Did you think Israel declaring that they’re not returning terrorist’s bodies’ means they won’t return them? Well guess what, talk is cheap! They returned bodies anyway!
Quietly, inspite of cabinet declarations to the contrary, Israel gave back 20 terrorists bodies last month. How do they do it? Easy! They do it on Friday afternoons, under the radar and bit by bit.
On Friday afternoon the religious MKs and cabinet members get ready for Shabbat. The religious and the right are both off the media. This is the time that Twitter in Israel is almost entirely in the hands of the Israeli political left and that is when bodies of terrorists are returned.
It is true that a few months back, during the climax of the wave of stabbings, part of the cabinet members said they are opposed to returning the terrorist’s bodies for burial by their own families. These announcements got the desired headlines and the politicians look like true defenders of the people. The desire of the public resonated with the announcements and Israel stopped returning bodies.
Those families turned to the (ever so wise) Supreme Court seeking to get the bodies back. The Government responded saying that bodies would be returned under compliance with rules limiting the size of the funerals and their character (not to fuel terror). In such a manner 20 terrorist bodies were returned to their families last month.
There are still 3 bodies of terrorists that Israel refuses to return. These are bodies of terrorists that shook up Israeli society. The terrorist that attempted to blow up the number 12 bus in the “Pat” neighborhood of Jerusalem, the roadside terrorist that shot Michael Mark on Highway 60 and the terrorist the shot Levana Malichi and Border Patrol Yossi Kirmah.
It seems the cabinet fears public outcry if the return the bodies of terrorists that carried out high profile attacks. It is very easy to sympathize with the families of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul who are still waiting for the slightest information about their sons’ bodies from the Hamas. They continuously said the promises of not returning bodies should be honored and the government should stop caving in to terror. Unfortunately, they are right again!
For shame! They caved in again.