Life often throws ironies that bring us to the brink of tears. If we were talking about anything less precious than human life itself, two recent announcements would certainly be funny.

It has long been known, and even admitted by Arab leaders themselves, that they have little respect for human life.

It has long been known, and even admitted by Arab leaders themselves, that they have little respect for human life - at least if that life is that of an Israeli or a Jew. But even so, how do you lose any human being, especially when they are supposedly not even capable of moving?


It seems the Syrians, Iranians and Hizbullah have even more in common than we thought. Not only do they want to destroy Israel at all cost, not only do they relish the opportunity to torture families here in Israel by dangling hints about missing loved ones, but now, they apparently can't even keep track of the people they have taken and quite possibly murdered.


It's ironic that apparently, after holding Ron Arad for more than 20 years, they aren't sure what they did with him. They think, they say, that he died. Yes, they are sure. That's what must have happened. When? Oh. Sometime in the past. And, we ask, if he is really dead, how did he die? Where is his body? These very logical questions are met with silence. It seems they don't know. They've come up with stories, but they seem to want us to believe that they really don't know where Ron Arad is.


Such a valuable hostage. According to current Arab estimates, the body of an Israeli is worth upwards of 1,000 prisoners. According to recent Israeli governments, it doesn't even matter if that Israeli is alive or engaged in questionable drug deals. The price has been set; the stakes raised to dangerous levels, and they can't even find the body.


Eli Cohen was an Israeli spy, captured, sentenced to die in Syria in 1965 at the age of 29. His undercover work was invaluable to Israel and his discovery a terrible blow not only to his family, but to the security of our nation. The Syrians hanged Eli Cohen and buried his body. They are sure. Yes, that's definitely what happened.


We know when, but we want to know where his body is. They did bury him, presumably to await some future deal of colossal proportions. Deep in our hearts, the thought of one of our own being buried far from home is extremely painful. We want Eli Cohen brought home, his family given a place to mourn. We've just returned the bodies of 190 terrorists in exchange for our two tortured and murdered soldiers, so it seems completely reasonable to request the body of Eli Cohen too. Hizbullah is a puppet of Syria; that's what our government always says. So why didn't they ask the puppet-master to include Eli Cohen's body in the exchange?


Unlike the Palestinian group that suggested we leave their "fighters" buried in our holy land, we don't want to leave our fighters anywhere. So, where is Eli Cohen buried? Well, say the Syrians, as they begin to drum their hands on the tables and look to the heavens for inspiration. We forgot, or we don't know. We lost him.


Why didn't they ask the puppet-master to include Eli Cohen's body in the exchange?



That doesn't sound impressive at all and so they continue. We were afraid, they say, that Israel would sneak into Syria and dig up his bones, and so we moved him three times. Okay, that sounds a bit bizarre, but far be it for me to argue. But could you check the places you think you buried him and find the body?


Oh, well, we aren't sure, the Syrians repeat.


What tremendous respect these people have for the dead. This is what they tell us. They have elevated death to a holiness that transcends life. Jews are commanded in the Book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), "So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants."


Apparently, according to Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the Arab religion has no such preference: "We have discovered how to hit the Jews where they are the most vulnerable. The Jews love life, so that is what we shall take away from them. We are going to win, because they love life and we love death."


You'd think people who love death so much would at least remember where they buried their enemy's bodies, no?