Speech by Hezbollah Secretary General, Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, on March 1, 2022, devoted to the thoughts of his predecessor, Sayed Abbas Mousawi (assassinated by Israel in 1992).
Source : video.moqawama.org
Translation: resistancenews.org
Transcript:
[…] Allow me to devote the few minutes I have left to the current situation (in Ukraine), because I cannot avoid talking about it, although I will content myself with a few quick comments for now.
What is happening today in the battle between Russia and Ukraine is of (great) concern to the whole world. It is already clear that the impact and repercussions of these events are far-reaching and dangerous for the world, especially for Russia and Europe. We do not know in which direction the situation will develop nor how far things will go. There are serious fears among some people that this will go further than a Russian-European conflict, that is a Third World War, God forbid. Either way, what is happening is very dangerous, and anything is possible.
Regardless of the stance anyone may take on the battle going on there —some support Russia, some oppose its intervention, some remain neutral, but I am not going to address this issue now—, I want to make an appeal, something many people already did, but I want to add my voice to them: I call on (everyone) to follow (closely) this major international event in its developments as well as in its implications and consequences, and to draw lessons from what is happening every day and every hour. Because the events that are unfolding are full of lessons and teachings on which we, the inhabitants of this region, of this country, can and even must base ourselves, in our struggles and in what is happening at home, both for our present and for our future.
I will only cite a few examples (of the lessons that we must learn). First, one such example that many people talk about—thank goodness a lot of people see clearly—is double standards. Double standards. Russia intervened in Ukraine and carried out a major military operation, a war. And we see how the whole world reacted. Of course, there is a fear that European countries will go to war with Russia, that the United States will go to war with Russia, but apart from directly fighting (Russia), they have done everything they can to do (to punish Russia): blockade, sanctions, whether for the media, the economy, the banks, closure of airspace, straits, seas, ports, sending weapons in Ukraine, opening doors for volunteers from all over the world to go (fight) there, supporting Ukraine, glorifying the so-called “Ukrainian Resistance”… You see how the world is reacting.
Speaking of double standards, when the United States invaded Afghanistan, how did the world react to the Americans? You know the answer. When the United States invaded Iraq, and in truth (completely) destroyed it, killing hundreds of thousands of people, just as they ravaged Afghanistan and killed tens of thousands of people at least, how did the world behave with the United States? And in all the wars started by the United States, which constitute the majority of the wars that have occurred in the world, how has the world reacted? And how does it behave now (against Russia)? How does the world deal with the Israeli enemy, this temporary entity, in the face of its past and present wars against the Palestinians, its wars and its blockade against Gaza, during the recent battle of the “Sword of Al-Quds (in May 2021)? Or in the Israeli wars against Lebanon, the massacres it perpetrated there, the 33-day war in July 2006… How did the world behave? And how is it currently behaving (in the face of Russian intervention in Ukraine)? And what about the war against Yemen, which has been going on for 7 years and is entering its 8th year? Years of bombardments, massacres, destruction, children (killed by the hundreds), epidemics, blockade, famine, etc. How does the world behave in the face of this? This point is clear (double standards).
We must therefore base ourselves on this reality to understand things. We live in a world that only respects the powerful. The United States, because they are powerful, arrogant, hegemonic, holding by the neck many (countries and governments that are enslaved to them), can commit all (kinds of aggression and) injustice without the world protesting. One of the latest acts of oppression by the United States was the seizure of $7 billion from the Afghan central bank on deposit in the United States. With one signature, Biden took half of that money to give it to the victims of the September 11 attacks—while the Afghan people had nothing to do with the attacks in New York, so this decision is totally unjustified—and will decide what to do with the remaining 3.5 billion for Afghanistan. With the stroke of a pen, he stole 3 billion 500 million dollars from the Afghan people who today suffer from hunger, cold and basic needs. Has anyone in the world opened their mouth (to condemn this act)? It’s pure and simple robbery, it couldn’t be more blatant. No one dared to open their mouths! Whereas if it was another State that had done even much less than that, the whole world would have been outraged and turned against it—the world would have stood up against this country, and would not have sat down (anytime soon).
Among the lessons to be learned from these events is to see the fate awaiting those who lay down their weapons, handing them over to others [reference to Ukraine’s 1994 renouncement of its nuclear arsenal inherited from the USSR, and/or the incessant calls to disarm Hezbollah] and relying on guarantees given by such or such country to ensure its security. Then, when war breaks out, all they can do is call for help, asking for arms and support.
But one of the most important lessons to be learned from today’s events is the responsibility of the United States in these events, confirmed by His Excellency Imam Khamenei shortly before my intervention in a televised speech [see full transcript here]. The responsibility for the current events in Ukraine lies with the United States. The United States instigated and pushed things in this direction, and never worked for a political and diplomatic resolution of this crisis, which is (by no means) a crisis between Russia and Ukraine. It is a crisis between Russia and Europe, between Russia and the United States, between Russia and NATO. The United States did nothing to prevent the situation from coming to this, quite the contrary: they did EVERYTHING to get it there, to push things towards war. And in the end, those who will pay the price are Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, Russia and the Russian people, and Europe if we expand the scope a little, while the United States remain undisturbed far away, observing the situation, inciting, sending arms, preventing (peaceful) resolutions to the conflict and negotiations, setting conditions, making things worse, and pushing the situation in that direction. Everyone will be a loser, but the United States is trying to be the winner in this battle, while the whole world is in (great) danger. The United States instigated and pushed (Ukraine) to this war, but now they are abandoning them, doing nothing more for them than praying: Biden called to pray for Ukraine, he will send some weapons, impose some sanctions, hoping God will provide the rest, and then we’ll see.
It is also a lesson for everyone, especially those who trust the United States, who place their hopes in them, who count on them. We must all know that the current crisis, its difficulties and the dangers it poses to the whole world, it is in the first place the United States which bears the responsibility, (they whom we designate as) the Great Satan. This must be clearly present in our minds and in our stance. […]
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