This article was originally published in November, 2003. 
Tammy Arad, wife of air force MIA Ron Arad recently told Galei Tzahal (Army) Radio that she is not surprised that the second phase of the deal with Hizbullah went unfulfilled. 
The deal leading to the release of Elchanan Tannenbaum from Hizbullah captivity demanded the terror organization later provide accurate information pertaining to the whereabouts and disposition of Arad. 
Since Tannenbaum's release, for which Israel released hundreds of terrorists in January 2004, nothing new has been learned regarding Ron Arad. 
Demonstrations will take place next Wednesday (20 April 2005) and Thursday (21 April 2005), demanding the release of Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad. Ron Arad fell into captivity when his plane was shot down over Lebanon on October 16, 1986. | | By: Paula R. Stern For someone who has survived 17 years in captivity, away from his family, his country, and all that he has known, hope is probably a large part of what sustains him. With time on his hands, images of his family run through his mind over and over again. The last time he saw them, special moments in his life, beautiful scenes of home and country. The birth of his daughter and the few moments he shared with her. His parents, his brother, his wife. His baby daughter. The past blends with the present but quickly shifts to the future. The past is gone and cannot be recaptured, the present is too painful, and so all he has is the belief that if he can survive this, the future will be better.
If one could survive 17 years in captivity, it would only be possible with the unwavering belief that someone was waiting for him and all he has to do is survive another hour, another day, another week. Israel does not abandon its sons. Ron knows this. Ron believes this. Ron is counting on this.
Is Ron Arad alive? Latest intelligence reports have stated that he was probably alive three years ago, that he was intentionally crippled by his captors in order to prevent him from escaping, which he attempted at least once in Lebanon. Ron was captured by Hizbullah, sold to Iran, and languished in captivity while his daughter grew up without a father. His mother passed away without having her most fervent of dreams come true, and his comrades in arms have moved through their lives knowing that Ron was left behind.
Sometimes, in grief we speak first, not realizing the insensitivity of our words until it is too late. So spoke the father of one of the three kidnapped soldiers when he said that his son shouldn't suffer for Ron. The irony, that the Hizbullah leader whose freedom could help secure his son's return was actually captured as a bargaining chip for Ron, escaped this bereaved father. It is not for us to judge him. It is natural that he would fight for his son's return, but that doesn't give anyone the right to value his son above any other son of Israel. In the continued political wrangling of whether a deal should be made, if it should include this murderer or that one, how many should be released and from what country, many are left to wonder about Ron and the folly of this government.
We are left to worry that our most important tenet, that we will do our all to bring home each and every son, has been broken. I have no doubt that if Ron is alive, his captors are tormenting him. See, they have forgotten you. You are nothing to them. They release 400 prisoners for three dead bodies and one colonel and don't even ask about you. Your family has moved on. You have been replaced, forgotten, abandoned, left behind. Your wife, your daughter, your family. They have forgotten you. Your country does not care. They think you are dead.
Of course, it isn't true. Of course, our hearts are with Ron Arad. Of course, his family anxiously works on his behalf and of course, we want him free. But will Ron know that? Will this act cause him to lose the incredible willpower that has sustained him thus far? How can he continue to hope when we have betrayed him, left him, bargained for the freedom of others, but not for him? If this deal comes through, I have little doubt that his captors will show him televised pictures of 400 prisoners disembarking from buses in Lebanon, as 3 caskets are loaded into Red Cross ambulances, and Colonel Tannenbaum is brought home. What about me, his heart will cry. What about me?
As the saga of the on-again, off-again negotiations continue, three basic realities emerge. First, when an important vote is held, and the vote is 12 ministers in favor and 11 against, it should send a signal to Prime Minister Sharon. The people are not ready for this prisoner exchange. You cannot bargain away the life of an Israeli soldier. So long as Ron is not brought home, Mustafa Dirani must remain in Israeli hands. Just as Ron cannot see his daughter, Dirani must be denied his family. He admits he held Ron, admits his guilt. He was captured for Ron and he should be returned for Ron. If Ron has already died in prison, let Dirani share his fate. If Ron still wallows somewhere, praying to see his family one day in the future, let Dirani know his anguish.
Second, as Sharon knows, the Arabs respect strength and despise weakness. They will answer our strength with strength of their own, but they will answer our signs of weakness as well. We made it appear that Ron's status is secondary, that we are desperate enough to release 400 prisoners in yet another lopsided prisoner exchange. This is a sign of weakness to a culture that will quickly seek to take advantage of it.
Third, we believe our willingness to make this deal is a show of our humanity, our respect for our own and a basic part of our religion, which commands us to do all in our power to secure the release of hostages. But what the Arabs see is desperation, and this will embolden Hizbullah to raise the price and demand more, to kidnap more, to threaten more, as they have already done. If we release a terrorist responsible for the death and destruction of an Israeli family, other terrorists will view it as a sign that Israeli lives are easily forfeited and in the end, they will be released to freedom too.
In the end, the Arabs have the upper hand, because both sides know that their sons sit in prison here and are not in danger. They are fed and clothed and housed. They are not free, but they do not suffer, while our sons have been abused, crippled and butchered.
Could Ron Arad still be alive? There is no question that he could be. Is he still alive? We cannot know. But, we must bring our boys home. All of them. The three who were kidnapped and the three who are missing. The one who was lured and the one who might be languishing in some cell, dreaming of his little girl who has grown up without him. If Sharon cannot be a ruthless negotiator and bargain from a position of strength, he will not succeed in bringing any of our boys home. November, 2003
BACKGROUND: In October 2003, three former Iranian diplomats and intelligence officials, currently residing in Europe, said that missing IAF navigator Ron Arad is alive and being held in a prison near Tehran, according to Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot. On the one hand, the testimonies can not be verified and should be regarded with caution. On the other hand, there isn't a clear motivation for the ex-Iranians to fabricate this story. One of the ex-Iranians claims that he worked and Arad was being held in a secret, heavily-guard prison near Tehran in the late 1990's. The source said he had access to Arad's files, saw Arad several times, and even exchanged words with him. According to this ex-Iranian, Arad tried to escape from his captivity while in Lebanon and was shot and wounded by his guards. In mid 1994, Arad was transferred via Syria to Iran. Before being transferred he underwent an operation to paralyze his legs in order to prevent him from escaping. Arad is, thus, confined to a wheelchair. The source also said that Arad was hospitalized twice for heart problems. |
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