The people of Israel owe a debt of gratitude to Meretz party Chairman Yossi Beilin.

With a single remark, the dovish Beilin provided a telling reminder of just how far the Israeli left has strayed from the basic principles of justice and morality.

After Marwan Barghouti, the imprisoned head of the Fatah Tanzim terrorist group, won a decisive victory in the Palestinian Authority’s electoral primaries over the weekend, Beilin wasted little time in calling for the terror-master’s quick release from prison.

“Barghouti heads one of the Palestinian camps that do want peace and so this is the moment to end his sentence and allow him to lead the Palestinian nation,” Beilin said.

Right there, encapsulated in that one remark, is everything that is wrong with the Left and its approach.

After all, Barghouti is currently serving 5 life terms for his involvement in terror attacks and the murder of Israelis.

But as far as Yossi Beilin is concerned, why should that get in the way of Barghouti’s promising political career?

So instead of standing on principle and insisting that all those who murder Jews be brought to justice and made to pay a price for their actions, people such as Beilin would prefer to look the other way, appeasing terrorists, accommodating them, and ultimately capitulating in the face of their ongoing dedication to violence.

That is neither moral nor ethical. And if that is the basis upon which Beilin wishes to make peace, then it is shaky, indeed.