Freeing Jewish Prisoners

Peace Now has called on the Prime Minister to immediately remove from the Knesset's agenda any discussion about the initiative to free Arab prisoners within the framework the the Shalit Deal. "The deal is difficult enough for Israel, and there is no reason to add additional risk to Israel's citizen's by releasing Arab terrorists to the streets," said Peace Now's Director, Yariv Oppenheimer. The left's proposal is immoral and represents a warped worldview that allows attacking and killing Jews. NRG-Maariv.

Interesting to see a moral position from Peace Now about the legitimacy of releasing terrorists.
It's a shame that Peace Now didn't actually say the above, rather they said the release of "Jewish Terrorists" was immoral and represents a warped worldview. Interesting how they have no problem at all release Arab murderers, but not Jewish ones...

I would think that the only way to add any morality to the release of Arab murderers, would be to release Jewish ones as well.

Hagai Segal writes an interesting Op-Ed piece in YNET on the subject:

When a murderer is sentenced to 36 life sentences but is being released after barely eight years, it becomes clear that verdicts around here are not binding. The judges wrote something, so what?

For lack of other choice, what is left to do now is to at least adhere to the principle of equality before the law, or more accurately, equality before the absence of law. A mass release of Arab terrorists requires us to embark on a parallel release of Jewish security prisoners. It isn’t nice and it isn’t pretty, but it’s necessary.

If Israel is strong enough to cope with the release of 1,000 Hamas members, [Jameel adds; actually, they were also from Fatah, and some were Israeli Arabs] it is also strong enough to contend with the mitigated sentences of Jews who harmed Arabs. In this case we are not dealing with 1,000 prisoners, and not even with 450, but rather, with only 12 of them.

As opposed to the Arab prisoners released in the swap, believe me when I say that there is no danger that the freed Jewish inmates would ever take up arms again. The overwhelming majority spent a much longer period in jail than most of the recently freed archenemies sent to Judea and Samaria or to Gaza.

Ami Popper has been behind bars for much longer than the female terrorist behind the Sbarro restraint bombing, while members of the Bat Ayin underground were imprisoned many years before the architect of the Café Moment bombing. Other prisoners include soldiers and police officers whose actions marked a momentary lapse, rather than the result of a lengthy conspiracy or membership in a subversive group.

Shin Bet officials would surely say that in this era of “price tag” we must not pardon Popper or the Bat Ayin group, but these officials are supposed to realize that the most effective way to uproot the “price tag” phenomenon is to put out the fires of frustration that give rise to this trend. When 1,027 Arab terrorists go home with the Shin Bet’s approval, yet Yoram Cohen insists on keeping the handful of Jewish inmates in prison, the frustration merely grows. Hence, we should free them at once. This too is part of the intolerable price of the Shalit swap. (YNET)

.

Visiting Israel?
Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3 with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!

Follow the Muqata on Twitter.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

The Day of the Swine

This morning at 2:30 AM, was the official start of the "Day of the Swine" -- as 477 murderous Palestinian, Islamic animals are being released from their pens. These swine who have butchered civilian men and women, boys and girls, and tiny infants in the name of Islam and Palestine, these worthless representatives of a fake collective called "Palestine", whose biggest claim to fame is their lack of a positive contribution to the human race, are preparing for a hero's welcome by their fellow animals.

Any Muslim, any Imam, any Muslic cleric who does not hang their head in shame at the release of these butchers -- over a thousand by the end of the exchange deal for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, is also part of the herd of swine.

How do they not weep that this exchange proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the absolute value of a single Jew is worth more than over thousand of their fellow co-religionists? Islamic apologists point of the invention of the "zero" as one of the great contributions of Islam to the world. Today we see over a thousand zeros -- a thousand murderous animals, filthy swine being released, as Palestinians celebrate.

Collectively, they are even too stupid to even realize that this exchange minimizes their own self value.

There will never be peace with the Palestinian people. Any person who cheers this release will never desire peace, will never want peace, and cannot comprehend the concept of peace.

The butchers released today, their mobs of supporters, and every Islamic leader who does not denounce them, will rot in hell for eternity.


Visiting Israel?
Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3 with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!

