Here’s how they did it:
Guerillas from the militant Hezbollah organization kidnapped two Israel Defense Forces soldiers on the Israel-Lebanon border Wednesday morning, in the midst of massive shelling attacks on Israel’s north.
The soldiers were snatched when guerillas attacked two IDF armored Hummer jeeps patrolling along the border with gunfire and explosives. Other soldiers inside the Hummers were wounded.
And here’s what they want:
Immediately after the Hezbollah attack, the organization’s Al-Manar television station began broadcasting clips calling on Israel to release Lebanese prisoners held in Israel in return for the soldiers.
The group in particular emphasized the release of Lebanese militant Samir Kuntar, jailed in Israel since a 1979 attack in the northern town of Nahariyah, in which he entered an apartment and murdered three family members and an Israeli police officer.
Some background on Sami Kuntar:
Around midnight, we were asleep in our apartment when four terrorists, sent by Abu Abbas from Lebanon, landed in a rubber boat on the beach two blocks away. Gunfire and exploding grenades awakened us as the terrorists burst into our building.
Desperately, we sought to hide. Danny helped our neighbor climb into a crawl space above our bedroom; I went in behind her with Yael in my arms. Then, Danny grabbed Einat and was dashing out the front door to take refuge in an underground shelter when the terrorists came crashing into our flat.
They held Danny and Einat while they searched for me and Yael, knowing others lived in the apartment. If Yael cried out, they would find us. So I kept my hand over her mouth, hoping she could breathe. As I lay there, I remembered my mother telling me how she had hidden from the Nazis during the Holocaust.
As police began to arrive, the terrorists took Danny and Einat down to the beach. There, according to eyewitnesses, one of them shot Danny in front of Einat, so that his death would be the last thing she would ever see. Then, he smashed my little girl’s skull in against a rock with his rifle butt. That terrorist was Samir Kuntar.
By the time we were rescued from the crawl space hours later, Yael, too, was dead. In trying to save all our lives, I had smothered her.
This is the monster that they would trade for two good and brave Israeli soldiers.
I don’t think Olmert is stupid enough to make this deal. I don’t think we’ll ever see those kidnapped soldiers, either.
Samir Kuntar should have been put to death. Israel seriously needs to rethink its policy on the death penalty. Today’s terrorists are the new Nazis, and deserve as little mercy.
Update: Hizbullah killed seven soldiers in this sneak attack.
This is why I’m proud to be a Texan.
We put down a Mexican rape-happy killer last month despite Vicente Fox shrieking about it.
We put down a child-raping and murdering dog last night.
If the Supreme Court says the chemicals are painful, we’ll remind the US that we’re one vote away from becoming the Republic of Texas again and we’ll inject MORE of those chemical into the murdering scum who deserve it so much.
Why can’t this guy just fall down a flight of stairs already?
Your aim should be to complete the task that Begin/Sharon attempted way back in 1982.
Obliterate the terrorists in Southern Lebanon.
Link up with Christian forces in the north, and empower them, arm them to the teeth, and completely disarm all muslim elements in the south. Effectively turn Lebanon into a highly armed Christian enclave. But this can’t be done so long as Syria is allowed to work their mischief in Lebanon.
And that means SEIZE the opportunity to reduce Syria’s military pretensions to dust.
Destroy their armoured divisions, destroy their missile batteries, their artillery, their air force, whatever naval capacity they might have. Blow it all up. AND THIS TIME, DON’T ALLOW THEM TO REARM. Every single subsequent military purchase, as soon as it arrives, BLOW IT UP AT THE PORTS, AT THE AIRPORTS, ON THE HIGHWAYS. DON’T LET THEM REARM.
It might not be a bad idea to make a move on Damascus, but instead of actually occupying the city, {ala Beirut} this time simply circle the city. By doing so, you would demonstrate complete military mastery over the enemy. That wouldn’t be without its psychological aspects. You’re dealing with shame based cultures, so such a display of raw, unvarnished power would rattle their entire society. Complete a grand circuit around Syria. Take a tour. Probably wouldn’t take more than a couple of weeks, maybe a month. And aren’t you guys eager to pay off many an old score with the Syrians. You know that the Syrians are behind much of the terror you’ve been experiencing for decades. And all the while, they’ve gotten off without getting hammered.
So seize this opportunity, and thoroughly hammer them.
It’s not like your position in the “international community” could get any worse. They hate you. Their irrational hatred of you should be somewhat liberating. There isn’t any reason to pay attention to what they have to say anymore.
You know what they’re going to say. It’s the same old, same old.
But this tit for tat, raid followed by raid, strike by strike, simply isn’t going to succeed in doing anything other than protracting the conflict. Southern Lebanon has been turned into one vast terror enclave. Clean it out. Syria is the chief lieutenant of Tehran, and thus a prime supporter of terror. So go after them, in strength.
Not to mention, you guys understand that your enemies are seeing this as a way of testing Olmert, of seeing what he’s made of. You can’t let Olmert’s response to be a weak one, to be the usual “targeted response.” He needs to act dangerously, indeed, even recklessly. He needs to demonstrate that their is a loose cannon aspect to his character.
Go after them.
And as always, GOOD LUCK!
Nasrallah demanded Kuntar’s release as part of the last terrorist prisoner swap for three dead Israeli soldiers and Tennenbaum back in January 2004. Sharon, as it turned out, was not stupid enough to make that deal. But for a while it looked like he was prepared to trade Kuntar for information — just information — about Ron Arad’s fate. The information never materialized, so Kuntar is still, thank God, not free. But who knows what Olmert will do now? You’re right, Meryl. Kuntar needs to be put out of freedom’s reach, permanently. One way or another.
If I was as bloodthirsty as they, I would stuff Kuntar’s body full of explosives and then set him off in the middle of the murderous thieves that want him back.