Al-Jazeera TV Seeks to Topple Lebanese Resistance
Moussa Ahmad - al-Akhbar newspaper*
Anti and pro Hizbullah media institutions alike are sparring in a fierce media campaign nowadays. This war has been gradually escalating until it reached its climax following the latest speech of Hizbullah Leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on the occasion of Resistance and Liberation Day.
"Al-Jazeera" TV station is the spearhead of this battle. Today, the number one Lebanese party is in crosshairs of this Qatari channel, letting go of its battle with the Syrian regime and President Bashar Assad.
Following Sayyed Nasrallah's speech last Saturday was the zero hour for the channel. The channel opened fire and initiated its pre-set plan. The mission at the channel of Doha was assigned to some Lebanese journalists and other Muslim Brotherhood supporters. Amid this juncture, exacerbating sectarianism is just the easiest way to reach the audience.
Labeling last Friday in Syria "the Friday of the Resistance's Charlatan/Quds is not in Homs" was made by the efforts of al-Jazeera lobby. Provocative opinion surveys on Hizbullah were also conducted, such as the question talk show host Faisal al-Qassem posed, "Do you think that Hizbullah has become an enemy in the eyes of the majority of Arabs and Muslims?" Many argued that the surveys' outcome was falsified after a photo was posted on Facebook showing the manipulation of results.
Meanwhile, al-Manar channel opted for frankness and tried to cover all media-related issues targeting the Resistance. Last week, the channel had started to admit that flags of the Resistance and pictures of Nasrallah have been set ablaze in Syria.
In social media, a group named "the electronic resistance" comprising more than 400 thousand activists emerged.
"We are specialized in psychological war, particularly that targeting the Resistance," Rabih, an admin, told al-Akhbar.
"We have studied the way "Israeli" media dealt with us for long years," he added, regretting that the prevailing style nowadays is similar to that of the enemy.
Albeit unorganized, Rabih boasts of his group belonging to the path of the Resistance. "Our duty is to face dangers stalking us as an audience," he said.
He maintained that educating the youth and raising awareness among them was a pivotal step. He saw that virtual sites were closer to the youth. "The battle today is harder than July War," he avowed.
When asked about al-Jazeera, Rabih showed little appetite for the channel. To him, victory is inevitable, but it needs some time.
Away from the war goals, one question remains: what would al-Jazeera tell to an audience to whom it once broadcasted a program where one reporter said, "Here, at the heart of the Southern Suburb of Beirut, or the capital of the Resistance like its residents like to call it, there is the very noble and dignified Hizbullah."
*Translated by website team
