Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political and militant group based in Lebanon, is driven by an ideology that combines religious, political, and social elements. Founded in the early 1980s, Hezbollah's ideology is deeply rooted in Shia Islam and influenced by the Iranian Revolution. Central to its ideology is opposition to Western influence and Israeli occupation, which it frames as a struggle for justice and liberation, while also positioning Islam as a comprehensive solution to social and political issues. Hezbollah's ideological framework is articulated through its foundational documents, such as the 1985 "Open Letter" and the 2009 "New Manifesto," which emphasize themes of anti-Zionism, anti-Americanism, and the establishment of an Islamic state governed by Sharia. The movement also advocates for pan-Islamism and pan-Arabism, promoting unity among Muslims and Arabs while supporting Iran as a model of sovereignty.
Despite its religious underpinnings, Hezbollah's ideology is marked by pragmatism, allowing it to adapt to changing political landscapes and integrate into Lebanon's political system. This adaptability is evident in its strategic alliances and its response to regional upheavals, such as the Syrian Civil War, where it prioritizes its material interests and regional influence over strict adherence to ideological dogma.
Manifesto Hezbollah declared its existence on 16 February 1985 in "The Hizballah Program". This document was read by spokesman Sheikh Ibrahim al-Amin at the al-Ouzai Mosque in west Beirut and simultaneously published in al-Safir as "The Hizballah Program, an open letter to all the Oppressed in Lebanon and the World", and a separate pamphlet that was first published in full in English in 1987.See the appendix in A. R. Norton's Amal and the Shi'a: Struggle for the Soul of Lebanon University of Texas Press, 1987
According to "The Hizballah Program" the principles of its ideology are:An open letter, The Hizballah program . To expel Americans, the French and their allies definitely from Lebanon, putting an end to any colonialist entity on our land. To submit the phalanges to a just power and bring them all to justice for the crimes they have perpetrated against Muslims and Christians. To permit all the sons of our people to determine their future and to choose in all the liberty the form of government their desire. We call upon all of them to pick the option of Islamic government which, alone, is capable of guaranteeing justice and liberty for all. Only an Islamic regime can stop any future tentative attempts of imperialistic infiltration onto our country.
It listed the Ayatollah Khomeini as the leader whose "orders we obey"; called on Christians to "open your hearts to our call" and "embrace Islam" and noted that "Allah has ... made it intolerable for Muslims to participate in ... a regime which is not predicated upon ... the Sharia"; explained that Israel is "the vanguard of the United States in our Islamic world".
More broadly, past leader Hassan Nasrallah described Hezbollah's ideology as having "two main axis: firstly, a belief in the rule by the just jurisconsult and adherence to Khomeini's leadership; and secondly, the continued need to struggle against the Israeli enemy".Ettela'at, 13 February 1993. In Ranstorp, Hizb'allah in Lebanon, (1997), p. 48. In late 1980s, Nasrallah said:
In the early 1990s, Hezbollah underwent what a number of observers have called a process of "Lebanonization", which is reflected in acceptance of a multi-confessional Lebanon, rapprochement with a variety of non-Islamist forces, participation in electoral politics, and an emphasis on providing for the social welfare of its Shi'a Lebanese constituency.Graham Usher, "Hizballah, Syria, and the Lebanese Elections", Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 26, No. 2. (Winter, 1997), pp. 59–67. This tendency was expressed in religious as well as strategic terms:
Khomeinism
Hezbollah's original 1985 manifesto reads:
Hezbollah was largely formed with the support of pro-Iran Khomeinists during the early 1980s whose intent was to spread the ideology of Iranian Revolution. It follows a distinct version of Twelver Shi'a political theory of Velayat-e-faqih developed by the Iranian cleric Khomeini.Adam Shatz, New York Review of Books, 29 April 2004 In Search of Hezbollah Accessed 15 August 2006. Although Hezbollah believes in one-person-one-vote system and disagree with the multi-confessional quotas under the Taif Agreement, it does not intend to force a one-person-one-vote system onto the country's Christians.Helena Cobban (April/May 2005). Hizbullah's New Face . Boston Review.
Hezbollah views its conflict with Israel and the Jewish people as religiously motivated. The history of the Arab-Israeli conflict to them is a repeat of the negative interactions between the Jews of medieval Arabia and Muhammad and the early described in the Koran and other classical Islamic texts. God, according to Hezbollah's theology, cursed all Jews as blasphemers damned for all time and throughout history.Hezbollah literature professes, "Certainly you will find the most violent people in enmity for those who believe are the Jews and those who are polytheists." qtd. Jaber, "Hezbollah: born with a vengeance".Al-'Ahd, 6 December 1991; quoted in Webman, Anti-Semitic Motifs, p. 10. qtd. in Wistrich, A Lethal Obsession, p. 766. Hezbollah, as well as the political-religious leaders of Iran, believe that the destruction of Israel will bring about the "reappearance of the Imam (the Shiite Islamic Messiah)".Wistrich, Robert S. A Lethal Obsession: Anti-Semitism from Antiquity to the Global Jihad. New York: Random House, 2010. p. 770.
