Shalit family: Hamas stalling on response to Israel's offer

Let's for the moment assume that Bibi gives in to Hamas' extortionate demands, releasing hundreds for one Next time around they kidnap another IDF soldier, and it starts another round of extortionate demands Exchange is one for one, not one for hundreds or a thousand Go into you local back, give them a dollar bill or whatever currency you use, demand 500 in exchange, they'll call the men with the white coats to take you away

Bibi does not seem to be making any effort to free Shalit. If he's got to release Palestinian prisoners, let him release prisoners. But get Shalit back, you can't let him be a prisoner for life. He deserves better from the government.

Whic is a heck of a lot more than Shalit has

Arab prisoners in Israeli jails are allowed family visits and the Red Cross is allowed to see them The same can't be said for Gilad Shalit Get the difference???

The mossad is one of the best intelligence services in the world, and has a long history of success. Israel must know where Shalit is, and it must know weaknesses in the fetters that imprison him. Is it really so dire that they can't just break him out, and imprison or kill a couple of his captors in the process?

It is impossible to state adequately my sympathy for the the Shalit family. I have developed an immense respect for Noam Shalit because of his dedication and reserve in pursuing his son's release. I am aware had he had been as tawdry as the families of Goldwasser and Regev, and his son as dead, there would have been no problem exchanging his remains for however many terrorists were demanded. But unlike Regev and Goldwasser, Israel knows he is alive and therefore a living embarrassment instead of a dead hero. . . Which is to say beyond redemption. Israel has become a nation which betrays at every turn what were once it's core values. Which is a shame.

If you do your best to provoke the radical islamists and squelch the moderate Arabs, as is obviously Netanyahu's enduring core strategy (he wants nothing more than another violent intifada and is scared of nothing so much as a non-violent peaceful intifada), then you shall reap the rewards. I sense that what many on this board fear most is that the protest taking place in Sheikh Jarrah will stay non-violent -- that your fondest deepest wish, maybe one you are not even fully aware of, is that "the Arabs" remain "terrorists," "primitive, violent, no one to talk to." Then you can go on your merry but miserable way with this endlesslandgrab while you whine about a prisoner of war (not a "kidnapped" child but a soldier captured with considerable bravery by a raid into enemy territory). So as has been said here, Shalit is a prisoner of war---get used to it, and if you dont like the results of occupation ---then end it. But stop the insufferable self-righteous whining.

In negotiations each commodity has a value. Israel has set it's value on Shalit as approximately 500 to 1. Still not good enough for Hamas. Too bad poor shalit has to suffer due to incompetent Hamas leadership. This will eventually play out badly for Hamas as Israel is aware of Hamas' incoridgeable ways of negotiating. Hamas has done the same to Fatah and fatah will also remember.

It is hard to understand this situation. I think that both side are cinical respect to Gilad Shalit. From one side his parents are doing everything in order to get his boy free, but to me, everything is not always the correct thing to do. When the family of Gilat Shalit do not have to attack Hamas because Hamas is the responsable of the life of Gilad Shalit. He has to try to get both part together, they have to think not in terms of who blame more, but who makes the best for their child live. Meanwhile this goberment has killed a Hamas dirigent, and keeps Gaza population isolated at the point that there there is a crisis of power very frightfull. so, this is not convenient for Gilad Shalit, and this is not of course convenient for palestinians, either. so...

he's paying the price. Because he's a valuable bargaining tool, no doubt he's treated much better than Arabs in Israel prisons.

The illegal and inhumane imprisonment of Gilad Shalit is a crime that should be handled by international law, not blackmail. I hasten to add, quite separately, so is Israeli accretion of the West Bank by 'settlers.'

If you dont like the results of occupation ---then end it. What a buch of whingers you are.

Since I was born the hippies have put up a system against me just like they captured Schalit hold him prisionier the hippies are unyielding unbending they better hope I never get a miracle and or they may pay dearly Palisteinian hippies may run things now butt if I ever get that miracle and so lucky for me they do not take me seriously the rantings ravings of a 65 mentaly ill old J*w butt they better hope they are right RIGHT sorry right... Thank You... M. S.

Shalit for Barghouti 1 for 1. That would terrify all the so called intelligent people of Israel as well as the families of the victims. Hamas is evil. Hamas is now the trusted spokesman of the Palestinians. Abbas is as irrelevant as Arafat. .

You cannot deny that barghouti is the universal leader od the people. I don't care what the US or PLO or PA says. You have to realease him for Shalit 1 for 1

One man's warrior is another man's terrorist. Perhaps you could offer yourself in place of Gilad Shalit? After all, you have served in the IDF. Yes?

be once set of rules for Jews and one for non-Jews. But eventually you will understand that with the creation of Israel, we Jews do have the power to even out the playing field so that your feelings towards us will just amount to hot air...and will never again result in our annihilation. So...huff and puff all you want, but in the end, you will come to papa.

What if, What if, What if...stop asking hypothetical irrelevant questions and try thinking.

was gilad shalit voluntarily or unvoluntarily in the israeli army? there are people in israel who donot want to serve in the i.d.f. outside israel. shalit had also been able perhaps to make that choice. what if the palestinians would occupy partially or completely israel? what do the shalit family say about the other (palestinian)prisiners? what do the shalit family say about how the israeli-palestinian conflict started until now and about (possible) solutions?

This is an unbelieveable situation! A so called "Prisoner" a mass murderer, who is in an Israeli prison has enough access to the outside world to be able to report on what he says is Gilad Shalit's condition!! I wonder how much access Gilad has to the outside world - from what I understand, he can't even get a visit from the Red Cross.

Nor any of the Palestinian prisoners till Gilad Shalit is home.

How can he know this from wihin the prison ? Does he have a telephone and/or visitors? His victims have not and their children are still suffering heavily. If we let him free it encourged him and other terrorist to murder again,they know after a few years they will be set free.

Sir, You are right in not negotiating with Hamas. Don't continue past prisoner swap precedents. It only encourages these merciless thugs. Recommendation: use your hostage rescue force. Put an end to this, and prevail with strength. Worst case the young soldier dies. Each man has his rendezvous with destiny. Unfrozen

Barghouti said: "As long as my land is occupied, I will fight...my land is all of Palestine"... Therefore the deal was...they'd free a soldier - Shalit - so that this terrorist could go and kill another 66 Israeli civilians? And free another hundred like him too? Besides, of course, another thousand "who have no blood (yet) on their hands"... etc?

nothing like the word of a convicted mass murderer for assurance. too bad Israel doesn't have the death penalty.

I saw it on CNN's Amanpour.

and heshould remain locked up forever and should have no communication with the world until schalit has communication

it is the Red Cross task to check if Gilad Shalit is treated according to the Geneva convention. Hamas is not allowing for this, so they can't say they are treating Gilad Shalit well.