Thanks to Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah

by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem

Whether we love Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah or hate them, whether we are fond of them or resent them, whether we pray for them or against them, there is an objective fact beyond any doubt: Gaza could never have held out with such steadfastness, nor dealt the enemy such a blow, were it not for God’s grace first, and then the support of Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah — in training, armament, and both scientific and practical expertise. Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah offered a great deal of assistance, including money and the sacrifice of lives.

The strange thing is that not a single word of thanks for these three parties, or for any one of them, has been heard in the media. There is gratitude expressed toward a number of countries, particularly Egypt and Tunisia — and thanks are indeed due to them — but the duty of gratitude must also extend to Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah. There is disagreement now over what is happening in Syria, and it casts a shadow over relations that used to prevail in the region, but that must not blind us to the truth. They stayed up through the night with the resistance, bore hardships and burdens, and were always a help and a support to the resistance. And now, under the ongoing aggression, these parties continue their efforts to reinforce Gaza with weapons.

[Many voices around the world have condemned] the Zionist [assault] on Gaza with denunciation and censure, but most of it is insincere, and how much they secretly wished that the resistance would vanish, or collapse before the Zionist bombardment. There are Arab states, such as Egypt and Tunisia, that have begun to approach the Palestinian cause with a vision different from that of the collapsed regimes, but they are still at the very beginning of the road we are looking toward, and on which we place some hope.

The Arab foreign ministers are meeting in Cairo to discuss the situation in Gaza, but those who supplied Gaza with bullets, rockets, technology, and methods of fighting are absent. The picture ought to be reversed: those who are present should be absent, and those who are absent should be present. Not one of those present has supplied a single bullet to the Palestinian resistance; some of them have actually fought against it, foremost among them certain Palestinians. Those present are now waiting for the outcome of the war so that they can send their brothers and kin in Gaza some flour and aspirin. Listen to their speeches and you almost want to vomit — their talk is stale, regurgitated, and steeped in lies and deceit.

The Palestinian resistance is required to set matters straight, and not to fear speaking the truth to the faces of Arab leaders, for these men understand nothing but the language of respect.

Source: Translated from the original Arabic, “الشكر لإيران وسوريا وحزب الله” by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem.