ISRAEL—The Israeli government has approved an agreement with Hezbollah this week, in which Israel will release live prisoners, in exchange for two abducted Israeli soldiers, whose medical condition remains unknown, and Israeli intelligence service estimates that they are surly to be dead.
The two Israeli soldiers, Eldad Regev and Udi Goldwasser, were abducted in summer 2006 by Hezbollah, in one of the moves which triggered the second Lebanon War. Since their abduction Hezbollah refused to give information about their situation, and it remains unknown weather they are dead or alive.
The current deal touches Israeli society's most sensitive issues. On one hand, one of the top values of Israel is to do whatever possible in order to get its soldiers back home, dead or alive. Since a war is a high possibility in that region, each soldier has to know that his state will do its best to get him back home in case he's captured.
On the other hand, Israel's surrendering to a terrorist organization's request while exchanging live prisoners, some of whom are charged with murder or terrorist crimes, For very possibly dead bodies, can reinforce a terrorist organization to use this method of abducting soldiers in order to get terrorist prisoners released, without caring about keeping them alive.
Ron Ben-Ishai, a veteran Israeli military analyst, told The Epoch Times that this agreement could affect the destiny of Gilad Shalit, the soldier who was abducted by Hamas the same year. "Hamas sees that in exchange for bodies you can get not only terrorists with blood on their hands, but live ones, and it will understand that keeping Gilad Shalit alive and well are not a must," he explains.
Ben-Ishai also thinks that this agreement provides Hezbollah with a big "mental victory" among the Lebanese and its own people, which will allow it to grow stronger.
Agreement Popular, but Price Is High
Former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Yeelon was recently quote saying that the price of the deal is too high. "In certain cases, the price of the deal is more heavy than losing the captured soldier, and in some cases a sacrifice should be made," he said.
The new chief of staff, Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi spoke in the meeting of the ministers in support of the deal, saying that he is "the commander of all the soldiers … the dead ones and the ones who are alive. I have to look in the eyes of the soldiers and promise them that we will do anything to get them back."
Many have praised the government's decision to approve the agreement as a move that will bring an end to the consistent suffering of the abducted soldiers' families, and will show the Israelis and the world that Israel will do anything to bring its soldiers back home.
Twenty-two ministers have voted for the agreement, and only three have voted against it. Israel's Prime Minister himself has been hesitating for a long time after meeting with security officials as well as the abducted soldiers' families, and has announced his decision only at the time of the meeting when the voting took place.
According to the outline of the agreement, Israel will release Samir Kuntar, who killed four people including civilian father and his 4 years old daughter in 1979, and was imprisoned in Israel since. Kuntar's release is regarded by Hezbollah as a huge achievement, and preparations for celebrating his release as well as posters with his face can already be seen in Lebanon.
Israeli foreign minister Tsipi Livni said in an event calling to the release of the abducted soldiers in April that the three soldiers have been abducted by Hezbollah and Hamas on Israel's territory, and that the terrorist organizations do not allow the Red Cross to see them. She also said that it is inhumane to keep their families in uncertainty regarding their situation.
Feeds