Summary of Editorials from the Hebrew Press

All papers discuss various issues regarding the negotiations for the release of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit:
 
 
 
 


Summary of Editorials from the Hebrew Press
All papers discuss various issues regarding the negotiations for the release of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit:
 
Yediot Aharonot believes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hedging any acceptance of a deal with various conditions in order to line up broad support in the forum of seven and the Cabinet.  However, the author asserts that „Any answer other than a definitive yes and which has qualifiers is a gamble, mainly on the life and health of Gilad Shalit, especially since the German mediator reportedly intends to quit if a deal is not reached.  The paper suggests that Prime Minister Netanyahu convene the Government and „make a binding decision that would make it clear to Hamas that this is the final station in the current round.”
 
Ma’ariv speculates that Hamas would like to tout the released prisoners at its ceremonies marking one year since Operation Cast Lead next week and asserts that the organization is insisting on the release of „heavy prisoners,” because it is unsure whether it will have another opportunity to do so.  The author warns that „If the deal fails and becomes frozen, Hamas is liable to choose the path of escalation,” and observes that „Military solutions have ever been chosen in order to break deadlocks.”  The paper avers that „In Israel, it is assumed that another clash in Gaza will come in any case, with or without a Shalit deal,” and adds that „if the current effort collapses and Hamas finds itself without an achievement, with closed crossings and a worsening crisis with Fatah, such an escalation is liable to come sooner rather than later.”
 
Yisrael Hayom suggests that Hamas is insisting on the release of prisoners from other organizations in the belief that they will be beholden to the organization and help it to solidify „its mastery of the Palestinian political sphere.”  The author believes that through a massive release of prisoners, Hamas hopes to prove that it is „‘the sole, legitimate representative of the Palestinian people’, a title that the PLO proudly carried under Arafat,” and that „Only it can succeed in bringing Israel to its knees and defeating it in negotiations, as in war.”  The paper cautions that a Hamas achievement would reverberate among similar Islamic movements throughout the Arab world and concludes: „Hamas’s link with Iran has proven itself: The money and the weapons from the ayatollahs have caused Israel to bend, after Hezbollah did likewise in the Second Lebanon War.  The next abductions are merely a question of time and opportunity.”
 
The Jerusalem Post opposes the release of a thousand terrorist prisoners in return for the release of Gilad Shalit, and states that „Though our hearts tell us to pay the price, we can’t let killers go free.” The editor feels that „A deal will buttress what Palestinians already believe, that Israelis understand only force.” and adds that „The harrowing ordeal of Gilad’s selfless parents touches us all. Their son has become our son. Nevertheless, Netanyahu must reverse course. The killers should remain incarcerated; if they don’t, more Israelis will surely die.”
Haaretz calls on the government to end the indecision regarding the release of Gilad Shalit. The editor opines that during the three-and-a-half years that have passed since his abduction, „Not a single new reason that justifies keeping the Shalits and the Israeli public in suspense – and jeopardizing Shalit’s life – has been added to the sum total of security and political considerations,” and states: „Gilad Shalit, who could have been free a long time ago, must come home now.”

 

 

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