In the spring of 1996, Israel’s anger fell upon Lebanon. The human costs of the operation 'The grapes of wrath' clearly highlighted that the Israelo-Lebanese question could not be treated as a by-product of any eventual solution in the Middle East.

Although the State of Lebanon is still unable to clearly define its rights and interests, the eruption of violence from its territory and the devastating counterattacks aimed towards it, give the parties no choice but to take account of Lebanon’s social and economic situation when attempting to find a lasting solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict which in turn would eventually create a stable geo-political situation in the region.

Since the start of the peace process, it is no longer a time to discuss victory or loss. The main objective now should be to create solutions where all parties would come out as winners. By making use of the lessons learned during the conflict, it is now time to determine Lebanon’s place in the region.