Lebanese Author Says New Poll Shows Overwhelming Support For Hezbollah

International crisis talks in Rome have failed to produce a unified call for an end to the fighting in Lebanon, after the US and Britain refused to back a ceasefire. Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon said the diplomatic stalemate gives Israel the authorization to continue attacking Hezbollah until it is no longer present in southern Lebanon.

But many have questioned whether Israel's military actions have in fact strengthened Hezbollah. To discuss the origins of Hezbollah, we're joined from Beirut by Amal Saad-Ghorayeb. She is a professor at the Lebanese American University in Beirut and the author of "Hizbu'llah: Politics and Religion."

And from our D.C. studio we're joined by investigative reporter Robert Dreyfuss. He is the author of "Devil's Game: How the United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam."

* Amal Saad Ghorayeb. Professor at the Lebanese American University in Beirut. She is the author of "Hizbu"llah: Politics and Religion"

* Robert Dreyfuss. Investigative reporter and contributing editor at The Nation, a contributing writer at Mother Jones, and a senior correspondent for The American Prospect. He is the author of "Devil"s Game: How the United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam."

LISTEN ONLINE:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/27/1423248