The units of trade, while out of the ordinary, were not what got my attention.
Rather it was the valuations reflected by the figures that sucked me in.
Side A was giving up 1 unit, a benefit to side B.
Side B was giving up some 700+ units, a benefit to side A.
What kind of mental ciphering would lead to that kind of trade? I wondered.
I probably will never know.
Just as surprising to me
was the lack of any commentary by the radio journalist who reported the story.
She dutifully recited the figures, and the physical protocols of the trade.
But by then her 28 seconds of air time were up.
All were left to wonder about the behind the scenes negotiations and
the motives of the negotiators.
Surely the optics of a 700+ :1 ratio would pique an enquiring mind.
Were journalists not required to anticipate what listeners were thinking,
and respond to the most likely presumed questions?
Apparently not in this case.
So you're asking 'what was it that was traded? what were these 'units'?
Anticipating that question I say:
Prisoners, that's what. Human
The State of Israel gave up 700 Palestinian prisoners
in return for the Palestinians giving up 1 Israeli prisoner.
Don't be getting off-topic by asking 'does that imply that Palestine is a 'nation'?
Because I won't be answering that.
I'd rather focus on the 700:1 thing.
You'd think the Jews got jewed. (no letters please)
But no. No one held a gun to their head, if you know what I mean.
Not for this particular, isolated event.
This nation state of Jews have a very lonnng and admirable history
of being astute bargainers.
I don't imagine there was any lapse here.
Still it is hard to figure.
And the Palestinians are obviously no slouches in the negotiating game.
They knew how to lever whatever it was that they were levering.
I've heard of 2 for one specials, even 3 for one, once.
But 700:1. That's a new record for me.
What were all of them thinking?
(new sign off line for a series of columns, hmmmm.....)
And if you get that one figured out,
don't be shy to comment on whether the journalist let us all down
by not addressing, however obliquely, the issue of the 700:1.
