Opinion
Close deal with Hizbullah
Ariela Ringel-Hoffman
Published: 29.05.08, 01:11
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13 Talkbacks for this article
1. Cruelty
Thomas   (05.29.08)
Allowing someone's son to disappear off the face of the earth like this is just plain sadistic to their families. Israel needs to stop allowing Lebanese prisoners visits from the International Red Cross. Let Lebanese families worry about the fate of their loved ones. At least Hamas has given the Israeli government signs of life from their prisoner. I guess it's a difference between Sunni and Shi'a.
2. Did I miss something?
Rozz ,   San Pedro   (05.29.08)
What signs of life has hamas given that Gilad Shalit is still alive? I scour the Internet (Ynet; Haaretz; Jpost etc.) daily but have never read this.
3. Yet again Ariella misses the point
Danny   (05.29.08)
The minute we release kuntar, Hizbollah will turn round and demand more people be released. It will carry out more "divine victory" operations, there will be more lebanon wars, more kidnap victims, more dead, more rocket damage and in the end another group of people who have to "endure daily and exhausting suffering, and now there’s a possibility to ease it". All of that in return for what we KNOW is two coffins. It's time to break the Pavlovian response and say no we won't do a prisoner exchange or to execute the Lebanese prisoners and say to Hizbollah we are willing to do a coffin swap.
4. To #1
EGW ,   vancouver canada   (05.29.08)
There's no indication that ANY of the kidnapped are alive. No one knows exacly when the Shalit photo recording was made. ALSO, no one is taking into consideration that Smadar Haran is not only the sole survivor of her family, but went through the HORRIFIC experience of accidentally smothering her child to death, whilst hiding from those sub-human monsters. How she must feel every singe day??? That terrorst monster must stay locked up until he dies. Kuntar's release would increase Arab terrorist confidence 1000 fold causing many more Jewish deaths, and we can't have THAT.
5. A bad bargain
Joel   (05.29.08)
To say that "no terrorist in an Israeli prison justifies the ongoing suffering of the families" is to invite more torture for the families, as the price for their sons' release gets steadily raised, and more kidnappings in the future. It sounds sensitive, but is in fact indiferent to the plight of the future victims of the released terrorists. Isn't that what experience show us?
6. weak
moshe ,   usa   (05.29.08)
Goldberg and Regv never would have been kidnapped had the state of israel not shown such weakness in prior kidnappings and released so many prisoners. I not even sure if it's halachically permissible in these circumstances. Releasing kuntar the murderer will guarantee future kidnappings.
7. It's a good thing you're not in charge of negotiations.
Raymond in DC ,   Washington, DC USA   (05.29.08)
"Pay any price"? Sure, why not, ask and it's yours. Is that your understanding of negotiations? To ignore the long term or unintended consequences? It's the leadership's responsibility to look out for the interests of the *entire* nation, not one suffering family.
8. Fool! Just encouragement to capture more soldiers.
Bunnie Meyer ,   Santa Monica,CA USA   (05.29.08)
9. Findings of the last war in Lebanon.
Robert Bernier ,   Tel Aviv   (05.29.08)
Following the last war in Lebanon, Israel will have to draw certain major lessons to ensure its long-term strategic survival. What is needed now, immediately and urgently, are thoughtful and coherent guidelines concerning national defense, deterrence, targeting and even preemption (anticipatory self-defense). It is no longer adequate for Israel (more or less capably) to merely stumble from one war to the next without an appropriate “master plan” for direction. Armed with such a framework of expanded conceptual understanding, the Jewish state could quickly begin to deduce pertinent tactics and policy options to match particular situations and crises. In the near-term, of course, the need of both nuclear war avoidance and counter-WMD terrorism. The war against Hizbullah does not concern Israel only.
10. Experience should show its a waste of time!
Jay3 ,   Israel   (05.29.08)
Why release monsters that will just go and hill more ISraeli as soon as they are released? What do we get in return......2 dead bodies for more dead bodies? Experience should show that we should never do deals with terrorists. Experience shows that they respect only force and see appeasement as a weakness! Experience shows that this government makes all the wrong moves!
11. Suffering
Rachel ,   Israel   (05.29.08)
Nassaralla's 19 year-old son was killed in a battle with Israel several years ago, so he is out to make us suffer as much as possible, and to destroy us, of course.
12. Had the army been professional
Felix ,   Israel   (05.29.08)
It would have released the soldiers through a military operation. This will never happen because of the nature of the army. Lacking professionals, unwilling to wisely use manpower, unable to protect civilians at all. When you take the trash of 18 year old idiots who never even learned to read and write, who spent their entire life smoking and wandering in the streets, give them the responsibility of protecting others, do not expect for results other than what you see on a daily basis. The true minds cannot find themselves in the army. It does not know how to use their capabilities right. Have you ever seen how many soldiers sit on one chair and work on the same computer at the recruitment bureau? Off the record, most of them asked to serve in other units where they could come in handy twice as much, but were rejected because of the need for Vitamin P which is crucial for getting into privileged units. And way off topic, does anyone remember why the Lebanon War broke out ? (Rhetoric question)
13. Don't do it
daniel   (05.30.08)
Prisoner swaps have been a disaster.
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