Negotiations work: checkpoints, security and GILAD SHALIT?
Beneath the media frenzy over Netanyahu’s refusal of a settlement freeze against “natural growth” (barf), there lies an amazing number of productive changes between Israel and her neighbors. IDF forces pulled out of four major West Bank cities and lifted a large number of checkpoints, turning them over to the U.S.-trained Palestinian army. Said Palestinian army is proving its mettle in cracking down on terror cells. In the biggest surprise of all, European sources say Gilad Shalit is about to turned over to Egypt in advance of Israel’s release of imprisoned children, women and Hamas legislators.
The leading stories of Netanyahu’s resistance on most fronts is not doing justice to significant on-the-ground improvements in Palestinian life nor to the near-unimaginable freedom for 3-year Hamas captive Gilad Shalit. It is with begrudging acknowledgment that I note Netanyahu had to approve these measures. Is this a sleight of hand concession from him, wherein he saves face with his coalition by resisting a settlement freeze but delivers Palestinian needs on other fronts?
The magic is reportedly credited to several approaches decried by the right-wing and Bush. The most important is improved U.S. relations with Syria (and Egypt) brought extra pressure to bring Hamas to the negotiating table. A regional approach that deals with all actors together allows gains in one corner to benefit all. To stonewall Syria and punish the Palestinian populace, yet expect results from Hamas failed. It also should be seriously noted that negotiating with Hamas delivered more results than bombing them.
Personally, I am deeply encouraged. I am not letting the official rhetoric from Netanyahu distract from the progress on the big picture. Thank God for Obama, is all I have to say, and expanded diplomacy seems to be bringing in the results we need.
May Gilad come home, may the Palestinian prisoners come home. May we finally be free of this decades-long stalemate.
Kung Fu Jew is a signatory to the “We’ve Got Your Back, Mr. President” pro-peace process campaign. Sign online, on Facebook or Twitter.
I agree with you but you left out probably the most important element in the developing Shalit story and that is former US President Jimmy Carter.
He reportedly addressed the Shalit captivity last year in Syria and again recently.
It very much looks like President Carter was a key catalyst to whatever might be unfolding.
One wonders if there will be any change in the wingnuts thinking about Carter after this latest proof that he works with not only Israel’s best interest at heart but also the United States’.
—Michael Hess · June 26th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
No need to print this but I see the headline is still misspelled.
—Michael Hess · June 26th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
“in advance of Israel’s release of imprisoned children, women and Hamas legislators.”
You should try, even for diplomatic reasons, to mask your utter hatred every once in a while. Of course I don’t even need to point out that the article you posted mentions nothing of the type of prisoners to be released, nor do I need to mention of course your denial than yes, many murderers or aids to murder are in Israeli prisons as well. You statement is actually even worse, not just as bad but actually worse, than those Israelis who say Israeli missles only kill Palestinian terrorists, not civilians. When you often post valuable commentary and information as you have before, why post these lies and propoganda?
—Jason · June 27th, 2009 at 2:46 am
And, just for the sake of the truth, because KFJ for some reason refuses to report what it actually says in the article he posted, I’ll do a favor and post it myself:
“[Hamas's] officials have been consistent in their demands to Israel, through Egyptian mediators, that Cpl Shalit only be exchanged for 1,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons including several who were behind major suicide attacks that killed dozens of Israelis.”
—Jason · June 27th, 2009 at 2:49 am
“several who were behind major suicide attacks” leaves hundreds who werent, amongst those hundreds are women, children and hamas legislators. he’s not being dishonest or hateful, friend. he’s not spreading propaganda. think you’re being a bit harsh on someone who regularly publishes pretty peace-loving, dovey stuff? you make KFJ out to be a Hamasnik in disguise, that’s not fair.
—Justin · June 27th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
you make KFJ out to be a Hamasnik in disguise, that’s not fair
Life isn’t fair. KFJ clearly sets up a false scenario under which Hamas captured Shalit to force Israel to release “Palestinian women and children”. That’s nonsense, and anyone making such ridiculous claims should be called on it, no matter what kind of “peace-loving, dovey stuff” they write.
—Asfur · June 27th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Utter hatred? Quite the contrary really.
First, I think the key word in that sentence is “several” Hamas prisoners who were behind major suicide attacks that killed “dozens” of Israelis. “Several” and “dozens” is not hundreds. I think perspective on both counts is really relevant here.
