Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., September 05, 2008 Elul 5, 5768 | | Israel Time: 14:22 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

They failed to free Shalit By Haaretz Editorial Tags: Hamas, Gilad Shalit A ministerial committee headed by Haim Ramon will begin work this morning on a list of 450 Palestinian prisoners whom Israel will be willing to release in exchange for Gilad Shalit. It is difficult to offer an explanation for this puzzling story. Is this the first time that someone is busying himself with preparing a list of 450 prisoners? Is it really true that they have only managed to come up with 80 candidates for release "who meet the criteria"? Or was a decision made to release to the press news of the preparations, in order to give the people a sense that something is happening? The more time goes by, the tougher Hamas' stance is becoming, making Israel's shame all the more evident. If immediately after the abduction it was possible to gain Shalit's release for a few prisoners, today Hamas is signaling that it will not accept only the 450 about whom there was talk in the past, but will demand the release of 1,000 prisoners, and maybe as many as 1,500. In response to these demands come proposals by the Shin Bet security service to impose sanctions on the Gaza Strip and bar the shipment of fuel, even if this will threaten the calm - just as long as Hamas recognizes that Israel does not succumb easily to blackmail. Ofer Dekel, who is in charge of the negotiations, argues that the calm in the Gaza Strip has led Hamas to toughen its stance, even though in the past the defense minister expressed a contrary opinion. Advertisement All this speculation is pointless. All that one may conclude from it is that the government has failed in the negotiations for gaining Shalit's release. Sticking with Egypt as the only mediator, and with Dekel as an independent and sole manager of these negotiations - a personal representative of the prime minister - and especially the sense that the politicians have lost interest and are willing to pass the issue on to the next cabinet, are all cause for justified anger. Israel is in an inferior position in the negotiations, and its position is weakening the more time passes. The public movement for Shalit's release and the people's sentiment that we cannot leave him there seem to affect Hamas more than they do the government. The voices calling for the release of Gilad Shalit cannot be silenced, and they should not be. Even parents who lost their children in terrorist attacks are willing to support the release of the murderers of their children in return for Shalit's freedom. It seems hard to find a subject that draws such a broad consensus as the demand for Shalit's release, at almost any price. If the decision to release murderers has already been made, there is no logic or point in drawing this out much longer. Like many assumptions on security that have been proven wrong, the assumption that Hamas will not harm Shalit so as not to lose a powerful bargaining chip is just an assumption. The question today is no longer whether Israel is willing to pay the price in terms of releasing murderers, but whether it is willing to accept the murder of a prisoner knowing that it could have gained his release. The attempt to pass on responsibility to the next cabinet will not work. The moral burden lies on the shoulders of Ehud Olmert and his cabinet. So is the heavy burden inherent in the decision to release many murderers - after they avoided releasing a much smaller number in July 2006 - and the moral burden that will result from delaying their release further. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Playing with fire Sarkozy warns Iran it risks Israeli strike on nuke program. Our own desert island Israel tries to lure 'Big Brother' type U.S. reality TV series.   1.   The editorial does not discuss the most important thing 10:11  |  S 31/08/08   2.   Should we sacrifice many lives for one? 10:21  |  Ilan 31/08/08   3.   Israel`s weakening position 10:39  |  peter 31/08/08   4.   Israel dos not care for free shalit it is all about Marvan Bargho 10:50  |  e.m Jordan is Palse 31/08/08   5.   give them what they want to free a fellow Jew 10:52  |  Jacob 31/08/08   6.   Ridiculous - why would Hamas want to murder Shalit? 11:24  |  Clickfool 31/08/08   7.   Meanwhile Israel Takes More Hostages 11:25  |  Mark of Lewiston 31/08/08   8.   