Nasrallah seeks to capitalize on US shift on Golan
The Trump administration's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights has given the advantage in Lebanon to Hezbollah, whose opposition to the move puts it in line with public opinion.
The Donald Trump administration’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights has given Hezbollah and the "resistance" camp an unexpected gift, delivering a setback to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s goal of isolating Hezbollah within Lebanon during his visit to the country last week.
The US decision on the Golan was rejected by US allies throughout the region, including across the political spectrum in Lebanon.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun told Pompeo that Hezbollah is a Lebanese party with popular support. House Speaker Nabih Berri said that Hezbollah is a “Lebanese party represented at the parliament and the government. Its resistance and that of the Lebanese people are the result of the continued Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory." Even Prime Minister Saad Hariri, an all-time-rival of Hezbollah in Lebanese politics, didn’t react positively to Pompeo’s notion. He insisted that the country is facing a difficult economic situation and there’s a need to be in touch with political factions, including Hezbollah, to maintain the national peace, according to one of Hariri’s advisers, Ghatas Khouri, who commented briefly to Lebanese daily Annahar.
Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil sought to strike the right diplomatic balance in his remarks with Pompeo, saying that “Hezbollah is a political party," and its representatives are "elected by the Lebanese people." He continued, "As such, we do not want our relations with the USA to be impacted or influenced by this, and we want to work together in order to solve all these problems, including the issue of Hezbollah …"
