Bad prisoner swap

The exchange of prisoners between Hizbollah in Lebanon and Israel took place on Wednesday July 16. The main criticism of this exchange is that the Govt. of Israel has crossed several red lines in agreeing to exchange five live Lebanese prisoners, as well as the remains of 200, for two dead Israelis. Admittedly the Govt. did not know in advance whether the IDF soldiers would be alive or dead, so carefully did Hizbollah prevent this being known, against international law. But, it was concluded weeks ago in Israel before the deal was concluded, that they were dead.
The inclusion of Samir Kuntar among the Lebanese prisoners is also unacceptable, since it breaks the code that Israel will not release terrorists "with Israeli blood on their hands." Kuntar was a cold-blooded killer, who murdered two Israeli policemen in Nahariya in 1979 and then when he was surrounded deliberately killed a man and smashed the skull of his young daughter with his rifle butt. He has been in prison since 1980, and should never have been release or should have been executed. But, in order to get back the two soldiers, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, Sheikh Nasruallah demanded Kuntar. He had boasted years ago that he would free Kuntar and in fact that is why the cross-border raid took place in 2006 and they kidnapped the two men, presumably both injured. According to the experts it seems they soon died from their injuries.
Now Nasrullah is realizing his dream because the Israeli Govt. has capitulated to him. This was celebrated as a triumph for Hizbollah, and Nasrullah organized a huge homecoming in Beirut which will boost his and Hizbollah's standing. This is the third reason why the exchange was a dumb move, because it demonstrates Israel's weakness in relation to Hizbollah, and may result in a further attack and another war sooner than Israel expects, leading to more dead and wounded on both sides. In Lebanon, this killer has been hailed as a national hero, such are the differences in morality between us and them. If anyone thinks this exchange is a sign of improved relations, they are way off-base.
Meanwhile a negotiation is continuing for the release of Cpl. Gilad Schalit from imprisonment in Gaza. But, in this case, we know that he is alive, since letters and photos of him have been released, even recently. Now after this exchange with Hizbullah, what is there to persuade his captors not to torture and kill him before the exchange - nothing! Although the rationale given for the exchange of live prisoners for dead ones is that Israel has the responsibility to bring every soldier back, dead or alive, this does not take into account the long-term consequences of such a deal. Now Hizbollah and others have stated that they intend to kidnap more IDF soldiers, since they can get a good deal from Israel, and they regard this as a sign of weakness, which it is.
I personally would prefer to leave dead Israeli soldier's remains in Lebanon rather than release live killers like Kuntar and have Hizbollah celebrate with a national frenzy. In future cases, with no sign of life we must assume the captives are dead and refuse to release live solderis for them. This exchange will boomerang on Israel and cause greater casualties in the future and more sad stories of kidnapped soldiers and civilians. It is a mistake to run a State based on sentiment and the pressure of grieving families.