Al Jazeera English - IMPERIUM - In the shadow of Hezbollah: "The prisoner exchange between Hezbollah and Israel, the last in a series of similar exchanges over the last two decades, could signal the end of a volatile era and the beginning of a new more stable one in Lebanon and in the region.
Israel's three decades of occupation of Lebanese territories - beginning with the 1978 and later 1982 invasions and the 2006 war - have been met with bitter Lebanese and Palestinian resistance.
The Israeli military’s humiliating unilateral withdrawal from most of the Lebanese lands in 2000 and its poor performance in the 2006 war have allowed Hezbollah to declare victory and celebrate the return of its last prisoner from Israeli captivity.
For many in Lebanon and the region, this represents a strategic and moral victory for Hezbollah and a vindication of its position since it captured the Israeli soldiers in July 2006.
Though the capture led to the outbreak of full-scale hostilities, many in Lebanon and the region say the war could have been avoided by a straight-forward prisoners swap from the very beginning.
This 'victory' also came in the wake of the establishment of a national unity government. These two elements have contributed to positioning Hezbollah’s victory as de-facto relief for the who"
Israel's three decades of occupation of Lebanese territories - beginning with the 1978 and later 1982 invasions and the 2006 war - have been met with bitter Lebanese and Palestinian resistance.
The Israeli military’s humiliating unilateral withdrawal from most of the Lebanese lands in 2000 and its poor performance in the 2006 war have allowed Hezbollah to declare victory and celebrate the return of its last prisoner from Israeli captivity.
For many in Lebanon and the region, this represents a strategic and moral victory for Hezbollah and a vindication of its position since it captured the Israeli soldiers in July 2006.
Though the capture led to the outbreak of full-scale hostilities, many in Lebanon and the region say the war could have been avoided by a straight-forward prisoners swap from the very beginning.
This 'victory' also came in the wake of the establishment of a national unity government. These two elements have contributed to positioning Hezbollah’s victory as de-facto relief for the who"
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