Jason in London needs to be reminded of many children killers who are not yet behind bars and not within the reach of justice. Many Israeli leaders who avoid landing in British airports!! Do you know how many Palestinian children were killed by IDF, the occupation force? You probably can find out.

saleh darwish, Amman, Jordan

we find the western newspapers interviewing families from Israel (which is called "the occupied land" in lebanon). I'm not against these interviews, but why don't reporters cross the borders of the canon towards marginalized arab families! democarcy is a space where everyone can have a voice.

dani, beirut, lebanon

So each dead Israeli is worth 204 militants, dead and alive. Is that how it is equated?

Israel was not supposed to survive from day 1, as per the English, Arab states, Russia and their allies. Isreali's were not allowed ammunition of any sort, from day 1, 1948.

Susan, London

Susan, London, England

Maybe this man did kill a child but the IDF regularly murder about 100 Palestinian children a year and not by accident.

Phil Ishmael, Liverpool,

The Lebanese people should be ahsamed for getting a cold blooded butcher back into their country. This is a guy who crossed the border aiming to kill as many civillians as he can and ended up executing a man in front of his toddler doughter and smashing her scull after she begged for her life.

Jason, London,

I hope for the Arabs in Israel and around that Kantar is not
typical of them, but just a miserable killer who would spend his life in jail in any country at peace.

Olivier, Paris,

David of Manchester

OK im out by 2 years.thks for the history lesson..but having lost a family member ( grandfather and British civilian ) to an Israeli ''freedom fighters'' bomb whilst he was buildilng a school for the Jewish people sort of puts holes in your argument about attacking innocents.

Aaron, London,

LIve by the GUN you'll die by the GUN.

Daphne Kenward, Cambridge, UK

Yes, I'm shocked too by the "political" justification of the savage murder of a child. And I think Sam Green has made the most profound point of this discussion. The Israelis keep a child-murderer alive, while Hezbollah murder their captives. What an indictment.

J. Ely, Liverpool, UK

It is sad that HEZBOLLAH killed those soldiers, that is cowardice. But I also beleive ISRAEL should have returned the dead bodies of the 199 PALESTINIANS AND HEZBOLLAH to their families as they recovered it. Stop the killings, stop the fightings. My thoughts with the families who received coffins

Naleen Lal, Northern California,

Another sad story about the ME turns into an opportunity for rabid Israel-bashing and revisionism. The facts are bare - two soldiers kidnapped from Israel alive are returned dead. Five "militants" including one murderer are returned in fine fettle (plus 200 who died fighting). Equal swap? Hmmm.

Elliot, Elstree, UK

I think Hezbollah is winner and Israel is humiliated in this swap. Israel had tried every other means to get back its soldiers. It even went to war. It failed. Finally Israel was forced to negoatiate a swap. Hezbollah claims Israel only listens to force. Hence, it made Israel kneel, and won the war.

Ahmed, Manchester, Britain

Gentlemen,

Samir Kuntar is a Druze from the Mount Lebanon village of Abey overlooking Beirut. He is not a Palestinian. You need to come up with a better "justification" for his evil actions.

David, Airport City, Israel

The conviction of Samir Kantar is based upon facts in dramatic dispute. NYT 7/16/08 contains a summary of this, and we in a few days will certainly hear more of this. So before everyone swallows the Israeli version, just wait a bit more for the truth.

tarquinis, Seattle, USA

@David Harris

Israeli historians Daniel Pape and Tom Segev wrote about the events of 1947 - 1953. They mention the 460 Palestinian villages that were destroyed by the Israelis and the terror tactics and the massacres carried out by Israeli troops to drive Palestinians out.

Go buy a clue.

