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Last update - 01:57 12/10/2008 From Rabin Square to Palestine Square By Israel Harel Tags: Israel News, Tzipi Livni  The public and "professional" debate over the price of Gilad Shalit's release reveals the intellectual, ideological and psychological face of Israel. And this face is cause for concern. A good example is the judgment of top army officers and other senior defense establishment officials who are urging the government, on the heels of the ransom paid for Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, to pay the inflated price demanded by Hamas. After all, these same people are making decisions on fateful strategic issues such as how to deal with Iran's nuclear program or how to deal with Syria, Hezbollah and the Palestinians. The emerging consensus on acceding to Hamas' inflated demands is connected, both psychologically and politically, to the willingness - without aspiring, as supposedly intelligent people should, to learn the lessons of the past - to accede to virtually all the Palestinians' territorial demands. Yet the past teaches that after every wholesale release of terrorists, the price of the next deal increases geometrically. And the same is true of the withdrawals (from Gaza in the disengagement and from Areas A and B in the West Bank after Oslo), which not only led to a brutal terrorist war, but also bolstered Arab - and especially Palestinian - hopes of Israel's decline and rapid disappearance. Despite this, there are not enough courageous people among those who head our government - or among the authors, academics and journalists who set the public mood - to say that the time has come to change direction. And if not in the political-territorial realm, then at least on the policy of freeing terrorists, which today endangers the life of Gilad Shalit and tomorrow the life of every other Israeli who will henceforth be kidnapped. Advertisement About two weeks ago, a group of authors demanded that the prime minister release terrorists "and save Gilad Shalit's life now." That was also the message conveyed by the thousands who came to Rabin Square on the eve of Yom Kippur, including public figures and artists. "Sources in the defense establishment" also joined the pressure group: "Time is running out for bringing Shalit back safely," these "sources" told journalists Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff. "The price of the deal is known: 1,400 terrorists, including 450 chosen by Hamas, including some who carried out attacks that caused a great public outcry. And we need to pay this price." When A. B. Yehoshua, Amos Oz, David Grossman, Agi Mishol and their friends sent their letter to the prime minister, the price was 1,000 terrorists. It is, of course, impossible to prove a direct connection between the authors' demand that Israel release terrorists and the rise in the price from 1,000 to 1,400, but according to the defense establishment sources, that is in fact the situation. And moreover, those to be released will include "more than one [Samir] Kuntar." When Shalit was first kidnapped, Hamas demanded the release of 450 of its members. During the course of the negotiations ("there will be no negotiations with Hamas," Ehud Olmert declared), there was a certain softening of these demands - until Israel gave in and paid an exaggerated price for the bodies of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. Immediately after their coffins arrived in Israel, Hamas raised its price to 1,000. And now to 1,400. What was clear in advance to anyone with eyes in his head, ought at least to have become clear now to everyone who cares about Gilad's welfare: The demonstrations, the banner headlines, the dramatizations of the electronic media - which, just as it did on the eve of the Regev-Goldwasser deal, is exploiting the story for emotional blackmail, which translates into high ratings and advertising revenues - only make things worse for Gilad. And as such "spontaneous" initiatives - the holiday meals outside the houses of the outgoing premier and the prime minister-designate, the mobilization of pressure on the government by influential sectors, such as the authors' letter - proliferate, the price of Gilad's ransom will skyrocket. Eventually it will reach the point where no government, not even the left-wing one that Tzipi Livni