This past August 6th, I wrote about Dr. Menachem Stern, the highly regarded scholar of ancient Judaism and winner of the Israel Prize, who was murdered in Sacher Park in Jerusalem in 1989. The occasion for my writing about him was the news that Israel had agreed to release his assailants (who had been apprehended, tried and convicted about twenty years ago) as part of a "confidence-building gesture" in conjunction with negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. (Click here to read the blogpost.)
Now, almost five months later, as 2013 is drawing to a close, the newspapers have just reported that the perpetrators of the murder of Dr. Menachem Stern are indeed due to be released with twenty-four hours. (Click here to read The Times of Israel report.)
I will simply repeat what I wrote several months ago: this is a very, very difficult time for Israel. Whether this gesture will bring peace between Palestinians and Israelis remains to be seen. In the meantime, there will be rejoicing in the Palestinian territories and quiet grieving in Israel.
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