Brennan: U.S. Should Foster 'Moderate Elements' of the Terrorist Group Hezbollah

CNS News ^ | 5/24/2010 | Adam assandra

[IbJensen]

(CNSNews.com) – President Obama’s counterterrorism adviser John Brennan called Hezbollah a “very interesting organization” in remarks at the Washington-based Nixon Center on Tuesday. He also said the United States needs to “build up the more moderate elements" of tHezbollah which the State Department has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

Brennan previously called Hezbollah “an interesting case stud[y]” when speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies last August.

In his August remarks, Brennan praised the evolution of Hezbollah as a political force, and seemed hopeful about engaging its members in dialogue. “Hezbollah started out as purely a terrorist organization back in the early ’80s and has evolved significantly over time,” Brennan said. “And now it has members of parliament, in the cabinet; there are lawyers, doctors, others who are part of the Hezbollah organization.”

During his remarks in Washington on Tuesday, Brennan again lauded Hezbollah’s transition from “purely a terrorist organization” to a legitimate political party.

“There (are) certainly the elements of Hezbollah that are truly a concern to us -- what they're doing. And what we need to do is to find ways to diminish their influence within the organization and to try to build up the more moderate elements,” he said.

Brennan has yet to provide specifics on how the United States should support the “moderate elements” of Hezbollah, or if such support could occur under current law.

According to the State Department Web site: “It is unlawful for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide ‘material support or resources’ to a designated FTO.”

Hezbollah in recent weeks repeatedly has criticized the U.S. and called for armed “resistance” to Israel.

Speaking about the upcoming trip of the Lebanese prime minister to Washington on May 24, Wi'am Wahhab, a Druze politician affiliated with Hezbollah and head of the Tawhid Movement, said: “What will you get from the United States? Will it give you arms to empower the Lebanese Army in confronting Israel and its aggression?. . .You will hear from the Americans there the same lecture and that is 'Hezbollah and its arms pose a danger to Israel;' and 'Do not dare take a risk and provoke Israel, for it will destroy you!”

Wahhab welcomed Iran’s new ambassador to Lebanon last week in a show of support for a political ally also critical of Israel and the United States. The Iranian ambassador made comments at the Beirut airport saying, “As I mentioned previously, I stress that the Islamic Republic of Iran stands by Lebanon, its people, government and resistance. I also stress the need to focus all efforts on supporting the resistance in facing he Zionist occupation.”

Hezbollah leaders, like their Iranian allies, continue to argue that Israel has no right to exist.

According to a report last week in the Lebanese newspaper, The Daily Star, top Hezbollah leader Shaykh Naeem Qassem called resistance to Israel “a duty.”

“The objective behind bringing up the issue of the Scud missiles is not to instigate a war. It is a U.S. tactic to support Israel,” Qassem said, according to the article.

“It is our right as a resistance to own arms that we see appropriate to carry out our obligations. We won't surrender to explanations that they are obliging us to give.”

U.S. officials, including Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have in recent weeks expressed concerns over large numbers of Scud missiles supplied to Hezbollah by Syria.

Lebanese Minister of State for Administrative Development Muhammad Funaysh, who represents Hezbollah in the Lebanese government, dismissed the terrorist designation.

"The American categorization of the resistance as a terrorist organization is nothing new,” Funaysh said in a May 6 interview with Al-Arabiya. “Anyone expressing readiness to defend his country and confront the Israeli occupation in particular is a terrorist."

According to the U.S. State Department, “(P)rior to September 11, 2001, (Hezbollah) was responsible for more American deaths than any other terrorist group.” The 1983 Hezbollah bombings of the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut killed nearly 300 people.

Brennan’s comments come at a time when the relationship between the United States and Israel appear strained, especially over the issue of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.

Iran brokered a deal with Turkey and Brazil last week to ship around half of its lowly enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for more highly enriched nuclear fuel. Critics of the deal say Iran means to curb further sanctions from the United Nations while continuing the pursuit of nuclear weapons.

