The lifeless bodies of 2 kidnapped Israeli soldiers, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, unceremoniously traded for 5, very much alive, PLF terrorists, one of whom mercilessly murdered an innocent 4 year old child.
In 1979, Samir Kuntar, a Lebanese teen and member of Abu Abbas's Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF), stormed an apartment building with fellow terrorists in search of Israelis to kill, and made off with Danny Haran and his 4 year old daughter Einat. Shooting and then drowning Danny in the ocean, in front of his little one so it would be the last thing she remembered, Kuntar then proceeded to beat and smash Einat's head against a rock with the butt of his rifle until she was dead. The mother Smadar, her 2 year old daughter Yael and a neighbour were able to hide, but in an effort to keep the terrorists from discovering their hiding place, Smadar inadvertently smothered her child to death. In prison for life, for the murders of Einat, Danny and several others, unrepentant Kuntar now has his freedom, and has even vowed to return to jihad upon his release, which no doubt he will. In a letter to Hezbollah head, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Kuntar wrote"My dear and respectable master and commander, Peace be with you and with our shahids (martyrs). I give you my promise and oath that my only place will be in the fighting front soaked with the sweat of your giving and with the blood of the shahids, the dearest people, and that I will continue your way until we reach a full victory. I send my best wishes and promise of renewed loyalty to you, sir, and to all the Jihad fighters."
And while Israel mourns their 2 fallen heroes, the Palestinians, Hezbollah (which brokered the deal) and others celebrate and salute the 5 living and some 200 dead terrorists as heroes and martyrs. Palestinian Fatah leader, Mahmoud Abbas, sent congratulations and blessings to Kuntar and his family. The Palestinian Authority media has also been awash with praise and congratulatory messages for Kuntar et al and their families.
Excuse me while I wretch.
Regev and Goldwasser were alive when captured in 2006; one would expect, in a civilized world, that they would still be alive, but what should we expect from a people who glorify death more than life and who would love nothing more than to have that region devoid of all Israelis. So while Hezbollah murdered the 2 captured soldiers (so much for the rules of engagement and the Geneva Convention), Kuntar was allowed to marry, although he eventually divorced the woman, and received a degree in social and political science.
Excuse me while I wretch.
And, although I mourn with the families of Goldwasser and Regev, what has this exchange accomplished other than the ability to bury their sons with dignity and respect, if the bodies are even theirs? Sadly, nothing! It simply proves to the Arab world that all they have to do is capture some Israeli soldiers (and civilians next?), and they will have the leverage to broker the release of even more terrorists from Israeli prisons. And it seems to matter not whether the soldiers are alive or dead, so they have nothing to lose if they kill them.
So, now we have 5 more terrorists back on the streets, ready, willing and able to carry on their jihad. This has set a dangerous precedent, that Israel might never recover from.
Rest in peace Eldad and Ehud.
