Perhaps today, the 29th of January 2004, represents the paradox that is our war with the Arabs more so than any other day in the history of this age-old conflict. For today, we were witness to the benevolence and decency of the Israeli government, willing to make the unpopular and seemingly nonsensical decision to release more than 400 living people who remain committed to destroying us, in return for the lifeless bodies of three soldiers and one Israeli businessman whose presence in Lebanon is shrouded in mystery. The Hezbollah television network broadcasting pictures of the prisoners being released into the arms of an unruly mob of terrorist supporters in Gaza ran with the caption ?Liberation Day? reflecting the sense of victory this release represented.
On the other side of this war, we, as Israelis, felt no sense of victory on this most difficult of days. We were forced to add three more heroes to the agonizingly long list of IDF martyrs. We were forced to watch images of Palestinian families rejoicing for the return of their family members being soon followed by the images of Israeli mothers chocking back tears as they had it confirmed that a miracle would not be occurring and they would never again see those sons alive.
Yet, most painful of all, we were subjected to the most bitter of paradoxes - that on a day when Israelis were displaying that they were willing to make these concessions and deal respectfully with an enemy who doesn?t understand such norms of civility, we were forced to witness another shell of a bus and prepare for a further wave of funerals and exhaustive periods of recuperation.
That the news was forced to split screens and offer concurrent reports of these stories poignantly reflects the harsh reality of the conflict with which we deal with on a daily basis. On one side of the screen were the Israeli soldiers slowly and respectfully carrying the fifty-nine coffins of Hezbollah terrorists who, as part of the exchange, were being returned to their families for burial, never giving the sense that lying in those coffins were sworn enemies of those very soldiers. On the other side of the screen was the all-too-familiar scene of a bus' skeletal remains and rescue workers searching for even the smallest body part so it could be buried with the respect it deserves.
Witnessing scenes like these, one becomes despondent over the chances of any real peace. How can we be forced to speak of negotiations and Road Maps and concessions, when painful concessions are treated with such barbarity? No doubt the most popular thought that passed through most Israelis' minds as they watched the handover of those Palestinians was just how long would it be before one of those faces was being displayed in the video tapes suicide bombers record before heading out to murder. What chance for peace exists in a world where respect for the rules of law and humanity is met with these barbaric responses? It is this paradox that we are forced to watch once more - this time compressed into a four-hour sequence of tragic events highlighting the bitterness and endlessness of our war.
On the other side of this war, we, as Israelis, felt no sense of victory on this most difficult of days. We were forced to add three more heroes to the agonizingly long list of IDF martyrs. We were forced to watch images of Palestinian families rejoicing for the return of their family members being soon followed by the images of Israeli mothers chocking back tears as they had it confirmed that a miracle would not be occurring and they would never again see those sons alive.
Yet, most painful of all, we were subjected to the most bitter of paradoxes - that on a day when Israelis were displaying that they were willing to make these concessions and deal respectfully with an enemy who doesn?t understand such norms of civility, we were forced to witness another shell of a bus and prepare for a further wave of funerals and exhaustive periods of recuperation.
That the news was forced to split screens and offer concurrent reports of these stories poignantly reflects the harsh reality of the conflict with which we deal with on a daily basis. On one side of the screen were the Israeli soldiers slowly and respectfully carrying the fifty-nine coffins of Hezbollah terrorists who, as part of the exchange, were being returned to their families for burial, never giving the sense that lying in those coffins were sworn enemies of those very soldiers. On the other side of the screen was the all-too-familiar scene of a bus' skeletal remains and rescue workers searching for even the smallest body part so it could be buried with the respect it deserves.
Witnessing scenes like these, one becomes despondent over the chances of any real peace. How can we be forced to speak of negotiations and Road Maps and concessions, when painful concessions are treated with such barbarity? No doubt the most popular thought that passed through most Israelis' minds as they watched the handover of those Palestinians was just how long would it be before one of those faces was being displayed in the video tapes suicide bombers record before heading out to murder. What chance for peace exists in a world where respect for the rules of law and humanity is met with these barbaric responses? It is this paradox that we are forced to watch once more - this time compressed into a four-hour sequence of tragic events highlighting the bitterness and endlessness of our war.