Hizbullah’s secretary-general Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah on Friday challenged Muslim clerics who have decried suicide bombings as sacrilege, and called for more such operations against the Israelis. During a rally in Bir al-Abed to mark Jerusalem Day, he declared “These suicide attacks are the weapon that God gave to this nation, and no one can take it away.” In front of hundreds of supporters who sat for under the rain for three hours before he started his speech, Nasrallah stated “We tell Palestinians, stay tough. Our martyrs’ operations are laying the grounds for the coming victory.” “Do not listen to those who say these types of attacks go against Muslim Sharia (law),” he added in a clear reference to few Muslim religious clerics in the Arab world who said such attacks were not allowed.
“Those who say there are civilians and soldiers in Israel are mistaken. There are no civilians in Israeli society. All of them are invaders, collaborators in crimes and massacres, and it is for this reason that you must continue on your path,” Nasrallah said.
According to the Lebanese Daily Star, Nasrallah criticized harshly the US saying it was using different weapons in its declared war against terrorism. “One of them is to make us fight each other just like what happened in Afghanistan,” he said, adding the plan of the United States in Palestine today was to instigate strife.
“They want the Palestinian Authority to fight the (Palestinian) resistance … But we have to know what our priorities are. If a (Palestinian) was killed by a Palestinian, the revenge should be against the Zionists,” Nasrallah commented. “The response should be more qualitative and martyrdom attacks.” This way, he said that the American and Israeli goal to turn the Palestinians against each other would be ineffective.
Addressing the Palestinian Authority, Nasrallah said: “We know and are aware of the difficult circumstances which you live in and the huge pressure exerted against you. “But when the Americans and Zionists ask you to fight your people, stop the intifada and detain the strugglers, they actually want your destruction by stripping you of your worth and power.” This way, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel “Sharon’s conditions would be imposed on you.” (Albawaba.com)
