I'd like to point out that Hezbollah is basically the only formal (and by formal, I mean completely legitimate) organization of Lebanon that has done much of anything to stop Israeli aggression in any way. They were legitimate in 1982, and they're legitimate now. I can't say I agree with much of their tactics, but the principle of stopping enemy invaders, to me, is sufficient reason for them exist. They're a "terrorist organization" according to six nations in the UN. When I think of terrorist organizations, I don't think of groups who spend money to build hospitals for their sick and dying, or spend money on schools for their children to learn in. I would call Hezbollah a terrorist organization just as readily as I would say this for IDF.

That said, Israel knows fully well that terrorism is helpful to their relations with the US, and thus their source of military budget. Every time some hapless individual blows himself up in an Israeli civilian area, or some pathetic, inefficient rockets land in Israeli land, Israel is allowed to fuel an overblown media outrage. The tactic works very well. The terrorists do not realize that when you fight someone, you don't attack their fists or feet: you have to strike the heart of the matter. And that means not blowing up two or three people and hoping it'll amount to anything.

So when Israel makes these ridiculous prisoner swaps, understand the clear winner here: it's Israel. The media has been talking about this very heavily, it discusses Israeli atrocities very rarely (especially over deaths ranging from 1-2 people), and in the eyes of most uninformed Americans, Israelis are the persecuted sufferers who are just trying to live their lives uninhered by those evil, filthy Arabs. It's a joke.