The capture of three IDF soldiers from the Israeli-Lebanese border last Saturday not only raises the danger of a third front for Israel—in addition to the upheaval in the Palestinian territories and the tensions with Israel Arabs inside sovereign Israel—but it offers the United States the first opportunity to test the intentions and capabilities of Syria’s new yet inexperienced president, Bashar al-Asad.

On July 21st 2000, U.S. federal agents arrested 18 alleged supporters of the Lebanese Hizballah. The arrested were suspected of being part of a ring that raised and sent funds and military equipment to Hizballah in Lebanon, through illegal means.
At this point it remains unclear whether the ring was formed as a private initiative of its members or at the behest of the Hizballah leaders. The extent of the organizations’ actions in the U.S. is also still unknown. However, it’s seems likely that either at their own initiative or by direct request, some Islamist groups are exploiting “The Land of Unlimited Opportunity” as a base for gathering support (moral, financial and military), despite the traditional Shi’ite hatred of the West and the U.S.

These comments are made at an historical moment in Israel’s policy in Lebanon. We are now at the end of a fifteen-year chapter, which commenced with the decision of the Government of Israel on 14th January 1985 to withdraw the Israel Defense Forces from Lebanon and to continue supporting the Southern Lebanese Army. This chapter terminated in the early hours of the morning of 24th May 2000, when the last of the Israeli soldiers were removed from Lebanon. This is a good moment in time to point out several characteristics of Israel’s policy in Lebanon from an historian’s viewpoint and to raise a few thoughts on the lessons to be learned from this policy.

Israel’s speedy withdrawal from Lebanon and the collapse of the South Lebanon Army (SLA) is certain to be studied by Hamas, the main Palestinian Islamist organization. To understand what lessons Hamas may draw, it is useful to look at two recent developments: discussion inside Hamas about “Lebanonizing” the Palestinian territories and the early May arrest of Hamas military commander Muhammad Deif by the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement) has recently published a denial of the Jewish Holocaust on its official website. Although Hamas often uses anti-Jewish phrases, this publication marks the first time the organization has officially denied the Holocaust.

Over the past two decades suicide terrorism has become an ever-widening phenomenon. Fifteen different terrorist organizations in twelve different countries resorted to the use of suicide tactics against their enemies. As of February 2000 about 275 suicide incidents occurred