OTHER VIEWS
Kuntar: Laughing Last?
Philadelphia
deterrence and appeasement alike,
have lost their way.
srael has lived 60 years more
Appalling as the cabinet decision
intensively than any other country. was, worse yet is that neither the Likud
Its highs — the resurrec-
opposition party nor other leading
tion of a 2,000-year-old state in 1948,
public Israeli institutions responded
history's most lopsided military victory with rage. A shows Israelis approve the
in 1967 and the astonishing Entebbe
swap by a nearly 2-1 ratio.
hostage rescue in 1976 — have been
On the other side, the disgraceful
triumphs of will and spirit that inspire
celebration of baby-murderer Kuntar
the civilized world. Its lows have been
as a hero in Lebanon, where the
self-imposed humiliations: unilateral
government shut down to celebrate
retreat from Lebanon and evacuation
his arrival, and by the Palestinian
of Joseph's Tomb, both in 2000; retreat
Authority, which called him a "heroic
from Gaza in 2005; defeat by Hezbollah fighter"reveals the depths of Lebanese
in 2006; and the corpses-for-prisoners
enmity and immorality, disturbing
exchange with Hezbollah last week.
anyone concerned with the Arab soul.
An outsider can only wonder at
The deal has many adverse con-
the contrast. How can the
sequences. It encourages
authors of exhilarating vic-
Arab terrorists to seize more
tories repeatedly bring such
Israeli soldiers, then kill
disgrace upon themselves?
them. It boosts Hezbullah's
One clue has to do with
stature and legitimates it
the dates. The highs took
internationally. It emboldens
place during the state's
Hamas and makes a deal
first three decades; the
for its Israeli hostage more
lows occurred since 2000.
problematic. Finally, while
Something profound has
this incident appears small
changed. The strategically
compared to the Iranian
Danie I Pipes
brilliant but economically
nuclear
issue, the two are
Spe cial
deficient early state has
related.
Comm entary
been replaced by the
The recent exchange may
reverse.
give the Iranian leadership
Yesteryear's spy master-
further reason to brandish
minds, military geniuses and political
its weapons. Worse, as Steven Plaut
heavyweights have seemingly gone
notes, by equating "mass murderers
into high tech, leaving the state in the
of Jewish children to soldiers;' the
hands of corrupt, short-sighted mental exchange justifies the "mass extermi-
midgets.
nation of Jews in the name of Jewish
How else can one account for the
racial inferiority"
cabinet meeting on June 29, when
I propose two consolations: First,
22 out of 25 ministers voted in favor
Israel remains a powerful and can
of releasing five live Arab terrorists,
afford mistakes; one estimate predicts
including Samir Kuntar, 45, a psycho-
it would survive a nuclear exchange
path and the most notorious prisoner
with Iran, while Iran would not.
in Israel's jails, plus 200 corpses? In
Second, the Kuntar affair could have
return, Israel got the bodies of two
a surprise happy ending. A senior
Israel soldiers murdered by Hezbollah. Israeli official told David Bedein that,
Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert
now Kuntar is out of jail, Israel's obli-
endorsed the deal on the grounds that gation to protect him is terminated;
it "will bring an end to this painful
on arrival in Lebanon, he became "a
episode a reference to retrieving the
target for killing. Israel will get him,
bodies of war dead and appeasing
and he will be killed ... accounts will
the hostages' families demand for
be settled."
closure. In themselves, both are hon-
So, who will laugh last, Hezbollah or
orable goals, but at what price? This
Israel? ❑
distortion of priorities shows how a
once-formidably strategic country has Daniel Pipes (Pipes www.DanielPipes.org )
degenerated into a supremely senti-
is director of the Middle East Forum and
mental country, a rudderless polity
Taube distinguished visiting fellow at the
where self-absorbed egoism trumps
Hoover Institution of Stanford University
raison d'être. Israelis, fed up with
in Palo Alto.
I
4.75!),.
3. 50h
37-MONTH TERM CD
APY**
HIGH YIELD SAVINGS BALANCES
OF $100,000 UP TO $500,000.
Invest in your future with Fifth Third Bank. You'll get guaranteed
returns on your balances, and you can rest easy knowing it's FDIC
insured.t Plus, it's available at your nearest Fifth Third Bank, so
it's convenient. Give us a call at 1-877-579-5353 or visit 53.com
to see what we can do for you.
FIFTH THIRD BANK
The things we do for dreams:"
Balances over $100,000 may not be FDIC insured. Please visit www.fdic.gov for insurance coverage limitations. Annual Percentage Yields
(APY) accurate as of 07/06/08. Fifth Third reserves the right to refuse any deposit. *A Fifth Third checking account is required to receive
the stated rate. CD rate does not apply to balances currently on deposit with Fifth Third Bank. $5,000 minimum deposit required to open.
Penalty for early withdrawal. Not available for commercial and nonprofit accounts. *350 minimum deposit required to open an account
Balances of $1-$24,999 earn an APY of 0.25%. Balances of $25,000-$49,999 earn an APY of 0.75%. Balances of $50,000-$99,999 eam an APY
of 1.50%. No interest is paid on portions of your balance of $500,000 or more. APYs may vary by market. Rate may change after the account is
opened. Fees may reduce earnings. $25 fee if account is closed within 180 days of account opening. Fifth Third Bank Member FDIC.
1412290
Monday-Saturday 9:30-6
Closed Sunday
265 S. Old Woodward Birmingham
-
TY
Clean + Sober
2 Words. 12 Steps. 30 Days. = A New Start
A
sujoHN BRIGHTON HOSPITAL
FILU 1H,
Chemical Dependency and
Dual Diagnosis Residential Treatment
Michigan's first and most experienced
addiction treatment facility.
For a confidential assessment call: 1-800-523-8198
Visit us on the web at www.brightonhospital.org
July 24 • 2008
A29