According to the Palestinian Authority leadership, Samir Quntar epitomizes the ideal Palestinian prisoner. Quntar, who crushed the head of four-year-old Eynat Haran with his rifle, is serving four life sentences for murder in an Israeli prison, but is almost certain to be freed in a prisoner swap with Hizbullah this week.

On one hand, Quntar embodies what the PA considers the "heroism" of terrorists fighting Israel. On the other hand, he's the ultimate symbol of all terrorist prisoners who have murdered Israelis and will eventually be freed as a result of future kidnappings or through some other means.

PA TV, controlled by Mahmoud Abbas, broadcast the following picture honoring Quntar. He is depicted beside a map of Israel completely covered by the Palestinian flag.

[PATV, 23-25 June 2008]

Following are several recent quotes from PA leaders since April 2008, describing Quntar:

"Samir Quntar, the warrior from Lebanon."
"The brave warrior, Samir Quntar."
"The Palestinian people and the Palestinian leadership are standing behind you (Quntar)."
"You (Quntar) are an inseparable part of the action to free our homeland."
"Your (Quntar) patience and strength are a lesson for us."

Besides bludgeoning Eynat Haran to death with rocks and his rifle, Quntar killed her father and was responsible for the death of her infant sister. He also killed two policemen in the 1979 attack in Naharia.

On Sunday the Israeli cabinet voted 22-3 in favor of a “prisoner” swap with Hezbollah. Israel, on its side of the bargain, won’t be receiving any prisoners but instead the corpses of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, the two soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah in 2006, along with partial, inadequate information on Ron Arad, the airman shot down over Lebanon in 1986.

Hezbollah, for its part, gets five live terrorists including child-killer Samir Kuntar, dozens of corpses of terrorists, information on four Iranian diplomats who were detained by Christian Phalange forces in Lebanon in 1982, and live Palestinian terrorists whose number and identity are supposed to be determined by Israel.

The lopsided vote in favor was especially notable given the opposition of Israel’s defense establishment, which stressed the obvious facts that: such deals strengthen terror organizations; such deals both encourage further kidnappings and encourage these organizations to up their demands for hostages already held; and trading live terrorists for dead Israelis further endangers other kidnapped Israelis by telling terrorists they can extort high prices even for their corpses.

The cabinet was also told by Mossad chief Meir Dagan and Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin—staunch opponents of the deal—that Kuntar’s inclusion means losing any further chance for genuine progress on the case of Ron Arad, since Kuntar was Israel’s last remaining bargaining chip for Arad.

The cabinet also heard, however, from Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi—staunchly in favor of the deal—who stated that “I am the commander of all the soldiers...of the living and the dead, and therefore I say to you the deal must be approved.”

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, for his part, told the cabinet that “We have the utmost collective responsibility and must look the [involved] families in the eye—as well as our conscience.” He referred to the “fundamental issue of a country’s obligation toward its soldiers it sends into battle” and said: “A nation that concedes in order to ensure life, save its wounded, bring home its dead—is a nation that creates unbreakable bonds of mutual obligation.”

Logically speaking, then, the “nays” had it. A nation indeed has an obligation toward the soldiers it sends into battle, but that obligation doesn’t include ransoming them with large numbers of lethal terrorists. If soldiers are taken captive by terrorists, a country’s intelligence services have to comb the world relentlessly to find them or find out about them. The country has to threaten, pressure, and punish the terrorists into freeing the captives. It can also agree to proportionate exchanges to free them.

It doesn’t, however, have to further strengthen its deadly enemies by giving in to their extortionate demands. As for making real, tangible sacrifices, like freeing live, dangerous terrorists, to secure soldiers’ remains, it’s a duty that only Israel seems to have discovered.

Ashkenazi and Olmert, though, appealed to emotions of group solidarity and sympathy for the soldiers’ families that clearly prevailed among the cabinet ministers.