Hamas released Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit on Tuesday after holding him captive for five years. In exchange, Israel freed 477 Palestinian prisoners, most of them to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. It was just the first stage in a swap that will result in the eventual release of 1,027 Palestinians, some of whom have spent decades behind bars for violent attacks against Israel. Was it smart for Israel to make such a lopsided trade?
No. Israel handed a huge victory to Hamas: It was a relief to see Shalit, who was just 19 when he was captured, finally released, says Melanie Phillips at Britain's Daily Mail. But Israel paid too high a price by agreeing to free more than 1,000 "Arab terrorists." This "deal with the devil" weakens the moderate Palestinian leadership of Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction, strengthens Hamas, and may mark "the collapse of the peace process."
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