SITRA, 16 August 2006 — Shortly after Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasarallah finished his speech on Monday night where he declared Lebanon’s victory and the defeat of Israel, Bahraini Shiites celebrated the news by taking to the streets.
Youth stood in the streets of Sitra and Sanad villages, both south of the capital Manama, handing out sweets as hundreds gathered in Sitra to march in a car cavalcade.
Hundreds drove around the Sitra village roads waving Hezbollah’s flags and pictures of the group’s leaders. Witnesses said that the numbers grew to more than a thousand people later into the night.
Men, women, and children all raised their hands to give the “V” sign, asserting that the victory in this war went to Arabs, despite Israeli and US claims.
“Nasarallah promised us victory and it was achieved no one here doubts that,” Abbas Ali who was taking part in the Sitra car march said. “The Israelis and the Americans turned to the UN to save themselves from the embarrassment of defeat, but even those who support their claims of victory in public they know that they were militarily defeated”.
Hussain Salman who was a passenger with Abbas criticized US President Bush describing him as a “fascist” and “anti-Semite”.
“He doesn’t even know the meaning of the words he labeled us with,” he said. “Fascists were racists that used their position in power to kill all those who differed with them and restricted the rights of all others including their own people, and that is what the US is doing now.”
Hussain added that the US administration and media was anti-Semitic, mocking them for describing Arabs as such. “It just goes to show how ignorant those who label us with that term are in media outlets such as FOX (News) and others,” he said. “They justified the killing of innocent Lebanese and Palestinian children and women as self defense by Israel, not knowing that Arabs are Semites — how can we be ‘anti-ourselves’?”
Feelings of joy were clearly mixed with feelings of anger, as the apparent divide between the US from one side and the Arab world from another widened even more since the war broke out in Lebanon. While militarily the damages inflicted on Lebanon are far greater than those on Israel, in terms of structural and collateral damages, the view form the street here is that Hezbollah won because it wasn’t routed form its South Lebanon stronghold nor did it give up the captured Israeli soldiers it intends to use as bargaining chips for the release of Arab prisoners in Israel.
And, as one Bahraini pointed out, the West’s handling of the situation has helped bring Arabs together despite their differences.
Another car march took place in the northern part of Bahrain, where a large part of the Shiite villages are located.
