I think I am dumber for having read this. He must not be Jewish even though he speaks of mitzvahs bc he never told us which mitzvah, whether biblical or rabbinical. You don't get to pull random wishes out of the air and refer to them as mitzvot. I actually read in another article that is a rabbinical mitzvah not to overpay for a captive. As for the people he volunteers to be murdered let him volunteer his own family and not speak for me!

Don't you think it's time to put a cork in it? Zip it. Hush. Shut it already, woll you? How much more jabbering can you do? You've made your point. It's pointless. Time to move on and Bezrat Hashem Gilad Shalit Ben Aviva will be back, safe and sound. And Am Israel will be just as strong as ever or even more because we're all ONE more than ever before.

And if one or more of the multitude of terrorists which will be released (assuming, that is, you believe that Hamas will ever relinquish Gilad Shalit -- a naive belief at best in view of the fact that Hamas is not likely to give up their sole bargaining chip) blow up an Israeli school bus, or bomb an Israeli pizzeria, and kill lots of Jews who are also the children of us all ... will it have been worth it? Gilad Shalit will NEVER be released. Do you wish to learn that only after more Jewish children (and, quite likely, adults) have been massacred? Will it take another Fogel family incident? Five versus one. Do the arithmetic.

This is insanity! Many will die to have one soldier repatriated. Others will be kidnapped as a result. There is another choice. JUST SAY NO! Of course, the Schalits want this deal. Any family would. But numerous other families will mourn the loss of loved ones. The government of Israel is failing in its obligation to the people of Israel. I hope that a tent is established, permanently, by the families of the future victims of the released terrorists, outside Netanyahu's residence as a permanent reminder of this folly.

Let Lieberman and Netanyahu exchange jobs.

What do you mean we have no other choice? Hell I can come with a lot of different choices in a matter of seconds. First start executing every single terrorist on their list, until A Shallit was released or B until the list is empty. Second, turn off their power, water, fuel, food, medical care until he is released. Third start shelling Gaza like they do Israel until Shallit is released. Was that so hard.

do not deal with terrorists..the imperative is tosecure jewish lives by defeating them...remember the blind sheikh..that was a fine idea!

One thousand dead Israelis. Maybe more.....

We'll gladly leave Palestine in peace, if Palestine will do the same. Let Israel live in peace, accept our existence and let's all move on to building our respective futures.

Yes, there always is a choice. Netanyahu made the wrong choice. He weakened Israel in the eyes of our enemies by capitulating to terrorists. He proved that terrorism against Israelis pays. He was wrong.

Liberal western views swallow Arab propaganda hook line sinker rod and fisherman. These views legitimized terrorism, and made every excuse for Palestinian war crimes. Western liberals have naively swallowed the Arab like that they want "peace" while killing Israelis is "legitimate resistance to the occupation". No more. Their "resistance" is nothing less than war crimes. It's time to meet force with force, not with weak liberal excuses that the "occupation" is the reason for everything bad in the middle east. And weak Jewboy values haven't helped either. It's time to meet the next terrorist attack with an iron fist.

Not as sad as the state of affairs in the Arab world with them carrying on killing each other, something that will never end. Get your own house in order before criticising others. And it will take you generations to do that. Stop posting your vile posts no-one is really interested in your inane ramblings.

So you admit that terrorism, kidnapping and murder which you call "resistance" is how to get what you want rather than negotiation. No wonder there can never be peace with you people.

If he were my son I would want him released because I would not think objectively. Just like a surgeon should not be allowed to operate on his own child, a parent in this situation will put her child before the states wellbeing, or anyone’s wellbeing. Israel has to figure out a way to make it very clear to Hamas that any more kidnappings will not be tolerated and the price they will pay will be extreme. It’s time to have a death penalty in Israel for convicted killers, it’s also time to take the gloves off and start targeting Hamas’s leaders. Finally, Israel should make it clear to the killers they release that if they kill again, they will regret the day they were born.

whatever one might feel about the merits of the exchange, It certainly would be fair to characterize it as "disproportionate". Why do I not hear clamoring from the "Human Rights" world or the editorial board of the Guardian

There is of course always a choice. The choice chosen by Nentanyahuh is understandable. The opposite choice was also understandable. Now we schould hope that Gilad returns healthy and will overcome his terrible experience. It is not true that the moral dilemma was solvable without problems. There is no absolute YES or NO. Nobody should argue he knew better.

