Free Republic

Sunday's decision by the Israeli cabinet to vote in favour of a prisoner trade that will see scores of terrorists released from its jails in exchange for the safe return of an Israeli businessman kidnapped by Hezbollah, and the bodies of three dead Israeli soldiers, must have been an extremely difficult one to take. It may come as a surprise to hear that Israel -- which is famed for its tough stance against terrorists -- is willing to enter into such a deal that is likely to have strong ramifications for the long-term war against terror. On a human level...

There is a great deal of concern that the ceasefire, declared today by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah, will seize the political and moral high ground from Israel. Let's get this straight from the start -- this temporary ceasefire (or hudna) for a period of three months is not worth the paper it is written on. The question is: Why now? And how will this hudna impact upon the implementation of the U.S.-sponsored road map peace proposals? Clearly the rationale behind the move from groups that routinely send others on suicide missions inside Israel is to save their own skins....

The clear message of the suicide bombers who struck Israel this past week is that there will be no deal on Israeli-Palestinian peace without Yasser Arafat's participation. Israel and the United States have tried to push Mr. Arafat into irrelevance, and prefer to deal directly with newly appointed Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. But Arafat, the PA Chairman, has retained control of much of the Palestinian security apparatus. And as the power struggle between Arafat and Abbas develops, there is increasing evidence that the radical Islamic group Hamas and elements of Arafat's own Fatah movement are co-ordinating their attacks...

It has been a good week for the veteran Israeli politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres. Last week it looked as if his career and vision of a new Middle East were both finally dead and buried. But as they say, a week in politics is a long time, and today Peres is once more centre stage. The resignation of Amram Mitzna as leader of the Israeli Labour Party -- after only nine months in the job -- and U.S. President George W. Bush's speech outlining his vision of free trade zones in the Mideast have moved the...

History has taught us that the Arabs do not respond to a crushing humiliation on the battlefield by rushing into making concessions at the political table. President Gamal Nasser of Egypt did not get on the phone to the Israeli Prime Minister, Levi Eshkol, following the humiliating defeat of Egypt in the Six Day War of 1967. Rather, within months he had started another low-intensity war with Israel aimed at what he termed reclaiming Arab lands through attrition. Central to Nasser's strategy was the need to regain Arab honour. In a society where honour carries a higher value than truth,...