Follow the Muqata on Twitter.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

5 Minute Shutdown for Gilad Shalit

Well intentioned people are trying to start a nation-wide 5 minute "total shutdown" of Israel, in order to raise national consciousness of the plight of Gilad Shalit's captivity by Hamas for the past 5 years.

At 11 am on Tuesday, March 15, Israel's citizens will be asked to stop what they're doing and observe five minutes of silence – one for every year kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit has been in Hamas captivity.

The campaign organizers hope that as many people as possible will leave their homes, offices and classrooms and get out of their cars in the middle of the road – in order to remind the country's leaders that the people of Israel have not forsaken Gilad.

"My goal is to get two million people who care out on the street," said businessman and former General-Manager of the Hapoel Tel Aviv soccer club Roni Sidi, 50, who is behind the campaign. (ynet)

Unfortunately, this "5 minute" campaign will simply raise the price for gaining the return of Gilad. See the video below to understand why this 5 minute campaign is probably the worst thing we could do for Gilad...






Visiting Israel?
Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3 with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

Gilad Shalit Video: How to negotiate with Hamas

See the following worthwhile video...



Question: Till a few years ago, the primary lobbying effort for missing/kidnapped Israeli soldiers were mostly spearheaded by right wing organizations. Over the past 10 years years, the Left has taken a more active role. Why?

This video indirectly answers that question.

Visiting Israel?

Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3

with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

Demand Red Cross Visits for Shalit

An excellent initiative by Magen David Adom's UK chapter:


Demand Red Cross access to Gilad Shalit. Now.

On 25th June 2006 Gilad Shalid was kidnapped by Palestinian armed forces and taken in to captivity in Hamas controlled Gaza.

For over 4 years repeated efforts by the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit, or even make contact with, Gilad Shalit have been rebuffed.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), of which Magen David Adom is a part, acts in various ways to protect the victims of armed conflicts and, as a consequence, to work for the defense of human rights. It has been entrusted by the Geneva Conventions themselves with the task of contributing to and watching over their application; this is does mainly by its visits to prisoners of war and civilian internees.

By signing this petition you will be contributing to a worldwide movement to ensure that pressure is placed on Hamas to provide this access and to keep the issue of Gilad Shalit in the focus of all those who can influence events in that region.

Sign the petition, here



hattip: my manager and RZ via Facebook.

Visiting Israel?

Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3

with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

Ask a Flotilla Activist a Question

While I have very little reason to believe this will go anywhere useful, DovBear (from the DovBear blog) has requested I publicize this on his behalf.

Mark Daly is the Irish politician who would have participated in the flotilla were it not for the authorities in Cyprus, and one of three Irish parliamentarians who offered to take along letters and parcels for Gilad Shalit. I've been corresponding with the senator by email, and he has graciously agreed to answer some of your questions about the floitlla, Free Gaza, and his involvement with them both. I don't expect he will be appearing in the comments, but he has told me to send him the questions I "feel are most relevant". I will do this, and hope he will reply.

Ask your questions in the comment section of this post by DB.


One-Click Pro-Israel Activism!
It takes just 1 Click to help Israel!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

When the Jewish Left become Useful Idiots

The other day I discussed the issue of the Gilad Shalit’s letter after one far left blogger found himself very confused regarding the truth.

The short version is that Gilad Shalit's family offered to support and mediate with the Israeli government on behalf of the flotilla to Gaza, provided that the flotilla “in addition to their demand that Israel lift its blockade they will urge Hamas to allow the soldier to receive letters and food packages from his family and allow international organizations to visit him.”

The Shalit family announced that the flotilla organizers outright refused their offer.

Afterwards, one flotilla passenger, Irish Senator Mark Daly said he was prepared to take the letters to the ICRC or UN representative in Gaza.

Apparently realizing their major PR blunder (one of many since then), the flotilla organizers have tried to use this to “disprove” that they denied the Shalit family request.

Now here is where our Jewish Useful Idiots come into action.

They began to question the account of the Shalit family. They began to say that RW bloggers were telling lies untruths. They even claimed we merely use newspaper sources for our information (which I think anyone reading the detailed reports we’ve been first to release on this blog, long before the newspapers, know that to not be the case).

So our LW Jewish bloggers decided to get to the bottom of it. The Irish Senator Mark Daly was contacted and he responded.

