[AFP/Daily Star-Lebanon ] The prisoner swap with Israel boosts the standing of Hizbullah, which vowed to secure the release of all Lebanese detainees through resistance, even at a high cost for Lebanon, analysts say. Hizbullah expert Amal Saad-Ghorayeb said the lesson was that "abduction works. It is effective, and diplomacy is futile." "The deal is undoubtedly a victory for Hizbullah, because it was made according to its conditions, while Israel gained nothing," said Nabil Bou Monsef, a political analyst for the pro-government daily An-Nahar. "It has surely become more powerful," he said. Timur Goksel, former spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, said, "Hizbullah will play the other cards in their hands. They will talk now about the Shebaa Farms and the issue of airspace violations....They will not run out of issues to keep the pot boiling."
2008-07-16 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive