15 Terrorists Released In Shalit Swap Rearrested On Terror Charges

Israel secured the release of Gilad Shalit in October of last year by handing over more than 1,000 Palestinians who it had detained, arrested, and or convicted of various crimes, including terrorism and murder charges.

Now, it turns out that Israel has rearrested at 15 of those released on terror-related charges.

Eight of the Palestinians were from the first batch of prisoners released, many of whom were serving life sentences for a variety of deadly terrorist attacks.

The remaining seven were from the second batch of prisoners who were serving lighter sentences. Three of the prisoners have been released since they were rearrested.

The first stage of the exchange took place in October, when 477 Palestinians were freed, and the second stage in December, when 550 were released.

A senior IDF officer from the Central Command said on Wednesday that it was still too early to measure the impact the released prisoners were having on the West Bank.

“People need to acclimate back to their homes and work to retrieve their former status in their respective organizations from the younger generation that took over while they were away,” the officer said.

One of those rearrested was Ayman Salama, 36, who had been serving a 38-year sentence for his involvement in a 2002 bomb attack in Beersheba that wounded 18 people, as well as for a series of shooting attacks during the second intifada. He was supposed to be released in 2040.

While some may argue that this amounts to less than 1% of those arrested, these terrorists are looking to carry out mass casualty attacks and to capture other Israelis to secure the release of still more Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Israel's Shin Bet had been warning that those released in the Shalit deal were being reintegrated into terror operations by Fatah and Hamas, and it once again highlights all that could go wrong with any such swap.

The terrorists released are more than capable of rejoining their fellow terrorists and their plans to kill or capture as many Israelis as possible, all while Israel has conceded that it will release prisoners in exchange for Israelis captured by the terror groups.

So, while the Israeli government has reaffirmed its commitment to make sure that no Israeli would be left behind and that it would do what it takes to secure the release of Israelis captured by the terror groups, it also highlights the dangers of releasing terrorists with blood on their hands. These aren't rehabilitated individuals. They are unrepentant terrorists who are glorified by the terror groups and honored for their commitment to murder Israelis.

Israel gave up far more than Hamas or the PRCs ever did to secure the swap. Israel had to undermine its security situation by releasing terrorists. All Hamas and the PRCs had to do was release Shalit.

Israel may have shown that they value the life of one Israeli far more than the Palestinians value their fellow Palestinian lives, but that's cold comfort to those who may succumb to terror plots carried out by those Israel releases down the road.

Israel To Carry Out Another Swap; This Time With Egypt

On the heels of the recent release of Gilad Shalit, Israel has authorized a swap with Egypt to secure release of Israeli-American Ilan Grapel. Grapel was picked up by Egyptian security during the uprisings in Cairo; he'll be swapped for 25 Egyptians held in Israeli jails. The Egyptians had claimed he was engaging in espionage, but those charges were later reduced to incitement:

Grapel is expected to return to Israel on Thursday. A statement put out by the Prime Minister's Office said Israel agreed to the Egyptian request for the release 22 Egyptian prisoners, and three minors. While the list of the prisoners has not yet been released, they are not believed to be security prisoners, but rather Egyptians in Israeli jails for carrying out criminal acts such as smuggling from Sinai into Israel.

According to the statement, Netanyahu directed the officials dealing with the matter to make all efforts to also free Ouda Tarabin, another Israeli citizen in Egyptian jails. Tarabin, a Beduin shepherd, has been held for 11 years on espionage charges after illegally entering Egypt.

Israel's recent swaps can be seen as an attempt to gain favor with various Arab regimes, but also eliminates a longstanding issue for the Israeli government - how to deal with Israelis held abroad on trumped up charges or being held for ransom.

While it undoubtedly means that other Israelis may be kidnapped/captured for ransom as Hamas and the PRC has claimed it would do, it shows that the Israeli government eventually does hold true to the notion that no Israeli would be left behind; it will do what it takes to secure the release of such Israelis.

PRC Claim They Treated Shalit Well; Warn of More Kidnappings

The PRC, which is a splinter group of Hamas, claims that they didn't torture Gilad Shalit and that they treated him better than Israel treats Palestinian prisoners. Don't buy that nonsense for a moment considering that the PRC never allowed the ICRC or other human rights groups access to Shalit, something that Israel does for Palestinian prisoners. This is a terrorist group we're talking about, so of course they also state that they intend to take more Israelis hostage to ransom for the release of other Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Gilad Shalit Back Home After More Than Five Years of Hamas Captivity

It's been more than five years since Hamas captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in an infiltration attack that killed two other Israelis. Shalit is now back home with his family. They were reunited at an Israeli airbase in Central Israel after being transferred to Egyptian authorities who then coordinated with Israel in bringing him home. He was held for 1,941 days.



Meanwhile, the Israelis are in the process of releasing 477 Palestinian terrorists. That is the first of two batches of terrorists to be released, with the total number of terrorists Israel is releasing coming to 1,027.

Those terrorists are being given a heroes welcome and Hamas isn't being shy about who they thought won this years' long battle. They did.

And I'd tend to agree.

