Israel's Difficult Choice
Dateline Jerusalem:
The small, life loving State of Israel is once again agonizing over the whether or not to exchange huge numbers of convicted terrorists for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
This issue appears to be coming to a head. Representatives of Israel's outgoing government are talking to Hamas representatives about this issue in Egypt. Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has declared that gaining Shalit's release is his top priority before he leaves office.
Meanwhile, Shalit's family and friends have been holding a vigil in Jerusalem. They have been pressuring the government to gain
Shalit's release. However, across the street from this peaceful vigil is a banner signed by the victims of terror which declares that no one person is justification for endangering the lives of other innocent Israelis. In other words, releasing hardened terrorists for Shalit is not justified.
In her
most recent column, our friend Caroline Glick makes the case against exchanging terrorists for the release of Shalit or any other incarcerated soldier :
"Schalit's plight presents two stark choices. We can surrender to all
of Hamas's demands and reunite Schalit with his suffering family, or we
can keep a stiff upper lip, refuse to negotiate with terrorists and
wait until we receive actionable intelligence on his whereabouts and
attempt to rescue him. We know what will happen in both cases.
If
we surrender to Hamas's demands, we will ensure more families will
suffer the same plight as Gilad Schalit's family. We know that this
will happen because we have been through this process repeatedly. Every
single time we have released terrorists for hostages, the result has
been more murdered Israelis and more hostages. As before, the only
thing we still don't know is the names of the next victims. They could
be any of us. And so, in a very real sense, they are all of us."
In Israel's last prisoner exchange, Israel released more than one hardened murderer and received the bodies of two dead soldiers in return.
But Glick's view is the minority position in Israel. Most Israelis believe there is no price to high to pay if it means the return of an Israeli soldier. This is understandable in a country where every family has a soldier defending this country. Shalit could very easily be their son or daughter. We must also keep in mind the possible negative effects on other members of the military if they feel the State of Israel will not do everything to win the return of one of their own.
What do you think should be Israel's policy?
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I would gravely doubt that Gilad Scalit is still alive. Furthermore, if he is still alive, should Israel capitulate to a terrorist organization that will kidnap Israeli soldiers and civilians again no matter what Israel decides to do in this specific case. Every Israeli soldier is certainly precious; however, there is really only one rational solution to this predicament. If Israel can pull it off, it must extricate Gilad via a commando raid. I was in Jerusalem when Entebbe occurred in 1976. I am certain that there are those in the special forces at this time who are fully capable of such an action. Now is the time for such a raid. Israel must discover where Gilad is and bring him back if he is still alive. To free murderers for a possibly living captive is not the solution and never will be.