Why prisoner swaps are dangerous

I did not agree with Israel's decision to swap Gilad Shalit for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. That will make people on both sides of the issue upset, but it is what it is.  For the Israelis, it set a bad precedent.  All those who you deem terrorists need to do is kidnap one of your people and you'll be willing to swap however many of those you incarcerated to get your man (or woman) back.

Palestinians take part in a rally in Gaza City to show solidarity with those in Israeli jails (Reuters)

For the Palestinians, well you got your people back so me saying I didn't agree with that won't win me any friends.

The fact of the matter is much of the swap happened for political reasons. The Israeli economy is in the pits and Bibi, et. al. are constantly searching for something to deflect attention or gain political points.

The Gilad Shalit saga was perfect for this. The young soldier was abducted along the Gaza border and held for over five years.  His family led a campaign to maintain pressure on the government to get their son back.

Not everyone in Israel agreed with the decision to swap Gilad for the prisoners.  Many survivors of victims of attacks opposed the deal.  Others noted such a deal would increase motivation to kidnap more soldiers in the future.

Earlier this week armed Gaza groups called on Palestinians to abduct Israelis in a bid to free Palestinian prisoners.  Their plea came days after over 2,000 prisoners announced a hunger strike to protest against jail conditions.  Khalid al-Batsh, a senior member of the Islamic Jihad, said, "We should work hard to get [Israeli] prisoners in our hands in order to secure the freedom of our prisoners.

"I say to all armed factions, the way to free the prisoners is through swaps... An arrest for an arrest and freedom for freedom.  That is the way."

By engaging in such swaps, especially one person for thousands, you set an example and make your people vulnerable.    

NYT: Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood pushing Palestinian reconciliation

The New York Times reported on Saturday that the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood is seeking to leverage its ties with Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah to increase pressure on Israel for an independent Palestinian state. According to the newspaper, Brotherhood officials are pressing Hamas, its Palestinian offshoot, to reconcile and work with their West Bank counterparts. A united Palestinian front would be able to more successfully

The intervention is a marked change from the past. The Muslim Brotherhood previously denounced Fatah's relatively moderate stance toward Israel and its willingness to negotiate with the Jewish state, accusing them of selling the dream of a Palestinian state for political gains from the West.

According to FJP Chairman of the Arab Affairs Committee Reda Fahmy, the Brotherhood's Mohammed Badie asked Khalid Meshaal himself to "be more flexible," leading to Hamas' agreement to allow Fatah's president Mahmoud Abbas to lead the first six months of a unity government in the Palestinian Territories until new elections are held.

The intervention is also one of the clearest signs of a newly-strengthened Brotherhood's involvement in Egyptian politics and foreign affairs after it swept the parliamentary elections. Egypt hosted reconciliation talks between the two groups in February and also play a role in mediating internal disputes in Hamas.