These issues exist independently of Israeli treatment of Palestinians or even the existence of the State of Israel, although Hezbollah has strong objections to these more earthly matters as well. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in an interview:
Attitudes, statements, and actions concerning
Israel and Zionism From the inception of Hezbollah to the presentUnited Nations Document A/54/723 S/2000/55, citing Al Hayyat, 30 October 1999 Letter dated 25 January 2000 from the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General Accessed 17 August 2006 (Student newspaper)Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada Listed Entities – Hizballah Accessed 31 July 2006 the elimination of the state of Israel has been a primary goal for Hezbollah. Hezbollah opposes the government and policies of the State of Israel, and Jewish civilians who arrived following 1948.Sheikh Hassan Izz al-Din, Hezbollah media relations director, said, "[T]he Jews need to leave." Avi Jovisch, Beacon of Hatred: Inside Hizballah's Al-Manar Television (Washington, D.C.: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 2004), pp. 62–90. qtd. by Wistrich, A Lethal Obsession, p. 774 Its 1985 manifesto reportedly states "our struggle will end only when this entity [Israel] is obliterated. We recognize no treaty with it, no ceasefire, and no peace agreements."this text is reportedly in the original Arabic-language manifesto but not in the original translation, nor found on Hezbollah website, according to the pro-Israel, anti-Hezbollah website where the text appears. Secretary-General Nasrallah has stated, "Israel is an illegal usurper entity, which is based on falsehood, massacres, and illusions,"Thisreen (Syrian newspaper) 21 June 1999, reprinted by MEMRI Secretary General of Hizbullah Discusses the New Israeli Government and Hizbullah's Struggle Against Israel Accessed 30 July 2006 and considers that the elimination of Israel will bring peace in the Middle East: "There is no solution to the conflict in this region except with the disappearance of Israel."Little choice for a defiant Israel , by Andrew Markus, The Age, 15 July 2006United Nations Document A/54/723 S/2000/55, citing The Washington Post, 1 January 2000 Letter dated 25 January 2000 from the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General Accessed 17 August 2006
In an interview with The Washington Post, Nasrallah said, "I am against any reconciliation with Israel. I do not even recognize the presence of a state that is called 'Israel.' I consider its presence both unjust and unlawful. That is why if Lebanon concludes a peace agreement with Israel and brings that accord to the Parliament our deputies will reject it; Hezbollah refuses any conciliation with Israel in principle.... When a peace agreement is concluded between the Lebanese government and Israel, we would surely disagree with the Lebanese government about that, but we would not make any turmoil out of it."
In 1993, during the Oslo peace process, Nasrallah and several other top Hezbollah generals came out staunchly opposed to any final peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians to the point that they accused Palestinian National Authority President Yasser Arafat of blasphemy and treachery to the Muslim people.Saad-Ghrayeb, 2002, pp. 151–154 Their strong objections to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is held to this day.Hodeib, Mirella. "Nasrallah 'strongly endorses' Arab reconciliation efforts." The Daily Star. 14 March 2009. 19 January 2011.Hassan Nasrallah on Al-Manar TV, 22 May 2002. qtd. in Wistrich, A Lethal Obsession, p. 774. Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock is used as a rallying point in Hezbollah literature, media, and music for the destruction of Israel and support for Palestine.Wistrich, 774–775
In a 1999 interview, Nasrallah outlined the group's three "minimal demand[s]: an [Israeli] withdrawal from South Lebanon and the Western Bqa' Valley, a withdrawal from the Golan, and the return of the Palestinian refugees". An additional objective is the freeing of prisoners held in Israeli jails,Source states, among other things, that Hezbollah seeks the return of Lebanese prisoners from Israel: some of whom have been imprisoned for eighteen years.Bassam Kantar, Beirut Lebanon (WHOIS search, 4 August 2006) Freedom for Samir Kuntar Accessed 4 August 2006.
Israel's occupation of the Shebaa Farms, along with the presence of Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails, is often used as a pretext and stated as justification for Hezbollah's continued hostilities against Israel even after Israel's verified withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. Hezbollah's spokesperson Hassan Ezzedin, however, said that
On 26 May 2000, after the Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon, Hassan Nassrallah said: "I tell you: this 'Israel' that owns nuclear weapons and the strongest air force in this region is more fragile than a spiderweb."The Best American Magazine Writing 2003 by American Society of Magazine Editors, contributor David Remnick, published by HarperCollins, 2003, , 464 pages, page 88 Arie W. Kruglanski, Moshe Ya'alon, Bruce Hoffman, Efraim Inbar, and YNET interpret the "spider web" theory as the notion, articulated by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, that Israel's reverence for human life, the hedonistic nature of the Israeli society, and its self-indulgent Western values make it weak, soft, and vulnerable. Such a society, though technologically advanced, will crumble under continued war and bloodshed.Israel's National Security: Issues and Challenges Since the Yom Kippur War by Efraim Inbar, published by Routledge, 2008, , 281 pages, Page 229Bruce Hoffman in Homeland Security and Terrorism: Readings and Interpretations by Russell D. Howard, James J. F. Forest, Joanne C. Moore, published by McGraw-Hill Professional, 2006, , 400 pages, page 64 (Chapter 5 "The logic of suicide terrorism")Arie W. Kruglanski in Tangled Roots: Social and Psychological Factors in the Genesis of Terrorism by Jeffrey Ivan Victoroff, NATO Public Diplomacy Division, contributor Jeffrey Ivan Victoroff, published by IOS Press, 2006, , 477 pages, pages 68–69 (Chapter 4, "The psychology of terrorism: "Syndrom" versus "Tool" perspectives")