The logic of legitimizing Hezbollah by comparing it to the Irish Republican Army was aptly debunked by Professor Oded Haklai in the Ottawa Citizen:
As the Canadian government rejected offhand the idea that Hezbollah should be removed from the terrorists list, it is worthwhile to examine the validity of the claims made by the opposition MPs. After all, like the IRA and Sinn Fein, Hezbollah has a political wing and a military wing. If the British government had not negotiated with the political wing, it is likely that the conflict in Northern Ireland would have continued.
And yet, there is a qualitative difference between the two cases that makes the comparison weak. The IRA was resisting the authority of the British government. It was fighting against “British occupation of Northern Ireland,” so to speak. Its objective was to liberate Northern Ireland, not to destroy a neighbouring country.
Hezbollah is not resisting any foreign occupation of Lebanon, since Israel withdrew from Lebanon to the international border more than six years ago. If anything, this organization is allied with foreign elements (Syria and Iran) who meddle in internal Lebanese affairs.
See also Why Hamas Is Not Sinn Fein.
UPDATE Dec. 26, 2006: Hamas and IRA officials recently met. See Memri Blog for details.
