# 237 – Prisoner Release

August 14, 2013

Phenomenon: I am almost at a loss for words. (One particular LfI recipient will have a wry smile. They visited here recently, and suggested I condense my epistles. Too many words…).

I don’t think I’ve ever been more disappointed in Israel’s leaders. I do not understand the prisoner release.

• The Palestinians have given NOTHING in advance.

• We are releasing 104 proven criminals/terrorists. (You wanna call them freedom fighters? So be it. Still blood  on their hands and they’re in our prisons, under our laws). 

• Some Jewish protesters have been demanding the release of Jewish prisoners, jailed for killing Arabs. Nobody’s thought of that…and it can be argued that there’s less chance of the freed Jews repeating their crimes than the freed Arabs.

• Why blacken the windows of the bus transporting them? Let everyone see them, including the families of those killed by them. (Trivia: One Palestinian was 16 when he was an accomplice in a killing. He has served 20 of 22 years. His mother said he will meet over 60 new family members when he gets home today…That’s some population explosion…)

Just read an article in this morning’s Jerusalem Post. With apologies to those who feel I write too much – strongly advise them to skip the next paragraph or two – I have to perform some plagiarism. Authors: Morton Klein is Nat’l Pres. of ZOA, Zionist Organisation of America. Dr. Daniel Mandel is director of ZPA’s Centre for Middle East Policy. I quote:

• It makes a mockery of justice

• Inflicts pain on families of the victims – when murderers walk free

• Boosts standings of terrorist groups and encourages kidnapping of Israelis for the purpose of extorting the release of further terrorists

• Demoralises Israeli counter-terrorism personnel, who risk life and limb to capture these murderers

• Erodes Israeli deterrence to vanishing point when the most bloodthirsty murderers know they are likely to be freed early

• Above all, it results in the subsequent murder of additional Israelis by terrorists freed under such deals.

Examples:

• Studies have shown that in the 5 years prior to April 2007, 177 Israelis who died in terror attacks had been killed by terrorist released from Israeli jails.

• Another report showed that between 1993 and 1999, the number was 123.

• Former Mossad chief, Meir Dagan has observed that the terrorists released in the 2004 Elhanan Tannenbaum prisoner exchange deal caused the deaths of 231 Israelis.

In agreeing to this morally unjust, tactically unwise, strategically harmful, militarily hazardous and life-endangering unilateral concession, we see the profound and purposeless erosion of Israeli will.

I could/should just copy the whole article, but this all usually goes in one ear of world opinion (have you noticed the similarity of Kerry and Obama’s ears?) and out the other.

I/we Israelis do not understand what is going on. Netanyahu is going back on just about every promise he’s ever made – or word he’s written.

And where are the coalition partners?? If ever there were ever an opportunity to totally destroy the already much-weakened ruling party, this is it.

They (Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennet) caused a sensation with their gains in the last election. After weeks of negotiations, they reluctantly joined the coalition ‘for the sake of the country’. We had so much faith in their plans. Within months, they are losing our respect for them.

This is more than just politics – and this is not just ’emotional’.

This is WRONG!

And instead of support from world opinion, we are going to get the usual knee-shivering reaction to the extension of housing in areas where now 500,000 Israelis live, and which some claim is illegal. Most people know that the Palestinians should accept the fantastic deal offered to them by the only country in the Middle East that gives them a fair chance of a decent life.

(This letter completed in Istanbul transit lounge. Little do those people over there – and over there – know what antagonistic words I am writing….)

Stephen