After being held prisoner for more than five years by Hamas, captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, was released today in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Weeks of tedious negotiations culminated in the exchange of prisoners via an intricate swapping procedure involving multiple countries and at least 11 steps before Shalit makes it home to Israel. While Israel counts this as a win, it’s the Palestinians who’ve made out big time with this deal!
Objection to the release of Palestinian prisoners
Israel has widely reported that their citizenry was overwhelmingly in support of releasing Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit’s release — but of course they would say that, wouldn’t they? In fact, quite a few Israelis are upset about the release of the Palestinians, some of whom are accused of violent attacks on Israelis. They feel that it’s too much of a concession to give up so many “violent” criminals for just one life. From the view of these Israelis, someone ought to pay for the loss of lives and casualties caused by terrorism.
In all fairness, reports suggest that some of the prisoners were held on trumped up, minor charges, thus making their continued captivity unjust. Furthermore, considering Israel’s perpetration of violence upon Palestinian people, it’s understandable how retaliatory strikes seem just in the eyes of Palestinians who want to be left to live peacefully — free from occupation — in the land where their ancestors have lived for hundreds of years.
Nevertheless, it is undeniable that both groups have done horrific things to one another.
Is one life really worth more than 1,000?
Over the past five years, Gilad Shalit became an Israeli icon, inspiring countless demonstrations and appeals for his release. It would have been bad PR, if nothing more, had Israel failed to effectively negotiate the release of one of their own.
Given this, it would make sense that Israel might be willing to surrender multiple Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the life of their “poster child” used to represent their victimization by Hamas and the Palestinians. But one life for over a thousand — what does this say about the way Israel views the value of their lives in comparison to those of Palestinians?
One can only conclude that Israel views the lives of its people as infinitely more valuable than those of Palestinians. The move could be construed as an obvious undermining of Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, by working out such a deal with Hamas leaders instead. But that’s not the juicy part of this plot. Suppose, however, that this move wasn’t about Israeli/Palestinian relations at all…
The Iranian connection and a possible motivation for Israel’s willingness to exchange 1,000 lives for one
To exchange more than 1,000 prisoners for just one life seems preposterous until you view the deal in the context of the climate of Middle Eastern conflict.
First, Iran has already admitted that they are in the process of developing nuclear weapons — which leaves Israel with a huge bullseye and much leverage with their own nukes — once Iran has nukes. Above all else, Israel will act (preemptively if necessary) to maintain its nuclear advantage, which is one of the few things that’s keeping their neighbors from being more aggressive.
Second, Israel needs to give the appearance that they are willing to negotiate reasonably to obtain peace in the region. This will help garner UN support and keep the USA funneling money and other support their way. Saving one soldier and giving up over a thousand Palestinians is a good PR move to that end. It screams, “We care about lives and we really do want peace. We are the responsible ones.” Yeah, right!
Third, we already know that the USA is itching to invade Iran (it wants control of those resources), as evidenced by the recent tough-talk and questionable accusations of an Iranian plot to murder the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S. What better way to approach it than to give a helping hand to “protect” Israel during their preemptive strike on Iran?
In the end, it’s all about the PR and shaping public opinion on what they’re about to do — or at the very least, what they want to do. As Billy Shakespeare once wrote, “All the world’s a stage.”
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Sources:
Palestinians laud Israeli prisoner release
Israeli soldier freed in swap for 1,000 prisoners
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