Althouse: "Such an uneven swap is not unusual. Israeli governments have long been determined to bring back captured civilians and soldiers..."

January 20, 2025

"Such an uneven swap is not unusual. Israeli governments have long been determined to bring back captured civilians and soldiers..."

"... including dead ones, even at steep costs.... The exchange of civilian hostages for prisoners, including some whom Israel has accused of terrorism, has also raised the ire of some Israelis. In a statement celebrating the release of the three Israeli hostages on Sunday, an Israeli military spokesman, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, hinted at some of that underlying frustration, saying the latest trade was not 'a true like-for-like exchange.' Two of the women were abducted from their homes and one from a music festival, and 'then brutally held since,' he said. 'This is a huge difference when compared to the terrorists who are being released.'"

From "What’s behind the uneven exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners?" (NYT).

16 comments:

tim maguire said...: Prisoner exchanges between more free societies and less free societies are always badly uneven. I don't see how this could make sense--how many more people will die because these killers are roaming free again?; 1/20/25, 8:14 AM
rhhardin said...: Hamas loses the protection of having hostages as human shields so in exchange demand an increase in their military capability. It's just an ordinary deal.; 1/20/25, 8:16 AM
Enigma said...: 1. Israel has already killed the majority of the first and second tier threats. Everything after the astounding pager detonations has been strategic 'gravy.'
2. There are probably not many Israeli hostages still alive; many died at the start.
3. Those released may be 'terrorists' only as family members or close associates to Hamas members. TBD.; 1/20/25, 8:20 AM
Sebastian said...: Israel's weakness is its concern for its own citizens. The true asymmetry is that Hamas can use death for gain.; 1/20/25, 8:20 AM
Hubert the Infant said...: When terrorists themselves negotiate like this over and over again, doesn't it strengthen the notion that certain lives are worth far more than other lives?; 1/20/25, 8:48 AM
sean said...: What I want to know is, why is the release of women hostages being prioritized? What happened to gender equity? I would have expected Prof. Althouse to complain about the inequality, which is presumably founded on outmoded ideas about women as the weaker sex.; 1/20/25, 8:52 AM
Leland said...: I always find it interesting that Palestinians complain that Israeli’s treat them like lesser humans, but then Hamas and Hezbollah always demand dozens of Palestinians be freed for every one Israeli they release.; 1/20/25, 8:52 AM
Enigma said...: Losers in a military conflict always swing for the fences and seek immediate salvation from their troubles.; 1/20/25, 9:44 AM
RCOCEAN II said...: So the war criminals who've killed 40,000 in Gaza are upset that Israel didn't get 100 percent of what they wanted. Sads.; 1/20/25, 9:51 AM
Greg The Class Traitor said...: You are a sick and twisted monster.

It's a brain dead deal, as has been every other such deal, since rewarding the terrorists for taking hostages guarantees more hostages taken.

The proper response would be to execute 30 Palestinian prisoners every day, and keep on doing it until all hostages are returned.

If they run out of prisoners, then they should bomb with a fuel air explosive one Palestinian town every day until all the hostages are returned; 1/20/25, 10:16 AM
tommyesq said...: Hamas demanded 33 prisoners in exchange for three Israeli hostages. By Hamas' own math, the life of a Hamas soldier is only worth 1/10th the life of an Israeli.; 1/20/25, 10:22 AM
Robert Cook said...: "The proper response would be to execute 30 Palestinian prisoners every day, and keep on doing it until all hostages are returned.

"If they run out of prisoners, then they should bomb with a fuel air explosive one Palestinian town every day until all the hostages are returned."

Talk about someone being "a sick and twisted monster."; 1/20/25, 10:24 AM
Jupiter said...: "The proper response would be to execute 30 Palestinian prisoners every day, and keep on doing it until all hostages are returned."
So, you're saying that the Palestinian prisoners are hostages, right? And the proper treatment of hostages is to execute them if you don't get what you want. Makes sense, in an Old Testament kind of way.; 1/20/25, 10:43 AM
Christopher B said...: It's a lot easier for the Palis to breed terrorists than it is from them to nab hostages. Maybe they should try breeding fewer terrorists for a while.; 1/20/25, 12:03 PM
Greg The Class Traitor said...: No, I'm saying teh Palestinian prisoners are illegal combatants

And it's always legal to execute illegal combatants; 1/20/25, 12:35 PM
Keith said...: RCOcean - as you undoubtedly know but your deep and complete hatred of Jews prevents you from acknowledging- the hostages are innocent civilians. The terroristswere captured and tried and are held as terrorists. They are in no way similar. But in your advocacy for Hamas - even groups that moderately advocate for terroristsand only moderately hate Jews like the Un - acknowledge that the numbers are from Hamas and are made up - finally many of most of the people who performed the real atrocities - October 7- were not formally Hamas but rather Hamas civilians who are documented as thrilling to murder Jews. You are disgusting.; 1/20/25, 12:38 PM