As the Israeli government rejects the Bayit Ha-Yehudi proposed law to prevent Palestinian terrorists from getting released, a great injustice against Israeli terror victims is set to occur.
The Israeli government has recently rejected the Bayit Ha-Yehudi proposed law to prevent additional Palestinian terrorists from getting released from Israeli prisons in exchange for peace negotiations. This proposed law was rejected just as phase two of the prisoner release agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is about to take effect on Tuesday. As part of this agreement, around 26 Palestinian terrorists will be released, who are said to have committed more serious crimes than the prisoners released in the first phase of the agreements’ implementation.
The release of Palestinian terrorists from Israeli jails should be considered a national tragedy; given the fact that Israel’s pre-Oslo prisoners are imprisoned for either terrorism related charges or other brutal crimes, such as murder. While the pre-Oslo years were a long time ago, the families whose loved ones were murdered by these individuals have not been brought back to life with the passage of time. When an injustice against a human being occurs, the fact that years have passed by does nothing to erase the suffering and pain caused to the victims of these Palestinian terrorists.
The saddest part of this prisoner release agreement is that it is being implemented despite the fact that no progress has been made towards establishing a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Israeli officials had previously stated that additional Palestinian terrorists being released were entirely contingent on progress in the peace negotiations. Now, this claim is being denied by Palestinian Minister of Prisoner Affairs, Issa Karaka, who stressed that Israel agreed to release Palestinian terrorists regardless of whether or not there was progress in the peace negotiations.
Regardless whether the release of Palestinian terrorists was supposed to be contingent on progress in the peace negotiations or not, the signs are apparent to any one willing to listen that freeing Palestinian terrorists has done virtually nothing to establish genuine peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Palestinian Media Watch has reported that PA TV during Ramadan has broadcast an Egyptian cartoon titled The Raids of the Prophet Muhammed, which taught Palestinian children that the devil and the Jews are two sides of the same coin, both conniving to harm the Prophet Muhammed. Earlier this month, Palestinian Media Watch reported that a PA-associated youth magazine published a poem with the theme, “If you love death, then you’re Palestinian.” Another posting from a PA-associated youth magazine portrayed Adolph Hitler in a positive light.
As if the continued incitement were not bad enough, the Palestinian Authority leadership has not made a single concession to Israel. They still refuse to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Claims that Abu Mazen had given up the right of return to western media have been followed by statements emphasizing the contrary in Arabic language media. Furthermore, the Palestinians refuse to recognize the importance of reassuring Israel that their state won’t become a future terror base like Gaza did, by permitting Israel to hold onto key areas that are vital for her security, such as greater Jerusalem, the Ariel block, and the Jordan Valley.
Under no circumstances is it right to free murderers from jail. However, to free Palestinian terrorists without getting any thing in return is beyond absurdity. When 1,000 terrorists were released in the Gilat Shalit prisoner exchange, at least a young man got his life back. With the release of these terrorists, we won’t even get a genuine peace agreement. All we will receive in exchange for the tears of the pre-Oslo era Israeli terror victims is more terrorism and more Israeli citizens in body bags.