It is an unjust system, but more so to certain groups than other. The analogy that is best would be loaded dice.

Only in Israel would a member from a disbanded terrorist group, Hagai Segai, get his own column (lets show his true colors) The other thing is that Ami Popper has been frequently allowed out on furloughs for holidays, conjugal visits and his treatment could hardly be described as onerous. It would shame me as an Israeli if we released a calculating and cowardly murderer like him just for "davka" which is what Hagai Segai wants. I'm not happy that we released murderers but Shalit's life is worth it; what do we get out of releasing men like Popper other than more shame?!? These Right-Wing Fanatics will be the death of this country!

Many, possibly most, Israelis will be behind the release of Jewish freedom fighters. Boycott serving the IDF until these prisoners are released.

I agree with the auther 100%

jews convicted of terror elements should definitely be freed. Unfortunatley the courts, who are the least to defend the state in actual combat bends over backwards, the bleeding hearts that they are for justice and victims as hundered of israelis are killed since olso. The courts and their representatives in law olmert, livni, bar-on, ramon are among the most gutless and least able to defend the state. and lawyers have hamstrung the idf in fighting terror in their undue fears of the hague in having officers seek permission for cleaning their noses.

At first, I expected this to be a sarcastic, rhetorical comment... but it the author is serious. I don't follow the logic. Palestinian terrorists are an external threat but, according to Shabak, a manageable one. Jewish extremists are an internal threat and, ultimately, much more of a threat to civil order in Israel.

this day find you Barak comparing arabs malicious and calculative plotting of terrorism to jewish "price-tag" angry terror victims' familiies' "whose actions a momentary lapse". "Barak said that groups of settlers carrying out self-defined "price tag" attacks against Palestinians "operate almost like terrorist organizations." quoted one of the newspaper. this day find you Leftists rule the Legal System and found IDF Commander guilty of defending himself against deadly riots during UN bids. Legal systems only hawk to the Rightists, but chicken to wolves like hamas! what hope has Israel!

and now the Egyptians. If you want to free anyone from the Israeli Jail, just kidnap an Israeli. and we agree to live with this nonsense, You wonder who will be next. What's the answer anybody???

the rest of the terrorist that haven't been freed yet should not be. Israel should change the deal before it's done.

Why should 12 Jews sit in jail after hundreds of Arab terrorists have been released? The problem is that the Judicial system in Israel is controlled by secular leftits who hate G-d, hate Jews, and wish they had never been born Jewish.

The reasoning behind this article is beyond me. One would think that a country wants to keep as many of their criminals as possible behind bars until their sentence is served- not only to protect society from further harm, but also to achieve justice. The arab prisoners were released because it was, unfortunately, the only way to achieve the goal of getting Shalit home. I don't see how releasing even more criminals would benefit society. And i cetrainly don't see why i shoud "believe" the author when he says "that there is no danger that the freed Jewish inmates would ever take up arms again". Is he a clearvoyant?

Justice cannot be one-sided. One should take into consideration that the Jewish "terrorism" (while a very rare phenomenon) is only a reaction to the Arab terror and to the incapability of the government to curb it.

the one constant in the Arab Middle East is Islam. The Caliphate is being born and will unite under Sharia law. The pipe dreams of the West about democracy evolving out of the Arab spring will be proven naive. Thus, the sliver of land called Israel will be in the middle of a raging ocean of hate. Time is very short.

hamass must send back as many freed prisoners as fatah demands... 1027 is it...Substitutions are not allowed but for good olde envelope man and his "one way gesture" buddy, maybe release some of the slobs, the sick, the lame, the lazy...Trade??Sure why not???It's a gesture...hamass will understand and offer over their released people" Idiots!

There is a pattern of self destructive lunacy which permeates many Israeli policies. One can cite many examples such as allowing unlimited illegal Arab construction in Judea and Samaria while severely restricting Jewish building. Freeing murderous Arab terrorists rather than executing them. And on and on. The author draws attention to the ludicrous fact that Arab terrorists are freed while Jewish (for the most part) patriots rot in jail year after year. It is an absolutely irrational state of affairs.

It is intolerable that terrorists with blood on their hands go free to kill again and Jews are held in prison that would be model citizens when released.

Also we need to free Yigal Amir

Hagai - do you think that any of us want these convicted criminals living among us? Are you going to guarantee that these guys stay on the straight and narrow?

I fully agree. Let them go free.

Why stop at Jews who have murdered Arabs? Open up and let out Jews who have murdered Jews! Open up and let out Jews who murdered other goyim! Open up and let out Jews who murdered and harmed little children! Open up and let out Jews who have murdered people with their cars! In other words lets do follow Mr. Segal logic to its most illogical ends! Every murderer gets a free pass! And then we'll get to see what kind of Op-Ed piece Mr. Segal will write.

Irrespective of the swap, Israel has got to maintain law and order, warts and all.

You missed the point of the article: the court is no longer independent, but just another corrupt organization. The court has allowed itself to become a joke. At great expense, lawyers are paid to argue, police are paid to provide evidence, and judges paid to put on an air of seriousness. Then they issue a sentence. If you are an Arab, you won't serve your sentence because of extortion by an Arab country or organization. If you are a Jew, you will sit because you don't have a violent infrastructure. Is this justice? Or is it racism? and what happens if Israel goes the way of Mexico, where violent criminal gangs demand the release of their members. Would you support that? Amongst other problems, thanks to the "prisoner releases" pioneered by Rabin, and continued by Sharon, Olmerd, and now Netanyahu the Israel justice system is a sad and not very funny joke