Opinion  Others
Hero amidst sea of hatred
Gili Heskin
Published: 23.11.06, 11:11
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26 Talkbacks for this article
1. MAy G-d bless Noam Shalit
Abdullah ,   Morroco   (11.23.06)
and bring his son hoe safe.
2. NOAM SHALIT
Freddie ,   Ramat HaSharon   (11.23.06)
I AM VERY MOVED AND PROUD TO READ WHAT NOAM SHALIT IS DOING FOR THE RELEASE OF HIS SON FROM CAPTIVITY AS WELL AS TAKING TIME TO VISIT PALESTINIAN FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOST THEIR CHILDREN.
3. Why none of them came to comfort him?
Isabella ,   Israel   (11.23.06)
I'll tell you why. Because Noam Shalit is a truly decent man amongst men, he and his family, have kept a quiet dignity while not knowing the fate of their beloved son. And, it's because he is a decent man living in a troubled country that his son was kidnapped in the first place. He and the rest of us care very very much about life and our people. The Arabs couldn't give a flying f--k what happens to them, or indeed us. That's why.
4. To # 3
Johnathan Golad ,   Netherlands   (11.23.06)
Although Im Jewish, but in wierd combination, while my mother lived in Israel she met a palestinian and fell in love. They Married, and had me, so im the product of both sides and feel the pain that comes from both sides. When you say and claim that an entire population have hatered towards israel, you would need to know why? The reasons is obvious there is one peace of land, until this point it seems both cannot share this land and live togather in harmony, peace, and even Love. Naom Shalit is a great decent guy because he looks at the other sides as humans too, he sees them as humans, with human emotions, he took off the blindness both people have toward each other. And yes there alot of palestinians who did the same, the father of the 12 year old mohammed who was killed in jenin and donated some organs to israeli childern or you dont remmeber. is it hard to remmeber it was published on this site serach for it under "Organs For peace". other examples are there too and were published on this site many times. My point is that the only possible way for us to live in this land togather in harmony is by abolshing blindness, hatered, anmosity. Try to see each other as Humans For God Sake...
5. He'd just love to release terrorists who can kill again
Ariel ,   Judean Hillls   (11.23.06)
He's myopic and a dreamer. Why should he get his son back so others can bury theirs?
6. If Mr. Noam S. was Mr. Bush, Buh was Gilad S.
Atilla Karagözoğlu ,   Istanbul / Turkey   (11.23.06)
WORLD WOULD BE MORE BEAUTIFULL. I MEAN THIS. BUSH AND OTHER ALL WORLD PRESINDENTS. INCLUDE MY COUNTRY ONES. I AM VERY FAIR. TAKE THEM ALL. SEND THEM TO AFRICA IN FRONT OF LIONS. EAT EAT.... HAMMMMM.
7. Naom Shalit
(11.23.06)
Isabel, none of Palestinians came to comfort Naom because of a simple fact that you might not even have known about before; they are not allowed to move out of the PA Terretories!!!
8. Just like haaretz
Shiloh ,   Israel   (11.23.06)
Ynet, have you lost your mind? This bleeding heart leftist needs to move to a terrorist state and you promote him. How about trading this nut job for his son? Is Ynet wanting to destroy Israel along with haaretz and other leftist media outlets? G-d forbid!
9. #13, Shiloh
zov ,   Rosenberg, TX   (11.23.06)
Thanks guy. The scoundrels pour their sweet saliva to enhance the destruction of the country. The absence of the War Time Laws kills Israel, otherwise this freek would have been in a military prison. Only the enemy completely destroyed desrves help and participation.
10. Wasn't this guy stuck in India?
Ilan ,   Ariel   (11.23.06)
I'm not sure if Shalit's behavior should be taken as too profound. He is after all trying to get his son released and it is important to him that his captors don't murder him in order to exact a revenge. BTW, Olmert and Halutz were also sorry that civilians were killed. I think that Gili must have suffered some brain damage which would account for his packing bullets in his back when going to India.
