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Politics : American Presidential Politics and foreign affairs -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Geoff Altman who wrote (11429)	8/30/2006 3:42:44 PM
From: RMF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 71588

Geoff...A LOT of Lebanese see Hezbollah as a terrorist proxy for Iran. They'd prefer that Hezbollah didn't exist in Lebanon and will NOT vote for them in elections, but a LOT of other people in Lebanon see Hezbollah as their defender and their patron. I think Huey Long appealed to the same sort of people that Hezbollah appeals to. People that feel powerless and sort of disenfranchised.

To: Geoff Altman who wrote (11429)	9/12/2006 11:59:08 PM
From: Peter Dierks	Respond to of 71588

The Gangs of Palestine Reuters has an interesting report from Nablus, West Bank: A stolen car, its number plates torn off and replaced by a black plaque bearing the word "Palestine" and the symbol of a militant group, pushes through a crowded alley in the Balata refugee camp. As it squeezes among the pedestrians, some seem reluctant to get out of the way while others shoot looks of disdain at the muscle-bound young men in black T-shirts just visible behind the vehicle's tinted windows. A guide points out that the car is driven by members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militant group allied to Fatah, the political party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. . . . But among the residents of Balata, one of the largest and poorest Palestinian refugee camps and traditionally a fertile source of recruits, there is less awe these days for the actions of groups like al-Aqsa, and a growing sense of scorn. . . . Palestinian analysts say the number of those who use the term militant as a cover for a gang-like lifestyle of theft and non-political violence now exceeds those who might truly be regarded as fighters--a clear sign of decline. One advantage of the Israeli security barrier is that it keeps Palestinian car thieves out of Israel, which means they are reduced to stealing cars from fellow Arabs--which cannot be good for their popularity. opinionjournal.com