Israel Hayom..
24 December '13..
Beyond the shame and severe immorality involved in releasing Palestinian terrorists from prison; and beyond the bitter pill that a country -- which has just narrowly escaped another bus bombing disaster -- must swallow, is the agonizing and undeniable fact: Released terrorists go back to terrorist activity all the time.
The fact that Israel, despite being aware of this fact, continues to free terrorists is reminiscent of a worn-out British joke about a rejoicing blind man who yells, "I can see," and then proceeds to bang his head against a wall. It has been proven time and again: Once a terrorist, always a terrorist. This may not be the case with everyone, but it is the case with about half of the 13,000 or so prisoners released by Israel since 1985.
Despite this figure, under pressure from the United States and against the warnings from the intelligence community about the central role released terrorists play in inflaming the situation on the ground (through either hot or cold terrorism), we, just like the blind man in the joke, continue to bang our heads against the wall and lie to ourselves that we can see.
The latest facts were provided by Amos Harel in Ha'aretz last Friday, when he revealed that Hamas' military wing in the West Bank is remotely controlled by a group of terrorists released as part of the Gilad Schalit prisoner exchange. They were serving long-term sentences for murdering Israelis and were exiled to the Gaza Strip. The Shin Bet, it appears, has foiled in the past two years no less than 80 planned terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria, all originating with this group of released prisoners.
This revelation is not surprising. Hamas' three most famous leaders, who each left a trail of blood and fire in their wake, had previously sat in Israeli prisons: Ahmed Yassin, who was released in the Jibril prisoner exchange deal in 1985; Salah Shehada, who was released in 2000; and Abdallah Kawasmeh, who was banished to Lebanon in 1992. Around half of the 7,000 terrorists released between 1993 and 1999 went back to terrorist activities, as did dozens of the terrorists released in the Tenenbaum exchange. Up until April 2007 they had murdered 37 Israelis. Even Iman al-Shrawna, who was supposed to be released from prison in 2039 and was freed as part of the Schalit deal, was arrested again when it was discovered he had returned to terrorism. Al-Shwarna was exiled to Gaza following a prolonged hunger strike and returned to militant activities with Hamas' Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
Even those willing to forgive their trampled honor and those who seal their ears and hearts to the agony of the victims' families, whose loved ones' murderers are set free time and again -- must open them in light of the bottom line: They come back to kill us. The list of terrorists who murdered again and the list of their victims are too long to fit here. Therefore it is incumbent upon us to turn to the words of retired Supreme Court justice Edmund Levy, who along with his colleagues allowed the state to release terrorists from prison, but whose words (in 2004) still hold weight today:
"This is not the very first time that by virtue of agreements it signed, the State of Israel frees terrorists who sowed death and destruction in our midst. After every such prisoner release, the hope reverberated in many hearts that this time a change would ensue and those freed would no longer return to the path of terror and could possibly even serve as ambassadors for disseminating the idea of peaceful coexistence. It would seem that there is no need to elaborate to what extent this hope was in vain, and it might be more fittingly defined as a false illusion…"
Link: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=6763
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