On July 18, two days before Israel released more than 250 Palestinian prisoners, a senior Israeli Justice Ministry official told the press that about 17 percent of convicted Palestinian terrorists who had been freed by Israel in the past later resumed their terrorist activities (Jerusalem Post, July 18).
On July 20, Israel released 256 Palestinian prisoners in a “confidence-building measure” that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hopes will bolster the position of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Emmy Palmor, head of the Pardons Department, admitted there were security risks associated with the releases, stressing that it was a political decision made by the government.
That political decision, however, will undoubtedly be paid for in Israeli blood. In the past seven years, 179 Israelis have been killed by Palestinians released in previous such deals, according to the Almagor Terror Victims Association.
Though none of the prisoners released in July officially had “blood on their hands,” meaning they were not known to have actually killed any Israelis, Palmor pointed out that they did include prisoners who intended to kill Israelis but failed in their attempt.
It seems the Israeli government considers the hope of a stable Palestinian government a higher priority than the safety of its own citizens—even when past deals with the Palestinians have only resulted in further terrorism.
With no indication anything will be any different this time around—and no corresponding concessions being made by the Palestinians—the recklessness of putting convicted terrorists back on the street should be obvious.
Such unilateral gestures by the Jews demonstrate the futility of Israel’s attempts at peace. The peace process is indeed a deadly wound for Israel.