The blogger writes as follows, Daly said that “he and two of his Irish parliament colleagues sent a letter to Noam Shalit offering to personally deliver letters and packages to the Red Cross in Gaza or to the United Nations Relief Works Agency in Gaza on behalf of their son Gilad. He said that in this letter he also committed to asking both agencies to do what they could to make it possible for Gilad to receive packages and visitors. Senator Daly also said he and his colleagues would "reiterate" their calls for Gilad's release while in Gaza.”

The LW bloggers are buying into this completely, while completely ignoring the very clear and actual differences between what was requested, and what was eventually offered.

It amazes me that these bloggers who will endlessly argue semantics over a single word to try to prove themselves right in any argument appear to be completely incapable of understanding the complete difference here between what was asked and what was offered.

The Shalit family offered a trade, a very straightforward trade:

Shalit requested: The flotilla would officially include as part of their official political position that Gilad Shalit should receive the most minimal of human rights given to any prisoner.

Flotilla refused: They would not include that message as part of their official position.

Daly offered: To take some letters and packages to the ICRC and UN – neither of whom have been permitted to see Shalit in 4 years. He promised that he and his 2 parliamentarian colleagues would “reiterate” their personal calls for Gilad’s release.

The official Flotilla website says, “Irish Senator Mark Daly (Kerry), one of 35 parliamentarians joining our flotilla, agreed to carry any letter and deliver it to UN officials inside Gaza.”


I know I need to spell it out in simpler language for those who willingly refuse to let it sink in, so here it is again.

Shalit asked that the Flotilla to add to their official position the message demanding Gilad Shalit’s basic human rights be granted.

The flotilla refused to add it.

A member of the flotilla agreed (as a PR gimmick) to pointlessly take some letters and packages to organizations that have absolutely no access to Gilad Shalit (and have already received numerous other packages and letters for Gilad that remain undelivered for years). Daly agreed to reiterate a personal message, that has ZERO connection to the flotilla’s official position and message.


I am trying to think how to make this even clearer, but it’s not possible. If someone wants to be fooled, and be a willing participant in this deception, there is not much one can do for them.

Anti-Semites, Jihadists, the radical Left and other who seek Israel’s (and Jewish) destruction are doing their best to delegitimize Israel through lies and deceptions, while leftist liberal Jewish bloggers become their accomplices by repeating those same arguments, even if they believe their intentions are for Israel’s own good.

One-Click Pro-Israel Activism!
It takes just 1 Click to help Israel!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

Flotilla Leftists Refuse to Help Gilad Shalit

As the Hamas-supporting "Free-Gaza-Flotilla" makes it was towards the shores of Gaza, IDF Naval ships are planning to stop them.

The JPost reports that the the Shalit family asked today for assistance from the international left-wing activists.

If the left-wing activists pressure Hamas to allow international organizations to bring letters and food packages to Gilad Schalit, the kidnapped soldier's family has agreed to support the international expedition's attempt to dock, Army Radio reported Thursday.

Lawyer Nick Kaufman presented the offer to the organization "Free Gaza," one of the organizers of the flotilla headed for Gaza, which promptly refused the offer.

"We are disappointed that the organizers of the flotilla have refused to also provide basic humanitarian assistance to our son, who has been held in Gaza four years in contradiction of international law," said the Schalit family.

The IDF announced Wednesday evening that it was planning to stop the international convoy of nine ships currently on its way to Gaza carrying hundreds of activists and thousands of tons of supplies.

“If they decide to continue sailing and do not listen to the instructions, then they will be stopped, brought to Israel and dealt with by the Interior Ministry, which will return them to the countries they came from,” an IDF statement said.

According to the statement, the IDF will unload the supplies and transfer the shipment to the Gaza Strip, after inspecting it for weaponry.

To the Israeli Leftists who support the Flotilla - now's your real chance to help Gilat Shalit.

If you seriously believe in Human rights, then you should demand that basic human rights are observed by Hamas, and that Gilad be able to receive letters, food packages, and even a visit from the International Red Cross.

That's the bare minimum. Anything less is pure hypocrisy.

The IDF would be more than glad to let your ships dock at Gaza...all you need to do is prove you really care about human rights, and you're not just aligning yourselves with Hamas to be anti-Israel.


