Summary
Hizbullah has made it clear that it has no intention of disarming under the U.N. Security Council's 1701 ceasefire resolution and yesterday afternoon, Major-General Alain Pellegrini, the commander of the U.N. Interim Force in Southern Lebanon - which the Americans and British are relying upon to seize the guerrilla army's weapons - personally confirmed to me at his headquarters in Naqoura that "the Israelis can't ask us to disarm Hizbullah." Describing the ceasefire as "very fragile" and "very dangerous," he stated that disarming Hizbullah "is not written in the mandate."
For now - and in the total absence of the 8,000-strong foreign military force that is intended to join U.N.I.F.I.L. with a supposedly "robust" mandate - Hizbullah has already won the war for "hearts and minds." Most householders in the South have received - or are receiving - a minimum initial compensation payment of $12,000, either for new furniture or to cover their family's rent while Hizbullah construction crews rebuild their homes. The money is being paid in cash almost all in crisp new $100 bills to up to 15,000 families across Lebanon whose property was blitzed by the Israelis, a bill of $180 million which is going to rise far higher when reconstruction and other compensation is paid.Across the devastation of Southern Lebanon, Hizbullah has now visited hundreds of thousands of [Shi]'a families for details of their losses. In some cases, Lebanese government officials - largely distrusted by the local population have also made notes of compensation costs but all the authorities have done so far is to start the repair of water pipes and power lines. I found bulldozers working for Hizbullah's "Jihad al-Bena" company, clearing rubble from streets and tearing down half-destroyed houses. "We are doing this for nothing at the moment, but we know we will get paid because we trust Sheikh Hassan," a construction team leader told me. Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, the Hizbullah leader, has promised to indemnify all survivors.See the full content of this document
Extract
Hizbullah's Reconstruction Wins Loyalty
Hizbullah has trumped both the U.N. army and the Lebanese government by pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the wreckage of Southern Lebanon and Beirut's destroyed Southern suburbs. Its massive new reconstruction effort - free of charge to all those Lebanese whose homes were destroyed or damaged in I...
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