1000 for 1 is still a bad deal

Swapping 1027 Palestinian criminals for 1 Israeli soldier might not represent great value for the Israelis at first glance but then the Palestinians are receiving the scum of the earth and the Israelis are righting a wrong.Again, the Palestinians do not place much value on human life, let alone the lives of their own citizens.

But at least Israeli Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by members of the terrorist organization Hamas during an ambush in Israel more than five years ago and was held in solitary confinement in the Gaza Strip, has been reunited with his family. On his release, Shalit, a 19-year-old corporal when captured and now aged 25 and promoted to Sergeant Major, said hoped the deal that freed him would promote peace in the region and that he would like to see more Palestinian prisoners released "on condition that they stop fighting against Israel". Sadly, it would seem that is a near impossible dream. The Palestinian leadership does everything it can to promote hatred of Israel, a state which came into existence on territory occupied by the Jewish people for millennia, after the horrors of World War II and the foundation of the United Nations. Australia was one of the original sponsors of both the UN and Israel. Shalit, at least, was a soldier when he was captured. The terrorists usually target civilians, preferring soft targets. Unrepentant terrorists, praised by the Palestinian Authority (which relies on generous funding from the European Union, the United States and other Western nations, including Australia), will be among those released in two tranches of 477 and 550 over the next few weeks. One will reportedly be Ahlam Tamimi, a young woman sentenced to 16 life sentences for her role in a 2001 suicide bombing which killed 15 civilians at a Jerusalem pizzeria. One of those killed was a young Australian girl named Malki Roth, born in Melbourne. Tamimi, who has starred in Palestinian propaganda, has never expressed regret for her role in the murderous attack which included gathering intelligence, planning, and escorting the killer to the family restaurant. In one interview with Palestinian television she was asked whether she knew how many children had been killed in the massacre. She said she did not. When she was told that eight children had died, she smiled. Tamimi will apparently be given her freedom in this swap, going to Turkey, Syria, Qatar or Jordan, nations which have agreed to take in those who will not be returned to the West Bank or Gaza. A thousand of assorted murderers, terrorists, and "ordinary" criminals released to gain the freedom of one honorable young man. The price of justice has been high.