One-Click Pro-Israel Activism!
It takes just 1 Click to help Israel!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

Shalit Deal: Ongoing Updates

8:52 AM Reports saying boys entered Egypt on intentionally for an "adventure" before entering army. They were arrested by Egyptian police upon crossing over - leading to the concern that they were kidnapped and forced into a car at gunpoint.

7:52 AM (12/22) IDF censorship over on incident in South.

Two boys on bicycles riding near border entered Egypt. There was concern that this was another kidnapping attempt (parts of the story are still unclear, including a version that they were forced over the border and into a truck). Egyptian army returned the boys at 3AM at Kerem Shalom border crossing.
There was concern that this was a kidnapping attempt that would blow up the Shalit deal.

10:53 PM Due to the media blackout by the IDF military censor, I can't tell you about the incident going on now on the southern Israel/Egypt border. Needless to say, it could have "affected" the Shalit/Hamas talks now, but apparently the incident is being wrapped up now, and the ending isn't bad. You'll see more about this later tonight.

Meanwhile, Israel's media is ratcheting up the pressure on PM Netanyahu to make the deal, release the terrorists regardless of the price, and get Shalit home.

The JPost posted an editorial a few minutes ago...and I'm posting the last few paragraphs from the point I find most poignant.

And with the absolute sincerity of an alcoholic having one final drink before going cold turkey, the government will assert that the Schalit deal will be Israel's last lop-sided prisoner exchange.

A deal will buttress what Palestinians already believe, that Israelis understand only force. Tomorrow's Palestinian leaders, therefore, will be that much more obdurate. It will become still harder for a credible Palestinian leader - no matter how ostensibly moderate - to abjure violence.

Stopping on a dime will mean that the pundits and politicians who orchestrated the campaign that took matters this far will have some explaining to do. If Netanyahu does pull back, it will be because Israelis were bluffing ourselves as much as we were bluffing Hamas.

A "no" now would take Hamas down a peg. Netanyahu could directly address the Islamists' disappointed constituents, emphasizing that meeting Hamas's rapacious demands would have dishonored him and caused Israel to lose face. Palestinians will understand that. So will Israelis.

He should frankly acknowledge that he was ready for an honorable deal. Indeed, he must stress that he remains ready for an honorable deal.

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.

With the sincerity of a teenager that next time, he'll really be home on time.

Who is the government trying to fool?

Going to Israel?
Now get 2 phones for the price of 1 (and free calls too) with Talk'n'Save.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

Israel's Government Debates Gilad Shalit's Fate

Actually, its not the Israeli government deciding Gilad's fate, since ultimately, Hamas decides what will happen to Gilad.

Netanyahu's strategic cabinet of 7 is currently taking a lunch break from a marathon of sessions over the past 24 hours dealing with the proposed Hamas-Shalit prisoner release deal. Galei Tzahal, IDF radio reports that PM Netanyahu is currently against the release and return to their homes in the West Bank of senior Palestinian terrorists who ruthlessly and intentionally killed (and masterminded the killings) of dozens of Jews -- including civilian men, women, and children and infants.

Reportedly (again, according to IDF Radio), 3 ministers are in favor of the deal; Defense Minister Ehud Barak (Labor), Eli Yishai (Shas) and Dan Meridor (Likud).

Against the deal are Avigdor Leiberman (Yisrael Beiteinu), Benny Beigin (Likud) and Moshe "Bogie" Yaalon (Likud).

Shalit's parents met with PM Netanyu minutes ago -- as he wanted to hear what they had to say.

This decision is without a doubt, one of the most difficult decisions a government can make. PM Netanyahu was asked a few years ago (before he was the current PM) "Knowing your published opinion of not negotiating and releasing terrorists, what would you do if it were your son who was kidnapped as an IDF soldier?"

Netanyahu answered: "As a parent, I would do all possible for my son to be returned. as the Prime Minister, I would relinquish the responsibility for making this decision to an unbiased party, someone else in the government."

Chances are, if the senior terrorists are released (Marwan Barghouti and Fuad Shubaki), we'll see a rise in terror again, and more Jews; IDF soldiers and civilians will be killed.

