Try telling the Turks that Kurdish terrorists are really freedom fighters and deserve to be treated as POWs. In Israel, terrorists are virtually guaranteed a safe return to their homes when their dispatchers can work out a deal. The conclusion is not that Israelis are more civilized or have higher values. Israel does not value Jewish lives enough.

The traitors must have the death penalty applied, along with their terrorist friends.

I transcribed the following statement (accusation) from Mr. Schalit: "We would have been happy to see Gilad go free in a more convenient and easy deal. But unfortunately, the state of Israel was unable throughout all these 5.5 years, to create other alternatives or pressure points." The accusation: "I regret the fact that the opposing bereaved families were not with us during this period, when we tried to put pressure on Israel's governments, to pressure Gilad's abductors, on Hamas....." (Noam Schalit - YNet) I am curious - I tried to follow this news story fairly closely - what pressure points did the Schalits and their supporters put on Israel's governments? In what way did they pressure Israel's governments to pressure Gilad's Hamas abductors? What pressure did they bring to bear on Israel's governments other than pressure the governments (Olmert and Netanyahu governments) to release convicted terrorists in exchange for their son? Schalit said, "I regret the fact that the opposing bereaved families were not with us during this period..." Why would or should the bereaved families have been with them, on releasing convicted terrorist murderers?

4) Retreating from historic Jewish land. Retreating from Gaza, August 2005 - the forcible uprooting of thousands of Jews - was not only immoral but a strategic disaster. Prior to "disengagement," Israel had a civilian and a military presence in Gaza. There was no Hamas government in Gaza. An abduction like Schalit's might not have been successful.

1) The government has not established that a delay of 24 to 48 hours would scuttle the deal; 2) (he families found out from the media, preventing the families to have time to mount a proper legal motion; 3) the government cannot establish that the release of 1,027 terrrorists will not result in the death of hundreds of lsraelis (the last release of far fewer terrorists led directly to the death of nearly 200 lsraelis); 4) the statements from the judge are a classic example of the sort of over-reach from the lsraeli judiciary is famous -- or infamous; 5) will those who have engineered this reckless deal be held accountable in any way when hundreds of lsraelis are killed?

Agree with you 100% on all your comments... These days, just as during the time of the "Kum Ha'Medina", the Nation needs to get that kind of toughness in order to survive...A big problem is the majority of the young generation, who is raised with no clue about the history of Israel, its founders and heroes, our wars and sacrifices...Instead, they listen and take in the brainwash of the palis. Many of them these days busy organizing rallies together with pali youth in Jerusalem, against the existence of Israel as a Jewish State..This is real brainwash & a frightennig new precedent...Is this the price we can efford paying for this kind of democracy, that allows betrayal of our Jewish State ?