Notes to the Government of Israel

Note: If you make a deal to swap live killers for dead soldiers, don’t whine. The Israeli Embassy put out the following statement today:

It is morally reprehensible that Samir Kuntar, a vile child-killer, is now being hailed as a hero by Hezbollah. An organization, just like a society, can be judged by whom it chooses to idolize and to hold up as an example for its youth. Hezbollah, an extremist Islamist organization, worships death and destruction, all the while clinging to its goal of destroying Israel.

Note: If you make a deal to swap live killers for dead soldiers, don’t whine. The Israeli Embassy put out the following statement today:

It is morally reprehensible that Samir Kuntar, a vile child-killer, is now being hailed as a hero by Hezbollah. An organization, just like a society, can be judged by whom it chooses to idolize and to hold up as an example for its youth. Hezbollah, an extremist Islamist organization, worships death and destruction, all the while clinging to its goal of destroying Israel.

Note: You negotiated with the death-worshipping Hezbollah to free the vile child-killer “now hailed as a hero.” What did you expect the rest of the death-worshippers to do?

Hezbollah not only poses a danger to Israel, it is also an obstacle to peace and a threat to Lebanon’s stability. Hezbollah, an Iranian-sponsored terrorist organization, is dedicated to the destruction of Israel through violence and terrorism. Its extremist Islamic ideology rejects all peace talks and threatens the security of any pragmatic Arab party that seeks a negotiated settlement with Israel. While based in Lebanon and claiming to represent its interests, Hizbullah is oblivious to the aspirations of the Lebanese population. It should be recalled that it was Hezbollah’s unprovoked abduction of the two Israeli reservists, along with its simultaneous bombardment of northern Israel that sparked the Second Lebanon War, to the detriment of millions of Israelis and Lebanese citizens alike.

Note: How very nice of you to express concern about Lebanese stability, but Israel’s negotiations with a non-state terrorist actor through a third party (Germany) undermined the Beirut government “to the detriment of millions of Israelis and Lebanese citizens alike.” Hezbollah’s stock in Lebanon declined precipitously in the immediate aftermath of the 2006 war, but the return of Samir Kuntar as a hero is a signal that even Israel believes that real power in Lebanon resides with Hezbollah. Even Israel and especially Israel.

Note: Like Lebanon, Israel has a sovereignty problem in its south. A very-much-alive Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, was abducted from inside Israel, and Israelis face continuing shelling from Gaza. Your deal with Hezbollah surely increased the confidence of Hamas, that other increasingly “Iranian-sponsored terrorist organization with an extremist Islamic ideology (that) rejects all peace talks and threatens the security of any pragmatic Arab party…”

Hezbollah persists in defying the international community… The international community must act with determination to remove this manifest threat to the civilians of both Israel and Lebanon.

Note: Hamas “persists in defying the international community” as well, denying Gilad Shalit the protections of the Geneva Convention that must, by law, be accorded to prisoners in uniform. Hamas has less reason to care today than it had yesterday.

It is important to note that the deal to return IDF soldiers doesn’t legitimize Hezbollah. Israel’s decision to return its soldiers should not be interpreted as indicating any change in Israel’s policy towards this Iranian-sponsored terrorist organization. The international community must continue to recognize the danger posed by Hezbollah and its extremist cohorts to the stability of the Middle East and should redouble its support of the pragmatic elements in the region, who seek to make peace through dialogue and compromise.

Note: Clearly, the Government of Israel has previously traded large numbers of terrorist prisoners to meet its own requirements. In this case, Israel negotiated with “death-worshippers” and traded a vile-but-live human being for the comfort of families being able to bury their dead – and the importance of comfort and closure to the families should not be underestimated. So maybe it was a hard call; that’s why you’re the government. But why should the “international community” treat Hezbollah any differently than you did? Why should the “international community” “redouble its support of the pragmatic elements in the region” if you deal directly with the guys with the most firepower? Who can be – who should be – stronger than you in withstanding organizations whose raison d’etre is your destruction?

Final note: Doesn’t the fact that Hezbollah got the far, far better end of this ugly deal actually make Hezbollah the “pragmatic element” here?