Editing Hezbollah (section)

== Ideology ==
{{Main|Ideology of Hezbollah}}
The ideology of Hezbollah has been summarized as [[Shi'i]] [[Political radicalism|radicalism]];<ref>Barak, Oren. "Hizballah". ''The Continuum Political Encyclopedia of the Middle East''. Ed. [[Avraham Sela]]. New York: Continuum, 2002. p. 350.</ref><ref>Rosenthal, Donna. ''The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land''. New York: Free Press, 2003. p. 15.</ref> Hezbollah follows the Islamic [[Shi'a]] theology developed by Iranian leader [[Ayatollah]] Ruhollah Khomeini.<ref name="nybooks" /> Hezbollah was largely formed with the aid of the Khomeini's followers in the early 1980s in order to spread [[Islamic revolution]]<ref name="Wright-2006">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/12/AR2006071201557.html|first=Robin|last=Wright|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title=Options for U.S. Limited As Mideast Crises Spread|date=13 July 2006|page=A19}}</ref> and follows a distinct version of Islamic Shi'a ideology ([[Hokumat-e Islami : Velayat-e faqih (book by Khomeini)|''Wilayat al-faqih'']] or Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists) developed by Khomeini, who was the leader of the "Islamic Revolution" in [[Iran]].<ref name="HG20Ak02">{{cite web |last=Jamail |first=Dahr |date=20 July 2006 |title=Hezbollah's transformation |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HG20Ak02.html |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060720154531/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HG20Ak02.html |archive-date=20 July 2006 |access-date=23 October 2007 |work=Asia Times}}</ref><ref name="mfaGOV960411">{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1996/4/HIZBULLAH+-+11-Apr-96.htm|author=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs|title=Hizbullah|date=11 April 1996|access-date=17 August 2006}}</ref> Although Hezbollah originally aimed to transform Lebanon into a formal Faqihi [[Islamic republic]], this goal has been abandoned in favor of a more inclusive approach.<ref name="bbc-hi-me2"/>

Early on, Hezbollah was influenced by ideas from prominent Sunni Islamists. Hezbollah's own rhetoric was Islamist in general, rather than Shi'i in particular.{{Sfn|Al-Aloosy|2020|p=78-79}} Hezbollah's position on the Sunni-Shi'i divide was that instead of dwelling on theological differences, Sunnis and Shi'ites ought to cooperate with one another to oppose the Israeli occupation of Arab lands.{{Sfn|Al-Aloosy|2020|p=78-79}} To maintain a sense of Muslim unity, Hezbollah avoided direct criticism of Saudi Arabia; even during the [[2007 Lebanon conflict|2007 Lebanon's conflict with the Salafis]], Al-Manar TV's employees had instructions "not to talk badly about Saudi Arabia".{{Sfn|Al-Aloosy|2020|p=80}} This changed, however, after the beginning of the [[Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war]].{{Sfn|Al-Aloosy|2020|p=80}}

Some scholars consider Hezbollah a left-wing political movement.<ref name="daher">{{cite thesis |title=Hezbollah: a historical materialist analysis |year=2015 |first=Joseph |last=Daher |publisher=University of London |journal=School of Oriental and African Studies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J7180AEACAAJ |page=28 |doi=10.25501/SOAS.00023667}}</ref> In 2008, political scientists Anisseh van Engeland and Rachael Rudolph wrote: "The ideology of Hezbollah has changed: it has nowadays a left-wing political speech focused on social justice."<ref name="engeland">{{cite book |title=From Terrorism to Politics |year=2008 |first1=Anisseh |last1=van Engeland |first2=Rachael M. |last2=Rudolph |isbn=978-0-7546-4990-8 |publisher=Ashgate |page=36 |quote="The ideology of Hezbollah has changed: it has nowadays a left-wing political speech focused on social justice."}}</ref> Feminist scholar [[Judith Butler]] stated: "I think: yes, understanding Hamas, Hezbollah as social movements that are progressive, that are on the left, that are part of a global left, is extremely important."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dw.com/en/adorno-prize-for-judith-butler-irks-jewish-groups/a-16225396 |title=The spirit of Adorno |date=9 November 2012 |first=Helen |last=Whittle |website=[[Deutsche Welle]]}}</ref> Other academic writers that described Hezbollah as left-wing include [[Imad Salamey]], [[Amal Saad-Ghorayeb]], [[Nahla Chahal]] and [[As'ad AbuKhalil|As'ad Abu Khalil]].<ref name="daher"/> Salamey wrote that Hezhollah is an "anticapitalist political movement" and "revolutionary styled vanguard party", adding that, "Hezbollah has emerged as a revolutionary proletarian party with an Islamic manifesto par excellence."<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Imad |last1=Salamey |author-link1=Imad Salamey |first2=Frederic |last2=Pearson |year=2007 |title=Hezbollah: A Proletarian Party with an Islamic Manifesto – A Sociopolitical Analysis of Islamist Populism in Lebanon and the Middle East |journal=Small Wars & Insurgencies |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=416–438 |doi=10.1080/09592310701674358 |publisher=Routledge}}</ref> Similarly, Chahal wrote that Hezhollah "is a movement of the [[Liberation theology#Palestinian liberation theology|Theology of Liberation]]".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Chahal |first=Nahla |year=2006 |title=Le déclin d'Israël |journal=Palestine solidarité |language=fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310215252/https://www.palestine-solidarite.org/analyses.Nahla_Chahal.150906.htm |archive-date=10 March 2013 |url=https://www.palestine-solidarite.org/analyses.Nahla_Chahal.150906.htm |url-status=usurped}}</ref>