Israel gave up far more to bring home its soldier than Hamas did. Hamas isn't changing its stated and public position that it seeks Israel's destruction. It isn't giving up its right to attack Israel and seek to kidnap other Israelis to force similar ransom swaps. Hamas gets Israel to release hundreds upon hundreds of terrorists for the price of a solitary Israeli soldier.

For Shalit's family, this was an excruciating saga, but it showed Israel's resolve to make sure that no Israeli would be left behind.

Someone who has a different point of view is Miki Goldwasser. If that last name rings a bell, it's because her Ehud son was one of two Israeli soldiers who was captured by Hizbullah and killed (along with Eldad Regev). His remains were eventually repatriated to Israel in exchange for several terrorists. She thinks that the Palestinians may crow about this lopsided exchange, but that the Palestinians really envy what Israel and Shalit has.

Make no mistake about it. They realize and feel this humiliation. They realize that they are not worth much if they are willing to exchange 1,000 of their own for one Israeli soldier. Do you really think that Gaza residents are not jealous of us, Israelis, for being so united around one soldier? It’s impossible not to envy us. Look at the global reactions – everyone is stunned.

In Israel, the mood of the people tends to fluctuate from one extreme to another. This time around, listen to the voice of reason and do not be deceived by the images from Gaza. The joy there is artificial. With the exception of the celebrating families, I don’t think most other Gaza residents are happy to see the release of thugs and criminals who killed Palestinians and their children mercilessly.

The released prisoners are mostly hooligans who took the liberty to rob and kill even their own people. Do you recall the images of the Gaza wedding where the celebrating family was murdered by a Hamas gang only because it dared to rejoice? I’m certain that Gaza residents are starting to fear what’s to come.

Israel paid a dear price to secure Shalit's release, but Hamas demanded a thousand prisoners in exchange. That lopsided swap cuts both ways. It does show that Hamas cares little for the lives of its own people and it shows how much weight a single Israeli life counts for.

Over the years, Israel has released 13,509 prisoners in exchange for 16 Israelis - that is nearly 800 to 1 ratio. I'm not even sure if that counts the prisoners released in order to secure a video showing proof that Shalit was still alive. In that instance, Israel released Palestinian prisoners just to get a video showing that Shalit alive. It wasn't even a prisoner swap for Shalit himself. Mind you that many of those released were non-violent offenders or those released somewhat earlier than their scheduled release dates, but the principle remains; Israel was more than willing to release large numbers of convicted prisoners to secure the release of its own people.

That's worth pondering, but I doubt the Palestinians will dwell on it as their leadership considers further attacks to capture still more Israelis to demand similar swaps. The only numbers they see are that if they can capture a single Israeli, they can force Israel to release hundreds, or thousands of convicted Palestinians held in Israeli jails on even the most serious of terror charges.

Even those who sought Shalit's release are taken back by the scale of what Israel was required to do to make the swap happen. More than 1,000 terrorists released. That's quite the price to pay.

Deal Details Continue Leaking In Shalit Swap

We already know that Israel is paying a steep price to secure the release of Gilad Shalit. 1,027 Palestinians currently held by Israel are scheduled to be released in upcoming months. The first batch of 450+ would include terrorists responsible for over 500 Israeli deaths including terrorists involved in the deadly Sbarro pizzeria bombing.

Now, we learn that the second batch of terrorists would be from Fatah - about 550 in total.

A total of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners will be released in the deal, in two stages. In the first stage, 450 prisoners will be released. Schalit will then be sent to Israel, and another 550 prisoners will be released two months later.

AFP quoted the diplomat as saying Egypt persuaded Israel that the second batch of prisoners to be released in two months time will all be from Fatah.

That is in addition to the terrorists being released in the first batch including those apprehended in connection with plots to bomb hotels are also expected to get released along with other terrorists involved in major attacks.

They are part of the first phase of 450 prisoners set to be freed out of the 1,027 names in total.

They include Nasser Batima, convicted of planning the 2002 Passover Seder suicide-bomb attack on the Park Hotel in Netanya, in which 30 civilians were killed and 140 were wounded.

All will be welcomed by their fellow Palestinians as national heroes and resumed calls for jihad to bring about Israel's eventual destruction.

Such has been the case with prior swaps and that certainly wont change here. Hamas and to a lesser extent Fatah are beneficiaries of this swap.

Abbas is hoping that all prisoners will one day be freed. Perhaps Abbas would like to be reminded that but for Palestinian terror attacks, attempts, and thwarted plots, those Palestinians sitting in Israeli prisons convicted for such crimes would not be there. In other words - don't incite your population to carry out terrorism and delegitimize Israel's right to exist and Israel wouldn't have to imprison terrorists who delight in the murder and mayhem they cause with their attacks.

Some Israelis are filing suit to block the deal, noting the disproportionate release of noted admitted and convicted terrorists involved in numerous mass casualty attacks in exchange for a single Israeli. They include families of those killed or injured in some of those attacks.

More Details Emerge On Pending Swap For Shalit

New details are emerging about the pending deal to swap more than 1,000 Palestinians for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who has been Hamas clutches for more than five years since he was captured in a terror attack inside Israel that killed two other Israeli soldiers and wounded several others.

