Comments on: Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev RIP

By: Meryl Yourish

Meryl Yourish — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:42:44 +0000

Without taking sides in this argument, I will point out that a Ynet poll found that 61% of the Israeli public wanted the trade, even if the soldiers were dead.

By: SnoopyTheGoon

SnoopyTheGoon — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:23:56 +0000

Ben-David: this reasoning has not escaped me, as you can find in this post. Not that I find it compelling in this specific case.

But when you say “There is an equal number of us Israelis…” – are you sure you are right?

In other words, are you sure that you are not using this sad exchange story as an additional reason to throw more mud at Olmert and his pathetic government? Are you sure that at this stage this is what has to be done, no matter what the reason is?

Ask yourself what any other Israeli government would do in this situation.

By: Ben-David

Ben-David — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:19:22 +0000

There are an equal number of us Israelis who see this deal as endangering us – encouraging our enemies to capture Israeli soldiers.

It also teaches our enemies that keeping a captured Israeli soldier alive is not worth the effort – the same concessions can be wrung out of the Zionists for dead bodies.

Many, many of the people who serve in the IDF do not view this deal as a confirmation of the unwritten pact between Israel and its citizen army. Instead, they see it as the craven act of a weak government, egged on by a sensationalist Israeli press corps that let the families of the missing set the terms of the public discourse.

By: Michael Lonie

Michael Lonie — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:18:32 +0000

It will be worth it only if there is a total change of direction by Israel to strike her enemies, and strike hard. There must be no compunction about killing as many Hamas and Hezbullah swine as possible. I speak here of the political and chattering classes, I assume the soldiers have no such compunctions.

Israel should also introduce the death penalty for terrorists who commit murder. Try them by military tribunal, they are prisoners of war, a war the Muslims are fighting against Israel. They have committed war crimes, murdering civilians (the question is intent, did they intend to kill a civilian, and if it was accidental they escape such a penalty). If they escape that charge hold them as unlawful POWs, for their mode of fighting violates the Laws and Customs of Land Warfare.

There is precedent for prisoner exchanges between adversaries in wartime, although that is generally done with civilized foes, not ones like the Palestinian Arabs. One-for-one, living prisoners. If they want to give back only bodies, give them bodies in exchange.

But note well, the Arabs murder their Jewish prisoners. More war crimes. Israel should be blazoning this fact to the world.

Tougher and nastier. This war will not end until the Arabs and Iranians are sick of being killed. When the thought of what will happen when they attack Israel sickens them, then they will make peace, not before.