by Stephen Lendman

Hezbollah is a legitimate part of Lebanon’s government. It’s not a terrorist organization as Washington and Israel claim.

It was born out of the IDF’s 1982 Lebanon invasion - devastating naked aggression, slaughtering around 18,000 people (mostly civilians - including Sabra and Shatila refugee camp massacres).

Journalist Robert Fisk called what happened “one of the most shocking war crimes of the 20th century.”

Hezbollah is more than a political entity. It has a military wing for self-defense - not naked aggression the way America and Israel operate.

It provides vital social, charitable, educational, and healthcare services. It established dozens of hospitals and scores of schools. It enjoys widespread support, especially among Shias, comprising over a third of Lebanon’s population.

On Tuesday, Nasrallah and other noted figures spoke at the Conference of International Union of Resistance Scholars in Beirut. Muslim clerics and Palestinian activists came to address longstanding Israeli occupation, persecution and aggression.

Lebanese imam Sheikh Maher Hamoud expressed support for Palestinians’ liberating struggle. “We are proud of being individuals confronting a cancerous tumor in the Muslim world,” he said - leaving no doubt what he meant.

“Should we wait for our sons in Palestine to suffer harm more than what they experience nowadays, for al-Aqsa Mosque to be restricted more or for Syrians and Yemenis to be killed more? When will the time come for us to raise our voices in unison against oppression?”

Nasrallah urged “activat(ing) and boost(ing) all forms of the resistance against the Israeli normalization…We won’t abandon Palestine and its people,” he stressed. “Israel, the cancerous tumor, is to be wiped out” - meaning one day Palestinians and regional countries will be freed from its oppression.

On Tuesday, Muslim MKs addressed Israeli soldiers attacking Muslim Al-Aqsa Mosque worshipers on Sunday - to make way for settlers led by notorious racist Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel commemorating Tisha B’Av - marking the destruction of Jerusalem, two holy temples and other ancient tragedies.

MK Ayman Odeh called his visit “provocative,” saying “(h)e’s a minister, not just a settler. He’s a government representative, and the government isn’t condemning” his offensive act.

“This means that the government wants to turn the political issue in Jerusalem into a religious conflict between Muslims and Jews. We reject that approach, which will lead to a bloody war.”

Israeli high crimes take many forms. Muslims are targets for praying to the wrong God. Thousands are wrongfully imprisoned for political reasons.

On Tuesday, Israeli prison guards assaulted wrongfully incarcerated for life Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine leader Ahmed Saadat in Nafha prison.

Palestinian Minister of Prisoners Affairs, Issa Qaraqe, said he and others were attacked. Torture, beatings and humiliation are standard Israeli practice. Qaraqe demanded this “craziness” stop - or things will “explode.”

On Monday, Israeli soldiers murdered another Palestinian in cold blood - the 18th this year. Muhammad Abu Latifa was “executed” during one of Israel’s multiple daily community raids - bursting lawlessly into Palestinian homes pre-dawn, terrorizing family members, making arrests without just cause, and at times committing cold-blooded murder.

An Israeli spokesperson lied saying Muhammad fell off a roof fleeing from Israeli soldiers - ludicrously claiming he and another Palestinian youth planned a terror attack in Israel, never presenting evidence when these type accusations are made.

Muhammad’s uncle, Jamal Abu Latifa, refuted the official story, saying “(h)e was chased at 5:30AM, shot in the feet, then arrested.”

“Surprisingly, the Israeli soldiers shot him in the chest, then tied him with electricity wires, and we have evidence that some of his body parts were fractured as a result of the assault by soldiers.”

He didn’t fall off a roof. He committed no crimes. “The occupation army executed Muhammad after they detained him,” his uncle said.

Israeli forces attack Palestinians daily. Most incidents don’t get reported. Too many occur regularly. On Monday, 15-year-old Abd al-Karim Azis al-Haddad was assaulted without just cause.

He suffered multiple bruises and internal bleeding. He was beaten on his waist and genitals inside a police station rest room. Two other Palestinian youths were assaulted the same way on the same day in the same place.

In early July, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of making “abusive arrests” - targeting Palestinian children, forcing them to sign confessions in Hebrew they don’t understand for alleged crimes they didn’t commit.

Israel mistreats Palestinian children like adults. It policy reflects police state viciousness.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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