You know the phrase, the carrot and the stick? Well, John Kerry is using nothing but sticks against Israel. He has bullied Netanyahu into agreeing to release over 100 convicted murderers. Why? Because the Palestinians want them out. These people murdered hundreds of Israelis, mostly civilians. Jonathan Tobin makes an excellent point.
As I wrote last week, unlike the mass release of prisoners in order to ransom prisoners like kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, which is defensible, it is hard to justify Netanyahu’s decision from an Israeli point of view. But it should be remembered that as much as Israel could have said no to Kerry, this is an outrageous Palestinian demand that was championed by the United States. That means Americans should pause and wonder whether they would ever give a moment’s consideration to doing what their government is twisting Israel’s arm to do. Would we ever think of releasing any of those convicted and currently serving long jail sentences for involvement in the 9/11 attacks or any other terrorist assault on the United States and its citizens? Not a chance.
No. Imagine releasing the blind Sheik as a “goodwill gesture” to al Qaeda. It simply wouldn’t happen. He’s a terrorist mastermind. Well, so are the people being released, and Kerry and Obama are forcing this down Israel’s throat. And the Shin Bet says it’s a terrible risk.
Shin Bet Director Yoram Cohen expressed reservation regarding the release of 104 security prisoners, stating that “their release will damage security, both in terms of immediate threat to public safety and in terms of an erosion of deterrence.”
And yet, the same man thinks that it will calm the West Bank because Israel and the Palestinians will be sitting down to peace talks. Yeah. He’s going to be eating his words when Mahmoud Abbas finds the flimsiest excuse he can to walk away.
But hey. John Kerry will feel good. Because he tried. And that’s what counts, right? Putting murderers back on the streets? Doesn’t matter to him. It wasn’t his family member who was killed. And he has a security detail.