11. A father"s pain
Sameer S Reehani ,   Houston,Texas U S A   (11.23.06)
I ,say to the palestinains ,who are currently holding this young man,"Just hink for a moment, if it was one of your sons taken into captivity,how would you feel"?What is so sad about all of this , there is always a high price to pay,but where ,and when does it stop?My concern with this, is;anyone can take people hostages at any time ,and demand something for it .It is indeed a vicious cycle.This young man should be released immediately ,and without any conditions.My reason for this demand,the palestinians must look at things through a bigger picture:if you release this human being,and after all he is human being,Israel will reciprocate in time .All i"m saying is this ;"the more you talk and act in good faith, the best results, you "ll most certaily achieve.At some point ,we all have to consider the human side of it,and if we begin to feel that way,we may be able to reach the ultimate goal that we are all seeking,PEACE.
12. Kol Ha Kavod
vered ,   israel   (11.23.06)
Truly, Noam Shalit outshines all our false heroes. The guy on the street does not realize how much influence he has on events. As horrible as what is happening in Sederot, don't forget that we in the North had over a hundred katyushas every day for almost a month, to urge the government on to war, can cost more and more innocent lives. There is no end to any of this. One person like Noam Shalit, despite his pain, and in the face of hopelessness and maybe overhwhelming odds took a chance and showed the enemy a human face. It is heroes like these we should be proud of.
13. to # 7
Birdi ,   Israel   (11.23.06)
With permission they are alllowed to travel out of the terrortories.See they did not think of going to pay Shalit & his family a visit. Gilad's captors are men without hearts, they dont give a hoot about anything except their ultimate goal. To wipe us Jews off the face of the map. VERY SAD INDEED.
14. Give me a break as to this guy...He has lost my sympathy
Jim   (11.23.06)
a long time ago. He suffers from wannnabee a media star. His poor son has this dumb nut as a dad. Reminds me of that poor kid Berg who was beheaded in Iraq. His dad is still a poor misguided fool. I pray for the son. I truly pity the dad. I just wish he'd shut the F up. That may just bring his son back...
15. basic rights denied the father and son
alan ,   frisco   (11.23.06)
Most of the Arabs in Gaza or the West Bank.... how is anyone to read their minds about what they want. But if they had decency, they would demand that the basic right of a captive be granted--- access to the Red Cross and exchange of letters between family and captive. Israel does allow this and more. Civilized behavior requires this basic right which is being denied Mar Shalit and his son.
16. Noam Shalit and the sick talkback
Michael ,   Haifa   (11.23.06)
By the same token that Noam Shalit is a decent human being, there are just as many indecent creatures here in Talkback, nourished by their pathologically sick hatred for anybody who thinks differently from them
17. Maybe if everyone quit paying for hostages to be freed...
Steven Wilson ,   Anchorage, Alaska   (11.23.06)
and started bombing the crap out of their enemies instead. the war could be finished. This war has not stopped because everyone in the United States media and Israeli media wish it so. Quit trading prisoners and there will be no need for them to kidnap them. People are going to die in war. That's the way it is going to play out. Whether any of us like it or not means squat. Suck it up and get used to it. They are terrorists...they want to kill Americans and Jews.
18. Stop exploiting and attacking the poor man
Daniel ,   Formerly Israel   (11.23.06)
Noam Shalit has lost his son and doesn't know if he will ever get him back. I don't know how that feels and I don't want to know, but I can imagine that it is beyond horrific. I happen to disaggree very much with what Shalit is doing, since if he succeds in getting a prisoner swap for his son more innocent Israelis will die, but I don't know what I would do in his place. I am a hard-line right-winger, but grief can drive a man to do anything, and in his place I might just be doing the same thing. So here is what I propose: The leftists need to stop using this man as a symbol of peace because he's not, he is a symbol of this war and of the need to win it, and the rightists need to stop attacking him for what he is doing because in his place they might be doing the same thing. Instead, all Israelis on both sides of the spectrum need to comfort Shalit and to urge him to have patience and have courage and to make him understand that in his current psychological condition he is in no state to be taking part in politics.
