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Last update - 07:14 29/06/2008
Bereaved father: Who will protect my sons once terrorists are released?
By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Prisoner Exchange, Israel 

Ron Kerman's daughter, 17-year-old Tal, was killed in a suicide bombing in Haifa in March 2003, as she rode the No. 37 bus. Now, the cabinet is scheduled to meet Sunday morning for fateful deliberations on the prisoner exchange with Hezbollah, leaving the bereaved father full of questions.

"Did I fail in my task as a father to protect my daughter's life, when I did not try to change the government's decision to release prisoners years before the attack? Would they even have listened to me then?" he says.

"In the past few days, we have heard the families of the abducted soldiers criticizing and banging on the doors of MKs and other public figures, urging them to release terrorists and get their sons back. As a parent, I understand their efforts and agree that a parent must always do everything for his child. The parent of an abducted child has the full right and obligation to act in every way possible to bring back his child, irrespective of the price the broader public must pay," he says.
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"Their efforts in recent days, which include [mobilizing] the media, raise a serious moral question. Should I also have lobbied politicians, whose poor decisions led to the murder of my daughter in the attack on the No. 37 bus in Haifa? And now that I have joined the family of bereavement, what should I do in order to protect Tal's brothers?

"Who will protect their lives after the mass release of all those terrorists, with or without blood on their hands?" he says. "They were convicted by the Israeli legal system in a fair trial. Would I, a parent who must protect the lives of my children, be welcomed today, days before the next attack, in the Knesset halls with the same attentiveness, understanding and empathy? And what of the rest of the public?"

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      1.   Died for no reason 03:13  |  Fred 29/06/08
      2.   The bereaved 03:51  |  Conversations 29/06/08
      3.   Tons of data says to not go soft on criminals 05:17  |  Jason 29/06/08
      4.   Simple solution - execute terrorists 07:26  |  Binyamin Dissen 29/06/08
      5.   #2 - What an Ignorent Comment! 08:05  |  Naomi 29/06/08
      6.   Conversations # 2 ! Ron _ Is that a middle eastern name? 08:14  |  Eli 29/06/08
      7.   A decision that might cost hundreds of victims. 08:32  |  Jean Van Daem 29/06/08
      8.   protection 08:41  |  rm 29/06/08
      9.   NO DEAL SHOULD BE REACHED TO FREE MURDERES 10:37  |  siem 29/06/08
      10.   #2 Enough of this nonsense! Since when are Civilians fair game? 10:59  |  DesMnsDave 29/06/08
      11.   Bereaved? 12:33  |  Ros 29/06/08
      12.   to `Conversations` 12:52  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 29/06/08
      13.   #5 Naomi 12:56  |  Dave 29/06/08
      14.   #7 Jean Van Daem 12:58  |  Dave 29/06/08
      15.   Ron Kerman and Ron Arad 13:32  |  Adi 29/06/08
      16.   DON`T WORRY PEOPLE, THE KILLERS 15:06  |  Robert 29/06/08
      17.   Israel`s Rulers Profoundly EVIL if they Provide Islamics with 15:55  |  Linda Rivera 29/06/08
      18.   EXECUTE TERRORISTS 16:21  |  Solly 29/06/08
      19.   Exactly! and my heart is with this Bereaved Father..... 16:32  |  Dolly 29/06/08
      20.   To Convesations # 2 - Hostile Territory.... 17:17  |  Dagma 29/06/08
      21.   To Dave # 14 - Sorry you are WRONG! 19:14  |  Dolly 29/06/08
      22.   To Dave # 14 - forgive me but you sound like a moron.... 19:21  |  charlie 29/06/08
      23.   Conversations: Israeli Rons arent Ronalds 20:03  |  Free Gilad Shalit 29/06/08
      24.   2. Conversations: The bereaved 20:38  |  KUTW 29/06/08
      25.   free terrorist???!!! 21:14  |  yoram 30/06/08
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