Murder is murder.
Releasing imprisoned murderers sends a dangerous message to terrorists everywhere that even when they kill or maim innocent men, women, and children, they may only spend a short time in prison. Releasing murderers gives them the opportunity to murder again. Presidential candidate Michael Dukakis learned that bitter lesson in the notorious case of Willie Horton, a murderer whom he released, and who killed again. These released killers may well be welcomed as heroes by the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Arab masses, intensifying the atmosphere in Palestinian Arab society that glorifies murder. Yasir Arafat recently gave the PLO's highest honor, the 'Order of Jerusalem', to Khalid al-Ra'i, a freed terrorist who had murdered an Israeli policeman.