The National Journal quotes Atlantic Council Ambassador-in-Residence Michael Oren on what the United States can learn from the Israeli experience in examining the release of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl and thinking about possible future prisoner exchanges: 

When President Obama traded Taliban suspects for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the White House expected a happy homecoming. Instead it got a national debate. The United States is not alone in confronting the perils of prisoner swaps. Close ally Israel has for years made a series of exchanges with the Palestinians that many have seen as disproportionate: The 2011 deal for soldier Gilad Shalit cost the Israelis 1,027 of their prisoners.

Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren spoke with National Journal from Tel Aviv. Edited excerpts follow.

Does the Obama administration’s decision to release five prisoners for Bergdahl set a precedent for future negotiations?

The Israeli experience has been that it does. Israel, over the course of history, has released about 7,000 terrorist prisoners for something like a total of 19 Israelis.