“Five years ago, when thousands of Arab prisoners were released following the Wye agreement, we collected 25 signatures from Knesset Members requesting that then-President Ezer Weizman release 14 Jewish prisoners as well,” explains Shmuel Medad. Medad heads Honenu, an organization that offers aid to soldiers and citizens who face legal difficulties as a
result of the security situation.
“Weizman was angry at me for presuming that I needed the signatures of Knesset Members to convince him of the righteousness of the request. Weizman [known for his outspoken left-wing opinions – ed.] told me, ‘Even though we may disagree in our outlooks, we agree that if we free Arabs we must free imprisoned Jews as well.’ He subsequently pardoned all 14 Jews on the list we gave him.”
Medad laments that although the case for releasing Jewish prisoners this time around seems to be even stronger, Israel’s current President Moshe Katzav continues to refuse to pardon Jewish prisoners. “For a year and a half already, since the most recent prisoner release, we have been asking President Katzav to pardon several Jews who are imprisoned by Israel. Now they are talking about even releasing Arab murderers, and yet our pleas are still being ignored.”
“In the near future, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners,” Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared today in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Honenu has already collected signatures from 38 MKs, almost a third of the Knesset, and forwarded them to President Moshe Katzav. Honenu has also given Arutz-7 a copy of a letter from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon himself – which he wrote five years ago, as Foreign Minister. The following is a translation:
Greetings.
There is no doubt that there is a basic moral obligation to free Jewish prisoners who committed nationalistic offenses who do not have blood on their hands in the event that Palestinian terrorists without blood on their hands are released.
This request is worthy of discussion as a question of principle and a legal one and I will work in the relevant forums to further this issue.
With blessings,
Ariel Sharon
result of the security situation.
“Weizman was angry at me for presuming that I needed the signatures of Knesset Members to convince him of the righteousness of the request. Weizman [known for his outspoken left-wing opinions – ed.] told me, ‘Even though we may disagree in our outlooks, we agree that if we free Arabs we must free imprisoned Jews as well.’ He subsequently pardoned all 14 Jews on the list we gave him.”
Medad laments that although the case for releasing Jewish prisoners this time around seems to be even stronger, Israel’s current President Moshe Katzav continues to refuse to pardon Jewish prisoners. “For a year and a half already, since the most recent prisoner release, we have been asking President Katzav to pardon several Jews who are imprisoned by Israel. Now they are talking about even releasing Arab murderers, and yet our pleas are still being ignored.”
“In the near future, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners,” Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared today in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Honenu has already collected signatures from 38 MKs, almost a third of the Knesset, and forwarded them to President Moshe Katzav. Honenu has also given Arutz-7 a copy of a letter from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon himself – which he wrote five years ago, as Foreign Minister. The following is a translation:
A copy of PM Sharon's letter in support of the release of Jewish prisoners
There is no doubt that there is a basic moral obligation to free Jewish prisoners who committed nationalistic offenses who do not have blood on their hands in the event that Palestinian terrorists without blood on their hands are released.
This request is worthy of discussion as a question of principle and a legal one and I will work in the relevant forums to further this issue.
With blessings,
Ariel Sharon