Hezbollah has been described as [[Social conservatism|socially conservative]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=el Houri |first1=W |title=The meaning of resistance: Hezbollah's media strategies and the articulation of a people |url=https://dare.uva.nl/document/2/103196 |publisher=[[University of Amsterdam]] |date=2012}}</ref> It is against homosexuality and [[LGBTQ rights by country or territory|LGBT rights]].<ref name="france24.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230729-hezbollah-chief-in-new-attack-on-same-sex-relations-1|title=Hezbollah chief in new attack on same-sex relations|website=[[France 24]]|agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]|date=29 July 2023}}</ref> In 2023, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called for gay people to be killed and said that the LGBT community was a "threat to society".<ref>{{cite news |title=Lebanon LGBTQ+ activists say attacks are distraction from country's problems |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/30/lebanon-lgbtq-activists-attacks-distraction-scapegoated |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=30 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Anti-LGBT Rhetoric Undermines Rights in Lebanon |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/08/01/anti-lgbt-rhetoric-undermines-rights-lebanon |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]] |date=1 August 2023}}</ref> The organization also encourages women to wear traditional [[Islamic veiling practices by country|Islamic veils]], especially the full-body [[chador]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Hezbollah official: Hijab gives identity to Muslim women |url=https://en.abna24.com/news/1369888/Hezbollah-official-Hijab-gives-identity-to-Muslim-women |work=[[AhlulBayt News Agency]] |date=31 May 2023}}</ref>

=== 1985 manifesto ===
On 16 February 1985, Sheik Ibrahim al-Amin issued Hezbollah's manifesto. The ideology presented in it was described as radical.{{By whom|date=January 2020}} Its first objective was to [[Anti-imperialism|fight against]] what Hezbollah described as [[American imperialism|American]] and [[Israeli occupation of the West Bank|Israeli imperialism]], including the [[Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon]] and other territories. The second objective was to gather all Muslims into an "[[ummah]]", under which Lebanon would further the aims of the [[1979 Revolution]] of Iran. It also declared it would protect all Lebanese communities, excluding those that collaborated with Israel, and support all national movements—both Muslim and non-Muslim—throughout the world.{{which|date=January 2020|reason=Which kinds of national movements?}} The ideology has since evolved, and today Hezbollah is a political entity focused on social justice.<ref name="engeland"/>

Translated excerpts from Hezbollah's original 1985 manifesto read:

{{blockquote|We are the sons of the ''umma'' (Muslim community)&nbsp;...

...&nbsp;We are an ''ummah'' linked to the Muslims of the whole world by the solid doctrinal and religious connection of Islam, whose message God wanted to be fulfilled by the Seal of the [[Prophets of Islam|Prophets]], i.e., Prophet [[Muhammad]].&nbsp;... As for our culture, it is based on the Holy [[Quran]], the [[Sunnah|Sunna]] and the legal rulings of the ''[[faqih]]'' who is our source of imitation&nbsp;...<ref name="The Hizballah Program" />}}

