History of Swap Deals Between Hizbullah and "Israel"
Source: Al-Manar TV, 16-07-2008
At a rally marking the Muslim Hijri New Year, which was held at the Sayyed Al-Shuhada mosque in Beirut's southern suburb, Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said, "With resistance... as I promised in the past, we will go from victory to victory, and it will come with the help of intelligence, blood and will."
Indeed, "Operation Al-Redwan" is the latest victory achieved by the Hizbullah resistance movement and is one of the fulfilled promises that were made by the leader of the resistance, Sayyed Nasrallah.
"Operation Al-Redwan" is not the first distinctive swap deal between ‘Israel' and Hizbullah. One of the most significant and historic exchange deals took place in 2004.
On January 29, 2004, two planes left Cologne, Germany, after the swap deal - one touching down in Beirut to be received by an enthusiastic official and popular gathering, while the other landing in Tel Aviv, amid feelings of frustration and humiliation.
On that day, Hizbullah handed the German mediator the bodies of three ‘Israeli' occupation soldiers killed in an operation in 2000 and a former intelligence officer named Elhanan Tenenbaum.
In its turn, ‘Israel' released dozens of Lebanese, Palestinian, Arab and European detainees from 'Israeli' jails, including Sheikh Abdul Karim Obeid, Abu Ali Mustapha Dirani, Anwar Yassine, Stephan Smyrek, a German, held in ‘Israel' in charges of collaborating with Hizbullah and others. ‘Israel' also released the bodies of 59 Lebanese resistance martyrs.
In Lebanon, then President Emile Lahoud, Sayyed Nasrallah, then Prime Minister Rafik Hariri (assassinated in February, 2005), Speaker Nabih Berri and others embraced the freed detainees in a red carpet welcome as a Lebanese army band played patriotic music at the airport.
In Beirut, the former ‘Israeli' intelligence officer moved across the tarmac toward the aircraft headed for Germany, saying "My name is Elhanan Tenenbaum, and I am an ‘Israeli' citizen."
Tenenbaum declined to discuss the circumstances of his capture in 2000 but spoke about how
he was treated in captivity. "Very good, very good. Thank you. I was treated very well by the Hizbullah," he said.
Samir Kintar, whom ‘Israel' released in this year's Redwan Operation was supposed to be among those released in 2004, but ‘Israel' changed its mind to pressure Hizbullah to give information about ‘Israeli' airman Ron Arad.
Sayyed Nasrallah said that the ‘Israeli' enemy had committed a stupid mistake that will force it in the future to hand over Kintar and others.
On July 12, 2006, Hizbullah captured two ‘Israeli' soldiers in "Operation Sincere Promise" near the border with occupied Palestine.
"Fulfilling its pledge to liberate the prisoners and detainees, the Islamic Resistance... captured two ‘Israeli' soldiers at the border with occupied Palestine," the Hizbullah statement said.
‘Israel' launched its futile war against Lebanon with the announced objective to free the two soldiers. Sayyed Nasrallah told the ‘Israelis' through the media that nothing can return the soldiers except for indirect negotiations and a swap deal. His eminence's pledge was fulfilled as all his previous vows.
HIZBULLAH MAKES ‘GOOD WILL' GESTURE SWAP WITH "ISRAEL"
On October 15, 2007, ‘Israel' and Hizbullah completed a limited prisoners exchange. ‘Israel' had transferred two bodies of Islamic resistance martyrs who fell in the 2006 ‘Israeli' aggression against Lebanon and Lebanese detainee identified as Hassan Naim Aqil. In return Hizbullah handed the body of a drowned ‘Israeli' settler who was swept to Lebanese shore from Haifa.
U.N. and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) officials conducted the exchange at the Naqura crossing.
In a statement, Hizbullah said that the exchange came as a humanitarian good will gesture between both sides. "Hizbullah hopes that such good intentions would make the longed for progress to end all pending issues related to prisoners and detainees, God willing," Hizbullah's statement added.
NISR RELEASED IN FRAMEWORK OF OPERATION AL-REDWAN
Moreover, Lebanese detainee Nassim Nisr was released on June 1st, 2008 from the Nitzan (Ramle) Prison in Ramallah, in the framework of a swap deal between Hizbullah and ‘Israel'.
Hizbullah senior official, Hajj Wafiq Safa, announced that Hizbullah has handed the ICRC some body parts of Israeli soldiers who were killed in Lebanon during the 2006 aggression. Safa refused to give further details "for the safety and secrecy of the ongoing swap negotiation."
Meanwhile, the ICRC representative who escorted Nisr into Lebanon thanked Hizbullah "for the gesture the party made today" adding that it was a very important move.
The ‘Israeli' withdrawal in 2000 from most Lebanese territories, the 2004 swap deal, the "Divine Victory" in 2006, "Operation Al-Redwan" in 2008 and God willing, more victories to come through resistance till the occupied Shebaa Farms, Kafarshouba hill and the Seven Towns and every inch of our land is liberated by the spirit of self -sacrifice.
"We will not leave. We will stay in our land, in our villages and in our cities, even if our homes are destroyed... we will not tolerate the ‘Israeli' scheme...The resistance is ready to make a victory for Lebanon that will change the face of this region," Sayyed Nasrallah vowed.
