Lebanon's Hizbullah: From Islamic revolution to parliamentary accommodation

Key takeaways

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Reading notes

• Few of Lebanon's political factions have jihadcled the art of political manoeu- vring as Hizbullah has. While there are still pockets of virulent militancy, notably in the south, developments indicate that Hizbullah, who led a military Jihad (holy struggle) in the 1980s against Israel, the West, and all those who opposed its vision of an Islamic Lebanon, has entered a new phase since 1989; this phase might be called the phase of 'political jihad'. The party accepted the Taif agreement of 1989 and the subsequent efforts to stabilise Lebanon's political life, but has not whole-heartedly embraced the new formula of inter-sec- tarian accommodation. Increasingly, the early revolutionary Iranian model has been overshadowed by a more participatory one which led to the party's participation in Lebanon's political system. The party has concentrated more on the ballot box than on bullets and military victories
• The most striking example of this change occurred in Lebanon's parliamen- tary elections which took place between 23 August and 6 September 1992, The first open elections in more than two decades led to stunning victories by Hizbullah (eight seats) and other Muslim groups such as al-Jama'ah al-Is- lamiyyah, (the Islamic Group, three seats) and Jamiyyat al-Mashari' al-Khayriyyah al-Islamiyyah (the Islamic Society of Philanthropic Projects, one seat). Although 12 seats by no means form the majority in Lebanon's parliament, which is made up of 128 seats, Hizbullah's victory remains remarkable among fundamentalist and non-fundamentalist parties, as it has the highest number of representatives in comparison with other parties. This article sheds some light on Hizbullah's new political face and its changing role in Lebanon's confessional system
• The rise of Islamic revivalist movements in general and Hizbullah in particular has been tied to the crises conditions that beset the Middle East in recent times. These crises have included the Arab defeats by Israel, the failure to achieve balanced socioeconomic development, the pervasiveness of political oppression, gross maldistribution of wealth, and the disorienting psychocultural impact of Westernization
• The foregoing study of Hizbullah's political profile which culminated in a parliamentary victory points clearly to Iran's leadership influence which has aimed since 1989 to give legitimacy to Hizbullah by guiding it to working within and not outside the system. Furthermore, Hizbullah's welfare system to improve the daily life of thousands of deprived Shi'ite in Lebanon has increased the popularity of Hizbullah. At the same time it has posed a significant challenge to Amal's leadership of the Shi'ite community, and most specifically, to Nabih Berri. It still remains a debatable point exactly for how long Syria will tolerate the Islamic Resistance operations at a time when the Arabs are engaged in important negotiations with Israel. In the meantime neither Iran nor Syria is willing to halt the operations of the Islamic Resistance.
• Hizbullah has proved to be a dynamic and energetic force within less than 10 years. From the Biqa' to Beirut, to the south, Hizbullah became an increasingly important and legitimate political force. Whether Hizbullah will be absorbed by the Lebanese consociational democracy or whether the system will fall under the control of Hizbullah, remains a rhetorical question until the process of the elimination of political confessionalism come increasingly into the light