Hamas claims that the deal would swap 1,027 Palestinians, including 315 serving life sentences, for Shalit. The first batch of 450 prisoners would be swapped for Shalit, with the rest coming in short order. That swap may occur within a week and Shalit would be transferred to Israel via Egypt.

Most troublesome is the fact that Hamas bigwig Khalid Meshaal says that this is not only a huge accomplishment, but the first step in cleansing the region of Israel:

In Damascus, Syria, Khaled Meshal, the political leader of Hamas, said in a televised address that the negotiations had been “very, very difficult” and called the deal “a national accomplishment” that augured well for the Palestinians, who he said hoped to “cleanse the land, and liberate Jerusalem, and unite the Palestinian ranks.”

There's no other way to interpret that statement than to see that the Palestinians continue to refuse acceptance of a 2-state solution and a peace process.

So, why is Israel going along with this? The Times points out that some key figures in the Israeli defense and intelligence community have been replaced and the previous objections to large-scale releases of terrorists have been overcome. Moreover, the Israelis aren't expected to transfer these prisoners to the West Bank, where they were seen as being more of a risk. In other words, adding 200 more terrorists to the ranks of the 20,000 strong Hamas ranks would not change the strategic calculus. Then again, I have no doubt that some of those released will attempt to carry out attacks at the first possible opportunity, and that bodes poorly for Israel's long term security.

Indeed, among those being released in the first batch are Palestinian terrorists responsible for the deaths of 599 Israelis. As I've warned, Hamas will welcome them with open arms and jubilant celebrations - making heroes of murdering terrorists who think nothing of murdering Israelis - including children.

It has done nothing to moderate Hamas or Palestinian views of Israel, and while it means that the Shalit family will be able to welcome home their son Gilad, it puts Israelis at risk across the board.

It's little wonder then that Hamas sees this as a huge tactical and strategic victory. The names of those being released will be announced on Sunday, which suggests that there is some last-minute discussion on who exactly is being handed over.

UPDATE:
CNN has still more details and it looks like Marwan Barghouti isn't among those getting released.

"The deal will happen in two stages -- the first stage the release of 450 Palestinian prisoners, including 315 Palestinian prisoners that have one or many life sentences and the ones who are with high sentences. The second stage will include 550 Palestinian prisoners," he said.

Of the 450 Palestinian prisoners to be freed during the first stage, 110 will go to the West Bank while 40 will go abroad, according to Mark Regev, Netanyahu's spokesman. The 550 prisoners scheduled to be released during the second stage will be freed two months later, he said.

According to Regev, jailed Palestinian lawmaker Marwan Barghouti is not among the prisoners Israel has agreed to release.

Reports Indicate Yet Another Attempted Deal To Swap Shalit For 1,000 Palestinian Prisoners UPDATE: Done Deal!

We've been down this particular path so many times that I've lost count. Gilad Shalit has been held by Islamic terrorists in Gaza for more than five years and has been refused access by the Red Cross and other humanitarian groups. Hamas refuses to release him on humanitarian grounds and sees him as nothing more than a pawn in order to secure the release of hundreds or thousands of Palestinians, including noted terrorists who have Israeli blood on their hands.

That's what the New York Times is indicating in the latest iteration. The Israeli government is apparently working a back channel deal to secure the release of Gilad Shalit in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians.

No good can come from the release of hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel for terror activities and attacks against Israelis. Hamas will use the release as yet another opportunity to crow about the ability to outlast Israel and that Israel will eventually collapse because Israel will be incapable of defending itself from these kinds of attacks and incidents.

Where is the price Hamas will pay for holding Shalit? What would keep Hamas from carrying out more kidnappings to extort still more concessions from Israel? There are none. Yet, at the end of the day, Shalit will likely come home and Palestinian prisoners will get released to adoring crowds of Palestinians cheering the murderers that are released.

That isn't justice. That's lamentable.

UPDATE:
Apparently the Israeli cabinet is going to be meeting to discuss approval of such a deal.

Is the Shalit deal within grasp? Saudi Arabia's Al-Arabiya TV reported Tuesday that Egypt has made a breakthrough in its mediation of a deal meant to secure the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, and that such an exchange may take place as early as November.

An Israeli official confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has convened his cabinet to discuss the prisoner exchange deal that would bring the Hamas-held soldier back home.

The prisoner swap would see Shalit exchanged for some 1,000 Palestinian militants held by Israel. A source involved in the talks said the deal would see the prisoners released in a two-stage arrangement, the first involving the release of 450 for the soldier, with the remaining 550 freed at a later time.

UPDATE:
Hamas is already crowing: Hamas officials call Schalit deal a 'historic victory'
Izaddin al-Kassam spokesman claims that Israel has accepted all the demands of the captors.

Abu Obaida, spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas, Izaddin al-Kassam, said that the agreement includes prisoners from east Jerusalem, Israeli Arabs and all females and minors. He also pointed out that two-thirds of the prisoners who would be released in return for Gilad Schalit are serving lengthy terms in prison.

There's no word on whether noted terrorist Marwan Barghouti is among those who will be released. His name had come up repeatedly over the past five years.