the bumblers bumble on with maybe this time it will work 11:35  |  vhardman 31/08/08   9.   "Murder" is such a flexible word 12:02  |  Natallie Durson 31/08/08   10.   # 9 Natallie Durson - Islamists use children as suicide bombers! 12:28  |  Paul Henzen 31/08/08   11.   Prison 12:34  |  Claes 31/08/08   12.   Paul Henzen - You missed the point entirely 12:51  |  Natallie Durson 31/08/08   13.   Paul Henzen 12:56  |  Natallie Durson 31/08/08   14.   Natallie does it again 13:17  |  David Teich 31/08/08   15.   CFOOL"ridiculous" Then why publicly lynch Israeli POW`s?? 13:39  |  PETER SM 31/08/08   16.   Information required from Paul Henzen # 10 13:51  |  Clickfool 31/08/08   17.   For David Teich, another spouting cheap Zionist propaganda # 14 13:54  |  Clickfool 31/08/08   18.   NATALIE YOU missed the point.Captives not children deliberately 13:56  |  PETER SM 31/08/08   19.   WHILE HE IS IN A GOOD SHAPE, MAKE A DEAL NOW 14:10  |  indrajaya 31/08/08   20.   CLICKFOOL ISRAEL,IRAQ where they used a mentally retarted 14:23  |  PETER SM 31/08/08   21.   Shalit`s murderer is Israel`s murderer, the OCCUPATION!!! 14:27  |  Ivar 31/08/08   22.   CFOOL Hamas MP Fathi Hammad:AL AQSA TV Feb 29 2008 14:29  |  PETER SM 31/08/08   23.   INDRAJAYA You lied right here about Sgts Regev and Goldwasser 14:32  |  PETER SM 31/08/08   24.   Release of Shalit 14:42  |  Moshe 31/08/08   25.   # 23, PETER SM 14:46  |  indrajaya 31/08/08   26.   IJNDRAJAYA you claimed they were alive a couple of weeks before 15:00  |  PETER SM 31/08/08   27.   Re Natallie #9... 15:11  |  Esther 31/08/08   28.   haaretz for shalit 15:21  |  truth strikes 31/08/08   29.   Shalit is Dead 15:25  |  giles k 31/08/08   30.   habeu corpus -HABEUS CORPUS - HABEUS CORPUS 15:48  |  vhardman 31/08/08   31.   Natalie Durson 15:48  |  lady from USA 31/08/08   32.   # 26, PETER SM 16:01  |  indrajaya 31/08/08   33.   Esther 16:18  |  Natallie Durson 31/08/08   34.   lady from USA 16:40  |  Natallie Durson 31/08/08   35.   Peter SM 16:47  |  Natallie Durson 31/08/08   36.   Shalit 16:58  |  Jasper 31/08/08   37.   Re Natallie #33 17:13  |  Esther 31/08/08   38.   Natalie US Law distinguishes Murder from accidental Killing 17:19  |  Rob 31/08/08   39.   What Israelis should realize 17:27  |  Natallie Durson 31/08/08   40.   Addendum to Re Natallie #33 17:30  |  Esther 31/08/08   41.   Rob 17:41  |  Natallie Durson 31/08/08   42.   For Peter SM # 22 17:42  |  Clickfool 31/08/08   43.   international conventions against durson 17:49  |  odles 31/08/08   44.   Esther - I have always considered consistency a virtue 17:53  |  Natallie Durson 31/08/08   45.   I am sorry to have to say 17:56  |  Danite 31/08/08   46.   durson`s sorry 17:58  |  odles 31/08/08   47.   43 equal dursons 18:09  |  odles 31/08/08   48.   Haaretz in danger of playing the hostage takers` game - 18:13  |  ivo 31/08/08   49.   To NATALIE DURSON 18:14  |  Oetis 31/08/08   50.   Natalie, Murder is defined legally in US: premeditated killing 18:33  |  Rob 31/08/08   51.   Olmert`s biggest mistake 18:33  |  Keren 31/08/08   52.   Giles - Shalit is not dead 18:36  |  Diane Mason 31/08/08   53.   To Natalie Durson 18:42  |  Avshalom Beni 31/08/08   54.   # 33 Durson....Unless you are in Gaza 19:24  |  Lynn 31/08/08   55.   # 19 Indy...unless you are in Gaza 19:31  |  Lynn 31/08/08   56.   Ha`aretz stoops to new low with article 19:53  |  Nathaniel 31/08/08   57.   To Awshalon Beni 21:10  |  oetis 31/08/08   58.   #50 Rob 21:29  |  Boycott 31/08/08   59.   Israel accepted Shalits` Death when they released live murderers. 21:41  |  Avram 31/08/08   60.   Hear hear! Just get him out 22:03  |  Former American 31/08/08   61.   Israel should have pressed on. 22:27  |  DocD 31/08/08   62.   shalit 22:37  |  joshua 31/08/08   63.   NATALI as you should be aware the children were not the targets 22:51  |  PETER SM 31/08/08   64.   CFOOL.A direct Hamas MP quote on children as human shields 22:56  |  PETER SM 31/08/08   65.   INDRAJAYA.@ 32 22:57  |  PETER SM 31/08/08   66.   Oetis, there are many voices. We hear what we want to 23:10  |  Avshalom Beni 31/08/08   67.   58Boycott The media showed Rocket launching from Sidon, Beirut. 23:24  |  Rob 31/08/08   68.   CFOOL Furthermore ongoing PAL TV incitement to child martyrdom 23:46  |  PETER SM 31/08/08   69.   #6 clikfool 00:23  |  Dr Noam 01/09/08   70.   Re Natallie #44 00:27  |  Esther 01/09/08   71.   Peter SM, Cfool #64 00:31  |  Andre 01/09/08   72.