The program “What's Next?” on Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV recently featured the first interview (accessible here) with the recently released Samir Quntar. In the interview, Quntar symbolically wears a Hezbollah-styled uniform with a Lebanese flag arm patch. He speaks about the kidnapping operation he took part in, as well as the military achievements of Hezbollah's resistance. A surprise appearance by the mother and brother of one of Quntar's prison mates is also included in the interview via satellite from Gaza.
Overall, I’d say the presentation of Quntar's persona and narrative in this program is representative of how the notion of Arab ‘resistance’ has evolved over the decades as multifaceted concept. At the time of his capture in the 1970's Quntar was representative of the garden variety resistance fighter of that time; a Lebanese Druze who took up arms on behalf of the Palestinian cause by joining the Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) organization. In fact, he is described by the presenter as being Lebanese by birth, Palestinian in mind and spirit, Arab in association, and a believer in the path of resistance since the age of 15.
This notion of Palestinian-led Arab resistance has given way today to Hezbollah's own ‘resistance’; one that fluctuates between having a Lebanese, Islamist, and Arab face. So perhaps it's appropot that Quntar was released as a result of Hezbollah's efforts as today's vanguard of ‘resistance’ in the Arab world. Now, as a de facto spokesperson for the organization, he may even be seen as representing Hezbollah's ever-evolving political goals and interests.
However, one then might ask how long can Hezbollah ride the resistance wave afforded by the Palestinian issue? Would the eventual release of more prisoners and a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal jeopardize it's ability to regionalize its influence?
