to prevent this from happening again.

The author of this article must have no heart for the future families he predicts will be mourning their children because of this tragic deal. A wise man is one who sees the future implications and ramifications of his actions . This move is irresponsible reckless and accomplice to murder

Todays Israeli Jew is not an example of a true free thinking Jew. Rather he has become the Ghetto Jew of old. Tell youself what you want. You are weak, You are selfish. And you will be in perpetual pain, for this disater will have you on the run forever. The Arabs know you are weak. Now they will go in for the kill. This to them is a great Victory and indeed it is.

this is what i read: "Al-Hayya, a Gaza legislator and a senior academic and political figure said, “Our prisoners can only be released through this way. The release of prisoners will lead to a bigger victory and will break forever the siege that had been imposed on the Gaza Strip for five years.” Last week, he urged Palestinian Authority terrorists to kidnap more Israeli soldiers to gain the release of all prisoners, including terrorists, in Israeli jails. "The one and only solution is more resistance against the Israeli oppression, and more abduction of Israeli soldiers and settlers," he told the Al Quds satellite television network." Israel committing mass suicide!

we could begin by acting responsibly. gov't is charged to balance the needs of the nation against the individual. how do we now send our children out to risk their lives arresting terrorists if in the end we release the terrorists? If we cannot summon the moral fibre to resist populist feel-good movements, then let's at least have the sense to impose the death penalty on terrorist murderers.

WHy hasnt our government kidnapped some of the HAmass leadership and used them as a barter? One would think thats the most obvious solution!

I hope we will get him back alive, what if we get a coffin back, g-d forbid.

It's so obvious now that the Palestinian leaders in PLO took the wrong approach by trying to sway "Israel" to free prisoners , or to free land via negotiations .

Leave Palestine (what remains of it) in peace.

lets see, release 1000 terrorists. terrorists have recidivism rates of returning to jihad/terror. Lats deal before this one 231 israeli murdered by terrorists who were let free. Don't you get it? Start building another 231 coffins right now. Idiots in the supreme court...idiots in media...and now idiots in government leadership. No logic whatsoever

times 1000000000000!

You obviously hate Jews and Israelis with a passion. I really don't care what ignorant scumbags like you think, your thoughts belong in the gutter with you. Just stop posting your hatefilled nonsense on an Israeli website, save it for the Hamas and other terrorist websites. And for your information, we Jews have survived far worse than anything that the current crop of Jew hating terrorist murderers can throw at us.

Hundreds to die for one rescued soldier? Don´t tell me there was no option than the suicide one. I hope you execute the terrorists you still keep on prision after this mistake, just to avoid more kidnaps to free them. And also to put the freed ones on a list of next targets.

You always have a choice., the same we have in the USA. Terrorists should be punished the same way we did to Osama: kill them! Death penalty is legal in Israel. What makes a murderer of babies more secure than Adolf Eichman?

It's time to stop playing western-liberal values against Arab-Islamic values. The minute Shalit is safely home, Bib should announce that they next terror attack by Palestinians will be accepted as an act of war and an open declaration of war by the Palestinians. Bibi should make it perfectly clear: terrorist attacks against Israel are an act of war by the PA, and the next attack will mean the PA is breaking off all agreements with Israel and declaring war. Bibi will simply tell the Palestinians that by declaring war, Israel is in its full legal rights to exercise all defense options. All terrorist attacks will be interpreted as acts of war and will be responded to fully, firmly, and with no limitations.

You would think that Isreal would finally wake up and smell the coffee after so much horror. But nooooooooooooo. It continues to sleepwalk to its own demise. Always surrendering always brown nosing its enemies. We've seen this movie before..Israel keeps on bleeding till such time there wont be any more blood to bleed. Very sad state of affaires in Israel today. Very sad indeed.

How about: daily execution of one person on the Hamas list Land invasion of Gaza followed with house to house search and destroying any resistance. True blockade of Gaza: no electricity or fuel, no food except oil and flour, no UN until Shalit is released. Sink any Turkish vessels that try to break the blockade Massive building of Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria Or accepting that in wars, soldiers die. Find me 100 people who will offer their child to be the one murdered so Shalit can be released.

What do you mean "Western-Liberal" values? Obama, the most liberal of Presidents has ordered that all terrorists be executed without trial, even if unarmed and surrendering, even if they are American citizens, even if there is collateral damage. The values that brought Shalit's release are not "western-libera valuesl" they are "Jewboy values"

B"H We do have a choice: Torah. Halacha, Jewish Law, in fact prohibits us to pay more for a hostage than his worth.

When Terrorists DICTATE Terms to Leaders of a Country that Country is no longer FREE! NETANYAHU could not make it even as a shoe salesman in the US and amazingly he is the Prime Minister of Israel!! Why didn't he demand the immediate release of Shalit when he was kidnapped or threaten to take out Hamas Terrorists and their Leaders one each day till they apologized and released Shalit? The Choice to release murderers is the Wrong Choice as it will only encourage terrorists to harm more Israeli's.

Obliterate Gaza! Kidnap the children of Hamas leaders!

FYI prisoners being released include the perpetrator of the Bus 405 Tel Aviv-Jerusalem attack in 1989, the terrorist who killed 10 Israelis in Wadi Harmiyeh north of Ramallah in 2002, the terrorist who brought the suicide bomber to the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem in 2001, and several perpetrators of the lynch in Ramallah in October 2000.” These terrorists were convicted of the crimes of murder and conspiracy to murder. Is it not ironic that, by hiding behind the cover of political justification, they can receive different punishment from that of a private individual. With this single action, Netanyahu has set back the philosophy of deterrence for years to come. The unbridled ( and premature) joy of today will soon turn into the wailing and gnashing of teeth in the future. And who will look the newly bereaved in the eyes and justify the action that led directly to the death of their loved ones? The dictum of “he who saves a single life is as if they saved the whole world “ will need modification to “ he who saves a single life at the expense of other lives is as if he destroyed the whole world

One major problem is that Israel and the "palis" are playing by 2 sets of rules. The world is holding Israel to higher standards while the wild "palis" are permitted to behave like wild animals. Some chnages needed... 1) death penalty for terrorists. 2) put released terrorist on hit lists 3) if hammas,etc act up again, simply declare war and attack and finish the job 4) dont worry what the world says..

Israel has many choices and virtually all of them are better than this insane deal. For instance, Israel could choose to execute all captured terrorists. Israel could choose to rescue our captives (remember Entebbe?) rather than ransoming them. Israel could choose to pound our enemies till they free our captives, instead of ransoming them. Israel could choose to cut off all food, water and electricity to Gaza instead of ransoming Shalit. To name but a few of Israel's choices.

i could almost forgive those who take all this on face value. almost that is. my experience of jewry's leaders makes me much more than extremely cynical, incidentally. ps will they make a tv movie, perhaps? (to help sell whatever).

Ummm... YES!

This was indeed a bad decision. With all sypathy we can have for Gilat, a governement must first and foremost care about the interest of all childrens of Israel. How many people have killed those muderers that we will get free ? are their blood cheaper than Gilat ? And before all, what message are we giving to the ennemy ? Do you believe that getting so much reward for their crime will not push Haams to kidnap other soldiers. In the 70's Israel never accepte dto deal with terrorist. Why are we becoming so weak and sentimental ?

It is easy to talk about Mishpachat Shalit's son. Gilad is our son too, we must remember our moral values. No one is left in enemy soil. What would you have decided for your own son?