Israel Returns 15 Bodies for Every Hostage Body: 'Fair Trade'
When Israel returned 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza officials, as reported by AP, it was framed as a 'central' part of a 'ceasefire' exchange for one Israeli hostage's remains. This isn't a neutral accounting; it's a chilling echo of Israeli policies that violate international norms, including the dignity of the deceased. Human Rights Watch has documented Israel's practice of withholding
Palestinian bodies, often for years, as a bargaining chip—a collective punishment tactic, not a 'trade agreement.' (HRW, 2021: 'Israel: Withholding Bodies a War Crime'). We are consistently told these are 'security measures,' yet the sheer mathematical disparity—15 lives for one, even in death—raises questions only the mainstream media politely ignores. How many international laws are breached
before the term 'security' becomes a euphemism for dehumanization? One might wonder if such 'exchanges' would be considered 'central' to any other conflict, or if Palestinian lives are merely a different currency.