=== 2009 manifesto ===
On 30 November 2009, secretary-general [[Hassan Nasrallah|Nasrallah]] presented a new manifesto at Hezbollah's 7th political conference.<ref name="reuters20091130">{{Cite news |last=Ladki |first=Nadim |date=November 30, 2009 |title=Hezbollah cuts Islamist rhetoric in new manifesto |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/world/hezbollah-cuts-islamist-rhetoric-in-new-manifesto-idUSTRE5AT3VK/ |work=[[Reuters]] |agency=Reuters}}</ref> Besides its introduction, this 32-page document has three chapters on U.S. hegemonic strategies and the impact of [[globalization]]; Hezbollah's approach to Lebanon; and Palestinian resistance to Israel.<ref name="Berti">Berti, Benedetta. "The "Rebirth" of Hizbollah: Analyzing the 2009 Manifesto." ''Strategic Assessment'' 12, no. 12 (2010): 91-100.</ref> While self-described as a "rebirth" document, the manifesto conveys the same basic approach to foreign policy as in the past, according to scholar [[Benedetta Berti]], though it is more "politically savvy" and appeals to non-Islamic movements. Still, the manifesto offers new support for Lebanese political institutions, through which it had been making inroads. Notably, it says that it opposes political "sectarianism", idealizes a national unity government, and treats the Lebanese army less as an enemy and more as a subordinate military arm.<ref name="Berti" />

=== Attitudes, statements, and actions concerning Israel and Zionism ===
{{See also|Foreign relations of Hezbollah}}
From the inception of Hezbollah to the present,<ref name="The Hizballah Program">{{cite book |author=Itamar Rabinovich |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iVJR9UZnTVAC&pg=PA425 |title=Israel in the Middle East |publisher=UPNE |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-87451-962-4 |access-date=18 November 2010}}</ref><ref name="UN document">United Nations Document A/54/723 S/2000/55, citing Al Hayyat, 30 October 1999{{cite web|url=http://domino.un.org/unispal.NSF/fd807e46661e3689852570d00069e918/50862df07adbd884852569ad0054a527!OpenDocument |title=Letter dated January 25, 2000 from the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General |access-date=17 August 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310192305/http://domino.un.org/unispal.NSF/fd807e46661e3689852570d00069e918/50862df07adbd884852569ad0054a527%21OpenDocument |archive-date=10 March 2007 }} . Retrieved 17 August 2006.</ref> [[Calls for the destruction of Israel|the elimination of the State of Israel]] has been one of Hezbollah's primary goals. Some translations of Hezbollah's 1985 Arabic-language manifesto state that "our struggle will end only when this entity [Israel] is obliterated".<ref name="The Hizballah Program" /> According to Hezbollah's Deputy-General, [[Naim Qassem]], the struggle against Israel is a core belief of Hezbollah and the central rationale of Hezbollah's existence.<ref>''The Shifts in Hizbullah's Ideology: Religious Ideology, Political Ideology, and Political Program''. Joseph Elie Alagha, Amsterdam University Press, 2006, {{ISBN|978-90-5356-910-8}}, p. 380.</ref>

Hezbollah says that its continued hostilities against Israel are justified as reciprocal to Israeli operations against Lebanon and as retaliation for what they claim is Israel's occupation of Lebanese territory.<ref>Joshua Mitnick. [http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0822/p10s01-wome.html Behind the dispute over Shebaa Farms], ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'', 22 August 2006.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,,1771766,00.html|title=Flashpoint farmland|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=10 May 2006|access-date=8 September 2013|location=London|first=Brian|last=Whitaker}}</ref><ref>"Central to this issue is Hizballah's claim, which was also espoused by Lebanon's former pro-Syrian government, that the disputed Shebaa Farms are Lebanese rather than Syrian territories and are occupied by Israel. Therefore, Hizballah maintains that it is a legitimate resistance movement fighting for the liberation of Lebanese territory. Under this pretext, Hizballah, supported by some Lebanese parties, could argue that it is not a militia and thus it is outside the jurisdiction of Resolution 1559." Robert Rabil. [http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2395 Reinforcing Lebanon's Sovereignty], [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]], 8 November 2005.</ref> Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, and their withdrawal was verified by the United Nations as being in accordance with resolution 425 of 19 March 1978; however, Lebanon considers the [[Shebaa farms]]—a {{convert|26|km2|sqmi|abbr=on|adj=on}} piece of land captured by Israel from Syria in the 1967 war and considered by the UN to be Syrian territory occupied by Israel—to be Lebanese territory.<ref name="SC/6878">{{cite web|date=18 June 2000 |publisher=United Nations Security Council |title=Security council endorses secretary-general's conclusion on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as of 16&nbsp;June |url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2000/20000618.sc6878.doc.html |access-date=29 September 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5281178.stm|title=Israeli views on Shebaa Farms harden|date=25 August 2006|publisher=[[BBC News Online|BBC News]]}}</ref> Finally, Hezbollah considers Israel to be an illegitimate state. For these reasons, it justifies its actions as acts of defensive jihad.<ref name="Thisreen1999-1">Thisreen (Syrian newspaper) 21 June 1999, reprinted by MEMRI [http://memri.org/bin/opener.cgi?Page=archives&ID=SP3699 Secretary General of Hizbullah Discusses the New Israeli Government and Hizbullah's Struggle Against Israel]{{unreliable source?|date=November 2012}} {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080930150748/http://memri.org/bin/opener.cgi?Page=archives&ID=SP3699 |date=30 September 2008 }}. Retrieved 30 July 2006.</ref>