EU Calls On Hamas To Release Gilad Shalit On Eve of 5th Anniversary of Capture

In just a few short hours, it will have been five years since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and killed two Israeli soldiers and captured Gilad Shalit. The two Israeli soldiers killed were Lt. Hanan Barak, 20, of Arad and Staff-Sgt. Pavel Slutzker, 20, of Dimona. They were attacked by a Hamas cell that infiltrated into Israel through a tunnel originating from the Rafah area, passing under the security fence to the area between the Kerem Shalom and Sufa crossings. The terrorists, operating under cover of mortar and anti-tank fire from within the Gaza Strip, attacked an armored personnel carrier, an IDF tank and a watchtower. IDF forces returned fire, killing at least two terrorists. Shalit was captured in that raid.

Shalit has been held for the past five years somewhere in Gaza and Hamas refuses to provide humanitarian aid groups any access for fear that it might tip Israel off as to his whereabouts. It refuses to allow the ICRC or Red Crescent access to Shalit so as to affirm his physical condition and well-being - all in violation of international law and conventions, to say nothing of human rights.

The reason for Shalit's capture - and that Hamas infiltration operation was simple. Hamas wanted to trade Shalit's life for the release of hundreds of Palestinian terrorists sitting in Israeli jails. That calculus remains in effect, and repeated efforts to secure his release have faltered over the numbers of terrorists that Hamas demands be released as well as which terrorists are to be included.

Two years ago, Hamas and Israel agreed to the early release of several hundred Palestinians in exchange for video showing that Shalit was still alive. That was a propaganda victory for Hamas, who gets to trot out the prisoners to cheering adulation and big crowds that call for Israel's downfall.

Sadly, nothing has changed this past year, which is the same as it was the year before only that Shalit is yet another year older and another year deprived of his rights and freedom.

Hamas refuses to release Shalit unless Israel releases hundreds or thousands of Palestinians, which is suicidal for Israel to contemplate. Hamas will not release Shalit as a humanitarian aid gesture so as to induce Israel to reduce its blockade against Gaza because it would lose its primary pawn in its ongoing war against Israel.

However, this time the EU is calling on Hamas to release Shalit, and France has said that we should not foresake Shalit (Shalit is a dual-citizen with France). Earlier this year, the G8 also called for Shalit's release, but that will all fall on deaf ears; the only thing Hamas cares about is maximizing the bounty paid on Shalit - maximize the number of terrorists Israel has to release to buy Shalit his freedom.

Don't Count On Reports For Deal To Release Gilad Shalit

We've been down this road too many times to count in the nearly five years since Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas in a cross-border raid from Gaza that killed two other Israelis. He's been held somewhere in Gaza by the Islamic terror group ever since the June 25, 2006 raid.

And apparently the reports of a pending deal were too good to be true.

Prisoner exchange talks between Israel and Hamas, geared at the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, were near their fruition, the Palestinian envoy to Russia said on Thursday.

The comment by Fayed Mustafa, quoted by Russian news agency RIA Novosti, came after Egypt's former ambassador to Israel ignited a rumor frenzy after he was cited in the Al Masry Al Youm newspaper as saying that the Shalit deal was just hours away.

Later Thursday the Prime Minister's Office denied that there were any significant progress in Shalit talks, a claim that was seconded by an Egyptian official speaking to Haaretz.

However, speaking with the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Palestinian envoy to Russia Fayed Mustafa said that "negotiations between Israel and Hamas, ongoing in Cairo with Egyptian mediation, are close to completion."

The RIA report stated that the Palestinian official provided no further information.

As they have since the outset, Hamas continues demanding the release of 1,000 or more terrorists from Israeli jails as part of the deal, including top terrorist like Marwan Barghouti.

Hamas refuses to grant the ICRC access to Shalit to confirm his state of health, and instead has demanded prisoner releases to secure a video showing Shalit was alive (that happened last year).

French Foreign Minister Mobbed Entering Gaza After Meeting With Shalit Family

(you'll have to scroll through videos to locate the appropriate one b/c of a kludgy video interface)

Crowds of Palestinians mobbed the French Foreign Minister Michelle Alliot-Marie as she was entering Gaza following a meeting with Gilad Shalit's father in Israel. They threw shoes and eggs at Alliot-Marie, believing that she called Gilad Shalit's kidnapping a war crime and that she'd press the EU to do the same. Gilad's father had requested that Shalit's kidnapping be characterized as a war crime, but the media reports attributed them to Alliot-Marie.

Gilad Shalit remains in the clutches of the terrorist group Hamas and there's no sign that he will be released anytime soon. He was captured when Hamas infiltrated into Israel and took Shalit while killing several of Shalit's fellow soldiers. It was an act of war and Hamas continues to refuse to grant humanitarian groups like the ICRC access to Shalit.

4th Anniversary of Hamas Capture of Gilad Shalit

It's been four years since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and killed two Israeli soldiers and captured Gilad Shalit. The two Israeli soldiers killed were Lt. Hanan Barak, 20, of Arad and Staff-Sgt. Pavel Slutzker, 20, of Dimona. They were attacked by a Hamas cell that infiltrated into Israel through a tunnel originating from the Rafah area, passing under the security fence to the area between the Kerem Shalom and Sufa crossings. The terrorists, operating under cover of mortar and anti-tank fire from within the Gaza Strip, attacked an armored personnel carrier, an IDF tank and a watchtower. IDF forces returned fire, killing at least two terrorists. Shalit was captured in that raid.


