Bee's note: "In this situation that has emerged, there is no doubt that the best thing to do to ensure the future of Israel as a safe, flourishing country is to release prisoners..", said Bar-Lev. I disagree. The "future" of Israel depends upon her ability to stand up to the failed policies of world "leaders" who bring their wheelbarrels filled with the trash of centuries of hatred towards the Jewish people and the State of Israel. The hypocrisy of these "negotiations" stink like the garbage they have brought to the "Table". It is the most devious, unfair, unbalanced, pre-planned and destructive plan since Hitler came up with his "solution" seventy years ago. Nothing good will come out of these "talks". Just look how they began: demanding the release of terrorists! Since the terrorists are a part of Fatah's group, common sense tells everyone sitting on the sidelines that the talks began with bloody hands and if continued, will end in the same manner.
Bereaved families: Israel's politicians have succumbed to terror and are trying to cover it up with a demonstration of public relations maneuvers" • Families to stage demonstration at Defense Ministry to try to prevent upcoming prisoner release.
Efrat Forsher and Israel Hayom Staff
Protests against the Palestinian prisoner release, July
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Photo credit: Contact |
Representatives of bereaved families whose loved ones were killed in terror attacks on Monday sent a letter to the ministerial panel tasked with approving the release of Palestinian prisoners, asking the ministers for a last chance to voice their opposition to the move.
Late Sunday, the committee approved the release of 26 Palestinian prisoners sentenced or jailed before 1994. All 26 were convicted of killing or helping kill Israelis.
"Since, unlike other pardons, the decision regarding the release is in your hands due to security reasons," the bereaved families wrote, "we ask that you devote at least an hour-long hearing to each family of a terror victim that is interested."
"The victims, who lost their lives and futures as victims, are worthy of an hour of your time," they wrote. "We, the families of the murder victims who cannot make their voices heard, demand that our right to a hearing is not denied. We ask that you urgently comply with our request, as human compassion would not tolerate rejecting us."
The families were preparing to continue their battle against the release of Palestinian prisoners. The families, together with the Almagor terror victims' association and right-wing organizations My Israel and Im Tirtzu, were planning to stage a demonstration across from the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on Monday. Participants intended to dip their hands in red paint representing the blood on the terrorists' hands. Organizers were expecting hundreds of people to attend.
"This is a holiday celebration for the Palestinian terror organizations and a sad day for the bereaved families and Israeli society," said a statement issued by Almagor on Monday. "In the middle are Israel's politicians, who have succumbed to terror and are trying to cover it up with a demonstration of public relations maneuvers."
"It must be honestly declared," the statement went on to say, "the terror organizations have defeated [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his government."
Labor MK Omer Bar-Lev, a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, also issued a statement on Monday, saying that "due to political considerations, the cabinet ministers have, until now, taken a detour rather than exploring the alternatives, and contributed to the situation in which we are now. They have two options: say yes to the negotiations or miss a historic opportunity."
"In this situation that has emerged, there is no doubt that the best thing to do to ensure the future of Israel as a safe, flourishing country is to release prisoners, but in retrospect, this is a bad option in terms of our image, values and strategy. But since we are already here, I call on the prime minister to stop the dangerous and embarrassing flip-flopping that we have been experiencing in recent weeks, ever since the decision was made to include secluded settlements in the national priority list, all the way to the [settlement] construction approval and reprimanding [Palestinian Authority President] Mahmoud Abbas," Bar-Lev said.
"This flip-flopping could exact a high price from us, and culminate in a terrible accident that will plunge the State of Israel into the extreme fringes of the international arena, forcing us to face a security crisis."
In a statement issued Monday, Israeli Arab MK Ibrahim Sarsur (Ra'am-Ta'al) criticized the Palestinian Authority for failing to insist on the inclusion of Israeli Arabs in the release, Israel Radio reported. "This is a humiliating capitulation to Israel's dictates, and clear proof that those in charge of the negotiations with Israel are a bunch of failures who aren't fit to represent the Palestinian issue," Sarsur said.