{{Quote box|align=right|width=33.3%|If they go from Shebaa, we won't stop fighting them.&nbsp;... Our goal is to liberate the 1948 borders of Palestine,&nbsp;... The Jews who survive this war of liberation can [[go back to Poland|go back to Germany]] or wherever they came from. However, that the Jews who lived in Palestine before 1948 will be 'allowed to live as a minority and they will be cared for by the Muslim majority.'|— Hezbollah's spokesperson Hassan Ezzedin, about an Israeli withdrawal from Shebaa Farms<ref name="In the Party of God" />}}

=== Attitudes and actions concerning Jews and Judaism ===
{{Main|Ideology of Hezbollah#Attitudes, statements, and actions concerning Jews and Judaism}}
Hezbollah officials have said, on rare occasions, that it is only "anti-Zionist" and not anti-Semitic.<ref name=Gleis/> However, according to scholars, "these words do not hold up upon closer examination". Among other actions, Hezbollah actively engages in [[Holocaust denial]] and spreads anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.<ref name=Gleis />

Various antisemitic statements have been attributed to Hezbollah officials.<ref>[http://www.economist.com/node/7796790 "Lebanon and Israel: Nasrallah wins the war"]. ''The Economist''. 17 August 2006. 18 November 2011.</ref> [[Amal Saad-Ghorayeb]], a Lebanese political analyst, argues that although Zionism has influenced Hezbollah's [[anti-Judaism]], "it is not contingent upon it because Hezbollah's hatred of Jews is more religiously motivated than politically motivated".<ref name="Saad-Ghorayeb">[[Amal Saad-Ghorayeb|Saad-Ghorayeb, Amal]]. ''Hizbu'llah: Politics and Religion''. London: Pluto Press, 2002. pp. 168–186.</ref> [[Robert S. Wistrich]], a historian specializing in the study of anti-Semitism, described Hezbollah's ideology concerning Jews:

<blockquote>The anti-Semitism of Hezbollah leaders and spokesmen combines the image of seemingly invincible Jewish power&nbsp;... and cunning with the contempt normally reserved for weak and cowardly enemies. Like the [[Hamas]] propaganda for holy war, that of Hezbollah has relied on the endless vilification of Jews as 'enemies of mankind,' 'conspiratorial, obstinate, and conceited' adversaries full of 'satanic plans' to enslave the Arabs. It fuses traditional Islamic anti-Judaism with Western conspiracy myths, Third Worldist anti-Zionism, and Iranian Shiite contempt for Jews as 'ritually impure' and corrupt infidels. [[Sheikh Fadlallah]] typically insists&nbsp;... that Jews wish to undermine or obliterate Islam and Arab cultural identity in order to advance their economic and political domination.<ref>[[Robert S. Wistrich|Wistrich, Robert S.]] ''A Lethal Obsession: Anti-Semitism from Antiquity to the Global Jihad''. New York: Random House, 2010. pp. 766–767.</ref></blockquote>