Shalit has been held for the past four years somewhere in Gaza and Hamas refuses to provide humanitarian aid groups any access for fear that it might tip Israel off as to his whereabouts.

The reason for Shalit's capture - and that Hamas infiltration operation was simple. Hamas wanted to trade Shalit's life for the release of hundreds of Palestinian terrorists sitting in Israeli jails.

Last year, Hamas and Israel agreed to the early release of several hundred Palestinians in exchange for video showing that Shalit was still alive. That was a propaganda victory for Hamas, who gets to trot out the prisoners to cheering adulation and big crowds that call for Israel's downfall.

Little has changed in the past year with regards of Shalit other than he's a year older and another year in captivity. Hamas refuses to release Shalit unless Israel releases hundreds or thousands of Palestinians, which is suicidal for Israel to contemplate. Hamas will not release Shalit as a humanitarian aid gesture so as to induce Israel to reduce its blockade against Gaza because it would lose its primary pawn in its ongoing war against Israel.

US Indicates Misguided Need To Stop Israeli Housing Construction For Sake of Peace Process

The continuing inanity of focusing solely on the construction of Israeli housing again shows the power of images. Building houses is a powerful image and one that Palestinians claim thwarts any attempt at a peace process.

A Palestinian source said Saturday that the US's special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, promised to provide Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with guarantees that Israel would rescind its plan to construct new housing units in east Jerusalem.

The official told the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi that Mitchell made the promise because Abbas refused to accept Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's apology for declaring the approval of 1,600 new units during US Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the region.

Abbas demanded guarantees after Mitchell pressed him to accept the apology as a withdrawal of the construction plan.

According to the source, Mitchell vowed that Israel would halt settlement construction during indirect negotiations with the Palestinians.

He said the special envoy was likely to present the guarantee during his visit to the region next week, in which he is also expected to announce the launching of indirect negotiations between Jerusalem and Ramallah.

At the same time Secretary of State Clinton is busy saying that Israeli moves to announcing the construction of housing was insulting.

It's all so much nonsense when anyone with a functioning neuron would note that Israel has evacuated housing and communities twice in the name of peace - in Sinai as part of the 1979 Camp David Accords, and then unilaterally in 2005 when Israel left Gaza.

Has no one in the diplomatic corps ever bought or sold real property? Apparently not from the way that the diplomats are howling over Israel's plans to build more housing, even as it would mean new and improved infrastructure should those communities be deemed for transfer to the Palestinians as part of a final status negotiation.

Housing isn't the impediment to peace; terrorist groups that are the representatives of the Palestinian people are. Hamas and Fatah have no interest in ending their war against Israel. Neither group is willing to change their founding charters to eliminate their calls to annihilate Israel. Neither is willing to stop the incitement to violence that is a regular occurrence in mosques on Fridays (and which directly leads to violent encounters such as those outside the al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem the past several Fridays).

Secretary of State Clinton and other US officials keep talking about confidence building measures and how Israel needs to take actions such as stopping construction projects for housing without noting that there are no measures being demanded of the Palestinians.

Where are the calls for the release of Gilad Shalit from the clutches of Hamas in Gaza? Where are the calls to demand that incitement to violence in mosques be put to an end (even though those calls to incitement were to be ended under Oslo 17 years ago)?

Once again, the US and the rest of the world is content to pressure Israel to stop actions that they think provokes Palestinians to violence, all while ignoring that the Palestinians are provoked merely by Israel's existence. That's the anathema to Palestinians and they aren't going to stop their violence and jihad until Israel ceases to exist - peace process or not.

998 For One: Sources Indicate Israel To Free 998 Palestinians For Shalit

If there was ever a lopsided deal, this is it. Once again, Israel is likely to release hundreds of Palestinian terrorists, including many who have Israeli blood on their hands to get a solitary Israeli released from terrorist custody. Sources indicate Israel is looking to trade 998 Palestinians for Gilad Shalit.

Expect Hamas to crow about their success. Expect Hamas to use this as a propaganda victory.

Note too that Palestinians are more than willing to value the lives of hundreds of their fellow Palestinians for the life of a single Israeli. They're also more than likely to carry out further attacks so that they could capture Israelis for yet another lopsided trade down the road.

From the Israeli government's perspective, they may carry out a trade akin to the one that secured the release of a video showing that Shalit was alive. They were willing to trade more than a hundred Palestinians, including those who carried out terror attacks against Israel, if they were nearing the end of their prison sentences. Israeli officials and the Netanyahu government may make a similar calculus that releasing those prisoners is not going to adversely affect Israel's long term deterrence factor, but as we've repeatedly seen from the Palestinians, any concession by Israel is taken as a Palestinian victory and further reinforces Palestinian visions of eliminating Israel once and for all.

Not only that, but Israel is looking to release the Palestinians in two phases, which doubles the amount of opportunities for Hamas to use this as a propaganda victory.

