Lack of red lines led to Passover eve murder
Op-ed: Murder of police officer by prisoner released in Shalit deal shows that a prime minister incapable of handling public pressure will find himself extorted time and again.
At the start of the meeting, Noam Shalit pointed his finger at me and said to his son: "You see that man? For five years he made every effort to prevent your release from Hamas captivity. He wrote against the deal."
I did not respond to those harsh words. We are not entitled to argue with parents whose son disappeared from their lives one day under tragic circumstances, and we must show complete understanding to the tireless effort they invest in an attempt to bring back their loved one.
But when these things reach the leader's desk, the prime minister, we are allowed to expect that his discretion will not be influenced by parents and different kinds of lobbies.
Netanyahu couldn't handle the public opinion pressure, despite warnings he heard from senior defense establishment officials, that a wholesale release of more than 1,000 murderers whose hands are filled with blood would encourage abductions of Israelis as a proven means for a further release of prisoners sentenced to life.
Therefore, no one should be surprised by the terrible murder of police officer Baruch Mizrahi on the eve of Passover.
Netanyahu's predecessors refused to accept the demands made by Hamas, which prepared a list of the biggest murderers, including some who would undoubtedly go back to foster a new generation of terrorists.
The risk in the release of terrorists in exchange for Gilad Shalit lied not only in their number but also in their skills. Netanyahu basically showed Hamas and the Palestinian resistance organizations the outline for releasing prisoners in the future: Kidnapping youth, soldiers and citizens and a surrender which will lead to another deal.
Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen received a baked deal several months after taking office. His predecessor, Yuval Diskin, strongly objected to the release of 125 prisoners from the Hamas list. The Shin Bet managed to get Hamas to agree that those prisoners would be deported to Gaza.
Now the Israeli government must deal with the result of its unfortunate decision. Those released in the Shalit deal are once again playing a key role in planning the next battle against Israel from Gaza and the West Bank.
What happened on Passover eve proves that a prime minister with no red lines will find himself extorted time and again. The declarations made by party leaders, who promise us that murderers will not be released in the future, are meaningless.
As long as the prime minister is incapable of handling the public pressure, and as long as he continues to avoid negotiations with the Palestinians on an agreement – even if the Knesset completes the law aimed at preventing the president from pardoning prisoners who murdered Israelis, it will have no effect on Netanyahu.
