Last year, Israel released 4 Jordanian murderers of Israelis to Jordan. At the time, Israel Matzav observed:
The Olmert – Barak – Livni government is about to turn four Jordanian murderers over to the Jordanian government in return for a promise that the murderers – who have served seventeen years out of a life sentence – will not be considered for a pardon for at least eighteen months.
Well it hasn’t been 18 months, it’s been a little more than a year and the Jordanian government has shown its contempt for Israel by releasing the four early.
Jordan, under public pressure after a recent Hezbollah-Israel prisoner swap deal, on Wednesday freed four inmates handed over by Israel last year to finish their sentences at home, officials said.
Sultan Ajlouni killed Pini Levy 18 years ago now gets to embrace his mother to the cheers of adoring crowds.
Efraim Zuroff wrote about the killing last year:
THAT NIGHT, at approximately 12:10, a terrorist infiltrated our lookout and managed to get to the guard post overlooking the river. He shot Pini with his pistol, grabbed his M-16 and headed for the hut where the rest of us were fast asleep. Luckily Baruch, who was initially shocked by the shooting, came to his senses and ran to the hut to alert us and try and catch the killer.
He caught him in our kitchen, about to open the door to the room where we were sleeping. It would have been dangerous to shoot (the walls were as thin as paper), so he hit him with the butt of his rifle.
Here’s the unforgettable part:
Next day, the IDF’s top brass came to the lookout to investigate the incident. Baruch related what had happened step-by-step. After he finished the story in the kitchen, Gen. Yitzhak Mordechai, at that time head of the Central Command, asked him bluntly: “Lama lo haragtem oto?” (Why didn’t you kill him?) – to which no one gave a clear answer.
The soldiers, of course, were following the Geneva conventions. Ajilouni was disarmed, they could not kill him.
So has the release of the Jordanian murderers led to higher levels of commercial and cultural ties with Jordan? Well no.
But the release of Samir Kuntar led to the release of four Jordanian murders. It was also likely the prelude for releasing more terrorists to Fatah and, eventually, to Hamas. When Israel releases prisoners it builds confidence – that it will release even more.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
