The Hezbollah/Egypt Situation

Since Egypt declared its discovery of Hezbollah’s cell, known as the cell of (Sami Shehab), analyses have varied about the expansion of Hezbollah’s activities outside its borders. Some analysts defend the activities of Hezbollah, arguing that the encroachment over Egyptian sovereignty is only reminiscent of what Egypt was doing during the Nasser era. Other analysts say that the arms of Hezbollah in the region have become too long and that they should be cut down to size. In particular, such activities do not serve the interests of Lebanon, the homeland of Hezbollah, but instead serve the religious and national ambitions of Iran, the spiritual father of Hezbollah.

Hezbollah’s record of struggle for the Palestinian cause and the Lebanese territories can not be crossed out by the stroke of a pen. Also, Egyptian nationalism and Egypt’s advocacy of the Palestinian people can not be questioned by any State, least of all by a political Party like Hezbollah. Egypt has fought three wars for the Palestinian cause, while Hezbollah was content to defend the cause by delivering rhetorical speeches during the bombardment of Gaza! Also, unleashing Hezbollah on the region so that it becomes the security guard of Iran in the region can not be done at the expense of the sovereignty and independence of Arab states. So, has Egypt made a big fuss out of the discovery of Hezbollah’s cell, or has Hezbollah exceeded all forms of diplomacy and respectfulness by planting its cells here in Egypt? Commenting on this issue, our writers try to answer these questions by deploying different arguments and points of view.