16 July 2008

Heroes apparently come in many shapes and guises.

I was reading about the "prisoner exchange" in which Israel, whose occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip is utterly shameful (the Golan Heights I'll leave out of it), agreed to hand over five live prisoners and 199 dead bodies in exchange for two dead bodies (the two soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah in 2006, sparking a short-lived war that decimated Lebanon but left Hezbollah and Israel just fine). It's not much of an exchange when all you get in return is two dead bodies.

It's also pretty pathetic when one of the live guys you're giving back is nothing more than a thug:

For its part, Hezbollah is most interested in the release of the convicted Kuntar, the longest-serving Lebanese prisoner in Israel. The Shiite Muslim militia group hails him as a hero.

Kuntar, who had been a member of the Palestine Liberation Front, led a group of four men who entered Israel from Lebanon by boat in 1979. They killed a police officer who came across them. Then they took a 28-year-old man and his 4-year-old daughter hostage.

Kuntar shot the father dead at close range in front of his daughter and tossed his body in the sea. Then he smashed the girl's head, killing her.

A 2-year-old girl suffocated as her mother tried to stop her from crying as they hid from Kuntar.

He was sentenced to life and spent the last three decades in an Israeli jail -- until Wednesday, when he is expected to return home to a hero's welcome.

The swap reverberated among Palestinians. Ismail Haniya, the leader of the Hamas movement in Gaza, on Wednesday exulted over the prisoner exchange and said the underlying lesson and meaning of the swap is that "victory is possible." [cnn.com]
That's some victory, getting back a man with the courage to shoot an unarmed man and smash a four year old's head in.

Then again, history is full of shameful episodes.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Lebanese leaders and people for that matter are the scum of the earth. Celebrating a man who smashed a baby girls head on rocks and let her brains leak out all over....this is a coward, Hizbullah are cowards, and the lebanese people for allowing this and celebrating this are cowards. this is the dregs of humanity you are witnessing here today, and the #1 culprit is that disgraceful useless wimp of a leader Saniora, who the west is supposively backing. These people are lower then dogs. Lebanon is the Anus of the earth.....

Anonymous said...

I am incredulous that a child murderer is hailed as a national hero, and is to be greeted by the head of a country - these people are animals. Not one media outlet has questioned how 2 pow's, captured alive, are returned dead. Those who do not recognize the complete lack of humanity displayed by these pigs will learn a terrible lesson, and deservedly so. I am appalled.

Anonymous said...

There is no occupation of the west bank and Gaza. First of all, Israel disengaged from Gaza in 2000. Secondly, the west bank is Israel....and even if it is not, it was won from Jordan in the war of 1967. This land was never owned by "palestinians" and they never had their own state. They were only invented after 1967 when they were made refugees by their own Arab brothers attacking Israel...they were told to leave while the Arabs wiped out the Jews, then they could return....the "palestinians" have no state, no currency, no passports, no archeological finds etc...thats becuse they never had a claim to this land, and are not a real nation......just a proxy pin in Israels side formed by the surrounding arab countries...and after today, we can see what type of people they really are, baby murderers who celebrate baby murderers........

Anonymous said...

Lebanon and the Lebanese are the scum of the earth....and a stain upon humanity....Hizbullah are cowardly baby killers who I cannot wait to see wiped out....how a murderous terrorist group can operate freely like this is beyond me...I guarantee you the IDF will teach them a serious lesson the next time they try and stir things up....Hizbullah should all be executed one by one....and Lebanon will get its come uppance for celebrating a murderer of babies...

cs said...

Leave it to the anons to come out hating. Look, I don't need your racist bullshit on my blog...crawl back under your rock.

Gaza is an enclave no different from the "homelands" given to Black Africans in Apartheid era South Africa. To say it isn't occupied territory is simply to quibble with technicalities. And to argue that the West Bank is legitimately Israel's territory is simply ridiculous. The UN doesn't recognize it as Israel, and let's not forget that the only reason there is an Israel is because of the UN -- Palestinians could just as easily argue that prior to UN fiat "there never was an Israel."

It's a pointless argument.

But seriously, if you're going to spew racism, hit the free republic or some other racist filth site.

Unknown said...

Cuff, you are clearly a terrorist sympathizer when you come to the defense of a bunch that sends children out to be homicide bombers. To be an apologist for these types clearly shows the type that you are.
There is no technicality as to Israel not being an occupier of Gaza. Hamas has clearly declared war on Israel and this is what they get in times of war. I could use the well worn analogy of Mexico dropping rockets on the US, but I am sure you have a smart answer for that too. Save the racist drivel for your talks in the mirror, because no one buys that crap anymore.

Anonymous said...

The only thing this prisoner swap demonstrates is the high value Israel places on each and every one of its citizens, dead OR alive. I hope the world community sees this.

From the Israeli side, this wasn’t politicking, this was human decency and an opportunity for two families to grieve properly. Kudos to Israel and the high regard they hold for human life.

cs said...

