The Petraus interview was conducted in Arabic, which he is said to speak. Therefore, all hinges on what word he used–was it translatable as “justification” or was it “excuse”? If the latter, then he’s fairly correct. Hizbollah has always claimed as its reason for holding weapons as a virtual state within a state the unfinished battle to defend Lebanon against Zionism, and on occasion the need to liberate a tiny corner of territory called the Sheba Farms, which the UN says is actually in Syria. Were the Palestinians to make their peace with Zionism—don’t hold your breath—Hizbollah would be hard pressed to keep pretending that it’s fighting for Lebanon, rather than for the Shiites who’ve come to form the country’s majority. All of which shouldn’t encourage the U.S. to put the arm on Israel, nor do I think, so far, that Petreaus would favor it.
