PM on Shalit talks: I'm guided by need to retrieve captives, protect citizens
Almagor Terror Victims Association reps try to convince Netanyahu not to approve prisoner exchange swap with Hamas. 'We told him deal dangerous, there are other ways,' they say. PM assured them he's considering all aspects of deal
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with representatives of terror victims and bereaved families for an hour-and-a-half Tuesday evening in light of progress being made on a prisoner swap for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
During the meeting in Jerusalem, Netanyahu assured them that when considering the various aspects of the prisoner exchange deal he was guided by the "need to retrieve captives and the need to protect Israeli citizens from future harm."
Yossi Zur, whose son was killed in a suicide attack on a Haifa bus in 2003, called the meeting "difficult and serious," adding "we got the impression that nothing has been finalized. We conveyed the message that the deal is dangerous and that there are other ways.
"We told him our personal stories, and by the look on his face it appeared that he was touched," Zur continued, "(the PM) did not disclose any (confidential) details, but we understood that the issue is not closed."
Prior to the meeting, Zur, Yossi Mendellevich and Ron Karman said they would try to convince the PM not to go through with the deal. "We will ask him to think of the children and of the Israeli nation as a whole, and not put us in harm's way. We hope he'll listen," said Zur.
The Almagor Terror Victims Association is heading the campaign against the release of terrorists as part of the burgeoning prisoner exchange with Hamas. The group's director, Meir Indor, as well as other members of the organization protested outside the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem Monday evening as the forum of seven senior cabinet ministers convened to discuss the details of the deal. A rally in favor of a prisoner swap was simultaneously held nearby.
Bereaved parents in Jerusalem (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
Speaking to Ynet, Indor claimed an agreement with Hamas would lead to the death of many Israeli citizens. "Who will look into the eyes of those who will be kidnapped or murdered by the (arch-terrorists) who are on the list (of Palestinian prisoners slated for release)? He said.
However, some bereaved families support a deal with Hamas. Esther Waxman, mother of Cpl. Nachshon Waxman, who was killed by a Hamas cell in 1994 during an attempt to rescue him, said, "As an Israeli citizen, I realize the risk involved in releasing murderers with 'blood on their hands', but Shalit is the son of the nation of Israel, and we have a moral obligation to bring him back."
Earlier Tuesday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak claimed that the price continues to rise in prisoner exchange deals. "In the past twenty-something years, the State of Israel has been on a slippery slope of deals, from the (Ahmed) Jibril deal to the (Elhanan) Tennenbaum deal. Even the return of the bodies of (Ehud) Goldwasser and (Eldad) Regev," he said.
"This is a slippery slope, and there is no choice but to stop it. The Israeli government must change its policies on such deals. However, at the moment there is a given situation that did not begin during the tenure of this government.
"The path must be changed and another position must be formed, we must ask ourselves whether it is right to release a specific soldier who is there and was kidnapped three years ago and examine his case, or examine the context as a whole," Barak said.
