The Israeli government is nervous. Its July 28 decision to release Palestinian prisoners wasn’t an easy one to make. The Supreme Court also had its reservations (or at least pretended to) before rejecting, quite predictably, a petition by the victims’ families opposing the release.
“We thought about the murderers, who will be released to a hero’s welcome at a special session of the Palestinian Assembly, as if they had committed some act of grave national importance by slaughtering innocents who had done nothing to harm them. Woe to the ears that hear of such a thing,” wrote Justice Elyakim Rubinstein in his decision. But anyone who bothered to listen to the joyous cheers late that night when the prisoners were released would learn that it sounded quite sweet to the Palestinian ear. This may be easy to understand when considering the prisoners’ families, especially those relatives who are particularly close to them. It is much harder to understand the reaction of the Palestinian public and government.
