HAMAS praises Israel’s Strength? Check your wallet, but what’s that overheard in Qom?

Wash Times:

JERUSALEM — A senior Hamas official praised the “strength” Israelshowed in a prisoner exchange that swapped more than 1,000 Palestinian convicts for one captured Israeli soldier.

“To do what Israel did shows the value Israeli society places on human life,” Salah al-Arouri, a member of the Islamist militant group’s politburo, said this week on Israel Radio from Damascus, Syria.

“This is a pillar of Israel’s strength — to wage a war to free one man, to free a thousand prisoners for him,” he said, referring to the Jewish state’s efforts to free Staff Sgt. Gilad Schalit from his Hamas captors. “This is the strength of a society and an army.”• Israel Channel Two television quoted columnist K. al-Ahmed, writing in the al-Qabas newspaper in Kuwait, as saying: “I wish I were Gilad Schalit; I wish my country cared so much about me.”• Syrian blogger Soori Madsoos posted online: “I just envy [the Israeli] government because it cares for its citizens. Our government kills us like animals and our Arab neighbors say it’s just an internal matter.”

Mr. al-Arouri’s surprising interview marked the first time a Hamasofficial had agreed to talk with Israeli media. Hamas is dedicated to Israel’s destruction.

Israel Radio interviewer Gal Berger explained to listeners that Mr. al-Arouri, who spoke perfect Hebrew, had spent years in Israeli prisons for terrorist activities, is familiar with Israelis and is at ease speaking with them.

“As someone from the outside, as an enemy, I would prefer that Israelabandon that value, even at the cost of not freeing our prisoners,” Mr. al-Arouri said in Hebrew.

Of course this guy was a negotiator for HAMAS, and was thus in contact with Israelis continuously over this, spent years in Israel jails for terrorism, and speaks Hebrew fluently.

But whether this is Stockholm Syndrome in reverse, taqqiya, and if this guy is never heard from again, it’s an interesting moment, especially since….

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to execute a 1,000-for-1 prisoner exchange last week despite his frequently voiced opposition to such lopsided deals is seen by several Israeli military commentators as an effort to “clear the deck” before possibly undertaking an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Amir Oren, the veteran military analyst for Ha’aretz newspaper, took note of Israel’s exchanging 1,027 Palestinian convicts for army Staff Sgt. Gilad Schalit, who had been captured by Hamas in 2006. Mr. Orenwrote that the price paid by Mr. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak “can be interpreted only in a context that goes beyond that of the Gilad Schalit deal.”

He noted that Israeli leaders in the past have shown a readiness to absorb “a small loss” in order to attain a greater success, generally involving “some sort of military adventure.”

Mr. Oren also noted that, until recently, Mr. Netanyahu had faced opposition to attacking Iran from Army Chief of Staff Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi and Mossad intelligence chief Meir Dagan. Both retired earlier this year and have been replaced by men believed to hold a different view on Iran.