Whose Failure?
Now how about that? Hamas - proudly unabashed Islamist jihadists sees nothing absurd in the situation that Israel is willing to unleash to their care hundreds of Hamas terrorists languishing in Israeli incarceration, charged and sentenced for terror crimes in exchange for a sole Israeli soldier - is now placing full blame for the collapse of a feverishly-bargained swap, on intransigent Israel.
For its part, Israel expressed its willingness to release over three hundred Hamas terrorists, inclusive of some who carried out bloodily successful attacks against Israeli citizens, and it was Hamas's further demands before they would agree to the release of the kidnapped IDF soldier, Gilad Shalit, whose freedom Israel is so anxious to conclude, that ultimately blocked the exchange.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, willing to sacrifice much to attain the release of Gilad Shalit before leaving office finally admitted that, despite his eagerness to conclude an exchange with Hamas, he is not prepared to submit to their escalating demands. Demands which, in fact, appear to have no end-point. Whatever and whenever a demand is met, the game plan then becomes to add on further inclusive demands.
For his part, Mr. Olmert places the blame for the collapse of the exchange talks by the Hamas rejection of Israel's offer to free the 300 Hamas members. Israel's difficult-to-swallow concession to include convicted murderers speaks volumes about the country's desire to have one of their own returned to them, in exchange for hundreds of convicted felons. Felons being a mild descriptive of those responsible for scores of deaths.
What other country in the world would be prepared to submit to that type of negotiation, singularly unprofitable in gain terms, but not in humane terms of bidding to free a single individual of one's own. Emotional blackmail. But he was finally adamant that there could be no further progress: "We will not agree to release more prisoners from the Hamas list beyond the hundreds of names that we agreed to and announced to them."
Previous exchange numbers sky-rocketed to over a thousand, but they did not represent Hamas terrorists, but rather other Palestinians who were found guilty of planning unsuccessful suicide missions, or who wrought damage and chaos of one kind or another within Israel, against its citizens. Israel has a long-standing position from which it hesitates logically to divert from; not to discharge murderers in such exchanges.
But Hamas is defiant, that its demands must be met before it will agree to the surrender of one individual in exchange for hundreds of theirs. In fact, it's more likely that Hamas is enjoying itself, playing a contorted game of appearing to be obliging when it has no intention of fulfilling the exchange simply because it is aware of just how committed Israel is to securing the release of one of its own.
"If we have to change our position, it will be to increase our demands, and not the other way around" said a Hamas spokesman, warning that because of the collapse of the prisoner swap, Hamas plans to further harden its position. This has been such a protracted run-around for years that it should be clear Hamas considers the capture of a single IDF soldier a coup they have no wish to relinquish.
They enjoy their little games of cat-and-mouse; it affords them a grim pleasure of some arcane accomplishment in their celebrated world of devotion to death, their grisly pathology of dealing it and embracing it.
For its part, Israel expressed its willingness to release over three hundred Hamas terrorists, inclusive of some who carried out bloodily successful attacks against Israeli citizens, and it was Hamas's further demands before they would agree to the release of the kidnapped IDF soldier, Gilad Shalit, whose freedom Israel is so anxious to conclude, that ultimately blocked the exchange.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, willing to sacrifice much to attain the release of Gilad Shalit before leaving office finally admitted that, despite his eagerness to conclude an exchange with Hamas, he is not prepared to submit to their escalating demands. Demands which, in fact, appear to have no end-point. Whatever and whenever a demand is met, the game plan then becomes to add on further inclusive demands.
For his part, Mr. Olmert places the blame for the collapse of the exchange talks by the Hamas rejection of Israel's offer to free the 300 Hamas members. Israel's difficult-to-swallow concession to include convicted murderers speaks volumes about the country's desire to have one of their own returned to them, in exchange for hundreds of convicted felons. Felons being a mild descriptive of those responsible for scores of deaths.
What other country in the world would be prepared to submit to that type of negotiation, singularly unprofitable in gain terms, but not in humane terms of bidding to free a single individual of one's own. Emotional blackmail. But he was finally adamant that there could be no further progress: "We will not agree to release more prisoners from the Hamas list beyond the hundreds of names that we agreed to and announced to them."
Previous exchange numbers sky-rocketed to over a thousand, but they did not represent Hamas terrorists, but rather other Palestinians who were found guilty of planning unsuccessful suicide missions, or who wrought damage and chaos of one kind or another within Israel, against its citizens. Israel has a long-standing position from which it hesitates logically to divert from; not to discharge murderers in such exchanges.
But Hamas is defiant, that its demands must be met before it will agree to the surrender of one individual in exchange for hundreds of theirs. In fact, it's more likely that Hamas is enjoying itself, playing a contorted game of appearing to be obliging when it has no intention of fulfilling the exchange simply because it is aware of just how committed Israel is to securing the release of one of its own.
"If we have to change our position, it will be to increase our demands, and not the other way around" said a Hamas spokesman, warning that because of the collapse of the prisoner swap, Hamas plans to further harden its position. This has been such a protracted run-around for years that it should be clear Hamas considers the capture of a single IDF soldier a coup they have no wish to relinquish.
They enjoy their little games of cat-and-mouse; it affords them a grim pleasure of some arcane accomplishment in their celebrated world of devotion to death, their grisly pathology of dealing it and embracing it.
Labels: Crisis Politics, Israel, Middle East
posted by Pieface | 7:48 PM
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