Yesterday, the much hyped and celebrated Israeli release of ‘hundreds’ of Palestinian prisoners occurred. The international press, as it has done throughout the previous prisoner releases, described the event as some sort of grand concession by Israel.

It seems that when the international press wants to focus on the prisoner issue, they wait until one of these high-profile, confidence-building releases takes place.

The airways were full of images of happy Palestinians reuniting with their families – so many of them that they filled the entire screen. CNN described the event as historic, and the number of prisoners released in the ‘hundreds’. It looks and sounds good, but what do they fail to mention?

They fail to mention that this historic concession comprises a mere 2% of the approximately 11,000 Palestinians held by Israel.

They also fail to mention that in the past Israel, Israel has followed-up these historic concessions with a spree of new arrests. The number of new arrests usually cancels out the number of newly released in a matter of weeks.

So let the countdown begin…

Last night, while newly released prisoners were taking to their beds for the first time in ages, the IDF was taking to the streets arresting 29 Palestinians and assassinating another in a coffee shop in Jenin.

If my math serves me, that brings us to 197.

How long will it take for Israel to reach zero, and thus eliminate all of the ‘confidence’ they ‘built’ on Monday. My guess is in about a week and a half.

Anyone want to take that bet?

Picture: Abu Yusef’s magic camera