As a precondition for “peace” talks with the Palestinians that will produce nothing, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry demanded that Israel’s government release over 100 long-term convicted terrorists and murderers, many imprisoned for vicious crimes committed long before either intifada.
The “Elder of Ziyon” blog has compiled a list of those to be released–and their victims. Here is a sample:
- Atiyeh Salem Musa: killed Isaac (Aizek) Rotenberg, 67, Holocaust survivor, 1994
- Isaac Rotenberg was born to Natan and Miriam Rotenberg in Poland on 15 March 1927. A selektzia was held in his city following the outbreak of the Second World War, and his family was sent to the Sobibór extermination camp. With the exception of him, his younger brother, and his sister, his entire family perished. He was taken with his brother to a labor camp. When a revolt broke out, the two succeeded in escaping the camp, but they lost track of each other in the ensuing commotion. Isaac then made his way to the forest and joined the partisans.
- In April 1947, Isaac reached the Land of Israel. He joined the IDF the next year, and fought in the War of Liberation in the north, near Kibbutz Manara.
- Isaac was married to Riva, and they had two children, Tzipora and Pinhas. He worked as a plasterer, and was a founder of the city of Holon. Upon reaching retirement age, he decided to continue working a few hours per day to keep himself busy.
- On 29 March 1994, during the Passover holiday, as Isaac was hunched on his knees, fixing a floor in his workplace in Petah Tikva, two of the Arab laborers on site attacked him and struck the back of his neck with axes. He was critically wounded, and entered a coma. Two days later, on 31 March, he died.
- Hosni Faregh Sawalha–murder of Baruch Heisler, 24, 1990
- On 2 December 1990, Yaacov missed his ride to his yeshiva [religious seminary] and instead boarded bus 66 from Petah Tikva to Tel Aviv. Three Arab terrorists boarded at the Pardes Katz stop, and immediately thereafter, at the junction of Ben Gurion Road and Jabotinsky Road in Ramat Gan, began stabbing passengers. Baruch Yaacov was murdered; three others were injured.
- Esmat Omar Mansour–accessory to murder of Haim Mizrahi, 1993
- Hayim Mizrahi was born to Mazal and Pinhas Mizrahi on 8 December 1963. He grew up in Bat Yam and Holon with his sisters, Margalit and Asnat, and his brother, Itzik. As a child, Hayim belonged to the junior league soccer team of Hapoel Tel Aviv. Following is army service, he became religious, moved to Beit El, and married Iris.
- On Friday, 29 October 1993, Hayim went to buy eggs from an Arab-owned farm near his home, as he was wont to do. He was greeted by terrorists who attacked him and fled in his vehicle after wounding him and stuffing him into the trunk. The terrorists proceeded to murder Hayim, then burned and abandoned the vehicle north of Ramallah.
- Hayim was 30 at the time of his death. He was put to rest in Holon Cemetery. Hayim was survived by his pregnant wife, his parents, his sisters, and his brother. Half-a-year after his murder, his daughter, Tehilla, was born.
Obama and Kerry insisted on the release of the terrorists and murderers, and Israel–fearful of losing U.S. support at the UN and against Iran–complied. That is the heavy price demanded by an administration that prides itself as tough on terrorists–while arming them and Syria and releasing them in Israel.
Image: Family of Moshe Becker, citrus grower, murdered; Elder of Ziyon blog