On the face of it, today’s blaring headline ‘Hamas Terror Mastermind Convicted of 46 Murders’, http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/157299#.T-yNorXkCP4 appears as a triumph for Jewish justice. Nevertheless, hold onto your celebratory mood, it is premature to bring out your party hats.

You can be forgiven for thinking that Jewish justice demands that criminals pay for their crimes, let alone multiple heinous murders. Whether Israel’s leadership governs from the left or right, Jewish justice has taken on a new context. To wit, a ‘catch and release’ terror program has become part and parcel of Israel’s  political and strategic calculus for decades. Never mind that authentic Jewish justice,Tzedek, Tzedek Tirdof, Justice, Justice You Shall Pursue, as well as international law, via Nullum Crimen Sine Poena, No Crime Without Punishment,  mandates commensurate punishment is meted out.

As articulated in one of this blogger’s op-eds in July 2007, http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/7296#.T-ySK7XkCP4, Israel’s leaders have implemented their own bizarre interpretations of both Jewish justice and international legal justice. How quaint.

To highlight the deleterious effects, of the subject at hand, to society at large, the readers should refer to an article written by The Washington Post, http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/7296#.T-ySK7XkCP4, a publication which is hardly pro Israel, yet even they realize that releasing terrorists is not in Israel’s public interest. Astonishing.

Making matters even more offensive, morally and security-wise, Arab citizens within Israel ( talk about biting the hand that feeds you ! ) exhibit expansive joy for their fellow Arab (terror) brethren when they walk out of jail, greeted as heroes by one and all. Not to be outdone, Arab MK’s in the Knesset join in the merriment and kudos, hailing their freedom as a symbol of their steadfast ‘resistance’. Not only do the released terrorists please Allah by killing Jews, and gain fame too, but they enjoy their freedom in the process. A win-win. To further illustrate the Arab disconnect with the country which feeds, houses and educates them, look no further than this ‘declaration of war’, straight out of the leadership’s mouth-http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4249009,00.html.

As is said, insanity is doing the same thing over and over, yet expecting different results. If past is prologue, as evidenced by the following report, http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=274631, then Israel’s leaders, at least in the realm of politically based terror releases, can be deemed insane. Of course, they will opine that ‘gestures/concessions’ to the PA/Fatah junta is necessary to bring Abbas (Arafat’s protege’ and henchman) to the ‘peace’ table, albeit kicking and screaming. Moreover, whenever Hamas prisoners are released (a real head banger, after all, our leaders designate them a terror group, as does Washington) our mental midgets still contend that they need to even the scales, because not to do so weakens Abbas, himself an unrepentant Jew-killer, as well as a Holocaust denier too.

Sach ha’kol, at the end of the day, our leaders appear as they are-fools and knaves!