Stern is confused and lost himself. It appears that all that teaching he did got him stuck in his old ways and he can't think out of the box. March to the Turkish embassy to free Shalit? Sorry, but that's a dumb concept for even a radical like me. Instead of playing the negotiation game and trying to squeeze the Gaza borders, Stern should showing us that there are other avenues to pursue. Why isn't Stern calling for the immediate and total cutoff of all Hamas prisoners in Israeli jails? If Shalit is held in the dark, we should do the same. Stern should be calling for a total ban on access to Hamas prisoners, while launching a propaganda campaign aimed at the families of the prisoners: if they want to see their daddies again, well yaani, we get to see Shalit. And he should be demanding an international legal team to push war crimes charges against all Hamas leaders - heck, even Goldstone said they are war criminals, yet nobody seems to want to exploit that. Then there's the blockade - why doesn't Stern suggest we fire bags of cement at them in return for mortars and rockets fired at us? Hamas and Fatah (yea, Fatah are still a bunch of criminal bums who still want to kill us) use every media trick in the book and tons and tons of propaganda... why don't we? And the worst part of Stern's lost direction is that he doesn't understand that we, the people, did the accounting and we're willing to pay the price of releasing these convicted Hamas scumbag murderers. However, we expect that in the future when Hamas fires rockets at our homes, the IDF will not reply with tank shells aimed at empty fields. That is where Stern and his cohorts in the IDF and the Knesset got lost ... trying to play a losing media game instead of driving home the message to the Palestinians that shooting at our civilians will cost them bigtime. For now, they still think they can get away with it.

terrorists set free from Israeli prisons. Does that not tell the story?

This the sad reality.

Doese anybody know if at anytime in the history of the current conflict if any Islamic Fundementalist group like Hamas or Hizbolleah has ever freed a Jewish captive alive My point being that even if we are willing to give in the Hamas's demands they perhaps still wont set Gilad free My Hashem see to his speedy and safe return

BECAUSE - GILAD SHALIT CAN BE FREE- "AT ANY PRICE" !!! - - IF YOUONLY WOULD LET THE PALESTINIANS AND HAMAS PAY THAT PRICE. WHY MUST YOU AND THE GOVERNMENT, PLAY THE GAME ACCORDING TO HAMAS OR THE WORLD OPINION. DOING THAT YOU ARE LOOSING JERKS AND IDIOTS !!!. BY SIR !!!. Arn.

A very, very difficult situation. I myself am ambivalent. I want Gilad freed. I also accept that Elazar Stern is correct. Gilad is a single young man, with a name, a family and a face we now all recognize. It is easy to sympathize with him and his family. At the same time, we would have to free a very large number of terrorists, that will then go on to kill, maim and murder yet more Israelis... What is the answer? I don't know.

The title is telling. Finally someone who tells it as it is. We are strengthening Hamas' demands. I suggest the Shalit family walks to the American Embassy and the UN and sits there till they put sanctions on Hamas rather then give them aid.

think creatively? Why not implant an electronic chip in the heels of the Hamas prisoners so we can check where they are?

How confused can someone be? "Future implications"? Don't make me laugh! Our government , nor its agencies, have been unable to foresee future implications for 62 years. Our politicians have made a career of not being able to foresee future implications. Ephraim Kishoin called it "par touch", remember? All we ned to know is if our government really supports our soldiers or not. Be not confused, Mr. Stern: no Palestinian will change his mind on us if we release or if we do not release Palestinian prisoners. Don't you get it? It is not about them or us: it is about bringing one of our sons home.

every word is correct and #1-u r not the PPL...

reality and not delusional hope should be navigating our policies (and voting records)

I think Mr Stern is saying that rewarding kidnappers with a ransom will result in more kiddnapping and and increasing ransoms - he is correct. Also Sgt. Shalit is a soldier. Soldiers who cannot afford to be lost to the battle should not be sent to fight

Israel always was the country telling the whole world NOT to negotiate with kidnappers, but it's the country which 'does negotiate and 'gives the most. As sad as it is for the Shalit family, a whole country cannot be held hostage through one person. It shows weakness and gives 'appetite for more, because it pays of.