There has been another dribble of released hostages, for which we are very thankful. But the rumors coming out of Qatar, where the negotiations take place, are not entirely positive. Hamas is offering to continue releasing hostages, even including all men and soldiers. But in return they are demanding a complete halt to hostilities, an end to the “blockade”, and release of ALL Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. That’s a demand I would not accept. I hope the Israeli government (and the US) also rejects it. The Hamas spokesman in Beirut said that those demands were the minimum that Hamas would accept. That’s probably just posturing for the media, but it did get picked up by them.
There are pictures on the international media of some released Palestinians, and the joyful reception they have been given. A fair balance to the coverage of released Israelis? Maybe not. The Palestinians were imprisoned for criminal activities. The Israelis were innocent victims of kidnapping.
There also was no mention of the two Arabs lynched in public on suspicion of aiding Israel. There may be laws in either the Hamas or Palestinian Authority controlled areas about this, but there was no trial, just a public execution.
It does tend to give credence to an unconfirmed rumor that one prisoner released into Gaza was said to have wished he could return to an Israeli prison rather than be in Gaza. No one wants to give additional details because to do so would likely result in another lynching.
What appears to me to be one of the biggest problems is what happens in Gaza on the ‘morning after’? Israel doesn’t want to stay there. Egypt has rejected keeping control of Gaza at least twice in the past. Having the current Palestinian Authority involved isn’t a viable solution, either. Re-educating the Germans and Japanese after World War Two took decades. Who will replace Hamas?
Wetherhorn 