A strong statement of support for Hizbullah issued by the head of Lebanon’s leading Christian political bloc should portend diplomatic distress with the United States and other Western nations. Michel Aoun (pictured), head of the Free Patriotic Movement, told radio interviewers on Sunday that Hizbullah is key to Lebanon surviving against Israel. Referring to the terrorist group that controls 21 of 30 cabinet seats in the new government, Aoun said that Lebanon “cannot survive as a country without this resisting strength or without the support of the resistance.” Saying that Israel is an “aggressive state that only wants to expand and control,” he argued that Lebanon’s future is tied to “the permanence of the resistance.” U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 requires the disarming of all non-governmental militias and Hizbullah’s arsenal and fighting force is a key issue of disagreement between the new government and the opposition parties. But with its overwhelming influence in the government, Hizbullah has effectively blocked any discussion of its disarmament. The U.S. is prohibited by law from supporting a government that includes an entity on the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations, as is Hizbullah. Yet, the White House and most members of Congress have not yet dealt with the issue as applied to Lebanon even though lawmakers from both parties have said the U.S. cannot support a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas which, like Hizbullah, is also on the terrorist list.