Conflicting reports say [[Al-Manar]], the Hezbollah-owned and operated television station, accused either Israel or Jews of deliberately spreading HIV and other diseases to Arabs throughout the Middle East.<ref name="Block">Block, Melissa. [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5658944 {{"'}}New Yorker' Writer Warns of Hezbollah's Radicalism"]. [[NPR]]. 16 August 2006. 16 February 2008.</ref><ref>Sciolino, Elaine. [https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/12/international/europe/12france.html "French Court Delays Decision on Hezbollah-Run TV Channel."] ''[[The New York Times]]'' 12 December 2004. 14 February 2008.</ref><ref>Carvajal, Doreen. [https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/14/international/europe/14france.html "French Court Orders a Ban on hezbollah-Run TV Channel"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. 14 December 2004. 14 February 2008.</ref> Al-Manar was criticized in the West for airing "anti-Semitic propaganda" in the form of a television drama depicting a [[Jewish world domination|Jewish world domination conspiracy theory]].<ref>Sciolino, Elaine. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02E7DE1031F93AA35751C1A9629C8B63 " A New French Headache: When Is Hate on TV Illegal?"] ''[[The New York Times]]''. 9 December 2004. 16 February 2008.</ref><ref>[http://www.adl.org/special_reports/protocols/protocols_recycled.asp "Anti-Semitic Series Airs on Arab Television."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115091803/http://www.adl.org/special_reports/protocols/protocols_recycled.asp |date=15 January 2013 }} [[Anti-Defamation League|ADL]]. 9 January 2004. 16 February 2008.</ref><ref>[http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/s/content.asp?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=4442915&ct=5851751 "Urge President Chirac to Block Hezbollah's Antisemitic and Hate TV from broadcasting into France"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502035120/http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/s/content.asp?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=4442915&ct=5851751 |date=2 May 2013 }}. [[Simon Wiesenthal Center]]. 21 May 2008.</ref> The group has been accused by American analysts of engaging in Holocaust denial.<ref>[http://www.forward.com/articles/118631/ "Hezbollah Pressures School Into Dropping 'Anne Frank{{'"}}]. ''The Jewish Daily Forward''. 9 November 2009.</ref><ref>Satloff, Roger. [http://washingtoninstitute.org/templateC06.php?CID=987 "The Holocaust's Arab Heroes"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501010037/http://washingtoninstitute.org/templateC06.php?CID=987 |date=1 May 2020 }} The [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]]. 8 October 2006. 14 January 2009.</ref><ref>Stalinsky, Steven. [http://www.nysun.com/foreign/hezbollahs-nazi-tactics/36717/ "Hezbollah's Nazi Tactics."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010024529/http://www.nysun.com/foreign/hezbollahs-nazi-tactics/36717/ |date=10 October 2017 }} ''[[The New York Sun]]''. 26 July 2006. 14 January 2009.</ref> In addition, during its 2006 war, it apologized only for killing Israel's Arabs (i.e., non-Jews).<ref name=Gleis />

In November 2009, according to the [[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]], Hezbollah pressured a private English-language school in western Beirut "which asked not to be identified", to eliminate from its [[curriculum]] excerpts from ''[[The Diary of Anne Frank]]'', a book of the writings from the diary kept by the Jewish child Anne Frank while she was in hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.<ref>[http://jta.org/news/article/2009/11/09/1009038/hezbollah-heavies-school-into-pulling-anne-frank "Hezbollah presses school into pulling Anne Frank"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091112154443/http://jta.org/news/article/2009/11/09/1009038/hezbollah-heavies-school-into-pulling-anne-frank |date=12 November 2009 }}. [[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]. 9 November 2009</ref> This was after Hezbollah's member of Lebanese parliament [[Hussein Hajj Hassan]], interviewed on the organization's Al-Manar television channel, criticized the school for "showing poor judgment in picking out its textbooks", and [[rhetorical question|asked]] how long Lebanon would "remain an open arena for the Zionist invasion of education".<ref>{{cite news |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]|date=June 11, 2009|title=Anne Frank diary offends Lebanon's Hezbollah|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3801302,00.html|work=[[Ynet]] |access-date=August 15, 2024}}</ref>

In ''[[The New Yorker]]'''s July 22, 2024 issue, [[Dexter Filkins]], in his report on the border fight between Israel and the organization, quoted a commander of Hezbollah, who had been active in its operations outside Lebanon, stating that the war between the "Zionist state" and the "party of God" would be "very simply" resolved, "when [the Jews] leave on the same boat they came on".<ref name=boat>{{cite magazine |last=Filkins|first=Dexter |author-link=Dexter Filkins|date=July 22, 2024 |title=Will Hezbollah and Israel Go to War? |url-access=subscription|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/07/29/will-hezbollah-and-israel-go-to-war |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |access-date=August 15, 2024}}</ref>