Frankly, it was somewhat of a blow to national pride.
Last week, Hamas, which controls what passes for a Palestinian government, released one Israeli soldier it had been holding prisoner in return for the release of 1,027 Palestinians from Israeli jails.
Two days ago, an alleged spy who holds dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship was released by Egypt in exchange for a mere 25 Egyptians imprisoned in Israel.
That incredible disparity in exchange rates could be construed as an indication of the low value assigned to American citizens in the Middle East. Wonder how many Syrians it would take to spring a French double-agent?
3 comments:
I was so pleased to hear that Abbas went on Israeli TV and said the Palestinians made a mistake when they rejected the 1947 UN partition. Perhaps the winds are beginning to shift a bit?
David says the reason the Israelis trade so many people is because they don't want to pay for the prisoner upkeep. Dianne
I hadn't been following that bit about the Israeli soldier until the day he was exchanged for a bazillion Hamas prisoners. So I don't know the back story. But it sure seems to make kidnapping Israeli soldiers worthwhile.
A tad bit on the lighter side I suppose, your closing comment did put me to wondering how many Palestinians it would take to change an Israelite light bulb?
By the way, normally I would note that I like your new blog 'template' but in keeping with 21st century teminology, I suppose I should say, "Love the blog makeover!"
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