There is little euphoria surrounding the Regev-Goldwasser prisoner exchange deal, especially with the realization that Samir Kuntar will soon be a free man while air force navigator Ron Arad, who fell into captivity in Oct. 1986, is still officially listed as missing in action.

Most agree today that during the first two years of Arad’s captivity, the government had real opportunity to obtain his release, but the decision-makers were unwilling to pay the high price being demanded.

First held by Hizbullah, in a complex series of event, Arad was moved around and officially disappeared from Israeli radar on May 4, 1988. Since that time, there is no real evidence as to his whereabouts or disposition, but all evidence points to Iran.

Now, with another prisoner deal on the horizon, the family of Arad must sit quietly by with the realization that Ron has once again been excluded, perhaps forgotten, with the government now speaking of declaring him dead.

Sheikh Karim Obeid and Mustafa Dirani were successfully abducted by IDF commandos operating behind Lebanese lines, but they too have since been released. Now, Kuntar, perhaps the last trump card for an Arad deal, is also being eliminated.

For family members, perhaps the biggest insult in the official Hizbullah report presented to Israel as part of the deal, a letter that states the terror organization has nothing new to report regarding Arad’s whereabouts. The government is expected to accept the report, letting Hizbullah off the hook despite the fact that most intelligence officials believe the only person who really knows what happened to Arad is Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)