engaging in any activity along that line, as the retaliatory military action from the ''Sheeba Farms'' is not bound to stop, as it responds equally to the actions of Israel.
Let''s get back to the war of 2006 in which the Hezbollah''s guerrilla attacks were organized which led to a considerable disruption in the balance of deterrence. The Zionists and the Zionist enemy rockets that were fired by Israel also took the whole world by surprise. The combat element of the Israeli military appeared to be at the highest level of training and combat readiness.
On the other hand, members of US House of Representatives sent a letter to the secretary of State warning that the Islamic Republic of Iran might try to distract the world''s attention from its nuclear program by influencing the Hezbollah to launch a direct conflict with Israel. Dozens of members of the US House of Representatives wrote in a letter addressed to US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The signatories noted that the US government has allocated 200 million US dollars in aid to UNIFIL forces in 2010, with an additional $100 million in military aid to the Lebanese government. The letter was sent ahead of Lebanese President Michel Sulaiman''s upcoming visit to the White House, in Washington DC scheduled for Dec. 14 and following the coalition agreement with the Lebanese government; allowing Hezbollah to hold on to its arms.
It also looks like the US aid to the Lebanese army, in the form of shoes, transport vehicles, police cars which are used by the security forces in the Lebanese security forces are actually meant for the forces to show off in front of collegeـgoing girls outside the gates of universities. If that is the case, how could these Romeos do their jobs in protecting the country and be capable of facing Israel in the event of a war?
The biggest catastrophe in Lebanon is that some Lebanese politicians are actually demanding the disarming of the Hezbollah at a time when Lebanon does not even have strong and effective air and naval forces and nuclear weapons to counter the Israelis. What would happen to Lebanon without these armed forces? Do they expect Haifa Wehbe to terrify the Zionist regime with her melancholy songs? Or maybe the Lebanese reality show will enter Israeli houses and the Israeli Army won''t dare enter any Lebanese city because we have a strong Dabki Team!
I''m in favor of the disarmament of the party, but only after the Palestinian refugees return to Palestine, the disarmament of Israel''s nuclear arsenal, when the Lebanese army actually has the capability of countering Israeli missiles and when Lebanon is debtـfree. Until that time, I wish the American tax payers a Merry Christmas! I also wish to pay my due respects to all those who are in favor or against my points of view.ـ