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Free Gilad Shalit By Haaretz Editorial Tags: Gilad Shalit This summer, two years will have passed since Gilad Shalit was abducted and, as far as we know, negotiations for his release have yielded no results. As time goes by, it has become clear that Hamas cannot be deterred or brought to heel by power cuts, closed crossings, international boycotts, kidnapped parliamentarians nor fierce military action. The more casualties and prisoners Hamas suffers, the stronger it gets. It is also continuing to arm itself. One may assume that every prisoner Israel releases in the Shalit deal would add to Hamas' prestige and strength. Hence Israel's difficulty in deciding on the release. Is there a fundamental difference between releasing 50 Hamas men and releasing 350 or 400? In a prisoner-exchange deal between combatant sides - unlike a deal brokered as part of a cease-fire agreement - every released prisoner can turn into a suicide bomber or terrorist operator, whether he has blood on his hands or not. Does this mean we must not exchange any Hamas men for an imprisoned soldier? Is this conclusion at all acceptable? Advertisement Every released Hamas prisoner is a risk, but when we weigh the risk against other values of the state, it seems to be a risk Israel should take. If the released Hamas prisoners are a real danger, the IDF can track them. It can take more care to prevent the abduction of another soldier, but it cannot abandon a soldier in captivity, or let negotiations drag on for so long. Eventually, it seems, this could turn into negotiating an exchange of prisoners for a corpse. In this fundamental matter, it would be desirable to set a policy now, that Israel does not negotiate over dead bodies. A nation that doesn't know the burial place of millions who perished in the Holocaust cannot turn burial into a rallying cry. Israel was established to save lives, not lifeless bodies. The argument that releasing Shalit would encourage abductions was refuted on Wednesday when Hamas almost succeeded in kidnapping another soldier, before Israel has given way in the Shalit matter. Hamas' war against Israel will continue and Israel must react in military and political ways. Gilad Shalit is not a legitimate military measure and is probably not even an effective one. A 20-year-old prisoner cannot carry on his back the deterrence of a state that is armed to its teeth, and if he disappears or is killed, abandoning him could harm morale in a manner whose affect on deterrence is hard to measure. Israel and the IDF are sending a mixed message to its soldiers. On the one hand, the IDF awards decorations to doctors and soldiers who have risked their lives to save wounded soldiers. On the other hand, the government is not willing to take a risk to release a soldier who was taken prisoner. The assumption that Shalit would not be executed is not an evaluation but a risk. If anyone understood the goals of Hamas in the war against Israel, we could assess Shalit's chances of survival. But since we are dealing with incoherent terrorism, it would be prudent to take the worst-case scenario into consideration. Bookmark to del.icio.us   'No good Jewish men' Author David Seidman delves into the dark side of dating, and confesses: 'I am a bad Jew.' Remembrance trail Holocaust memorial steam-drawn train sparks bitter row in Berlin.   1.   A worthy editorial 09:32  |  Natallie Durson 11/04/08   2.   TO LIBERATE PALESTINE 10:02  |  indrajaya 11/04/08   3.   EVEN WE THE POSTERS ! ARE A RISK JEWISH WORLD MUST TAKE 10:35  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 11/04/08   4.   The more casualties and prisoners Hamas suffers, the stronger it 10:51  |  Victor 11/04/08   5.   we need our soldiers back what ever the cost 10:55  |  Nicole 11/04/08   6.   what is the purpose of everyday same subjects ? 10:57  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 11/04/08   7.   TO INDERAJAYA 11:07  |  nicole 11/04/08   8.   Shalit "deal" 11:37  |  moshe Israel 11/04/08   9.   # 1, # 2, # 3 ...bad guys :) 11:52  |  ... 11/04/08   10.   Sure I live in the U.S. but my hearts desire is to see that 12:36  |  Natalie Durson 11/04/08   11.   So you agree with Olmert 13:07  |  Rowan Berkeley 11/04/08   12.   To fake Natallie - Where have all the clever fakers gone? 13:56  |  Natallie Durson 11/04/08   13.   I do not expect your reply. 14:37  |  drdanielito 11/04/08   14.   Authors will not pay the price.... 15:06  |  Ilan 11/04/08   15.   Haaretz is correct: Appeasing Hamas is the only real solution 15:55  |  Neville Chamberlain 11/04/08   16.   gilad shalit 16:30  |  mostrel 11/04/08   17.   Stooping low 17:58  |  B. Lowbelt 11/04/08   18.   It hurts me to to see Jews disagreeing with my point of view 18:05  |  Natalie Durson 11/04/08   19.   Too high a price to pay 18:13  |  Steven 11/04/08   20.   thats ok shalit is no threat to us 18:16  |  can i get a witness? 11/04/08   21.   Haaretz I have news for you..... 18:43  |  Dutch 11/04/08   22.   # 7 Nicole; Excuse Inderajaya incoherent posts..Indonesia is 19:20  |  Max Zinger,P.Chimist 11/04/08   23.   # 7 Nicole; Excuse Inderajaya incoherent posts..Indonesia is 19:21  |  Max Zinger,P.Chimist 11/04/08   24.   # 7 Nicole; Excuse Inderajaya incoherent posts..Indonesia is 19:22  |  Max Zinger,P.Chimist 11/04/08   25.   Stupid, stupid editiorial 19:26  |  Bill 11/04/08   26.   Gilad and Noam. 22:14  |  sandra chitayat 11/04/08   27.   terrorist states must learn that dipping your hand into the 23:16  |  Natallie Dursonn 11/04/08

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