Clicking on banner ads enables JWR to constantly improve
Jewish World Review Feb. 3, 2004/ 11 Shevat 5764

Richard Z. Chesnoff

Richard Z. Chesnoff
JWR's Pundits
World Editorial
Cartoon Showcase

Mallard Fillmore

Michael Barone
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Larry Elder
Don Feder
Suzanne Fields
James Glassman
Paul Greenberg
Bob Greene
Betsy Hart
Nat Hentoff
David Horowitz
Marianne Jennings
Michael Kelly
Mort Kondracke
Ch. Krauthammer
Lawrence Kudlow
Dr. Laura
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Chris Matthews
Michael Medved
MUGGER
Wes Pruden
Sam Schulman
Amity Shlaes
Roger Simon
Tony Snow
Thomas Sowell
Cal Thomas
Jonathan S. Tobin
Ben Wattenberg
George Will
Bruce Williams
Walter Williams
Mort Zuckerman

Consumer Reports


Israel's swap is dumbest deal in a long time

http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
In what may be the dumbest deal in a long time, Israel just sprang more than 400 imprisoned Palestinian and Lebanese terrorists, who returned to heroes' welcomes in Beirut, the West Bank and Gaza. In exchange, Israel got the remains of three murdered soldiers and the live body of a kidnapped Israeli businessman with a dubious past.


How did the Palestinians respond to this rare gesture of Mideast humanity?


On the same day, a Palestinian Authority policeman boarded a Jerusalem bus and blew himself up, murdering 10 Israelis and wounding dozens more.


So why did the normally hard-nosed Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, agree to such a bum deal? It looks like a misguided attempt to boost his popularity, which is sagging in the face of continued Arab terrorism and new charges of corruption against Sharon, his sons and some of the people around them.


If so, it has backfired. Large sectors of the Israeli public are loudly critical of the unbalanced exchange. There is no doubt that for the bereaved parents of the three Israeli soldiers the return of the bodies for burial represents some solace. But that is not enough justification.


As for the Israeli businessman, he is a colonel in the Israeli reserves named Echanan Tannenbaum who was kidnapped by Hezbollah during an illegal business trip to Lebanon. Tannenbaum says he was there seeking information about a still-missing Israeli airman, Rod Arad. Israeli authorities dismiss his story - but who knows? Maybe there are secrets about the exchange we don't know.

Donate to JWR


What is certain is that Hezbollah's success in this deal could make kidnap targets out of Israelis everywhere. Worse yet is the sense that no matter what gestures Israel makes, the Arab response is more terror.


Thursday's suicide bombing was especially vicious. The bomb was packed with nuts and bolts to maximize casualties. Body parts were blown into apartments up to 50 feet away.


Israeli spokesman Jonathan Peled made the point succinctly, even as he tried to justify the swap: "We are releasing another 400 Palestinians with a very heavy heart, because we know that these 400 will return very quickly to the cycle of violence."


You said it, pal.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.



JWR contributor and veteran journalist Richard Z. Chesnoff is a senior correspondent at US News And World Report, a columnist at the NY Daily News and a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for the Defense of Demoracies. A two-time winner of the Overseas Press Club Award and a recipient of the National Press Club Award, he was formerly executive editor of Newsweek International. His latest book, recently updated, is Pack of Thieves: How Hitler & Europe Plundered the Jews and Committed the Greatest Theft in History. (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR. )

Richard Z. Chesnoff Archives

© 2003, N. Y. Daily News