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The Lebanon hostage crisis refers to the kidnapping in Lebanon of 96 foreign hostages between 1982 and 1992, when the Lebanese Civil War was "at its height". The hostages were mostly Americans and Western Europeans, but 21 national origins were represented. At least eight hostages died in captivity; some were murdered, while others died from lack of adequate medical attention to illnesses.〔Jaber, Hala. ''Hezbollah: Born with a Vengeance'', New York : Columbia University Press, c1997, p.113〕 Those taking responsibility for the kidnapping used different names, but the testimony of former hostages indicates that almost all the kidnappings were done by a single group of about a dozen men, coming from various clans within the Hezbollah organization.〔''Los Angeles Times'', 26 November 1989; ''Independent'', 9 October 1991; and ''Le Figaro'', 4 December 1989〕 Particularly important in the organization was Imad Mughniyah.〔Wright, Robin, ''Sacred Rage'', 2001, p.270〕 Hezbollah has publicly denied involvement.〔"Talks in Iran Seek to Free Hostages", ''New York Times'', March 17, 1991, p.18〕 The Islamic Republic of Iran is thought to have played a major role in the kidnappings,〔Ranstorp, ''Hizb'allah in Lebanon'', (1997) p.108〕 and may have instigated them.〔(Frontline. Interview. Robert Baer )〕 Syria also had some involvement. The original motive for the hostage-taking is thought to have been to discourage retaliation by the U.S., Syria, or other powers against Hezbollah, which is credited with the killing of 241 Americans and 58 Frenchmen in the Marine barracks and embassy bombings in Beirut.〔''Rise to Globalism'' by Stephen Ambrose, page 312〕〔Explained by PLO's Salah Khalef, in ''Washington Post'', 21 February 1987〕 Other explanations for the kidnappings or the prolonged holding of hostages are Iranian foreign policy interests, including a desire to extract concessions from the Western countries, the hostage takers being strong allies of the Islamic Republic of Iran.〔Ranstorp, ''Hizb'allah'' (1997), p.54〕 The tight security measures taken by the hostage-keepers succeeded in preventing the rescue of all but a handful of hostages,〔Ranstorp, ''Hizb'allah'' (1997) p.147〕 and this along with public pressure from the media and families of the hostages led to a breakdown of the anti-terrorism principle of "no negotiations, no concessions" by American and French officials. In the United States, the Reagan administration negotiated a secret and illegal arms for hostage swap with Iran known as the Iran-Contra Affair. The end of the crisis in 1992 is thought to have been precipitated by the need for Western aid and investment by Syria and Iran following the end of the Iran-Iraq war and the collapse of the Soviet Union, and with promises to Hezbollah that it could remain armed following the end of the Lebanese Civil War and that France and America would not seek revenge against it.〔Ranstorp, ''Hizb'allah in Lebanon'', (1997), p.125〕 ==Background== 25 victims were Americans, 16 were Frenchmen, 12 Britons, 7 Swiss, and 7 West Germans.〔source: Maskit Burgin, `Foreign Hostages in Lebanon` in Ariel Merai and Anat Kurz, International Terrorism in 1987 (Boulder, CO, Westview Press, 1988), p.70〕〔Hala Jaber, a journalist for British newspapers estimates at least 87 foreigners were kidnapped, including 17 Americans, 14 Britons, 15 French, 7 Swiss, and 7 West Germans. (Jaber, Hala. ''Hezbollah : born with a vengeance'', New York: Columbia University Press, c1997, p.113)〕 Among the names the hostage takers used were Islamic Jihad, Organization for the Defense of Free People, Organization for the Oppressed of the Earth and Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lebanon hostage crisis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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