Ilan Grapel came. Ilan Grapel went. Most people couldn't care less, except for his parents, who, naturally, were moved. The release of Gilad Shalit and Ilan Grapel has created the necessity to also free Ouda Tarabin. The internal reality in Israel does not allow for the government to fail precisely this time around, in the case of a Bedouin from the Negev town of Rahat, who went to Sinai 11 years ago to visit family and found himself in an Egyptian jail. After the excitement that accompanied Shalit's release peaked, one was left with the impression that the Grapel and Tarabin cases were only marginal events. There was a general feeling that a bigger, more comprehensive deal was brewing behind the scenes. While ministers from the Forum of Eight claimed they had never heard of such a deal, the winds of change gathered strength. Get the Israel Hayom newsletter sent to your mailbox! Israelis and Palestinians are not the only ones to have discovered that prisoners are strategic weapons in their own hands and in those of their foes within the political arena. The two conflicting nations take part in this merry-go-round ride, as does their mediating neighbor, Egypt, and even the U.S. U.S. President Barack Obama, who seeks to banish suspicions on the part of Jewish donors and voters, is weighing the release of Jonathan Pollard. He deserves to be freed. He has been jailed longer than any other American spy. In addition, Pollard passed on necessary information to protect an ally, not an enemy. The U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv is fully aware that Pollard is particularly important to the Israeli Right. His release could, as they say, kill two birds with one stone: In such a situation, settlers could agree to a temporary construction freeze in Judea and Samaria. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas would no longer have an excuse to avoid negotiations with Israel if there was express or even silent consent to a freeze. A perfect political maneuver. Everyone is happy. The use of prisoner swap deals serves not only those involved, but is also a springboard for dialogue. Especially when efforts are growing among foreign ministry offices in the West to renew peace negotiations. The Quartet is pressing for a meeting, and is urging Israel to come to the table with a settlement freeze in hand. It would make things much easier if, in exchange, Israel could see Pollard walk free to Zion. On Nov. 11, the U.N. Security Council will once again take up the disconcerting issue of unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. In the meantime, people of good will are trying to pull the rug out from under people of bad will even before that specified date. Great effort and some luck could help.
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