Terrorist May Go Free While Shalit Remains Hostage
Shalit: Terrorists will be freed even if Gilad never returns
Father of IDF soldier abducted four years ago declares time for words over, State must save son from death sentence
Aviad Glickman
Published: 05.30.10, 19:27 / Israel News
"After four long and exhausting years, we are not prepared to accept the tired cliché that our activities and our demand that the government fulfill its obligations towards Gilad hinder or impede the negotiations over his release," Noam Shalit said Sunday at an Israel Bar Association conference in Eilat.
Shalit, father of the abducted IDF soldier held in the Gaza Strip, declared he would not keep silent any more: "We are not prepared to accept the bargaining over the life of our son, a young man of flesh and blood."
Shalit, who was a special guest at the conference together with his wife Aviva, said that four years was enough time to set in motion everything the State of Israel could do.
"A state that can send military teams to save foreign citizens in Haiti, thousands of kilometers away, and I'm happy about this, proud of such deeds – such a state is supposed to be able to save a soldier held as a hostage just a few kilometers from its borders," he said. "We knew how to do this in the past."
Shalit slammed the government for being overly concerned about releasing murderers and terrorists: "For four years they've been telling us repeatedly that meeting the kidnappers' demands will encourage further abductions, as if the motivation of the various terror groups to kidnap Israelis here and abroad will disappear at once if we don't make the deal – and Israelis will be able to wander freely around the streets of Gaza, Nablus and Baalbek."
"It's hard for me to say," he continued, "but if the government fails this time too, and Gilad never comes home, this will not prevent the release or deportation of murderers and terrorists, however dangerous they might be."
With these facts set before the parents of Israeli soldiers, I have to ask why should we send our children to the IDF?
With the criminal behavior of multiple Israeli governments in the case Of Gilad Shalit in addition to the witch hunt carried out by the prosecutors officer of the IDF against combat soldiers.
I have to say something that I never thought I would say I am glad that my combat soldiers duty is soon coming to an end.
Why should a parent give their son to a combat unit in the IDF when our boys have zero backing from the generals and political leaders of Israel?
The peace process is destroying Israel's ability to fight to save Jewish lives and the future of Israel is at risk.
