Catch 22: Gilad Shalit

24.11.2009

Catch 22: Gilad Shalit BY: Freeman Poritz As an Israeli citizen, a Jew, and a former Israel Defense Forces soldier I can and must .support the release of Gilad Shalit from Hamas captivity in Gaza, if he is indeed alive However, by the same rationale, I cannot and must not support the release of Arab .inciters, criminals, and murderers, serving time in Israeli prisons and jails My hands tremble as I record these conflicting, ambivalent, feelings. They are indeed .contradictory Perhaps somewhat naively, I believe in equality. I believe in equality between people. I believe in equality between Jews and Arabs just as I believe in equality between .Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs Equality should mean equivalence. In a prisoner exchange this should mean one person for one person, not one thousand people, which is the expected number of Arab prisoners Israel is expected to release following the conclusion of an agreement .between Israel and the Arab terrorist organization Hamas, for one person But according to a recent news blurb run by The Washington Examiner, "Israel has ".carried out such swaps in the past Those familiar with the Israeli-Arab conflict undoubtedly know this, but I challenge .many of you to learn the specifics …Did you know that In November 1983 Israel exchanged 4,600 prisoners for 6 Israeli soldiers who had ?been captured in Lebanon In September 1991 Israel freed 51 prisoners for proof that one Israeli soldier was ?dead ?In July 1996 Israel freed 65 prisoners for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers In January 2004 Israel exchanged 436 prisoners and 59 bodies for one Israeli civilian ?and the bodies of three soldiers :It is important for Israelis to ask themselves some bold questions Does Israel fear that equivalence in a prisoner exchange with a terrorist organization like Hamas (whom democracies aren't supposed to be negotiating with anyway, but in ?the end always do) somehow puts the two of them on equal moral footing

Perhaps Israel needs to learn a thing or two about bargaining from our Arab, or even !!!Turkish, Middle Eastern neighbors? A thousand for one is not a good deal If the Israeli judicial system is indeed just then how can elected politicians overturn the good judgement of the men and women who incarcerated these prisoners deemed threatening to the peace and well being of Israeli society based on the immorality of ?their actions Israel, like the United States, Canada, the European Union, and indeed much of the world, has long ago given up on expecting anything much from the Arab World in terms of progressive democratic freedoms. And I believe that this failure to hold the Arab World up to an appropriate objective standard is exemplified by the .nonequivalence of a potential prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas Yet still many Israeli politicians, world Jewish and Zionist organizations, and many others, actively pursue a course encouraging Gilad Shalit's release at any cost. It could be because of the shared belief that we are all one big Jewish family, or because of the .military ethos to leave no man behind. This much is uncertain Gilad Shalit's family, friends, residents of Mitzpe Hila, and his former armored corps comrades-in-arms, have every right to agitate and activate all of the political and financial resources available to them in order to bring about the 23 year old captive's release as quickly as possible. I can say with absolute certainty that if I were among them, I would unhesitatingly use all of my power to contribute to their effort with .temerity But as I think more and more about the possibility of one thousand convicted felons returning to live lives as free men in Israel, all for the release of one lone Israeli .soldier, I find myself questioning the sanity of the society I live in And disturbingly, I find myself compelled to assert that I believe that Gilad Shalit's release under these conditions is indeed detrimental to the peaceful status quo currently enjoyed in the State of Israel made possible by the IDF .Freeman Poritz was raised in Vancouver, Canada .He is a 24 year old Israeli freelance writer who lives in Jaffa .He has a BA in Honors History from the University of British Columbia

:Source http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/world/israel-has-long-history-of-unevenprisoner-exchange-deals-71611607.html