Than a deal should have been worked out years earlier. God only knows the emotional,mental,and physical torture he's been through. I bet every day for the last five years has been like an eternity in hell for him.

how can it be a mitzvah to save one at the expense of others how is that justice how is the life of one person worth the life of many every person would release the prison with 1`000 murderers to save their owwn child but that does not justify the act i would not want to be released if i knew the cost was the release of many murderers i dont believe most people do not agree with that is one innocent life worth the death of many this is not a question of ggood vs bad but bad vs much worse

is Gilad Shalit ALIVE? Who has seen him lately? I hope Gilad IS alive and I put a big ??? to my question. Nothing would surprise me if he was gone. Has Bibi made an attempt to ask to see Gilad? Something stinks here... and I pray to G-d my thoughts are wrong!

Israel should do to every individual in Gaza the same things that Hamas did to Gilad Shalit... since according to you there is no other approach. The only religion where you can glorify death and still be "religious." SICK!

What happens to the 1027 released (not counting the 20 already released in exchange for proof Shalit is alive) if they are recaptured committing hostile acts? Make them sign a release agreementas a condition of release. No signature, no release. Any conviction for committing or conspiracy to commit a hostile crime against Israel, direct or indirect, will result in a sentence of execution. And a lifetime ban on entry into Israel. Although I wish otherwise, this "deal" will be seen as Israeli weakness, and proof that political kidnappings do work, encouraging repeats. I am amazed that the stage two release of 550 has not been finalized yet. Of course there will not be satisfaction with the 550 selected, and this will become another "justification" for continued hostilities against Israel. But for now let's just celebrate the release of Gilad. A lesson for all: never give up hope!

Hamas is displeased. Why doesn't matter, they will find a reason. It's what they do. So, if you were Hamas, how would you try to sabotage the exchange? One plan would be to get a bomb on the flight from Egypt back to Israel. Take it down over Egypt. Gilad Shalit never makes it home and 450 get released. Egypt holds the remains as "evidence" so his family can't even bury him. (Or they demand an Israeli apology to Turkey for the flotilla raid casualties.) Then responsibility is taken by another group and a claim is made that Gilad Shalit ws released, and the 550 must still be released as per the agreement. If Israel does release them, 1027 (plus the 20 for proof Shalit is alive) released in exchange for one dead body, a clear victory. And if Iseael refuses, 450 (+20) were still released, and the refusal becomes yet another "cause" for the next Intifada, still a victory.

Muayyad never been a palestine there was a english mandet 40000 years we the Jewish lived on the land We coming home and we never live again ... You pack up and go back to arabia that is you home...

My view....... I think this is a big mistake,these people have nothing to lose, there will be so much bloodshed, BIbi made a big mistake,, How many will die in the future because of this? When will these arabs start loving their own children more than hating Jews? On the other hand, I am happy for Gilad and his family, but this is way to big a price to pay.. these arabs will never let the Israelis live in peace, when will the moderate arabs/muslims stand up to these fanatical creeps? When I grew up I recall Israel had a "we do not negotiate with terrorists mentality? Bibi is soft and Israel will regret this decision.

What other choice did Israel have? Well (1) acting like a free nation and demanding return of its sodier LONG AGO.(2) cease cowardly , wimpy behavior that encourages terrorist behavior world wide. This trade hurts the cause of freedom and justice everywhere ,reduces respect for Israel and your joke of a Prime Minister and "defense minister".

But since that didn't happen, let's hope Egypt has the INTEGRITY to give Schalit back to Israel and tell Hamas to go take a hike, that all the murderers in prison will stay where they are. That would prove that rational thought is possible in Egypt, that the 'Arab Spring' might actually bring reason back to Egyptian behavior, that there just might be hope for a peaceful middle east. Egypt has to show what it's made of. Keeping a promise to mass murderers is not a promise that has to be kept.