At a rally marking the Muslim Hijri New Year, which was held at the Sayyed Al-Shuhada mosque in Beirut's southern suburb, Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said, "With resistance... as I promised in the past, we will go from victory to victory, and it will come with the help of intelligence, blood and will."
Indeed, "Operation Al-Redwan" is the latest victory achieved by the Hizbullah resistance movement and is one of the fulfilled promises that were made by the leader of the resistance, Sayyed Nasrallah.
"Operation Al-Redwan" is not the first distinctive swap deal between ‘Israel' and Hizbullah. One of the most significant and historic exchange deals took place in 2004.
On January 29, 2004, two planes left Cologne, Germany, after the swap deal - one touching down in Beirut to be received by an enthusiastic official and popular gathering, while the other landing in Tel Aviv, amid feelings of frustration and humiliation.
On that day, Hizbullah handed the German mediator the bodies of three ‘Israeli' occupation soldiers killed in an operation in 2000 and a former intelligence officer named Elhanan Tenenbaum.
In its turn, ‘Israel' released dozens of Lebanese, Palestinian, Arab and European detainees from 'Israeli' jails, including Sheikh Abdul Karim Obeid, Abu Ali Mustapha Dirani, Anwar Yassine, Stephan Smyrek, a German, held in ‘Israel' in charges of collaborating with Hizbullah and others. ‘Israel' also released the bodies of 59 Lebanese resistance martyrs.
In Lebanon, then President Emile Lahoud, Sayyed Nasrallah, then Prime Minister Rafik Hariri (assassinated in February, 2005), Speaker Nabih Berri and others embraced the freed detainees in a red carpet welcome as a Lebanese army band played patriotic music at the airport.
In Beirut, the former ‘Israeli' intelligence officer moved across the tarmac toward the aircraft headed for Germany, saying "My name is Elhanan Tenenbaum, and I am an ‘Israeli' citizen."
Tenenbaum declined to discuss the circumstances of his capture in 2000 but spoke about how
he was treated in captivity. "Very good, very good. Thank you. I was treated very well by the Hizbullah," he said.
Samir Kintar, whom ‘Israel' released in this year's Redwan Operation was supposed to be among those released in 2004, but ‘Israel' changed its mind to pressure Hizbullah to give information about ‘Israeli' airman Ron Arad.
Sayyed Nasrallah said that the ‘Israeli' enemy had committed a stupid mistake that will force it in the future to hand over Kintar and others.
On July 12, 2006, Hizbullah captured two ‘Israeli' soldiers in "Operation Sincere Promise" near the border with occupied Palestine.
"Fulfilling its pledge to liberate the prisoners and detainees, the Islamic Resistance... captured two ‘Israeli' soldiers at the border with occupied Palestine," the Hizbullah statement said.
‘Israel' launched its futile war against Lebanon with the announced objective to free the two soldiers. Sayyed Nasrallah told the ‘Israelis' through the media that nothing can return the soldiers except for indirect negotiations and a swap deal. His eminence's pledge was fulfilled as all his previous vows.
HIZBULLAH MAKES ‘GOOD WILL' GESTURE SWAP WITH "ISRAEL"
On October 15, 2007, ‘Israel' and Hizbullah completed a limited prisoners exchange. ‘Israel' had transferred two bodies of Islamic resistance martyrs who fell in the 2006 ‘Israeli' aggression against Lebanon and Lebanese detainee identified as Hassan Naim Aqil. In return Hizbullah handed the body of a drowned ‘Israeli' settler who was swept to Lebanese shore from Haifa.
U.N. and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) officials conducted the exchange at the Naqura crossing.
In a statement, Hizbullah said that the exchange came as a humanitarian good will gesture between both sides. "Hizbullah hopes that such good intentions would make the longed for progress to end all pending issues related to prisoners and detainees, God willing," Hizbullah's statement added.
NISR RELEASED IN FRAMEWORK OF OPERATION AL-REDWAN
Moreover, Lebanese detainee Nassim Nisr was released on June 1st, 2008 from the Nitzan (Ramle) Prison in Ramallah, in the framework of a swap deal between Hizbullah and ‘Israel'.
Hizbullah senior official, Hajj Wafiq Safa, announced that Hizbullah has handed the ICRC some body parts of Israeli soldiers who were killed in Lebanon during the 2006 aggression. Safa refused to give further details "for the safety and secrecy of the ongoing swap negotiation."
Meanwhile, the ICRC representative who escorted Nisr into Lebanon thanked Hizbullah "for the gesture the party made today" adding that it was a very important move.
The ‘Israeli' withdrawal in 2000 from most Lebanese territories, the 2004 swap deal, the "Divine Victory" in 2006, "Operation Al-Redwan" in 2008 and God willing, more victories to come through resistance till the occupied Shebaa Farms, Kafarshouba hill and the Seven Towns and every inch of our land is liberated by the spirit of self -sacrifice.
"We will not leave. We will stay in our land, in our villages and in our cities, even if our homes are destroyed... we will not tolerate the ‘Israeli' scheme...The resistance is ready to make a victory for Lebanon that will change the face of this region," Sayyed Nasrallah vowed.