19. And why would that be number 7#
Steven Wilson ,   Anchorage, Alaska   (11.23.06)
Beacause every time you get a chance, an Israeli bus, or nightclub, gets blown to crap! Your movement proceeds your reputation sir. There was all kinds of freedom of movement before your terrorist organizations started strapping bombs on their bodies. This so called wall of Apartheid, was created by your terrorist acts upon innocent civilians on buses, and nightclubs. Lets not lie about why the wall and separation occured. They build prisons for misguided criminals all over the planet. Especially for persons who plan on killing you, and your family members. You might be the new Australia in one hundred years or so. Get rid of the terrorists and it might be sooner!
20. I suppose he would have apologized to the germans
jason white ,   afula,israel   (11.23.06)
for the bombing of dresden.He should be standing outside the knesset and demanding that the gaza strip be bombed till his son is returned and his captors surrender. Whether they kill or kidnap their sons,the leftists are always feel for the enemy.They are our weakness.They hold us back from stopping this terrorism by destroying the enemy.He should be demanding that beit hanoun be wiped out.
21. And what if his son is in beit Hanoun, Jason?
Daniel ,   Formerly Israel   (11.24.06)
You want him to call for action that is as likely to kill his son as it is to free him? Yes, I aggree with you, Gaza should be bombed, or more Apropriately it should be conquered: Annexed piece by piece untill Gilad is back in Israeli territory, whether he is brought to Israel or Israel is brought to him. But it is not Noam Shalit's job to call for anything. His only job is to pray and to grit his teeth, and our job is to support him. and look at what he's facing, maybe he's calling for a prisoner exchange because he knows that the government will never use force to get back his son. I feel great pity for him, and I don't understand you if you do not.
22. Noam Shalit is a victim too
Ilan ,   Ariel   (11.24.06)
His son is captive and he wants him home safely. That doesn't make him heroic, but it should temper criticism. He isn't a Sheehan milking his situation for personal gain, just a desperate father who wants his son back safely.
23. Holocaust survivors and Noam Shalit
Fasulia Hudra   (11.25.06)
I remember some very harsh and stupid remarks a long time ago made by someone who was not in concentration camp about certain holocaust survivors and what they had to do in order to survive. NO ONE WHO WAS NOT IN A CONCENTRATION CAMP OR IN THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES HAS THE RIGHT TO JUDGE SOMEONE WHO WAS!!!!!!! Similarly I can empathize with the pain and anguish that Noam Shalit is suffering with his son held captive. as such NO ONE SHOULD JUDGE HIM ONE WAY OR ANOTHER but see him as a man who will do anything to secure the freedom and safety of his precious son.
24. Shalit
Hilda ,   USA   (11.24.06)
It would appear that poor Mr. Shalit in his grief has become a victim of the Stocholm syndrom. He has become convinced as have many of us that his son is long dead and he has now resigned himself to it and has become a Christian in that he is willing to pardon and excuse the perpetrators. Poor man. My sympathies. He is sounding more and more like Berg 's father every day. Also reminds me of the poor father who donated the organs of his murdered daughter to be transpalanted into Palestinians. Are Jews so corrupted as to believe that by literally giving their very bodys away to the enemy that they will love us or be grateful?
25. To #21 Do you want over a thousand terrorists freed?
jason white ,   afula,israel   (11.24.06)
Suppose only 1% of them carry out deadly terrorist attacks? Should we suffer a couple of dozen dead and scores wounded? I want Gilad freed and I want the govt to cut off the palis' electricity that we pay for,food,medical supplies and care. Start to kill the terrorists in our prisons till they free Gilad and turn over his captors.
26. Did you even read my post? Jason
Daniel ,   Formerly Israel   (11.25.06)
I propose measures that are even harsher than the ones you propse, all I'm saying is that we can't expect Noam Shalit to propose these measures. We have to understand that the man is going through Hell, and instead of criticizign him we should try to console him, and while we must by no means follow his advice, we must not hold his words against him because these are words created by profound grief, the typo of grief that drives men insane.
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