Jeff, Haifa,

David Harris, Manchester: The Jewish 'Freedom Fighters' (ie Terrorists) Irgun, bombed the King David Hotel in July 1946 just 1 year after the British people had helped to save the Jewish race from Hitler's genocide. 91 people were killed most of them civilians, I suggest YOU read some history books

J Roberts, Manchester, UK

Neil - Neither Israeli soldiers nor civilians have ever behaved in such a reprehensible manner in the name of Israel. The returned terrorists will have been treated with a good deal more respect and dignity than the two dead soldiers. I know who I would rather be governed by.

Alana, London, UK

To Aaron London
I suggest you get your history books out and read about a subject before you start blogging about it. British left Palestine in 48, so your reference to the 50's is entirely misconceived. The Jewish Freedom fighters did not attack any innocent civilians or any children.

David Harris, Manchester,

I love the hypocrisy of the Israeli stance in its war against Hamas, Hezlabollah, etc...they brand these freedom fighters ''terrorists'' yet weren't the Israeli's doing exactly the same thing against the British back in the 1940's-50's ?

Aaron, London, England

Mark, Neil
Much as I sympathise with the palestinian plight. this man is a butcher of unarmed women and children. Examine your conscience. Nothing, nothing justifies that kind of butchery.

mortice, london,

Interesting point-the Arab prisoner is alive after 30 years, the Israeli prisoners are dead. If they were captured alive, then what happened to them-isn't that just as important in this story? If they were, you can bet a few more people will be specifically targeted, and fair enough too.

ted, london, uk

Israel should return the Palestinian militants, I could not agree more..

But they should return them in coffins to match the bodies of the soldiers they have received back.

jim, london, uk

Since when does being a patriot entitle you to kill children and their fathers? No end can justify those means Neil - shame on you.

Sarah, London, UK

Remember that the Israeli soldiers that were captured are just one of many from both sides that have taken soldiers hostage.

Israel bombed that full country, targetting civillian people, housing and businesses. England would not call for a ceasefire as we were selling them the bombs!

Andrew Towell, Hartlepool, England

Good grief, people defending the vile murderer Kantar. Have you lost sense of your humanity?? It is abhorrent to kill civilians in a military situation and thisapplies whether it involves Palestinians or Israelis

Phil, London, UK

Some of the comments here are simply sickening. Defending a child killer under the guise of Palestinian liberation? This is a man who smashed a 4 year old girls skull with a blunt object. But its ok to defend him, because she was a jew and he was trying to 'liberate' his occupied land.

Tony, Toronto,

Sam Green

Could you please tell us all how Israel got hold of the other 199 Lebanese & Palestinian Corpses ?

I assume they collected dead people to use as future Exchange Chips.

Obi , London, UK

Mark in London - where does it say Kantar is a Palestinian? If he is he is a disgrace to the proud Palestinian nation however much you would seek to justify his crushing of a child's skull in cold blood.

DG, London,

The Muslims complain about their treatment in Guantanamo - quite rightly.

But, good grief, have a look at their treatment of prisoners!

leila , manchester, uk

Mark and Neil (and others): Are you saying that if Jews would be wandering all over Europe after WWII killing any innocent German, Austrian and Pole on the way this would be righteous in your eyes? According to your policies you also agree that it is time for a renewed IRA?

Gideon Meyer, Modiib, Israel

Are the bodies of dead guerrillas preserved -for want of a better word-for potential prisoner exchanges? So they are pawns in life as well as in death?

Miss M, Vienna,

Israelis captured alive return home in coffins. Lebanese captured alive return home alive. This says everything we need to know about the nature of the Arab-Israel conflict.

Sam Green, Modi'in , Israel

The notorious militant, of course, is really a patriotic Palestinian who, quite rightly, does not accept the Zionist take over of his country, the theft of lands, the destruction of villages and the ethnic cleansing that goes with Political Zionism. The crime which followed the Balfour Declaration.

Neil, Gloucestershire, England

really sad story but unfortunately the most important bit has bit omitted. You never reported why the palestinian person murdered the israeli father and daughter in such a terrible rage.

mark , london,