So, while securing Shalit's release is a paramount concern, it should not come at the expense of Israel's national security and ability to thwart Hamas.

Israel Contemplates Settlement Freeze As Palestinians Ponder More Attacks

It should come as little surprise that Israel's efforts to show that it is interested in peace are met with indifference or outright terrorism. The Palestinians do not reciprocate with peaceful gestures, but instead show their dedication to the ultimate goal of a one-state solution without Israel's existence.

The Obama Administration has been pressuring Israel to freeze construction of housing for months, and the Netenyahu government finally relented.

Israel has announced a settlement freeze in East Jerusalem, despite the fact that housing never was an impediment to peace. Housing (which is derisively called settlements) was never an impediment to peace with the Egyptians, and Israel has repeatedly shown itself capable of uprooting Israelis to trade land for the possibility of peace.

Israel withdrew from Gaza, uprooting dozens of communities, and the Gazans returned the favor with Hamas coming to power and starting a rocket war, and Gazans continue firing rockets into Israel even after the end of Operation Cast Lead in January 2009. They continue smuggling weapons into Gaza in an effort to restock their weapons and equipment for the next phase of their conflict with Israel. Any peace deal has to reflect the fact that Fatah and Mahmoud Abbas aren't even in control of all territories involved; Hamas doesn't recognize Israel's right to exist.

The Palestinians don't even see the settlement freeze as legitimate. They think it's a deception. The only ones deceiving here are the Palestinians who don't recognize Israel's right to exist even within the 1948 border, let alone the border from 1967 and thereafter.

Hamas continues holding Gilad Shalit and the terms are as they have been since he was captured; the release of hundreds of Palestinian terrorists for Shalit. The terror group has frozen talks, and despite the reports claiming that a deal is imminent, don't hold your breath. The terrorists have strung the Shalit family along for more than three years, and aren't going to be satisfied until they get Israel to bow to their demands. If Israel does relent, more Israelis will be put at risk and Hamas gets to enhance its power by showing that they can get Israel to submit to Hamas demands.

Now comes word that a Palestinian attacked two Israelis as they were trying to reach the Jewish enclave in Hebron. Hebron has been a flashpoint of contention for 90 years - while Arabs outnumber Jews by nearly a 10-1 margin, the Arabs and now Palestinians want to completely eliminate the remnants of a once vibrant Jewish community there. They aren't merely satisfied with a Jewish minority; they want a total elimination and they want it as an internationally sanctioned ethnic cleansing. The same goes for Israel's withdrawals from the West Bank and mirrors what happened in Gaza in 2005. So, while Palestinians want a right to overwhelm Israeli with demographics via the right of return, they refuse to allow Israelis to live among the Palestinian controlled territories.

Israel Carries Out Prisoner Swap For Shalit Video

I've warned about this kind of move for years, but Israel has gone ahead and has swapped 20 Palestinian women for a video that purporting to show that Gilad Shalit is still alive. The 20 women include terrorists, including one that attempted to use her pregnancy to hide explosives.

So who was released? Well, 14 of the 19 were convicted of attempted murder. The discrepancy in the number of Palestinians released is due to the fact that a 20th woman was added to the release.

The released women include those who attempted to stab Israeli soldiers at checkpoints, attempted suicide bombings while pregnant, and various other acts of violence. Israel's only possible reason for carrying out this swap is that many of these prisoners would have been released when their sentences were up within the year. That's the only possible justification, and Israel's leadership must have been convinced that cutting short their sentences slightly to get proof of life was more than justified.

The video purportedly shows that Shalit is still alive and holding a newspaper from September of this year.

Palestinian news agency, Maan, reported that Gilad Shalit read sections from the Gaza-based "Falasteen" newspaper from September 14 on his video transferred to Israel is exchange for the release of female Palestinian prisoners. Maan also reported that the video showed Gilad Shalit standing on his feet for a few seconds in order to prove that he is in good health. According to the report, the soldier is shown dressed in an IDF uniform with a yellow background behind him.

The news agency Palestine Today reported that Shalit appeared on the video reading a recent news item in Arabic from one of the Palestinian newspaper, according to Palestinian sources in the know.

A source that watched the video said a clean-shaven Shalit can be seen talking to the camera, and that he looks healthy and sounds coherent. The source said it was clear that his captors had prepared him for the video and went to great lengths to make sure he looks well and healthy.

I'm surprised that Shalit has managed to stay alive in the clutches of Hamas, but he's worth that many more terrorists alive than dead. After all, Hamas must realize that they can swap Shalit for hundreds of terrorists held in Israeli jails, but would get far fewer had he died in captivity.

Hamas has done all it can to pry as many terrorists from Israeli jails as possible, and it's been an excruciatingly painful situation for the Shalit family to endure. There has been little international pressure on Hamas to release Shalit as a humanitarian gesture, and instead most of the pressure has been on Israel to make concessions to release prisoners in exchange for a video.

It's also quite telling that Hamas feels that a video is worth 19 people, or that Shalit alive is worth 1,000 Palestinians. That's telling as to how much they value life. It's also telling just how much Israel wants to reunite Shalit with his loved ones that they'd even consider an offer to get a video showing proof of life in exchange for 19 prisoners.

