If Only...

Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy reading Victor Davis Hanson? Yeah? If you hadn't read the posts, you probably figured it out by the fact that the top two permanent book recommendation links are both for VDH books. It has always been an unstated (until now) goal of mine to have someone make the comment that I can write half as well as he.

Today, I read his latest column over at National Review Online and thoroughly enjoyed it, as I do all his columns. But then a few minutes later, I found an article over at IMRA in which a Palestinian official proves that he lives in more of a fantasy world than Hanson could ever dream up.

This official referred to Israel as "Satan's offspring" and decided that the recent decision to swap 400 Arab prisoners for one live and three dead Israelis was part of some kind of a plot to make an Arab life seem as though it is worth less than an Israeli one!

Now I didn't agree with the 400 for 1 and 3 deal at all. I thought that the numbers were way out of line (plus I don't like negotiating with terrorists, but that's another issue.). However, I give Sharon credit for placing that much value on the life of a single Israeli citizen, along with providing closure for three other families. It speaks to the commitment that the Israeli government has to its people.

But it wasn't the Israelis who made their citizens life so valuable, it was the Arabs who demanded 400 prisoners for 1. It was the demands of the terrorists that so cheapened the perceived value of the Arab life in relation to the Israeli one. You can't make outrageous demands and then complain about their effect once they're met. It is not the fault of Israel that the Arab (and particularly the Palestinian) people now see the vast difference in the concern of the respective government for their people. The light of the truth can be very harsh indeed.

I really believe that the fact that this official is even out whining about this is a good sign. I think it indicates a rising pressure from the Palestinian people for some sort of reform that better recognizes their worth to their leadership. Had the negotiation been for 40 prisoners, the Palestinians may have felt like their side simply pressed a good deal. But 400? That number is simply so far out of whack with a reasonable expectation that I can see it making the Arabs feel as though their government views them as 1/400th of an Israeli - and that has got to hurt.