Prisoner Exchange

Reading at http://www.haaretz.com today, it was interesting to note that Israel and the Hezbollah are in the process of reaching an agreement over the two soldiers who were captured by the Hezbollah on Lebanese soil on July 12th 2006. The Israeli press called what happened an "abduction" despite the fact that the soldiers were on Lebanese territority, but whatever we want to call it the reality is that this action gave Olmert the pretext to invade the Lebanon, kill over a thousand Lebanese civilians including women and children, bomb civilian installations and only withdraw when over a hundered IDF soldiers had lost their lives in battle with the Hezbollah. Now, we are being told that a deal is about to be reached. The details of this deal are not yet public. However, it does look as if only some six Lebanese prisoners and no Palestinians will be involved in it. This should allow the opposition in the Knesset to accept it. However, the question has to be asked wasn't this deal possible before over a thousand innocent civilians had to die. The answer is, of course, the captured soldiers was not the real reason why Israel went to war in 2006.
The exchange, it is reported will take place in Germany because Israel is worried that a cross border exchange will culminate in the Hezbollah holding victory celebrations in Southern Lebanon. The Hezbollah, however, will be celebrating for, despite the continuing turmoil in the Lebanon and the sectarian violence that still plagues that small country, the evidence would seem to suggest that they did, indeed, win a war that was started by Israel.