Gilad First

It has been more than 1,000 days since Israeli solider Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas militants in the Gaza strip, where he is still believed to be kept as a hostage.  According to the Habanim organization, formed by families who suffered similar tragedies, this is the summary of the events:

On Sunday, 06/25/2006, at 05:40 in the morning, a terrorist group of several Palestinians crossed the border south of the Gaza Strip into Israel through a tunnel near Kerem Shalom and attacked an army facility that was within the sovereign territory of Israel.

The attack was carried by three groups and included explosives, shots over armored cars and rocket firings as well as grenades.  The rocket hit a tank manned by four Israeli soldiers, one of whom was Gilad Shalit. Two soldiers, including the tank commander died in the attack, while the other two soldiers were wounded. Gilad was wounded in his shoulder and was taken from the tank and abducted by terrorists.

While the Israeli government is in a time of transition, the new government is ready to take hold as the current Prime Minister, Ehud Olmart is soon to leave the office. There is one thing to  connect all political parties; the urgency to bring back Gilad Shalit to his home. At the same time, this issue will put on hold any negotiations with the current Palestinian government. Israel’s foreign relations with moderate Arab countries such as Turkey has grown more complex and negotiations between Hamas and other Palestinian political parties to form a unified Palestinian government have stopped.

Hamas knows that Israel will not leave a soldier in enemy hands and therefore, Hamas is asking for steep price: 1, 000 terrorists to be released from Israeli army jails. Those include top terrorist and people who were convicted of murder by Israeli courts.  This issue blends the cultural differences between the Israeli army and its ethics code and the group of Hamas, a pure terrorist organization which enjoys the current diplomatic negotiation with political leaders, including mainly Egyptian officials and other ambassadors of European countries who serve as mediators.

But there is a reason I brought up this issue as a symbol of this complex situation in the most fragile region of the world. On one hand, in the new-old Middle-East, war has numerous definitions but the same old meaning of destruction and harm to innocent people on both sides. Political leaders and other people in power (again, on both sides) do not hesitate to direct or use such  tragedy to advance their own agenda.  On the other hand, in a place where some people still live with a hope for building a new life, a new home, and a new future for the next generation (and a need to do it asap), Gilad’s tragedy puts these plans on hold and sadly, motivates other terrorists to gain even more from it.

In addition, I guess I just wanted my voice to be heard and once again use the tools given to me to scream the voice of justice. Every prisoner of war has to be free and both parties need to come back to the negotiation table with one simple pre-condition: to create a better future for all of us. Free Gilad Shalit!