Ministers opposed to prisoner swap: Deal is a victory for Hezbollah

The three cabinet ministers who on Sunday voted against exchanging prisoners with Hezbollah, said the fact that the swap was in fact a victory for the Lebanon-based guerilla organization.

Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann, Housing Minister Ze'ev Boim and Finance Minister Ronny Bar-On were outvoted by 22 ministers who supported a deal that would see abducted Israel Defense Forces reservists Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser returned to Israel in exchange for Lebanese prisoners, among them the notorious Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar.

Kuntar has been jailed in Israel since perpetrating a terror attack in Nahariya in 1979 during which four Israelis were brutally killed.

"After Kuntar is released, who will prevent the release of Marwan Barghouti?" asked Bar-On after the cabinet session. Barghouti is Israel's most prominent Palestinian prisoner, who is charged with leading dozens of terror operations.

Bar-On added that "anyone who says that Samir Kuntar is not a bargaining chip in talks with Hezbollah on the topic of [missing Israeli airman] Ron Arad is wrong."

"A government promise was made to the Arad family, and it mustn't be broken," Bar-On continued, referring to Israel's ongoing efforts to obtain information on the fate of the Israel Air Force navigator who has not been seen since his plane went down over Lebanon in 1986.

Bar-On also voiced his opposition to the release of Palestinian prisoners in a prisoner exchange deal, saying that doing so would "give [Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan] Nasrallah patronage over the Palestinian cause as well, and that is dangerous in my view."

"In addition, [releasing Palestinian prisoners] would raise the ransom in the Shalit deal," Bar-On concluded, referring to an additional hostage, IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held captive in the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militants since June 2006. Talks are currently underway regarding a separate prisoner swap that would recover Shalit in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Justice Minister Friedmann said that "approving the deal sends a message of weakness," adding that "this is a terrible deal. The price is too high. We mustn't release Samir Kuntar because that would be an enormous victory for Hezbollah."

Housing Minister Boim said that "preventing terror is of the utmost importance ? no less than that of returning the [abducted] soldiers." He also warned that Hezbollah would view the deal as a victory. "If Nasrallah rejoices, that will be burned into the Arab psyche," he said.

Boim also voiced his objection to the release of Kuntar, saying that "a lowly despicable terrorist, whose stock we elevated in 2004, will become a symbol. We mustn't underestimate symbols ? they are the cause of rivers of bloodshed throughout human history."