Why is Shalit still in captivity?
Failure to release abducted IDF soldier shows defense establishment's weakness
Since then his whereabouts have been unknown.
Shalit's abductors apparently came from a number of Palestinian organizations that joined forces in the attack. A demand made in their name called to release thousands of male and female prisoners from Israeli jails. Talks involving prime ministers, parliament members, public figures, presidents, mediators and the United Nations began, all in vain: Eight months after the kidnapping and still no progress has been made. Gilad Shalit is in their hands.
How could this be?
How could it be that such a low ranking terror organization, whose heads and leaders have been eliminated, has managed to hide an abducted Israeli soldier somewhere in the labyrinth of the Gaza Strip, without the long arm of Israel's security forces reaching it? All in all, Gaza is not Afghanistan, whose mountainous topography spans vast expanses. Gaza is not Baghdad either, with its alleyways, mixed neighborhoods and high rises. It doesn't have a million citizens. The majority of the Strip is open space; a small part of it comprises neglected suburbs and dilapidated refugee camps.
Israeli surveillance cameras everywhere
Yes, it is true that the army pulled out of Gaza, yet it is doubtful whether there is another place in the world that is photographed and monitored more than the Gaza Strip. From the sky, the sea, over land - almost every square meter comes under the watchful eye of an Israeli surveillance camera at any given moment. We no longer rule in Gaza but we are still ruling over Gaza.
Moreover, when the pullout, known as the disengagement, was planned, the time and the budgets required for maintaining a well distributed intelligence infrastructure in place were taken into account. It was supposed to provide the IDF and the Shin Bet all the necessary intelligence required at a time of crises, such as terror attacks and kidnappings. I myself heard senior officials at the defense establishment calming politicians on the eve of disengagement: "It'll be alright, our eagle's eyes will watch over Gaza and inside Gaza at all times. We'll know about every move, we'll be able to closely monitor every event, large and small, overt and covert. And what cannot be provided by technology, will come from the field, from our agents."
These words, it appears, were deceitful and misleading. Gilad Shalit, an IDF soldier, was wounded and abducted eight months ago in a cross border attack and clandestinely taken into Gaza where he disappeared. Since then not a single mediator has seen him or spoken to him, and no one has been able to produce a first-hand, documented and proven sign of life. We have no idea where he is being held or what condition he is in.
Enemies take note
Once in a while, reports leak out that three or six months ago he was held in one place or another. These leaks are supposed to create the impression that his whereabouts are being closely monitored. This impression is misleading: There is no such monitoring, or at least it has not produced any tangible results.
And you keep asking yourself, how could this be? How could a country that claims to have one of the best security services and intelligence corps in the world be so powerless for 249 days and nights in the face of the kidnapping and hiding of an Israeli soldier by a small, battered, frightened Palestinian terror group that operates right under Israel's nose and eyes? What has happened to all the billions invested in the most advanced surveillance technologies and in a network of the most reliable agents?
These strategies and others are supposed to be ready when the time comes. It was for this purpose that military exercises and maneuvers were held, in all of which we had the upper hand and the captives were released. Yet even on the day of the attack, June 25th, 2006, it became apparent that the defense establishment cannot deliver on its promises. As in October 1973, this was another mishap.
The fact that Israel, a military-security empire, has been unable to release Gilad Shalit from his abductors, is not just a stain on the ethos of a nation known to bring its sons home from battle. It is also indicative of the security and intelligence service's weakness, and the erosion of its special military units' professional capabilities.
Our enemies have taken note of this. Nowadays, the IDF would do well not to be dragged into an ostentatious campaign that would only endanger the life of the abducted soldier. At this point in time, diplomacy is the better option - but on condition that those employing it know how to use it. And in these parts, this is also doubtful.
