By Stan Goodenough
Dec 22, 2006
An Arab news source reported Friday morning that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has agreed to meet with Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Monday.
According to the Ma'an news agency, arrangements for the meeting were finalized after Olmert agreed that Abbas, a veteran terrorist has been packaged as a “moderate” by pro-land-for-peace officials, could decide which Arab prisoners Israel would release in exchange for the return of hostage IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
Olmert’s government has indicated its readiness to let thousands of Arabs – many of them terrorists – go free in order to see Shalit returned home.
On June 25 the 20-year-old corporal was kidnapped by Hamas – the Islamist group that holds the majority in the PA – and who have put the young man’s family through six months of hell.
But history has shown that Israel’s willingness to acquiesce to the kidnappers’ demands and release prisoners in exchange for Shalit will only encourage abductions of more Israelis in the future.