Zeteboy: thanks for having the decency of a login name. I'm "clearly" not anything, but you're clearly a dittohead with your "homicide bomber" garbage, but I'm trying to figure out where I said anything about defending suicide bombers or those who send them out. Apparently you didn't read my post.

I'm sorry you don't see a statement calling all Lebanese "scum of the earth" and "a stain on humanity" racist; without a common understanding that blanket condemnations of entire peoples are simply wrong, I doubt we have much to talk about.

Anon (yet again): Yeah, I don't see any politicking by Israel in this...it's more of a loss politically for them, I'd say. I'm simply astounded by the "hero's welcome" this killer apparently will receive. Who knows...in some circles I'm sure William Calley's seen as a hero.

Anonymous said...

Cuff, israel has been around for over 5000 years...not 60....Islam came way after Judaism and Christianity..."palestinians" only came into being by Arafat and his cronies after 1967.....the west bank was won from Jordan, not the "palestinians" Jordans slaughtered 10-15000 "palestinians" when they tried to overthrow the government there....you have a false history, seems you have taken a page from the lying arabs with their fairy tale of a nation called "palestine" which Britain named by the way during their mandate...irregardless, none of this condones killing little baby girls, and yes, all of Lebanon is hailing Kuntar the coward baby killer a hero...and celebrating, to me, that is the lowest form of life possible...you are only right about one thing, Israel is reckognized as a nation, member of the UN, confirmed by the world body...."palestine" is not....

Unknown said...

Forget a lecture in ancient history, cuff seems to be woefully ignorant of current events. Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and the West Bank was INCREDIBLY WELL publicized, the fact that you seem to know nothing about what went on in 2005 (not to mention what Hamas has been doing with its newfound freedom) just demonstrates your profound incompetence on the subject. Calling a full-scale withdrawal a "technicality"? Hah! Trying to rebut undisputed facts by resorting to ad hominem attacks? Juvenile.

Anonymous said...

First of all, i admit Cuff you are a man of conscious.. it is apparent you value human life. I just didn't get this golan heights thing you said? why you kept them aside? UN resoulution 242 calls for the unconditional withdrawal of israel from the Golan heights , West Bank, and Gaza.

the Second thing, concerning Kantar.... he may have butchered these parents , but it is UNJUST to put him in jail and calling him a murderer, while Ariel Sharon who is responsible for Sabra/Shatila Massacre where thousands of Arabs where Slaughtered under israeli supervision? and as an objective blogger why did you add such details to Dramatize what kantar did?

thx a lot

Anonymous said...

i mean while ariel sharon becomes a prime minister? in such cases you assessment of kantar or sharon canno't be used... if justice and human life is your first concern lets not forget that the israeli forces killed 1000 lebanese civilian during 2006 july war, and i think it is sooo hard to understand how JDAMs ( smart bombs) create such enormous collateral damage, unless they were used as precision munitions in a Strategic bombing campaign to demoralize the population and surely not targeted against militants or military targets. For god sake Dresden is the primary example of how savage the Western "DEMOCRACIES" were?? and Qana where 30 Children where killed by an israeli missile Also in the hands of their mothers? there is really NO moral argument to justify what Sharon AND Kantar did of course! but at least in your eyes they must be equal.

cs said...

Anon 4:19: I'd like for you to tell me what Israel's foreign policy was around, let's say, 1850. Or 1930. What were its borders? What was its currency and passport format, to use Anon 12:45's logic? Herzl must have looked pretty stupid campaigning for a country that already existed.

Abe: Thanks for the lecture, but I hardly think that not accepting your version of events means I'm ignorant of history, ancient or recent. How's that wall, built along and inside the West Bank in violation of international law doing? I have no idea what you mean by "ad hominem" attacks, unless you mean my calling obviously racist comments racist and obvious dittohead comments dittohead comments. It's fairly clear where the "homicide bomber" language comes from, so it's hardly an ad hominem attack. When Israel can re-invade, shut off power, etc., whenever they feel like it, it's hardly what I'd call a true withdrawal -- but you are correct that it was a military withdrawal and a momentous event and I'm guilty of forgetting how important certain steps are when the path still appears frustratingly overgrown.

Samer: I didn't mention Sharon because I wasn't writing about Sharon, nor was I writing about Leon Klinghoffer, the Balfour Declaration, Munich 1972, Qana (of which I have written before), or any other part of the history of 20th century Jewish/Arab relations. You say Kanter "may have butchered these parents" -- how about the 4 year old he smashed with his rifle butt? Big man.

Real quick, cuz I gotta run, the Golan Heights I left out for the time being because I believe that until recently Israel has some very real strategic concerns about giving Syria such a wonderful shelling position.

Anonymous said...

Nice trick by Hezbollah. Makin those families believe they were going to return the soldiers alive, and then returning them dead. What a bunch of evil, heartless bastards!

Israel should of bombed and killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Samir Kuntar when they met!