Overview

In the context of the 2005 attack that killed Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, the 2006 war with Israel, the 2008 internal armed conflict in Lebanon, the Syrian civil war and the current war in Gaza, this book studies the legal status of Hezbollah as a State or a non-State actor. There are important consequences to this distinction, ones that relate to international law, the qualification of an armed conflict and combatants as well as Lebanon's responsibilities toward the international community for complicity in the wrongdoings of a State (Iran) and a non-State actor (Hezbollah). After exploring Hezbollah's history and domestic law, the book argues that Lebanon legalised Hezbollah as an armed group and political party, and while Hezbollah acts at times as the State of Lebanon, it cannot be considered a State and subject of international law as it lacks State elements. As an alternative, Mireille Rebeiz proposes to adopt the theory of quasi-State, where a failed State co-exists with a non-State actor and shares its sovereignty. Following the 7th October attacks and the ongoing conflict with Israel, the question of the legal status of Hezbollah remains valid today.

Full Product Details

Author:   Mireille Rebeiz (Associate Professor, Dickinson College)
Publisher:   Edinburgh University Press
Imprint:   Edinburgh University Press
ISBN:  

9781399555722

ISBN 10:   1399555723
Pages:   264
Publication Date:   31 December 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Abbreviations Transliteration 1. General Introduction Rationale Research Questions Theoretical Frame The Structure of this Study Methodology & Challenges Sources Scope and Limits Part I. Hezbollah in Domestic Laws Introduction to Part I 2. The History of Lebanon and the Rise of Hezbollah A History of the Lebanese Civil War Hezbollah’s Birth 3. Hezbollah’s Legal Classification in Domestic Law The 1909 Law on Associations The Taif Agreement, the 1991 General Amnesty Law and Hezbollah Conclusion to Part I Part II. The Statehood of Hezbollah in International Law Introduction to Part II 4. What is a State? Origins of Statehood: The Westphalian Definition Statehood as an Entity with Personality State Recognition: Effectiveness versus Recognition Theories State and Non-State Actor 5. Hezbollah: A State Actor in Times of Peace and War? Hezbollah and the Lebanese State After 1992 Hezbollah in Armed Conflict Conclusion to Part II Part III. Hezbollah: A Non-State Actor Introduction to Part III 6. General Comments on Non-State Actors The Growing Role of Non-State Actors Non-State Actors and the Use of Force 7. What Kind of Non-State Actor is Hezbollah? Hezbollah: A National Liberation Movement or Insurgents? Hezbollah: A Terrorist Non-State Actor 8. State and Non-State Actors’ Responsibility General Definition of Complicity Forms of Complicity State Complicity in the Wrong-Doing of a Non-State Actor State Complicity in the Wrong-Doing of Another State Actor Conclusion to Part III 9. General Conclusion Notes Works Cited Index

Reviews

This book [is a] welcome addition to the literature on Lebanon and Hezbollah. The areas the author explores are under-researched with numerous gaps and superficialities. The author’s theoretical and legal insights are especially noteworthy. -- James Breckenridge, Jomini Group This is a timely and critical work! Through an in-depth legal analysis, it reveals Hezbollah’s ambiguous status and explores the complexities of its responsibility and that of Lebanon and Iran under international law. It is a unique work that links history, politics, and law, posing bold questions on sovereignty and accountability. -- Hilmi M. Zawati, Centre for International Accountability and Justice

This book [is a] welcome addition to the literature on Lebanon and Hezbollah. The areas the author explores are under-researched with numerous gaps and superficialities. The author’s theoretical and legal insights are especially noteworthy. -- James Breckenridge, Jomini Group

Author Information

Mireille Rebeiz is the Chair of Middle East Studies and Associate Professor of Middle East Studies, Francophone Studies & Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Dickinson College (USA). She is also Adjunct Professor of Law at Penn State Dickinson Law. She received her first Doctorate (PhD) in Francophone Studies from Florida State University and her second doctorate (SJD) in International Law from Penn State Dickinson Law. She also holds a Master’s Degree in International Law and Human Rights from Université de Rouen in France, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from Saint-Joseph University in Lebanon. Her teaching and research are interdisciplinary and focus on the intersectionality of law, gender, sexuality, oral history, and trauma in the context of armed conflicts with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa. Her research interests include international law, terrorism, State and non-State actors, and memory laws. She has written and successfully published monographs, several peer-reviewed essays, and editorials in national and international presses. Her first book Gendering Civil War. Francophone Women’s Writing in Lebanon (EUP, 2022) earned her the AAUW American Fellowship and was nominated for the John Leonard Prize.

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