We need to pass a law prohibiting the exchange of murderers or anyone convicted of a violent crime for kidnapped Israelis, soldier or civilian, alive or dead. Gilad Shalit needs to be the last such exchange that is made. We used to have a firm rule against any negotiations with terrorists and any such “exchanges.” Such exchanges only encourage the kidnapping of more Israelis. There is little incentive for kidnapping when nothing will be won by doing so.
We should see no more such scenes as Abbas congratulating a man who ruthlessly and coldbloodedly took a father and his four year old daughter from their home and shot the father to death before the child’s eyes, later saying he wanted the last thing she saw to be the horror of her father’s death. And then he repeatedly bashed her head in with the butt of his rifle until she was dead. A four year old child. We should see no more such scenes. We should see no more such scenes as the celebrations for this murderer taking part in parts of Lebanon. [My thanks and respect go out to the thousands of Lebanese who protested Kuntar's release on the Lebanese-initiated facebook group decrying him as a murderer and a mark of shame. These people have shown that there is indeed human decency in Lebanon and not in small numbers].
Gilad Shalit should be the last soldier or civilian over whose return we negotiate with terrorists for.
Make Gilad Shalit the last.
Hello Yael,
I hope you are well.
To exchange two Israeli dead bodies for 4 murderers, one of them Kuntar who killed a mother and her children is the summum of this CRAZY Olmert and company (Barak, Livni, you name it!)!!
Hezbollah today knows that they can kill any Israeli prisoners and still get an exchange for Arab prisoners who are alive!!
All Lebanon celebrates and scorns the pain of the families of the two dead Israeli soldiers.
This farce is the product of Kadimah and Labour!! I hope you vote for anybody you want next but not for members of these two parties!!
[...] Gila’s Big Adventure Treppenwitz, Expat Egghead, Not a Fish, Simply Jews, Aliyah! Step-by-Step: Making a Life in Israel, Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. Luke 6:28 [...]
When I heard of this exchange, I thought why would any of this even be considered without Gilad’s release being the #1 requirement of the deal.
Mac — the deal to release Kuntar was with Hezbollah which kidnapped Israeli soldiers Eldad Regev and Udi Goldwasser (and killed them, it now turns out, as we’ve gotten them back in coffins) thus sparking the Second Lebanon War. Hamas kidnapped Shalit and negotiations over his fate are ongoing. Since they are two different terrorist organizations in two different regions (though linked via funding from Iran) the two cases are necessarily being dealt with separately.
Got it. I wasn’t aware of that. Best of luck with his return!
To say it short and clear: If terrorist murderers would be executed, as they should be, they could never be released later.
The blood of all the people these released terrorists will kill in the next months is on Olmert’s hands.
Yael, how right you are about never releasing the Kuntars of the world.
Sadly, we are stuck with Olmert & company, and we can see the results.
I agree with John. Kuntar should have been executed long ago.
[...] “We need to pass a law prohibiting the exchange of murderers or anyone convicted of a violent crime for kidnapped Israelis, soldier or civilian, alive or dead. Gilad Shalit needs to be the last such exchange that is made,” writes Israeli blogger Yael. Posted by Amira Al Hussaini Share This [...]
[...] “We need to pass a law prohibiting the exchange of murderers or anyone convicted of a violent crime for kidnapped Israelis, soldier or civilian, alive or dead. Gilad Shalit needs to be the last such exchange that is made,” writes Israeli blogger Yael. Posted by Amira Al Hussaini Share This [...]
[...] “We need to pass a law prohibiting the exchange of murderers or anyone convicted of a violent crime for kidnapped Israelis, soldier or civilian, alive or dead. Gilad Shalit needs to be the last such exchange that is made,” writes Israeli blogger Yael. Posted by Amira Al Hussaini Share This [...]
If we outlaw all negotiations with terrorists then what should Israel do the next time a soldier is kidnapped? Soldiers don’t volunteer to serve, they’re sent by the government. If something happens to them in the line of duty doesn’t the government have an obligation to try to get them back? If we rule out negotiations how else can the kidnapped be freed?
Your suggestion seems motivated by your desire to deny Israel’s enemies the satisfaction of another lopsided exchange but it won’t help save a captive Israeli soldier. In the late 1980s, many Israelis were still so upset by the lopsided Jibril exchange of 3 IDF soldiers for 1,150 terrorists that they refused to consider any such deal for Ron Arad.