Originally Posted by donsutherland1

Today, Haaretz reported:

Jimmy Carter is also trying to achieve a breakthrough in negotiations for Shalit's release, and has urged Israel to release Hamas politicians in efforts to expedite the deal...

Pastor [Robert Pastor, a senior advisor to former President Carter] met with Shas leader Eli Yishai, and said that Carter would like to arrange a tripartite meeting with a senior Hamas figure. An Israeli source said that Pastor presented Yishai with the initiative to release Hamas politicians to expedite the deal.

Under the initiative, Israel would release several dozen prisoners a confidence-building measure, including Hamas parliamentarians and ministers arrested after Shalit's abduction in June 2006. In return, Shalit would be brought to Egypt, where his family would be able to visit him. After this stage, negotiations for the release of more Palestinian prisoners and Shalit's return home would continue.

Such an approach makes little diplomatic sense for at least three reasons:

1) It relies on the kind of unilateral Israeli concessions that Israel's enemies have repeatedly pocketed while providing few, if any, substantive benefits for Israel.

2) Israel's making a fresh round of unilateral concessions would be read by Israel's enemies (Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, among others) as providing renewed confirmation of Israeli weakness. In turn, Israel's enemies could be tempted to exploit those perceived weaknesses.

3) The Carter plan's notion of Cpl. Shalit's being transferred to Egypt makes no sense at all. First, if it were fulfilled, it would transform a sovereign state into a hostage-holder. Such a position would be untenable for Egypt. Second, it is virtually certain that Hamas would not agree to any kind of arrangement that would require it to give up possession of its hostage, as the terrorist organization would expect that Egypt would ultimately release Cpl. Shalit rather than hold him as a hostage on behalf of Hamas.

Originally Posted by Jijala

Why has Israel concessions to make ? No surprise here, because it has done so much wrong before. How many thousand palestinian civilians and politicians are held captive and tortured in Israeli jails under illegal occupation laws and contrary to the laws of war? Why do some people try to make a fuss about one israeli captive while ignoring thousands of captive palestinians ? this makes no sense at all for any fair and balanced observer.

Originally Posted by donsutherland1

The Carter plan's notion of Cpl. Shalit's being transferred to Egypt makes no sense at all.