World

What are Hezbollah’s Long-Term Goals?

By Paul Strand
CBN News

CBNNews.com – WASHINGTON - For now, the Middle East cease-fire agreement brokered by the U.N. seems to be holding up.

But can Israel ever live in peace next to a group like Hezbollah? Because Hezbollah is nothing more than a terrorist group driven by one dark goal.

As all the rest of the world begins to push Israel towards a cease-fire with Hezbollah, it's a good time to consider if there can ever truly be peace with such a terrorist group.

Many people assume since Hezbollah has representatives in Lebanon's parliament, it must be more like a political party than the average bunch of terrorists. But is it?

Cliff May is a former New York Times foreign correspondent who's been keeping a close eye on this current Israeli conflict with Hezbollah.

He says it’s important to study Hezbollah's long-term goals.

May said, "There's no puzzle about that. They have said it is to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Their long-term goals are nothing short of ethnic cleansing and genocide. That's very clear."

Many people assume that Hezbollah can be dealt with just like any other combatant in all the wars of the past it would prefer peace at almost any price to war. May says, think again.

"Look, most people understand that in a militant Islamist society, Saudi Arabia among them, if a Muslim converts to another religion, that is a crime punishable by death,” May explained. “They hold the same view about land. Once a land is conquered by Muslims, it can never go back to being ruled by infidels.

They believe it is an endowment from Allah to the Muslims. They can either fight for it or not do their religious duty. That is why they believe that Israel, which was once conquered by Muslims, must once again be run by Muslims."

An important factor in future days will be how the major media portray this war and the thinking processes of those fighting it, as well as their willingness to cease fighting.

But can those reporters really understand the mindset of terrorists, especially ones who base their terror attacks on their extreme religious beliefs?

"I think they don't often understand how much Hamas and Hezbollah mean what they say,” May said. “The reporters do what you call 'mirror imaging.' They think, 'If I said that, I wouldn't mean it, so they say that, they can't mean it.'They think, 'This is a political group. That's maybe their negotiating posture, but surely they're willing to back off.'

He said, "They don't understand what we've just discussed. It's not a negotiating posture. It is a religious conviction. And because it's a religious conviction, it's very hard for them to back off from it."

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