Lebanese detainee's release

Beirut: A unique mix of longing and pride appears in Bassam Qantar's eyes when he talks about his brother whom he has never seen. He was just one year old when his eldest brother, Samir, was captured by Israelis in 1979, to become the longest held Lebanese detainee in the Jewish state.

But that will change very soon, he said.

Today, Samir's family is "certain" they will see him here very soon.

"The moment we learned of Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers [on July 12], our hopes shot to the sky. We knew Samir will be with us very soon," Bassam said as he sat in the lobby of a downtown Beirut hotel.

"And following [Tuesday's] statement of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, I became certain this year is the year Samir will see the light of freedom."

Samir Qantar is one of the three Lebanese held by Israelis; the other two are Nesim Nisr and Yahia Skaf. On July 12, Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid, to secure a deal to release the Lebanese prisoners.

The raid triggered the 33-day Israeli war on Lebanon. Hezbollah expects a United Nations mediator to visit Lebanon next week to try to negotiate a prisoners exchange.

Nasrallah told the Doha-based Al Jazeera channel that no deal would be possible without the release of Samir. "You ask me will there be a deal without Samir, I say no," he said. "Absolutely not".

Samir was captured on April 22, 1979, during an attack on northern Israel by a Palestinian group in which three Israelis were killed.

He was supposed to be released in a prisoner swap in 2004, but Israel refused at the last minute saying Samir's release will only be possible if Hezbollah provides information on Israeli airman Ron Arad, whose plane was shot down in Lebanon in 1986.

"This time Israel will be forced to include Samir in the deal because they know without him there will be no deal," said Bassam Qantar. He said the family was assured by the leadership of Hezbollah. "Samir will be included in any deal to trade the two Israeli soldiers", who are believed to be still alive, with the Lebanese detainees.

"The two soldiers will not go back to Israel unless Samir is released," he said with confidence.

He said the potential deal may also be Samir's last shot at freedom because the fallout of the war has "made it very difficult for the resistance to attempt another operation to capture Israeli soldiers.

"The Israeli government also needs this chance to appease the public opinion and cool off the rage of the soldiers' families who were told the war was waged to secure the release of their sons."

He said the family has no information about the negotiation efforts. "But we are not worried because we know Hezbollah is very keen to secure the freedom of the detainees. We trust them."

He said the group is "the only people" who are interested in the cause of Samir and other detainees.

"The government sometimes talks about the issue. But we know it is just a lip service. Even international bodies and resolutions could not do anything to solve this humanitarian issue. The world today is interested in the case only because it involves two Israeli soldiers. Hezbollah managed to force an international attention."

Bassam described as "nonsense" the talk among some Lebanese that Samir was the cause of the war, in which more than 15,000 homes and businesses were destroyed.

"Even the Israeli public opinion states that the war was waged to end Hezbollah as a resistance movement. It is unfortunate that some Lebanese think all this destruction happened because of Samir.

"As a family, we don't feel guilty. We know Israel had planned this war and has nothing to do with Samir.

"I have a gut feeling we will see Samir soon. The family misses him but we are so proud of him. He is a real freedom fighter who believed strongly in the Arab cause."

"This time Israel will be forced to include Samir in the deal because they know without him there will be no deal."

Fact file

Samir Qantar was born in 1962. He was captured in 1979, when he was just 17.

He is the eldest of four brothers and four sisters. His father died in 1986 of a heart attack. "Until his last moments in life, he was dreaming of seeing Samir again," said Bassam Qantar, his brother.

According to Bassam, Samir endured "brutal torture" by his Israeli jailers in the first five years of his detention.

He is now being held in Hadarim prison, near the central Israeli town of Natanya.

A few years ago, he managed to finish his university studies by correspondence. He graduated with a BA in humanities.

He sends letters to his family regularly through the Red Cross. "But we only got to hear his voice [on the phone] a handful of times all these years. Nevertheless, he is following all family details as if he lives with us here," says Bassam.