A letter to a Martian who has just arrived in the Middle East would read: "Welcome to the Middle East, where Israel’s refusal to release Palestinian Arab terrorists is the latest 'obstacle to US efforts to broker peace' if one believes what appears in the newspapers. According to media reports, Israel is refusing to release an additional 26 prisoners as part of the “peace process.”
Some questions which a Martian may ask:
How can releasing murderers bring “peace” to a region which has suffered from violence for many years?
The Palestinian Arabs want Israel to return strategic parts of the Jewish homeland (which they won in a defensive war), release all terrorists, allow the return of millions of refugees, divide Jerusalem, abandon the Holy sites and shrines to Muslim control, and the Arabs will promise what?
And this “peace” which has been going on for 20-some odd years and hasn’t worked - why exactly will it not work?
While Jibril Rajoub, a member of Fatah's central committee, called the Israeli move a "slap in the face of the US administration and its efforts", America has been silent. American Secretary of State John Kerry didn’t call the Palestinian Arabs refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state a “slap in the face.” Why?
How can there be negotiations between the two parties when one does not recognize the other? (Palestinian Arabs will not recognize Israel as a Jewish State.)
Any criminal justice 101 course would explain that recidivism is a plaguing pattern of all criminals anywhere in the world. Is there any thought given to the fact that Israel's releasing terrorists who are likely to return to their previous activities is not wise?
When everyone talks about “compromise” in the peace process, what is it that the Arabs have compromised? They have started multiple wars against Israel, they lose and after their attempts to destroy Israel fail, they set conditions. Why does no one in the negotiations (or the media) acknowledge this?
Perhaps a better way to achieve peace would be America refusing to oversee a “peace” process until the Palestinian Arabs stop lobbing missiles and rockets at Israel. This “peace” – how can there be peace when Abbas doesn’t even control all of the Palestinian Arabs? Who’s “negotiating” for Gaza?
Does anyone sane actually believe that if Israel gave up all of the Land of Israel except, say 5%, that the Palestinian Arabs would accept it?
How about the fact that Jews cannot live anywhere in the Arab world, but Arabs live all over Israel? Is that at all relevant?
Why isn’t it reported that these "prisoners" that the Palestinian Arabs call upon Israel to release have all killed multiple children, women and elderly in terrorist attacks?
To summarize, Israel's refusal to release murderers and terrorists is the reason there are no peace talks? So the Israeli's have to free those who killed them for the Palestinians to talk peace?
Perhaps on other planets, in another time releasing murderers to achieve peace is something that happens – but on Planet Earth one wonders how can releasing people who killed you somehow achieve peace? How could that possibly be life on Earth in the Year 2014?
