Hizbullah Threatens Recipients of U.S. Funds; Lebanese Columnists Respond: Hizbullah is Trying to Suppress Freedoms in Lebanon

MEMRI
Special Dispatch No.3073
01 July '10

Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs at a June 8, 2010 hearing on Hizbullah, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman described the U.S. fight in recent years against Hizbullah, which it considers a threat to the interests of the United States, Lebanon, Israel, and the entire Middle East. Feltman said that "the United States provides assistance and support in Lebanon that work to create alternatives to extremism, reduce Hizbullah's appeal to Lebanon’s youth, and empower people through greater respect for their rights and greater access to opportunity. Through USAID and the Middle East Partnership Initiative) MEPI), we have contributed more than $500 million to this effort since 2006..."[1]

In response to Feltman's statements at the subcommittee hearing, Hizbullah launched a furious attack against him and against Lebanese elements that had accepted American aid, threatening to sue them for collaboration with the enemy, and also to sue the U.S. administration itself for endangering Lebanese national unity by instigating strife in the country.[2] On June 30, 2010, it was reported that attorney May Al-Khansa, who is identified with the Lebanese opposition headed by Hizbullah, had filed a private lawsuit against Feltman for "establishing a terrorist association aimed at changing Lebanon's social makeup, and for financing terrorism and exacerbating sectarian and racist extremism."[3]

Hizbullah's threats evoked angry responses in Lebanon. The daily Al-Mustaqbal, owned by Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'd Al-Hariri, stated that Hizbullah is trying to subject Lebanon to a regime of oppression similar to Ahmadinejad's regime in Iran. A more scathing response was penned by a columnist on the Now Lebanon website, which is affiliated with the March 14 Forces. He wrote that Hizbullah's methods were reminiscent of those used by the Nazi propaganda minister Josef Goebbels.

Hizbullah: We Will Sue Media, Organizations and Politicians Who Received Money from U.S.

In a session of the Lebanese parliament, Hizbullah MP Nawwaf Al-Moussawi accused Lebanese media, organizations, and individuals of accepting funds from the U.S. and called upon the parliament "to conduct an investigation and find out who these elements are."[4] In a June 21 interview with the Lebanese OTV channel, Al-Moussawi announced that Hizbullah is working to find out who had accepted U.S. aid and is considering filing a lawsuit against them. He said that most of the funds had been given to politicians and political organizations in Lebanon, and that accepting them is tantamount to collaborating with the enemy.[5] On June 22, Al-Moussawi announced that Hizbullah is also considering a lawsuit against the U.S. administration itself on the basis of Feltman's statements, and repeated his accusations against Lebanese who had received American funds. He claimed that Hizbullah had known who these elements were even prior to Feltman's statements to the Senate subcommittee.[6]

In an interview for Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV, Al-Moussawi said that the funds Feltman had referred to as "assistance" were aimed at distorting and even ruining Hizbullah's image in Lebanon. He added: "Some [Lebanese] media elements are harming the journalistic profession and its honor. The elements that received the funds have a chance to recant before we toughen our position, for we are managing this campaign with patience and confidence. Hizbullah Secretary-General [Hassan Nasrallah] knows who took what and when. Those who accepted [money] received it not only from the U.S. Agency for [International] Development [USAID] but also from the U.S. Bureau for Fighting Narcotics [sic], which is actually a bureau for spreading drugs in Lebanon..." Al-Moussawi said further that the sum mentioned by Feltman was only the tip of the iceberg."[7]

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