I respectfully and regretfully disagree with Rakefet Ginsberg’s defense of the swap of baby-killer Samir Kuntar for the bodies of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev in the July 18 issue.
My regret comes from compassion, so well expressed by Ginsberg, for the families of the two soldiers. However, this deal was both foolish and immoral:
• The success of Hizbullah in extorting concessions through kidnapping means that more Israelis will be kidnapped.
• As Israel was willing to trade Kuntar for dead bodies, terrorists will have no reason to keep future hostages alive.
• Hamas lost no time in trumpeting that they have every reason to expect Israel to release more murderers to free Gilad Schalit. The release of these terrorists will result in the slaughter of still more Israelis.
• How can the Olmert government now justify the sacrifice of those Israeli soldiers who lost their lives in the Lebanon war, as it is likely they could have had the same deal two years ago without a war?
• Hezbollah (and Hamas) have been strengthened, thanks to Israel’s capitulation, as their murderous tactics have, in the eyes of Arab society, been validated.
I understand the compassion for the Goldwasser and Regev families. But what about the compassion for the families of those who will die as a future result of this deal? What about the damage to Israel’s security?
When confronted with evil, wisdom must trump emotion.
Jim Beer
Fox Point
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