plans to establish, will be able to pay it. The situation could have developed very differently. If instead of demanding a mass release of terrorists, the authors (whose influence on the government and public opinion is well-known to Hamas) had, for example, demanded an end to all visits to Hamas prisoners until Gilad is allowed to receive similar visits, then, for the first time, these vicious kidnappers would have come under serious pressure themselves. If the thousands of demonstrators in Rabin Square had supported the minority view in the cabinet - that Israel should freeze all fund transfers to Gaza, just as Western governments froze all fund transfers to terror-supporting states after the attack on the Twin Towers, or else disconnect Gaza from Israel's telecommunications network and other vital systems - the demonstrations for Gilad's release would have been taking place in Gaza City's Palestine Square rather than in Rabin Square, and it is very possible that Gilad would have been celebrating this week's Sukkot holiday in the bosom of his family. And Israelis abroad would not have to fear being kidnapped. Unfortunately, the demonstrations for Gilad's release will continue to take place only in Rabin Square. For years, Israel has been in a state of conditionality, and the demonstrations in Rabin Square merely exacerbate this syndrome - whereby Israel, and Israel alone, must make all necessary payments. This is the face of Israel. And this face arouses deep concern. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Hair apparent Ultra-Orthodox shop unveils 'Sarah Palin Wig' based on Alaska governor's famous 'do. Protocols of Wall Street 'Report': Jewish execs sent $400 billion to Israel before Lehman Brothers' demise.   1.   Article unrealistic, but there is a psychosis in Israel 11:35  |  dyinglikeflies 12/10/08   2.   Time is the essence... 11:48  |  Esther 12/10/08   3.   CUT A DEAL NOW 11:57  |  indrajaya 12/10/08   4.   Sounds as honest as a Hamas ceasefire.Has the Red Cross confirmed 12:07  |  PETER SM 12/10/08   5.   stop the infantile blackmail 12:35  |  Prof Michael Cohen 12/10/08   6.   shalit 14:12  |  vladimir 12/10/08   7.   Two points 14:37  |  JonathanInTelAviv 12/10/08   8.   Israel Harel is not a relative of Gilad Shalit 14:43  |  Clickfool 12/10/08   9.   Wake Up Israel!!! 16:41  |  ScotGuy 12/10/08   10.   Messenger of Allah 16:44  |  Jameela 12/10/08   11.   Embed Reader Codes in the Released Prisoners. 17:13  |  Reader 12/10/08   12.   Tit for tat 17:38  |  Paul 12/10/08   13.   Why the reticence? 18:00  |  Reader 12/10/08   14.   Let the pals rot in prison 18:25  |  Adrian de Klerk 12/10/08   15.   Responding to # 10 and #12 19:15  |  Herschel 12/10/08   16.   Gilad Shalit 20:14  |  Helena Abram 12/10/08

Read & React Sources: Hamas has raised price of Shalit deal in wake of Kuntar release Responses: 41 Driver who sparked Acre riots: I'd sacrifice myself to bring back coexistence Responses: 104 Don't believe your banker when he says he's sleeping well Responses: 1 Akiva Eldar: Improved living standards won't turn Israel's Arabs into lovers of Jews Responses: 8 More Headlines 15:27 Peres in Acre: In Israel there are different religions under the same law 13:00 Sources: Hamas has raised price of Shalit deal in wake of Kuntar release 14:11 Netanyahu to Shas: Don't join Livni, she'll give up Jerusalem 06:30 ANALYSIS / A political partnership based on mutual lack of trust 06:38 Hebrew University makes The Times' list of 100 top schools 15:23 Israel seals off West Bank ahead of Sukkot holiday 01:09 N.Y. synagogues feel holiday pinch as financial crisis wears on congregants 13:33 Angry and confused, Acre residents wonder how everyday life will go on 12:49 Labor Party, Kadima close to signing coalition agreement 04:58 VIDEO / TASE defies grim forecasts, ends day with moderate losses 11:53 Conspiracy theory faults Jews for Lehman Brothers' collapse 06:34 Israel to allow 700 additional armed PA troops into Hebron 04:37 U.S. tycoon gives David Grossman Torah scroll in son's memory 05:47 Lebanon bans political posters in bid to defuse sectarian tension 09:45 Driver who sparked Acre riots: I'd sacrifice myself to bring back coexistence Previous Editions Select Day 12 oct 10 oct 09 oct 08 oct 07 oct 06 oct 05 oct 03 oct 02 oct 01 oct 30 sep 29 sep

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