Think the world is going to pat Israel on the head for releasing 104 murderers as a “confidence-building” measure? Think again. Look at the headline on the AFP story about Israeli reaction to letting 104 convicted murderers go free.
Israel press bemoans price of talks resumption
Gee. Why would the Israeli media focus on the fact that convicted murderers are going to be freed as the price for the Palestinians to sit down and talk with Israel? Note that the Palestinians are making NO concessions. And yet, the AFP slams Israelis for objecting to watching murderers of men, women, and children go free, to be greeted with celebrations by their fellow Palestinians. The murderers are being released in stages to prevent the Palestinians from breaking off talks for spurious reasons after they get what they want.
The idea behind the gradual release, according to Israeli officials, is to ensure that the Palestinians uphold their commitments during the initial nine months of negotiations not to take unilateral actions during this period against Israel in the UN or at other international forums, and not to immediately walk away from the negotiating table.
Yeah, the Palestinians surely want peace if Israel has to force them to stay at the table. Not that Kerry cares about that aspect of things. He wants himself and Obama in the history books as the people who engineered a Palestinian state. Fat chance, Lurch.
That’s not what the AFP thinks is important, though. This is:
As Israeli and Palestinian negotiators headed to Washington for the resumption of peace talks on Monday, most Israeli newspapers hit out at the decision to free 104 prisoners in return.
“The murderers will go free,” was the top-selling daily Yediot Aharonot’s front-page headline after the cabinet agreed to release the veteran Palestinian and Israeli Arab prisoners, many of them convicted militants.
There is no reason for this prisoner release. The Palestinians and the Obama Administration have absolutely won the day this time. Even Barry Rubin can’t find a reason behind releasing 104 murderers. Netanyahu has capitulated to Obama administration pressure. And remember, nearly 90% of American Jews, you voted for this. When the Palestinians find their flimsy excuse to leave the table, and no peace process is at hand, and they start attacking Israelis even more often, well, remember that you’ve heard this song before. It sucked in the 70s, the 80s, the 90s, the 00s, and it sucks now.
But hey, it makes Obama think he’s doing something important in the Middle East. Syria is burning, Al Qaeda is on the move again, and Egypt is undergoing yet another upheaval–but look, the Palestinians are going to sit down and pretend to try to make peace with Israel. Kabuki theater. That’s what this Administration is all about.