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Commentary;
Although I want to see kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit freed, back in Israel with his parents, relatives and friends, and pray for it on ever occasion, I have a real big problem with the proliferation of Shalit pictures being posted to profiles on Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites.
The problem I have is surely not with the act itself which I sincerely believe to be a genuine, sincere grassroots display of unity with and love for a a Jewish brother.
My problem is with the perception and message of these pictures alongside the Israeli government’s actions and mindset of appeasement, equivocation, lack of honor.
In the weeks and months after Shalit’s capture by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, etc., it seemed evident that there was no substantial effort directed at an Israeli rescue of their soldier, just as there seemed no other efforts directed at liberating Ron Arad and the other MIAs aside from bogus negotiations with Arafat and release of hundreds of prisoners which resulted in nothing.
Further, as evidenced by the Olmert regime’s abject failure to secure the release of captives Regev and Goldwasser — an alleged goal of the summer 2006 Lebanon conflict and the mark of Israel’s defeat; the regime’s sole mindset is to swap serial terrorists for body remains, and as evidenced by the Olmert regime’s deliberate premeditated abandonment of Jonathan Pollard, the Israeli government has institutionalized both abandonment of it’s soldiers to their fates in enemy hands and accepting corpses and body remains in exchange for restoring hundreds, thousands of terrorists to a murderous, blood-lusting Islamic enemy bent killing and maiming Jews and decimating the Jewish poeple, the Jewish nation.
Notice that this blog has kept a low profile regarding the Israeli government’s talks regarding captives Shalit, Regev and Goldwasser, only commenting on who must not see light of day in any deal; i.e. Marwan Barghouti, Samir Kuntar or hundreds or thousands of other lesser-known terrorists who the Israeli government would apparently gladly release in exchange for captives or body bags. Once released, of course these criminals would attempt to fulfill their missions; wanton murder and maiming of Jews and kidnapping more soldiers for further return.
I make no Islamic distinction as to the captors of Gilad Shalit and the captors of Regev and Goldwasser. The captors are run and guided by the same mission — our eradication.
Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA links to a piece written by Ami Isseroff who writes regarding the price of freeing captives soldiers Regev and Goldwasser and which I hold is equally true regarding prisoner exchanges, “truces,” open crossings, etc. in exhange for Gilad Shalit.
Ms. Isseroff writes;
It is not a matter of putting “honor” or “justice” or “revenge” above human compassion. The problem is not the release of prisoners with “blood on their hands.” Rather, it is the blood of our soldiers and civilians that will be spilled in the next kidnapping. The success of the Goldwasser-Regev kidnapping will certainly engender yet another one, just as the success of the previous kidnapping, in which Hezbollah traded the degenerate Elhanan Tannenbaum and some dead soldiers for many live prisoners, was probably the decisive factor in motivating the kidnapping of Goldwasser and Regev. How many people will die because of the next kidnapping, and how many will be kidnapped? Those who are applying pressure for this deal, those who write op-eds, the parents and families of the kidnapped soldiers and their army of PR people, will all have blood on their hands – the blood of hundreds of Israelis.
Had the Israeli government never done the Tannenbaum deal, Goldwasser and Regev would have been far more likely to be safe today.
Indeed, the Rabbis, as cited here and here, apparently coincide with the thoughts of Ms. Isseroff.
In short, even as I pray for the freedom of 3 captive Chayalim and the other MIAs I cannot in good conscience post Gilad Shalit’s picture on my Facebook profile. I cannot be perceived as empowering a morally corrupt Israeli government, led by the likes of Ehud Olmert, Ehud Barak, Tzipi Livni, Haim Ramon and Eli Yishai, who opt to endanger the Jewish people by releasing serial murderers, who handcuff the military against necessary operations meant to defend our nation and who emperil our security by attempting to sever the Jews’ connection with his Land, Eretz Yisrael. MB
Thousands on Facebook to Display Schalit’s Pic, by Meira Faratci (Jerusalem Post)
New Website Marks Two Years Since Shalit’s Kidnapping
Analyze This: Government Held Hostage Over Hostage Negotiating, by Calev Ben-David (Jerusalem Post)