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Last update - 01:50 24/06/2008 A moral obligation By Haaretz Editorial Tags: ehud olmert, israel  Prime Minister Ehud Olmert should have one issue at the front of his mind when he meets Tuesday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak: to bring kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit home. True, this is a difficult and frustrating negotiation. The country's prestige, not just that of the government and army, hangs in the balance. The decision is being guided by considerations concerning Israel's security and the war against terror, the punishment of terrorists who murdered Israelis, and our attitude toward a terror group that stops at nothing to achieve its goals. The concern over letting prisoners go free who might return to terror is not a marginal one. However, from the moment the Israeli government decided to conduct indirect talks with Hamas and determined that it was willing to adopt criteria for swapping prisoners for Shalit, it understood there would be a price, and a high one, for his release. The disagreement now is over the number and nature of the prisoners to be freed. The petition to the High Court of Justice by Noam Shalit, Gilad Shalit's father, was intended as a last resort to try to pressure the government into linking the human price to the political one. Advertisement Shalit is demanding that the opening of the crossings between Israel, Egypt and Gaza be delayed until his son is released. But the government's obligation to release its captives and prisoners cannot be based on a legal foundation. This is a moral and national obligation, stemming from the essence of the accord between a country and its citizens. The people are willing to be killed in defense of the state, which pledges to do all it can to protect their lives. Shalit petitioned the High Court because he understood that the state was about to cheat him precisely with regard to this basic pact that needs no interpretation whatsoever; it was about to annul conditioning the opening of the crossings on the release of his son. So his petition can be seen as a class-action suit, in the name of the entire public. But the prime minister is not going to Egypt out of fear of the High Court. He is going because he understands the extent of his obligation. His aides attempted to translate this obligation into numbers and clauses, and the Egyptian president tried to obtain Hamas' consent. These efforts have not succeeded so far. The gaps have still not been bridged and the prime minister faces the decision alone. It is best to realize now that any agreement Olmert reaches will not allay the feeling of anger that has welled up against the kidnappers and the groups in whose name they acted. No clause can represent Israel as the victor in this arm-wrestling match. But we can recall painfully that even the major war Israel embarked on to liberate its two soldiers abducted to Lebanon led to no better an outcome. So the prime minister heads for Egypt to discharge the government's moral obligation to its civilians and soldiers. To bring back a living captive before it is too late. The reasons for and against have already been fully discussed and the logic of the war against terror needs no more proof. The time has come to decide. Let the prime minister not turn Gilad Shalit into a sacrifice in vain. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Gilad's tale VIDEO: U.S. kids read abducted soldier's story of co-existence. Leaving Torah behind Study finds religion is not very important to American Jews.   1.   Pay the price, Israel - it`s as simple as that 09:30  |  Clickfool 24/06/08   2.   Moral Obligation! 09:35  |  Vinegar Hill 24/06/08   3.   Moral Is The Jewish Way: Not What The Government Is Doing 09:50  |  Yishai Kohen 24/06/08   4.   Politics is not a matter of heart but of brains! 10:06  |  Jean Van Daem 24/06/08   5.   Olmert loses one gamble, wins another 10:06  |  Natallie Durson 24/06/08   6.   pay the price 10:09  |  peter 24/06/08   7.   In return for the release of Gilad Shalit, Israel should...... 10:17  |  Rafi 24/06/08   8.   "Haaretz" Morals-"Israel should be raped" 10:21  |  Avram 24/06/08   9.   LET ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU TALK. 10:32  |  ... 24/06/08   10.   Moral bankruptcy 10:34  |  Jonathan S 24/06/08   11.   RELEASE THOSE 35 MEMBERS OF PARLIEMENT 10:56  |  indrajaya 24/06/08   12.   Shalit is not child of a superior God 11:05  |  KMS 24/06/08   13.   The Price to Pay is Hamas` When they Refuse to hand over Shalit! 11:07  |  Baruch Gold 24/06/08   14.   Yishai Kohen.....you are wrong 11:17  |  fellow human being 24/06/08   15.   ...Hamas terrorists!! How about Jewish terrorists 11:25  |  Khaled 24/06/08   16.   Fellow Human Being: YOU Are Wrong 11:47  |  Yishai Kohen 24/06/08   17.   Difference of values 12:03  |  ScotGuy 24/06/08   18.   For Peter in Montreal # 6 12:15  |  Clickfool 24/06/08   19.   KHALED KEEP denying Palestinians deliberately put their civillian 12:15  |  PETER SM 24/06/08   20.   KMS You must have missed the news for the last 60 years 12:33  |  PETER SM 24/06/08   21.   Exchange Hamas supporters Amos Schocken&his team for Shalit! 12:49  |  Absolute Sweden 24/06/08   22.   AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY, ISRAEL DIGS ITSELF FURTHER IN A HOLE 12:55  |  Mohamed MALLECK 24/06/08   23.   #11 Indrajaya; VERY WELL SAID 13:00  |  Mohamed MALLECK 24/06/08   24.   Jews were "smart" once 13:07  |  dyinglikeflies 24/06/08   25.   clickfool you are hysterical 13:08  |  yudke 24/06/08   26.   clickfool "my starting number would be 600 palestinians 13:10  |  yudke 24/06/08   27.   clickfool tells us egypt would be obliged to open rafah 13:12  |  yirmiyahu 24/06/08   28.   vinegar hill "the pot calling the kettle black" 13:18  |  yudke 24/06/08   29.   Pay the price and then... 13:29  |  Free Gilad Shalit 24/06/08   30.   Inflation 13:46  |  Daniel 24/06/08   31.   MALLECK"The whole world has been speechless" how dramatic! 13:52  |  PETER SM 24/06/08   32.   # 28 Yudke calm down! 13:59  |  Vinegar Hill. 24/06/08   33.   Yshai Cohen 14:01  |  A.M. 24/06/08   34.   #25&26 Yudke - and Clickfool 14:10  |  Hanoman 24/06/08   35.   #31 Peter SM in Melbourne : Nope! 14:24  |  Mohamed MALLECK 24/06/08   36.   A.M.: You`re Joking, Right? 14:24  |  Yishai Kohen 24/06/08   37.   # 15 Khaled ....on being painfully honest 14:43  |  Lynn 24/06/08   38.   # 22 Mohammed Malleck 14:47  |  Lynn 24/06/08   39.   #1 Clickfoll, I agree with a lot of things you say, however, 14:49  |  John Allen 24/06/08   40.   dont pay the price. not worth it 15:04  |  Dude 24/06/08   41.   #3 Moral obligation. 15:05  |  John Allen 24/06/08   42.   #12 KMS Freedom from what? 15:14  |  John Allen 24/06/08   43.   #15 Khaled 15:27  |  John Allen 24/06/08   44.   vinegar hill the army carries out raids because 15:29  |  yudke 24/06/08   45.   hanoman of copenhagen if you are muslim 15:34  |  yudke 24/06/08   46.   vinegar hill spain is already a basket case 15:38  |  yudke 24/06/08   47.   #24 dyinglikeflies 15:40  |  John Allen 24/06/08   48.   vinegar hill you expelled the jews centuries ago 15:42  |  yudke 24/06/08   49.   pay for it in NAPALM, MOABS, no go zones! 15:46  |  superjew 24/06/08   50.   #22 mohammed 15:48  |  John Allen 24/06/08   51.   HAARETZ ! 15:54  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 24/06/08   52.   HAARETZ ! WHY THERE ARE TWO "AA" IN YOUR NAME ? 15:54  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 24/06/08   53.   HAARETZ ! HOW ARE YOU ? YOU FEEL BORE AS I AM NOW ? 15:56  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 24/06/08   54.   HAARETZ ! I AM SO TIRED. THAT IS WHY I STOP . 15:56  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 24/06/08   55.   HAARETZ ! IF I COME ISRAEL ! MAY I VISIT YOU ? 15:57  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 24/06/08   56.   The life of every jew is priceless 15:57  |  Channah 24/06/08   57.   TALKING IS NOT CRIME. I JUST TALKED. 15:58  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 24/06/08   58.   ZERO MORAL I GOT. MY DREAMS ALL DOWN. 15:59  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 24/06/08   59.   ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU IS UNWANTED MAN. I DONT GET THIS. NO I DONT. 15:59  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 24/06/08   60.   IT MAKES ME SAD TO LOSE YOU HAARETZ. 16:01  |  I MISS YOU. I DO. 24/06/08   61.   WE WANT TO READ ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 16:03  |  IDF GIRLS 24/06/08   62.   I NEVER DID TREAT ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU BAD 16:03  |  TALI FARKASH 24/06/08   63.   HOW WE WISH ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU COMES AND WRITES ON US 16:04  |  YNET NEWS 24/06/08   64.   WE NEVER TRULY HATED ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU EVEN HE WAS HARD ON US 16:04  |  ARUTZ 7 24/06/08   65.   MR. ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU WROTE BAD E-MAILS TO US BUT HE WAS HONEST 16:05  |  KNESSET 24/06/08   66.   I NEVER RESPONDED MR. ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU. I FEEL BAD. 16:06  |  ABU OLMERT 24/06/08   67.   ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU`S TRUE REVANGE IS US. 16:06  |  ISRAELINSIDER 24/06/08   68.   NOTHING ELSE. ALL ABOVE THINGS ARE MY LIFE. 16:07  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 24/06/08   69.   MORAL ! HOW CAN I TALK NORMAL IF I HAVE NO MORAL ? 16:08  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 24/06/08   70.   a poem to haaretz 16:10  |  ... 24/06/08