Hezbollah is a page that Kuwait wanted to fold in history, but the seizure and confiscation of an arsenal of weapons in Kuwait last week by citizens who admitted to belonging to Hezbollah in Lebanon was a very awkward incident, both to people in power and many of the businessmen, politicians and even some activists here. Timing is certainly bad, and speculations behind the objectives of this cell were endless. It was a slap on the Kuwaiti cheek by citizens raising alarm toward the subject of dual loyalty!

When the Ministry of Interior (MOI) published the seized weapons, public opinion was clearly split. Some have denounced and condemned the act pointing an explicit accusation at Iran, their parties and agents and on those involved citizens of dual loyalty for they had collected arms for a very subversive reason against their own homeland. Some have tried to justify the act and even defend the Lebanese Hezbollah. Others claimed that it was an attempt to involve Lebanese Hezbollah without evidence! Also, I will not be surprised to witness a denial made by the arrested citizens and expats for any involvement with Hezbollah or others.

I think this is a very thorny issue for Kuwait for several reasons. I tracked down a lot of statements and activities of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Kuwait since the eighties and it can only be described as suspicious in front of the tolerant and decent Kuwaiti position! But the arrest on the cell here has fuelled the opinion over the affiliation to Hezbollah. I believe it was not a surprise at all for the simple reason we had many people who have been cheering and clapping for Hassan Nasrallah as a hero for a long time.

On the other hand, Hezbollah has a direct link to Iran and Syria as the role played inside Lebanon is indeed influential in the forty policy in the entire Middle East and we should not be so naive to imagine that Hezbollah is just a Lebanese party like many others.

I believe that the repercussions of this issue are worth worrying. The past is justified based on the present, as they say. This large quantity of weapons, which was said to be enough to equip an army was not prepared for nothing. That is impossible. I think investigations on such cases should never be closed.

Kuwait is a small country and has a strategic location and depth under the tense regional condition, so it is but natural any political party attempt to sketch out a blueprint for the future. But the question remains is how to deal with the situation without prejudice to the Kuwaiti government relations with Lebanon Association?

I think that the imperative thing here is not in the mere arrest of citizens who hide weapons, but how to put an end to the intervention of the pro-Iranian political parties in the Gulf states whether in Kuwait or other states and those who support them, whether citizens or expatriates and limit the power and resources of these cells and their members at home and abroad to impair everyone regardless of their influence and positions, and this is not an easy task at all.

In Kuwait, I believe "Law must be like death that does not exclude one." -Montesquieu