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Gilad Shalit now By Haaretz Editorial Tags: gilad shalit, ron arad The cabinet's approval of the prisoner swap with Hezbollah, despite the "blatantly unsatisfactory" report the organization delivered on the fate of Ron Arad, requires the cabinet to now act urgently to free Gilad Shalit. The Israeli public, which this week saw photos of Arad that were apparently taken about two decades ago, does not need a report to understand what the kidnapped airman went through. The public also knows the price it is paying to get back the two soldiers held captive by Hezbollah. Both cases clearly lead to the same conclusion: Time is of the essence. Quick and focused talks, even if the cost is high, can at least ensure that kidnapped soldiers, or some of them, come home alive. We know for sure that one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, is still alive, in the hands of Hamas. No one can imagine what he is going through in captivity or how much he has suffered since he was abducted two years ago. Advertisement Yet the government is negotiating with Hamas as if it had all the time in the world. While Israel is releasing a despicable murderer and giving Hezbollah another huge victory from the standpoint of Lebanese public opinion, it continues to scrutinize, with the punctiliousness of a self-righteous bookkeeper, the names of the Palestinian prisoners it is being asked to release in exchange for Shalit. At least one minister, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, understands that this conduct might prove no less disastrous than the release of prisoners who have previously committed acts of terror and murder. Nevertheless, Barak views Shalit's release as a challenge, and therefore, "it is essential that we take advantage of the opportunity that has been created by the relative calm in Gaza." But Shalit's release is not a challenge; the price of getting him back is known. Barak's statement that both sides will have to make painful decisions presents the release as if it were a comprehensive peace process, not a deal whose conditions are known, and which, at the end of the day, obligates only one side - Israel - to make a tough decision. Any other presentation of the negotiations will make it clear that Israel intends to continue conducting exhausting talks, trying to gain points, limiting the erosion of its prestige as much as possible, and ultimately, perhaps, letting Shalit languish in captivity for another month or year. This is a negotiation that by its nature arouses sharp controversy among senior security and intelligence officials, both on the professional level and, sometimes, on the personal level. But can those opposed to the swap assure the public that in another five or 10 years, Shalit's case will not be where Arad's case is today? Will we then demand that Hamas, too, supply "only" a report on Shalit's fate? Will anyone remember then that there was a real chance to release him in exchange for a few hundred prisoners? We must act to free Shalit immediately. The ongoing war on terror must not be fought on his back. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Hezbollah abduction How the Lebanese militia captured two IDF reservists in 2006, illustrated in pictures. Kuntar's crimes Israeli YouTube video details the 1979 terror attack perpetrated by Samir Kuntar.

Read & React PRISONER SWAP: Bodies of Goldwasser and Regev identified; funerals Thursday Responses: 359 'We want to remember our son as he was, not as a body' Responses: 103 Bradley Burston: The pleasure Hezbollah takes in torture Responses: 174 The new 'Obama advisor' problem: Senator Chuck Hagel Responses: 62 More Headlines 23:36 'We cut out newspapers to show you when you returned' 23:45 Regev and Goldwasser to receive military funerals Thursday 00:06 VIDEO: Israel posts clip on YouTube describing Kuntar's 1979 attack 23:06 Veteran Mideast journalist Eric Silver dies aged 73 02:39 Talansky cross-examination over 'cash envelopes' to begin Thursday 01:30 Israel concerned by U.S. plans to meet with Iranian envoy 15:14 Turkish FM: Israel, Syria show will for peace, to hold 4th round of indirect talks 18:27 Abbas congratulates Kuntar's family for killer's release 02:17 Former MI head under investigation for disclosing state secrets 02:56 Outside the Regev home, family and neighbors share the sorrow 00:09 The new 'Obama advisor' problem: Senator Chuck Hagel Previous Editions Select Day 16 jul 15 jul 14 jul 13 jul 11 jul 10 jul 09 jul 08 jul 07 jul 06 jul 04 jul 03 jul

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