Hamas is busy cheering the release of the 19 - yet another propaganda victory for Hamas and Ismail Haniyeh.

Daylife has photos of Haniyeh cheering alongside family members of the released.

Shalit has been in captivity for 1,194 days.

UPDATE:
Added a photo still from the video posted at the Jerusalem Post.

Video added:

Israel To Release Prisoners To Get Video Of Shalit?

Note the headline carefully. Israel is releasing 20 prisoners, not to get Hamas to release Gilad Shalit, but to get a video of Gilad Shalit.

“Israel will receive updated and unequivocal proof of Gilad Shalit’s well-being and status,” Mr. Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, describing the deal as the result of an Egyptian initiative meant to build confidence ahead of the “decisive stages of negotiation” for Corporal Shalit’s release. The prime minister’s office added that the negotiations were “still expected to be long and arduous.”

In Gaza, Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas official, said the deal was “small and symbolic.”

“We are offering a report explaining the situation of the soldier in return for the release of 20 women prisoners,” he said as he entered a Red Cross office in Gaza City on Wednesday.

Hamas has held Shalit for more than 3 years following a Hamas raid into Israel that killed two Israeli soldiers and captured Shalit, who was brought back into Gaza. Since then, no one has seen or heard from Shalit, and Hamas demands have been consistent; they want Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian terrorists held in Israeli jails.

This is an absolute travesty, and only results in Hamas seeing the benefits of further attacks resulting in captured Israelis. Captured Israelis are bargaining chips to be used to secure the release of terrorists from Israeli jails, and worldwide humanitarian groups routinely ignore the gross human rights violations engaged by Hamas by denying the captured Israelis access to those human rights groups like the International Red Cross.

Israel, for its part, may find out the sad truth that Shalit may already be dead, which was a likely outcome from his captivity by Hamas.

There have been no calls by human rights groups calling for Hamas to make the humanitarian gesture of releasing Shalit; instead the onus has always fallen on Israel to undermine its national security to release terrorists in its custody to secure the release of Shalit. The video may yet prove inconclusive as to Shalit's well-being, but as noted above, it raises troubling issues over Israel's ability to protect its citizens from further operations that are designed to capture Israelis for use as pawns. This is a dangerous path Israel has repeatedly taken, and at each step the released terrorists are greeted as heroes, further reinforcing the notion that it is only a matter of time before the Israelis are overwhelmed by the Palestinians and their efforts to destroy Israel.

Hamas Holds Gilad Shalit For Three Years

Today marks the third anniversary of the day that Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel from Gaza and captured Gilad Shalit while killing two other Israeli soldiers. Shalit has been used ever since as a bargaining chip to secure the release of hundreds of Palestinian terrorists from Israeli jails but Israel has resisted such efforts thus far.

His father Noam called on Israeli fathers to close their eyes for three minutes as a reminder of Gilad's ordeal. His brother used the opportunity to talk about sports events since his brother was taken by Hamas:

"My wish, today, on the 25th of June, 2009, from every person in the state, man and woman, from children to the elderly, is to close your eyes for three minutes," he told the station. "For just three minutes close your eyes and wait until those minutes pass, and during that time, try to think about what my son, Gilad, has gone through, a young man who is waiting with bated breath - not just three minutes, and not just three hours, and not even just three days, but is waiting in darkness and despair, mentally and physically tortured, to regain his freedom which was taken from him three years ago."

Yoel Schalit chose to use the occasion to speak directly to his brother.

"Gilad, my dear brother, after three years in captivity I thought you might like to know a little bit about the things that have happened here," he began.

"In the Beijing Olympics, which you would have watched, Michael Phelps broke seven world records and won gold medals. Israel came back with a bronze medal in sailing, Maccabi Tel Aviv got to the finals of the Euroleague but lost to Moscow, and Spain won the European championship," the brother continued.

"Thousands of discharged soldiers left to travel all over the world; you could've traveled with them," Yoel said. "There are so many beautiful trails in this country, you walked them. Today in Israel there are 200,000 students, you could've been one of them. There are plenty of other things that happened and are still happening, and I'm waiting to tell you about them."

Israel, meanwhile, is significantly reducing its presence in five West Bank cities, in the hopes that the Palestinian Authority takes over responsibility for thwarting terrorism from those locations. It's a limit on IDF raids to thwart terrorism. We shall see.

At the same time, Palestinian thugs fired on the IDF from Gaza. No injuries were reported.

A print ad to run in Gazan newspapers by the Israeli human rights group B'tselem to free Shalit was refused. Go figure.

"They ('Palestine' newspaper staff) did not give us a reason for the refusal, but we assume it's because the issue is a complex one (in the Hamas-ruled territory). The press in Gaza is apparently not so free. The ad was published in Al-Quds, and we hope the residents of Gaza will read it there."

The B'Tselem spokeswoman continued to say that "the Red Cross is forbidden from visiting Shalit, and his family hasn't received a letter or another sign of life from him. No one knows what condition he's in or in what conditions he is being held.

"B'Tselem is demanding the release of Shalit and that of all the Palestinian prisoners who are being held illegally (by Israel)," she said.

