This has nuttin' to do with nuttin', but I thought it interesting and this is generally the place to stick it in, I judged:

www.nationalpost.com/.../story.html

basman, Yes that is interesting. We all inherantly know that the sexes have different strengths but we will never know what they are unless everyone has an equal chance at every thing. Society and culture still have too big of an influence on gender and skills but I think someday we will be able to diffinitively say that women are better at fine details and men better at inovation. I am quite sure that both are capable to do either however.

" Not only Nasrallah but the Christian president, the Sunni prime minister and the Druze speaker of parliament."

And Israel thinks it can make peace with these people?

I am glad Olmert has resigned.

And this man was exchanged for dead hostages? Correct me someone, but don't the Israelis have death penalty? Israel has killed enemies for less horrible murders, so what is it about this particular deadly snake that kept him alive and educated in an Israeli jail? Hell, he looked plump and well fed in that video clip.

Israel does not have the death penalty, except for Nazi's. Eichmann was the only one ever hanged.

He'll get assassinated one day by Mossad.  I hope they make it painful and drawn out.

The death penalty is on the books in Israel for more than just Nazis but has been used very very rarely.

Treason in time of war can get you hung here (that was part of M.K. Azmi Bashara's motivation to hightail it out of here -- he was accused of passing info to Hezbollah during Lebanon 2).  At least one person was executed for treason during the '48 War.

My son tells me that terrorists, and those that send them, can get the death penalty if tried in military courts.  That is often why these fine specimens of humanity are usually tried in civilian courts so as to avoid the problem.

I personally have become strongly in favor of meting out death penalties against terrorists.  I think the rationales for not doing so are divorced from reality.  Executing terrorists will help eliminate the dilemma of freeing prisoners with blood on their hands if we don't have any to free.

Regarding Kuntar, a few senior security types here hinted subtly but darkly that they wouldn't sell Kuntar a life insurance policy, especially if you plan to collect premiums for many years.  I suspect that any action against him won't happen for a few years, and when it does happen, no one will take credit for it.  But the message will be understood that you may live a longer life in an Israeli prison, than you would getting freed in a hostage exchange.

Hershel Ginsburg

Jerusalem / Efrata

The hostage exchange was imoral. It strongly encourages Arabs to kill any Israeli hostage they hold. Given they hate Jews, if they get the same price for a dead or alive Jew, why WOULDN'T they kill the Jew? I hope someone in Israel will have enough sense to arrange the assassination Samir Kuntar; the sooner the better.