The German government has promised to free two Lebanese and an Iranian currently serving life sentences in Germany, and also to try to persuade France and Switzerland to release Lebanese prisoners they hold, in exchange for the return of missing Israeli navigator Ron Arad or his body.
| That's another advantage to the death penalty: once their necks've been stretched, nobody's going to take hostages to get them unstretched... |
The German pledge is included in the prisoner exchange deal reached by Israel and Hezbollah through German mediation. The deal comprises two stages. In the first stage, to take place on Thursday, Israel will release 435 Arab prisoners - 400 Palestinians, 23 Lebanese and 12 nationals of other countries - and one German, in exchange for the return of businessman Elhanan Tennenbaum and the bodies of three slain soldiers - Benny Avraham, Adi Avitan and Omar Suwad. The following day, Israel will also hand over the bodies of 59 Lebanese buried in Israel, as well as any information it has on 24 Lebanese who have been missing since 1982 and maps of mines laid by Israel in Lebanese territory. The second stage deals with the attempt to find information about Arad and bring him back to Israel. A joint German-Hezbollah committee will be set up to conduct the search for information, with indirect help from "other sources" - an apparent reference to Iran.
| Which is said to be where he went... |
If solid information is obtained - meaning DNA samples to confirm his identity and proof of whether he is alive or dead -Israel will release Samir Kuntar, the only Lebanese prisoner who is not being freed this week, and also the only one convicted of murdering civilians in Israel rather than soldiers in Lebanon.
| This is a damned dirty deal. And as soon as it's done, Hezb is going to kidnap somebody else... |
However, the agreement is deliberately vague on this point, saying in another place that Kuntar will be released once the discussion of his case ends, and that the parties hope this will be in two to three months. If Arad is located, negotiations will begin over his return to Israel. Any deal would include the release of the three prisoners held in Germany, all of whom were involved in the murder of an Iranian dissident in a Berlin restaurant in 1992. Israel will also have to release additional Arab prisoners, mainly Palestinians. |