Habayit Hayehudi Chairman
and Science Minister Daniel Hershkowitz on Wednesday urged military academies' cadets to reexamine their concerns regarding the price Israel is
willing to pay in order to secure the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
Tuesday saw dozens of military academies' cadets send position papers and letters to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
Defense Minister Ehud Barak,
in which they voiced their concerns over the government apparent "any price" policy in the matter.
| Concerns |
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| Cadets: Shalit deal – not at any price / Kobi Nahshoni |
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Dozens of military academies' students send Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Barak letters voicing concerns over current outline of prisoner exchange deal; say Israel cannot give in to terrorists |
| Full story |
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"Three of the greatest rabbis – Rabbi Shaul Yisreali, Rabbi Haim David Halevy and Rabbi Shlomo Goren – all of whom have passed away in the last few years, have previously expressed their support of similar prisoner exchange deals, despite clear reservations," said Hershkowitz.
"The common denominator (between deals) was the covenant between the State of Israel and its soldiers, which includes the State's responsibly to bring its sons home and its pledge to spare no effort to that aim."
"The Torah's stand on the matter is complex and even though a complex stand is unpopular these days, we – as public leaders – must have the courage to consider all aspects of this sensitive and complex matter, just as the great rabbis had the courage to state their true opinion," he continued.
The science minister agreed that the cadets' concerns were valid, saying that the government "must take into account the erosion in Israel's resilience in the face of terror groups, as well as backing down on the principle of never negotiating with terrorists and the fear of what these heinous murderers will do once they are released."
The government, he concluded, must consider all aspects of concerning the deal, whether in favor or against it, before making its final decision.
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