ABSTRACT
On 24 May 2000, some quarter century after Israel became entangled in Lebanon and fifteen years after it declared a “security zone” covering 10 percent of the territory, the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon finally came to an end. Hizballah emerged in the wake of Israel’s all-out invasion of Lebanon in 1982. Throughout the painstaking process of confirming the Israeli withdrawal, Hizballah was at pains to declare its commitment to recovering the last millimeter of Lebanese territory, but it also acknowledged that it would not act hastily to reinitiate violence. Throughout the 1980s, Hizballah’s actions very much reflected the radicalization of the Shi‘i scene under the impact of the Israeli occupation and Iran’s implacable opposition to US policies in Israel and Lebanon. Throughout the 1980s, nothing in Hizballah’s actions or statements hinted at any possibility that the party would adapt to the Lebanese political game, particularly running for election and sitting in the National Assembly.