Going to Israel?
Now get 2 phones for the price of 1 (and free calls too) with Talk'n'Save.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

The Actual Value of a Palestinian Terrorist

Breaking news from the Jerusalem Post: (link)

The security cabinet on Wednesday morning approved the release of 20 female Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange for an up-to-date video tape of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Schalit, in the first concrete move toward freeing the soldier since he was kidnapped over three years ago.

The actual value of seeing Shalit on videotape is worthless because the German mediator Urlau has already seen the video, which is believed to have been taped within the last few weeks.

So if he's seen the video, why do we need to release 20 Palestinian Female Terrorists?!

We now all know the true value of a Palestinian Female Terrorist: One-twentieth of a video tape. Actual Value: 15 cents. Guppies are worth more.

However, Judge Goldstone values Palestinians at far, far more than 15 cents a person. He assigns that value (or less) to the Jews hurt and killed by Hamas rockets.

Dr. Mirela Siderer's face is still scarred from injuries she sustained when a Gazan rocket hit an Ashkelon mall in May 2008 Since that fateful day, the gynecologist, a 53-year-old mother of two, has undergone seven operations for her wound, and she is in need of an eighth.

On Tuesday, she spoke at the UN Human Rights Council, which on Tuesday debated the 429-page report on Operation Cast Lead compiled by a four-person investigatory team led by South African Judge Richard Goldstone. She told the council how upset she was to discover that her story had been reduced to one line, in which the document states that she was one of three people seriously wounded in the rocket attack.

"Judge Goldstone, in a 500-page report, why did you completely ignore my story? My name appears only in passing, in brackets, in a technical context," said Siderer, who spoke on behalf of the Geneva-based UN Watch NGO.

"I feel humiliated," she told the council. "Why are there only two pages about Israeli victims like me, who suffered thousands of rockets over eight years?"(JPost)

The entire evidence of Dr. Siderer's testimony was reduced to a single line...even less than 15 cents.

98% of the report attacked Israel for defending itself from Hamas terrorists.


Visiting Israel?
Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3 with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

The Missing Israeli Returns.

Gavriel Dwait's body was returned to Israel last night from Lebanon as part of an exchange with Hizbollah.

The Missing Israeli Returns Home.

Missing? Was he lost? I'd never even heard his name before last night's late news report. No one I've asked has ever heard his name before. I googled his name in Hebrew and English, "Missing Israeli Gavriel Dwait".

The deafening response from Google was "Your Search for "Missing Israeli Gavriel Dwait" did not match any documents."

Had Google been a bit more honest, it would have added the following recommendation for a "better" search result.

There isn't an Israeli alive who hasn't heard of the names "Ehud Goldwasser, Udi Regev, Gilad Shalit, Ron Arad" and many others.

Yet, no one has ever heard of Gavriel Dwait.

Gavriel Dwait, z'l.

Beersheva resident Gavriel Dwait, a Jewish immigrant from Ethiopia, drowned in the Mediterranean Sea on January 20, 2005. He was 27 at the time. His parents have been searching and waiting for 2 years and 7 months.

So why haven't we heard of him before? The Israeli police told the family, "eventually, he'll show up." The family hired buses to bring volunteers to look for him on Israel's Northern shores, but to no avail. His body must have washed upshore to Lebanon.

Truth be told, I doubt that anyone in Israel's government had any clue he was missing, and it was probably Hizbollah that surprised Israel with the offer. To make matters worse; this exchange has been in the planning for a few months now, yet no one bothered to even inform Gavriel's family.

You can be sure that the Goldwasser, Regev, Shalit and Arad families are updated all the time from the government on the status of their missing loved ones.

The dirty reason is wrapped up in one word.

Proteczia. noun. protection. essential for survival in Israel.

A family of new immigrants from Ethiopia living in Beersheva has little hope of knowing how to pressure the Israeli police, how to contact the media, or even how to find a Member of Knesset.

Had Gavriel's family been more connected, you can be sure we would have heard his name before...or at least Google would have found a reference to him.

Oh, and the fact that he was Ethiopian probably played a part as well.

Israel has alot of soul searching to do.



Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Gilad Shalit's Voice from Captivity

Click here for Gilad's own voice, reporting on his captivity in Gaza.

Analysts are saying that the tape may have been spliced from multiple sources and based on wording, pronounciations, and intonation he was probably forced to read from prewritten scripts.


Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael