(New York Times) David Makovsky, Washington Institute for Near East Policy: Israel and Hamas are trying to broker a deal that would end the 3 1/2-year captivity of Gilad Shalit, reportedly in return for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. In Israel, the politicians and the military want to show that Israel will leave no stone unturned to ensure that any soldier is returned home. However, the Israel Security Agency believes that if many Palestinian prisoners are released, this is bound to increase the number of terror threats. Moreover, it will enable Hamas to claim that they too will not leave a stone unturned until those who perpetrate violence are released, and by doing so gain new recruits. Ronen Bergman, senior political and military analyst for Yediot Ahronot: The Israeli public awaits Gilad Shalit. But Prime Minister Netanyahu knows that Israel cannot afford to be humiliated in a deal in which Hamas extracts the release of terrorists and murderers. As a result of the exchange, Hamas will soon be celebrating in the streets of Gaza the release from jail of hundreds of its members. Hamas will claim that it brought Israel to its knees. Steven Simon, adjunct senior fellow in Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations: Since 1983, Israel has agreed to at least seven such swaps. From an Israeli perspective, the kind of reputation that keeps terrorists from drawing dangerous conclusions from these unequal swaps is ensured not by rigid adherence to cliches about rewarding terrorism, but through a demonstrated ability to act ruthlessly against terrorists themselves. Israel's program of targeted killing, penetration of Palestinian networks through extensive use of informants and communications intercepts, a fierce military response to Hamas rocket launching in Gaza, and the construction of a security barrier that impedes Palestinian access to Israeli territory have combined to reduce terrorism despite the occasional trade in prisoners.
2009-11-25 08:19:20Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive