Hezbollah Disarmament: An 'Israeli-American Plan' That Works Every Time
The New Arab reports Qassem's statement, linking it to Israeli ceasefire violations and external pressures on Lebanon. Conveniently absent is the historical context of U.S. foreign policy regularly demanding disarmament from groups resisting occupation, while simultaneously arming the occupier—to the tune of billions. Between 2000 and 2023, the U.S. provided Israel with over $60 billion in
military aid, including F-35s and bunker busters, according to the Congressional Research Service. This isn't theoretical; this is U.S. tax dollars directly funding the enforcement arm of the 'disarmament' policy. One might wonder if any nation would willingly disarm when facing a heavily armed, U.S.-backed neighbor whose leaders openly discuss preventing a Palestinian state. Netanyahu himself
declared in 2015 that a Palestinian state would not be established under his watch, a stance echoed by many in his current government. So, when Qassem points to an 'Israeli-American plan,' perhaps he's just observing the obvious. How many times must a group be told to lay down arms while facing an existential threat funded by the world's largest superpower before it stops being 'rhetoric' and
starts being empirical observation?