...but it has to be a two-way street.

Yesterday, Mash decided to start a 'domino-post' in order to hopefully, participate in an online campaign to ask for the release of Ehud Goldwasser. See the previous post. Well, naturally, behind the scenes, Israel has dealt with Hezbullahs demands for the release of Lebanese prisoners. In the past, they did release prisoners, but the one that is topping the list, is still securely in an Israeli prison. This is his crime:

Samir al-Qantar, 44, was sentenced to over 500 years in jail after leading a four-man Palestinian raid at the age of 16 on Nahariya in northern Israel that killed two policemen, a civilian man and his 4-year-old daughter. Witnesses said Qantar smashed her skull with his rifle butt.

Now Hezbollah, the radical Shiite Muslim movement, has put Samir al-Qantar at the top of the list of Lebanese prisoners whose release it is demanding in exchange for two Israeli soldiers seized July 12 in a cross-border raid that touched off the current conflict. According to reports from Jerusalem, such a swap might be a part of an agreement to end the crisis being worked out at the United Nations

However, this swap might not seem to be in the works, due to the nature of the crime which was particularly heinous involving a 4 yr old child being killed in the manner that it was. Also, Samir apparently has never expressed regret or remorse, which of course never helps in order to redeem yourself somewhat. Because killing a child is a no no, where ever in the world you go. It's for a good reason Israel has gotten more flak recently for all the children in Lebanon that have been killed in a casual considered collateral dammage. After all, Hezbullah's rockets trumps everything, according to them, and demands full out response. I wonder if in their minds killing those children or heck, even civilians would be unacceptable, what kind of solution they could still come up with? I think Israel has the military capability to do away with Hezbullahs' rockets very easily, but the real goal of the campaign is not to protect Israel (if it was, Israel would have known better not to escalate because it would be expected for Hezbullah to continue), but to wipe out Hezbullah, and as we have seen, at all costs. This is not the first time in the history of this conflict that many many civilians have unnecessarily died and been killed. I myself attribute the hardened hearts on both sides to not even care about killing a child. But it has to stop, and it will probably only stop, after it has gone too far.
Let's hope it won't come to that. Instead, let's hope for some more people to break ranks and stand up against the unnecessary killing.


Breaking Ranks: Refusing to Serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip
And also by rationale people like Osaid Rasheed.