Gilad Shalit

Former Member

Until this latest development everybody had pretty much forgot about Gilad Shalit... It's two years and counting.

And since Hamas want 450 Palestinians released from jail (which includes some major terrorists) I don't know if a deal will ever happen.

Former Member

Yeah. I have thought about him a few times, wondering what is going on with him. Poor guy.

I am sure that there are many Palestinians that may not deserve to be in Israeli prisons but to set the 'swap' conditions so high, almost devalues the life of a Palestinian and makes the return seemingly impossible.

Former Member

Teagan wrote: »

I am sure that there are many Palestinians that may not deserve to be in Israeli prisons but to set the 'swap' conditions so high, almost devalues the life of a Palestinian and makes the return seemingly impossible.

Absolutely, I'm sure of that 450 some should be released... I just hope somehow both sides could sit down and negotiate a figure acceptable to both sides.

I know the guy is a soldier (he was doing his national service - every Israeli, male/female has to do it) but I feel bad for him and his family...I think he was 19 when they took him. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think he'll ever make it back to Israel alive - although, I'm sure his captors will carry on using him as a tool for a while yet.

In the past it's taken the release of (alive) prisoners for the remains of dead soldiers to be returned to Israel. Hizbullah returns soldiers' remains to Israel... So it's difficult to be optimistic.

Former Member

It's tragic on both sides really and I hope they can come to some agreement on this. If we look at Ireland again the solution there was to forget past crimes and let people go for the greater goal of peace.

I don't know if people in the middle east are ready to look past the history of violence and bloodshed yet, and that is at the crux of it.