One Missing Airman
Three Executed Soldiers
Four Hundred Arab Terrorists
And a Lop-Sided 2004 Prisoner Exchange

In 1982, after enduring years of murderous Arab terrorist attacks across its northern border, the Israel Defense Forces invaded Lebanon. During the war, Israeli airman, Ron Arad, was shot down by Shi'ite militants. He has been held in captivity to this very day. No one knows of his whereabouts or his fate. Israel's demand for his release or for information about his condition have been met with silence, Israel even offered a ten million dollar reward for information of his whereabouts but to no avail.

Above: Image of Ron Arad with his baby daughter, months before his kidnapping in 1982

Eighteen long years later in May of 2000 Israel withdrew from Lebanon. Israel hoped that Lebanon would stabilize itself and keep the Lebanese-Israeli border peaceful. This was not the case.  In September 2000 Hezbollah terrorists captured 3 Israeli (Adi Avitan, Beni Avraham, and Omar Sawaid ) soldiers and demanded that Israel release all Lebanese prisoners currently held. Israel refused to negotiate and Hezbollah responded by murdering all three soldiers.

Omar Sawaid, Beni Avraham, and Adi Avitan

That very same week Hezbollah kidnapped Israeli civilian, Elhanan Tennenbaum and demanded all Lebanese prisoners be released. Four years later, in 2004, Israel finally caved in and agreed. The prisoner exchange would involve two phases. During the first phase, Israel was to release all Lebanese prisoners with "no blood on their hands" (well, maybe those without too much blood on their hands!) along with a significant number of Palestinians prisoners. In total, 23 Lebanese Arabs and 400 Palestinian Arabs living prisoners were exchanged for the the bodies of the three very dead soldiers plus the businessman, Elhanan Tennebaum. Not to mention the fact that Israel had no idea if those 3 soldiers were dead or alive until the day of the prisoner exchange. Only on the day that Israel agreed, and signed the release of those 423 Arab prisoners, and after 4 agonizing years of not knowing anything about the condition of their soldiers, only then they were told that their soldiers were dead. The second phase would have freed Samir Kuntar in exchange merely for information as to the fate of missing Israeli airman, Ron Arad. 

Kuntar in his jail cell

With regard to the second phase of the deal, Hezbollah "agreed" in words but failed to deliver in deed. They simply sent a box of bones claiming they were the remains of Ron Arads. After extensive DNA-testing of the bones, they found out they were not Arad's! [Knowing the cruelty for which terrorists are renown, the bones may have been that of a goat!] Israel was no longer obligated to do her part of the second phase.  There would be no release of the prisoners [Arab Lebanese] Samir Kuntar, and [Arab Lebanese] Nissim Nasser (who was a spy for Hezbollah) and Yihiye Sakaf (who participated in the Coastal Road Massacre in which 38 Israeli civilians were killed). 

Everything was quiet until July 12, 2006.
 

Articles and References:
Bones sent to Israel by Hezbollah are not Ron Arad's (Haaretz 02/02/2004)
Lebanese newspaper: Ron Arad's bones examined by Israel (Haaretz, 05/13/2004)
Biography of Ron Arad (Ron Arad's official Website)