[IbJensen]

John Brennan epitomizes what is wrong with the "advisers" surrounding the "historic" President Barack Obama. This "adviser" appears willing to reach out to organizations such as Hezbollah whaich is hell bent on killing Americans. The best thing the American people can do is vote out Obama and dismantle the the superstructure of "advisers".

[IbJensen]

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/66494

[SatinDoll]

John Brennan is brain dead, period.

[Paladin2]

Brennan’s going to need an electron microscope to find anything like what he hopes to promote.

[Hardraade]

It’s not enough that the US has “fostered” a terrorist in the oval office??

[ConorMacNessa]

I guess if it were 1938 and these morons were in charge, they'd advise reaching out to the more moderate members of the Nazi Party.

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[Diogenesis]

"According to the U.S. State Department, “(P)rior to September 11, 2001,
(Hezbollah) was responsible for more American deaths than any other terrorist group.”
The 1983 Hezbollah bombings of the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut killed nearly 300 people."

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"John Brennan called Hezbollah a “very interesting organization” in remarks at the Washington-based Nixon Center on Tuesday."

Hezbollah was built from disparate organizations that were fighting the Lebanese civil war. The same organizations that blew up our Embassay and our Marine Barracks in 1983. Were they "very interesting" then Mr. Brennan?

[Old Teufel Hunden]

You beat me by 30 seconds, with good pictures to boot! Good job!

[ThunderSleeps]

Since obama seems to have surrounded himself with idiots and neophytes (no surprise there, that description pretty well fits obama himself) I guess we'll have to go back to National Security 101. "Moderate elements" within a terrorist organization are still, by definition, terrorists. You don't deal with terrorists, they have a singular agenda that is fundamentally incompatible with civil society. Therefore you don't deal with them, you don't talk with them (other than to gain intel), your only real course with terrorists is kill them before they kill you.

This Country is in serious trouble. We have a bunch of fools and socialists in charge at the moment. November can't get here fast enough, and 2012's election can't get here fast enough. A little under 900 days to go before we can vote obama out and get someone in there who has at least an ounce of common sense.

[Pollster1]

It looks like Obama is taking this advice. He is doing everything he can to strengthen those who want to murder or enslave free Americans gradually, at the expense of those who want to murder or enslave us gradually. Is that really a good thing?

[SumProVita]

These people are, INDEED, beyond stupid.

[IMR 4350]

It's easy to put your ideology above other peoples lives, not so easy when you have to put your ideology above your own life.
Mr. Brennen has very little in the way of an increased risk to his life if he's wrong. It's other peoples that have an increased risk to their if he's wrong.

[SaraJohnson]

Defining moderate Hezbollah:

Moderates murder infidels one at a time with the head chopping method. Extremists Hezbollah activists murder large groups of infidels with bombs strapped to Hezbollah children’s waists. Thanks Brennan. Now we know you are reallll smart.

[Cindy]

Mr. Brennan is today’s STUCK ON STUPID award winner.

[Cindy]

http://www.investigativeproject.org/1968/brennan-seeks-non-existent-hizballah-moderates

“Brennan Seeks Non-Existent Hizballah Moderates”

IPT News
May 24, 2010

SNIPPET: “U.S. officials may be seeking ways to build up “moderate elements” in the Lebanese terrorist group Hizballah, a senior administration official said last week.

The suggestion from John Brennan, assistant to the president for counterterrorism and homeland security, is drawing criticism from those who say Hizballah’s very nature precludes moderation.”

[Righting]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2520125/posts Iran’s, Syria-backed Arab-Islamic Terrorists: The Hezbollah

[Cindy]

Thank you very much Righting.

[Cindy]

Video Description - quote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmGe_lVYxDw

Dep. National Security Adviser John Brennan: Calls Jerusalem ‘al Quds’
KeepAmericaSafeCom

KeepAmericaSafeCom — May 20, 2010 — Dep. National Security Adviser John Brennan: Calls Jerusalem ‘al Quds’

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