Only now does this group realize there's no such thing as a free press in Gaza? Hamas runs a terror state in Gaza, and has from the moment it kicked Fatah out. They control every aspect of the territory, and human rights are a distant memory there.

No human rights group has been able to see Shalit, including the International Red Cross. There have been no calls by human rights groups for Shalit to be released as a good will gesture - without linkages to Israel releasing Palestinian terrorists. As noted above, B'Tselem links the two, claiming Israel holds these terrorists illegally.

The situation today is unchanged from what it's been since the moment he was captured. Hamas has always intended to use Shalit as a pawn to secure the release of hundreds of terrorists from Israeli jails. That was their plan all along. They've seen it work for Hizbullah and they've had success with this kind of excruciating barbarism in the past. Israel usually relents at some point and releases hundreds of Palestinian terrorists from jail to secure the release of Israeli remains or occasionally a live Israeli held by the terrorists.

Hamas has had multiple opportunities to provide a humanitarian gesture and release Shalit, but has refused to do so at every turn. Even multiple visits by former President Jimmy Carter have done nothing to secure his release. In fact, I doubt Shalit's name ever came up in Carter's multiple visits.

I feel for the anguish of Shalit's family, and the Netanyahu government now faces the same situation that his predecessor faced. The Israeli government must protect not only Shalit, but all other Israelis against the potential of being captured and used as pawns to secure the release of still more terrorists from Israeli jails. It's a delicate balancing act, and the government has failed miserably to do anything other than maintain the status quo from the moment he was captured.

UPDATE:
There is a report indicating that Shalit may be released within hours or days. We've been here before, and until we see him entering Israel to meet his family, friends, and supporters, consider the rumors to be just that. In fact, minutes after that report, other reports deny that there has been any deal although something could be in the works.

In other words, this is the same nonsense we've seen for three years. Hamas is just yanking Israel's chain yet again - on the anniversary of Shalit's capture no less.

Progress on Gilad Shalit's Release?

There are reports of "progress" having been made, but nothing concrete. If there's progress, that means that there's a deal in the works to release terrorists from Israeli jails in exchange for Shalit.

If Shalit's alive, that would be something. I hope he is, but I doubt it.

We've been down this road before. For three years in fact. He will have been in Hamas captivity for three years on the 25th of June (this Thursday).

Hamas has never wavered in its demand that Israel release terrorists from Israeli jails in exchange for Shalit. The numbers have changed, but the threat always remained.

And if Israel releases terrorists for Shalit, it will again be treated as a victory by Hamas over Israel, and no doubt the Iranian regime will in some fashion use this as proof positive - and also take some of the internal pressure off the regime because they can point to their proxies as having succeeded in taking it to the Israelis.

Gilad Shalit Update

We're coming up to the three year mark of the date when Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas terrorists who infiltrated into Israel to capture soldiers with the intent to use them as bargaining chips for the release of hundreds of fellow terrorists held in Israeli jails.

I've devoted a significant amount of time to chronicling the fact that Hamas has consistently called for the release of hundreds of terrorists and not budging from that fact. Well, three years later, and we're no closer to getting Hamas to release Shalit than we were on day 1.

Hamas hasn't changed its position one iota. The Olmert government failed to secure Shalit's release by third party talks via Egypt, and the Netanyahu government faces a similar situation.

If anything, Hamas has increased the number of terrorists it sought to be freed from Israeli custody at various times, before settling back at the figures bandied about today.

Israel's security is undermined every time talk arises about dealing for Shalit's release as Hamas gets terrorists back into its fold and Israel faces its mortal enemy emboldened to take more hostages. Where is the world to demand that Hamas make humanitarian gestures by releasing Shalit? There's nothing but silence.

Partners For Peace Threaten More Kidnappings

Once again, Hamas threatens still more kidnappings of Israelis to go along with Gilad Shalit, who is coming up on three years of captivity.

Meanwhile Hamas legislator Mushir al-Masri, who heads the movement's faction in the Palestinian parliament, warned that all options were still on the table in the struggle to free Palestinian prisoners – including additional kidnappings.

He added that Shalit would not be returned to his family until Israel agrees to free all the prisoners Hamas is demanding.

Speaking at an event for Palestinian prisoners organized by the Waed Society, which works on behalf of detainees, al-Masri praised the Palestinians for operating against Israel and said that 'the resistance' was unshakable.

Al-Masri also launched an attack against rival Palestinian faction Fatah. The negotiations between the two movements are also stagnated.

The legislator accused the Palestinian Authority's security forces of betraying the Palestinian people by preventing armed Palestinian groups in the West Bank from kidnapping Israeli settlers and the soldiers guarding them.

The terrorists aren't going to change their spots, and Hamas wants to control the future of all Palestinians. They see Fatah as betraying the Palestinians by reducing the reliance on armed conflict in favor of negotiations and an Intifada. Hamas is uncompromising in their determination to destroy Israel once and for all, and securing the release of hundreds of terrorists from Israeli jails is one step in that direction.

Taking additional Israelis hostage would increase pressure on the Israelis to release prisoners and add to the cachet of Hamas among the Gazans and Palestinians who are determined for jihad.