Palestinian Media Watch researchers published a study Monday finding that Israel's policy of releasing large numbers of terrorist prisoners in exchange for its abducted soldiers has turned the abductions into a strategic weapon.
The publication coincides with a day in which Israeli media attention is riveted to the Prime Minister's Office, where another possible terrorist release is being mulled. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met abducted soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit's parents early Monday afternoon. At 8:00 PM, the cabinet's Forum of Seven is scheduled to hold another session in the marathon series of debates it has been holding since Sunday, to reach a decision in the negotiations for Shalit's release. Shalit's father estimated that a decision in favor or against the deal would be reached soon.
Preparing for the next abduction
PMW researchers Itamar Marcus, Nan Jacques Zilberdik and Barbara Crook collected more than 50 reports that appeared in Palestinian Authority media between 2004 – when Israel released 400 terrorists in the Tenenbaum deal – and December 2009.
"The release of terrorists by Israel is not perceived by Palestinian society as only the final phase in a bargaining process, but as the first step in the preparation for the next abduction,” they wrote. "There is support for abductions among all Palestinian factions and within the Palestinian leadership, both Fatah and Hamas. Over six years' time, abduction for bargaining has turned from a tactic into a strategy because of Israel's willingness to release terrorists.”
The Tenebaum deal led Palestinian spokesmen from both Fatah and Hamas to express support and admiration for Hizbullah. They saw it as a precedent and announced that the release turned abduction into a model for future operations.
In early 2006, senior PA officials made repeated calls for abduction of Israelis. In June of that year, Shalit was captured. A short time later, soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser were attacked and abducted into Lebanon. Their bodies were eventually returned in exchanged for Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar, four other Lebanese terrorists and the remains of another 197 terrorists. This deal, too, was met with praise in Palestinian media.