Second, I find the notable point of this prisoner exchange is that is seems the majority of released prisoners are innocents and political prisoners, not terrorist masterminds. The vast majority of this prisoner swap is totally uncontroversial, and the sensationalism of “oh no, they’re releasing ’several’ Palestinians with blood on their hands” to be nearly inconsequential in the grander picture of restitution of relations between Israel and Hamas.
Hatred, hardly.
—Kung Fu Jew · June 27th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
all i’m asking is that in mentioning the type of prisoners that a) Israel has in its prisons and b) possibly might be apart of a prisoner exchange deal, you mention the fact that these include a varied group INCLUDING murderurs. Not doing so, Justin, is in fact a form of proprganda - falsity by ommmision.
—Jason · June 28th, 2009 at 1:37 am
Political prisoners are always held for “crimes”, but at the end of the day they’re political prisoners, held to be released. Israel has released much worse.
—Amit · June 28th, 2009 at 3:57 am
and I think KFJ’s point is that the number of people under 18, women and hamas legislators FAR exceed the number of murderers. NOT mentioning that is excusing Israel’s crimes which effect many more people than the crimes of the murderers (which are certainly heinous in their own right)
—Justin · June 28th, 2009 at 5:25 am
“NOT mentioning that is excusing Israel’s crimes which effect many more people than the crimes of the murderers (which are certainly heinous in their own right)”
I agree. If I would have been posting here, I would like to think that I would have done so. Which is why I saw that KFJ has is not only a good writer, but is generally comprehensive in his posts. Here, he clearly intentionally left out a key component of some of the types of Palestinian prisoners Israel holds (which I assume he did that because he considers all arrests of Palestinians and their imprisonment in Israel as another tool of the occupation, and therefore, phrased it in such a way to paint a picture of Israeli arrests not targeting terrorists at all, and therefore purely political).
I will say the under 18 stat though is a bit meangingless though. There has been a history of Palestinian violence against Israeli from those under 18. I understand the grouping of minors along with women as not the typical type of people you would expect to see in prison, and there are elements in international law that deal specifically with the incarceration of minors, but I would say it’s important here to look at a lot of these cases and see why they were arrested in the first place. Yes, some are arrested simply for being a member of Hamas, but not all.
—Jason · June 28th, 2009 at 5:43 am
Amit, it’s true that all non-Israeli prisoners Israel has arrested (including from other Arab countries) are by definition political prisoners. However, my personal opinion (though clearly not the goverment’s policy) would be that there should a differentiation between those who were arrested for acts of violence against Israeli civilians which led to death (or where the clear intention was there, i.e. a bomber with a suicide belt arrested before he/she could detonate it), and others who are arrested for various reasons (illegally in Israel, member of a banned group, etc.). While I am against the occupation, and am fully in favor of a diplomatic solution leading to a fully sovereign Palestinian state, I also think Israel should hold the first group of prisoners either for a complete prison sentence (yes, they should have typical trials like all Israelis held in jail, and I’m sorry they don’t), or until a diplomatic final status agreement is in place. All prisoners will of course be released to the Palestinians at that time, even those directly responsible for Israeli deaths.
Regarding whether the first group of prisoners should be freed in prisoner exchange deals, though it’s obviously painful, in the end I am against such deals - 1,000 for 1, or even 100 for 1. And in nor way should prisoners - in either group - be freed as a “gesture” to the Palestinians. I am very much against this policy, and think the idea in itself is illogical.
—Jason · June 28th, 2009 at 5:53 am
Jason, I’m with you: Israel should stop taking prisoners.
—Amit · June 28th, 2009 at 8:12 am
Great!
—Jason · June 28th, 2009 at 8:26 am
It seems like both Hamas and Israel today deny the weekend media reports that any progress has made on a prisoner exchange deal.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1096155.html
—Jason · June 28th, 2009 at 8:29 am
For what it’s worth, I intended to put the terrorist/innocents ratio into perspective, not whitewash terrorists entirely. Thanks for being precise in your criticism, which is a lot better than most of my critics offer. Thanks for reading, and good point.
—Kung Fu Jew · June 29th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Reading through older posts…
Wow, how silly this article is just a week later!
Haaretz has your number, KJF.
—PurpleMan · July 5th, 2009 at 5:23 am
Two important articles:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1106393.html
http://cgis.jpost.com/Blogs/op....._posted_by
—Jonathan1 · August 9th, 2009 at 10:23 pm