The caravans against Hezbollah: The struggle for the rehabilitation of southern Lebanon | Baruch Yedid
Israel and Lebanon are expected to hold another round of talks in Florida, but simultaneously a ground-level move is underway: the Lebanese government is bringing caravans into the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiya in southern Lebanon, in an attempt to bypass Hezbollah's rehabilitation mechanism and win the loyalty of the Shia population. The move is seen as a struggle over the rehabilitation chain and the future of the region.
Israel and Lebanon are expected to hold another round of military-level talks on October 20 in Florida, under American auspices. Meanwhile, a ground-level move is unfolding that may indicate a deeper struggle in southern Lebanon: who will rehabilitate the Shia population, and who will win its loyalty. The village of Zawtar al-Gharbiya has become a pilot village, where the Lebanese government, in coordination with the Council of the South, is bringing caravans into the Shia area whose local council head is a member of the Amal movement. This contrasts with the model used by Hezbollah during the war, through the association "Wa'ta'awunu" and the "Qard al-Hasan" bank. Now the government is trying to bypass the organization's mechanism and operate through civil society organizations. A senior Lebanese official told i24NEWS of a shift in the villages toward greater support for the government. The concern in Hezbollah circles is that the model will expand to additional villages. The move is seen as a test of whether the Lebanese state can replace Hezbollah in providing services and rehabilitation, not only militarily but also socially and economically.