Families of 3 abducted soldiers: ministers made brave decision

[Gimel]

(This exchange would release 400 Palestinian prisoners. Although the cabinet approved the swap the deal may fall through.)

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon succeeded Sunday in
securing a cabinet majority to support the
proposed prisoner exchange with the Lebanese-based
militant Hezbollah organization.

Of the 23 members of the cabinet, 12 voted in favor of
the deal, which aims to secure the return of
businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum and the bodies of
Israeli soldiers Benny Avraham, Adi Avitan and Omar
Suwad, who were kidnapped from near the Israel-Lebanon
border in October 2000. Israel is expected to
free 20 Lebanese prisoners and some 400 Palestinians
in exchange.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/358425.html


Update: 21:01 Family of Lebanese prisoner Samir Kuntar calls on Hezbollah not to release Israeli prisoner Elhanan Tannenbaum (DPA)

[Aidoneus]

1. Nasru'llah might not accept it yet

In recent statements Sheikh Sayyid Hassan Nasru'llah was quite clear that all Lebanese prisoners are to be part of the deal, or there isn't a deal. All the same, a bit surprised Sharon was able to get it passed--he has taken a popularity dive as of late. The hypocrisy surrounding some of the discussion is remarkable.

[drdon326]

2. I'll bite....

and what hypocrisy would that be?

[Aidoneus]

6. short version?

The opponents of the deal suggest that it'll just encourage more kidnappings, and that's just evil and wrong.

The hypocrisy I referred to is that Israel has long used the tactic of kidnapping as a bargaining tool, yet bark so loudly when it's them getting a fraction of it from the other direction. In this context alone, Mustafa Dirani & Sheikh `Abd al-Qarim al-Obeid were both criminally abducted for use as bargaining material.

The implication is that it is only wrong sometimes and condition on those involved:--the most typical of hypocritical behaviors.

[Aidoneus]

15. no response/defense/rebuttal/sneer?

good thing I didn't waste time writing out the long version, for that would've been the 10th of the last 15 long posts I've written out to just be ignored.

[SweetheartLikeYou]

4. But why?

If they are getting 420 live people in exchange for 3 dead bodies and 1 live person, why would the Sheikh not want to make the deal?

[Aidoneus]

8. a matter of principle, I would assume

repeating myself on this, but in his recent statements on the matter Nasrallah is very clear and specific in stating that all Lebanese hostages held by Israel are to be a part of this exchange or there wouldn't be one.

Personally I think he would be wise to accept what is offered and recently approved, quietly taking aside al-Quntar's family and tell them that something may be worked out later. Even minus the Druze hostage, Nasrallah will come out of this looking good, and there are a great many other Arab hostages held by Israel (for which the various Arab regimes have as yet tried and failed to have returned to them) that will still be freed. In addition, if Sharon takes a further dive from the failure of this exchange, such an opportunity may not again be possible through open channels.

[Muddleoftheroad]

9. Not a prayer

I would make this trade. But I would blow the crap out of the perps who did this. You can't bargain with terrorits.

[Bucky]

3. Whatever happened to "don't negotiate"?

I feel badly for that businessman, but that's over 400 people Sharon is letting go of. Dang.

[SweetheartLikeYou]

5. Yes, that's really what I was getting at.

This just seems insane!

[Aidoneus]

7. has there been any list of the Palestinian hostages to be released?

Some time back there was talk--from either Nasrallah or speculation in the Israeli press, I forget which--that Marwan Barghouti would be added to the exchange, but I haven't heard anything of that lately. Has there been any discussion in the Israeli internal media about whether he is or not?

[Gimel]

12. Marwan Barghouti

You are thinking of the prisoner release during the first Hudna last summer. That was unilateral, not a deal. It was a good-will measure, although Hamas demanded Barghouti's release. Not negotiable. Similar to Samir, Barghouti has "blood on his hands".

[Aidoneus]

14. no, I'm thinking of this Hizbu'llah exchange

The "hudna" talks were something else. Plenty of Israeli leaders have "blood on their hands" too, can somebody please kidnap them too and throw away the key?

At one brief point in media speculation about this exchange with Hizbu'llah Barghouti was mentioned as perhaps being added to it, but then it was no longer talked about and I was wondering if it was still even being considered (except the Israelis specifying that the Lebanese Druze Quntar would not be a part of this, no lists or specific names of Palestinian hostages being freed have been publically released).

[Aidoneus]

10. Swap Deal in Peril as Israel Threatens to Kidnap Nasrallah

Swap Deal in Peril as Israel Threatens to Kidnap Nasrallah

The prisoners swap brokered between Hizbullah and Israel by Germany was shrouded in gloom Monday as Israel threatened to stage a massive hostage-taking campaign against Lebanon that could include the abduction of Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Tel Aviv newspapers said Monday morning the mood of Ariel Sharon's cabinet is one of wresting the abduction initiative from Hizbullah by kidnapping scores of Lebanese notables, including high-ranking Party of God leaders, if Nasrallah rejects the last-minute terms the Israeli cabinet has added to the swap deal.

--snip--

Tel Aviv newspapers also played up a report Monday that Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz had, when he was army chief of staff, drawn a carefully thoughtout plan for the abduction of Nasrallah from his headquarters in south Beirut, but that the government at the time refused to go along with the military establishment.

The resurrection of Nasrallah's abduction report is seen by Israeli media analysts as a psychological gimmick designed to terrorize Nasrallah into taking Israel's new stance on the swap deal into careful consideration and avert a reckless reaction. They are convinced that Israel would never be able to grab the heavily guarded Nasrallah.

Yet Mofaz went on state-run TV on Monday to assert that Nasrallah's abduction was now a "renewed option for Israel."

--snip--

http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/Newsdesk.nsf/Story/70BE792B3A32D62CC2256DDA003210FA?OpenDocument&PRINT

[Muddleoftheroad]

11. Then don't bother grabbing him

Just treat him the way all terrorists should be treated.

[bemildred]

13. Heh.

Always with the threats. No subtlety whatever. I suppose their tit is in a wringer,
having approved it, if the Sheik backs out, it looks really "unfortunate." Reminds me
of some of the clowns we have in the State Dept. these days.

"The resurrection of Nasrallah's abduction report is seen by Israeli media analysts as a
psychological gimmick designed to terrorize Nasrallah into taking Israel's new
stance on the swap deal into careful consideration and avert a reckless reaction.
They are convinced that Israel would never be able to grab the heavily guarded Nasrallah."

"Yet Mofaz went on state-run TV on Monday to assert that Nasrallah's abduction was now
a "renewed option for Israel."