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| Head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, rejoicing in the company of convicted and unrepentant murderers whose crimes he explicitly celebrates and rewards. Ramallah, August 14, 2013 [Image Source: UPI] |
Three words are on everybody’s lips whenever Netanyahu’s release of murderers is discussed: promise, commitment and agreement.
They are trotted out by all and sundry to explain and rationalize his outrageous conduct.
Even many critics of the
release accept the claim that that there is no escaping the bind Netanyahu is
in. Eitan Haber, who billed the release agreement “the big
mistake” and “a wrong government decision”, nonetheless concluded: “The State
of Israel made a promise and the State of Israel must keep its promise.”
Yaakov Peri, Minister of Science Technology and Space,
explained why Israel must continue committing this travesty of justice with a
segue to political philosophy: “It was not easy to get them into jail or to
prove that they had killed”, he began. “But a democratic state that has signed
on an agreement has to honor it.”
Peri has it back
to front. It is precisely because this is a democratic state that
Netanyahu had no right to sign such an agreement. It is because this is a
democratic state that a piece of paper violating its basic tenets is null and
void.
As a democratic state, we have three
branches of government, only one of which Netanyahu heads. As chief executive
of Israel, Netanyahu is not empowered to crown himself chief justice.
Our courts and their carefully
selected and highly regarded judges labored long and hard to adjudicate every
one of the cases in which these murderers were convicted.
In opening up the prison
doors, Netanyahu has and will today again declare to us: “I stand above those judges. Their reasoning,
deliberations and verdicts are nothing but a child’s gibberish for me.”
No mention is ever made of the promise that Netanyahu made to his people to
uphold the principles of the democratic State of Israel. He is obligated to
respect this state’s judiciary, not discard it.
Of course, as prime minister, his duties
also include respecting the lives of his citizens and the memories of those who
were murdered in our country’s ongoing war.
But I will not even tread there. Mr.
Netanyahu has made it perfectly clear, at least to us, over the last two years,
that he only respects Israelis who will further his political career. Knowing
that our child’s murderer is free, reunited with her family, married to her
murderer-fiance and traveling around the world to incite to terrorism – all
courtesy of Netanyahu – has opened our eyes to this man’s agenda.
Perhaps tonight’s images of
celebration in Ramallah will open the eyes of others too.
I agree with your article. It is quite shocking that your PM has betrayed the Israeli people yet again by releasing more prisoners with blood on their hands for a peace which is no peace at all(Jeremiah 6:14)
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