How 1 soldier was swapped for 1027 prisoners

“Israel loves its sons more than it hates its enemies.”

That was sent out on to Twitter this morning to explain the curious case of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who was handed back to his home country after five years of imprisonment at the hands of Hamas; Israel’s longstanding foe. He wasn’t just given back, of course, but returned in exchange for the release of more than 1000 Palestinian prisoners.

Not just petty thieves and crooks but some of them responsible for attacks, bloodshed and bombings.

Here’s the story.

Military service is compulsory in Israel for any citizen over the age of 18. Men serve three years and women serve two.

Sergeant Gilad Shalit was captured by Palestinian raiders in 2006 from inside Israel. They used underground tunnels to launch the surprise attack on the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) camp, firing a rocket-propelled grenade into Shalit’s tank.

Two IDF members were killed, and two Palestinians also, and a wounded Shilat was kidnapped in the raid.

He had been held in isolation ever since.

The ABC wrote:

“Looking thin and gaunt, with dark circles under his eyes, he said he felt in “good health” and thanked all those who worked for his release.

“Obviously I miss my family a lot and also I miss my friends and I miss meeting normal people to talk to them, to tell them about my experience through these years in captivity. I have a lot to do when I am free,” he said.

The decision to release 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Sgt Shalit’s return is widely supported in Israel, where most Jewish families send their sons and daughters into army service and expect in return that the state will do all it can to bring their soldiers home, alive or dead.”

There were wild celebrations in Palestine as people lined the streets to cheer the homecoming of the freed prisoners, some who had been locked up for more than 30 years. But tensions haven’t eased. Why would they? Hamas is the political ruling party of the Gaza Strip – Palestine – but is recognised only as a terrorist organisation in many western countries (and unions) including the United States, the European Union and Canada. But countries like Turkey, Switzerland and Russia do not tag Hamas with ‘terrorist’ status.

As Time Magazine reported:

“But there was no sign from Israel or Hamas, the Islamist group dedicated to its destruction, that the deal brokered by Egypt could be a starting point for dialogue.

“The people want a new Gilad, the people want a new Gilad,” tens of thousands of people chanted at a rally in Gaza for freed prisoners, urging that their fighters capture more soldiers to help free some of the 5000 Palestinians still held by Israel.

Netanyahu leaned into Shalit’s parents at the airbase while waiting for the helicopter with their son to land and whispered: “I brought your boy home.” He did … but at what future price?

Here’s the soldier’s first interview upon release, in Egypt:

This case raises interesting questions – and solves none.

What price for a life? Can you negotiate with terrorists, Hamas? Al Qaeda? What does this mean for the future of Israel and Palestine relations?