State to High Court: Impeding ceasefire can be disastrous

“Any delay of the ceasefire arrangements can be disastrous; therefore, we believe that there is no room for the court to intervene in the cabinet’s decision,” the State's representative said during the High Court's hearing on the petition filed by the family of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

During the hearing, the State representative said that the cabinet’s decision to reach a truce with armed Palestinian groups in Gaza was lawfully made. “The ministers knew what they were voting on; the information was presented to them in full,” she said, adding that “there is concern that if the State doesn’t uphold the cabinet’s decision, the other side will not adhere to what it agreed to.”

On the opposite end, attorneys for the Shalit family claimed that “this is a critical matter. A person’s life depends on it,” they said, adding that “a democratic Jewish country is based on the principle of redeeming prisoners.” Judge Levy said that the court must make a quick decision one way or the other, due to the urgency of the matter.

Ahead of the court’s ruling, the family announced it would not pull the petition. Following the State’s response to the court, Shalit’s parents announced they are adamant on holding a hearing on the matter. They also asked the court to extend Sunday’s decision to hold off opening the Gaza Strip crossings until the next deliberation is held and a new decision is reached.

With the High Court’s instruction, a meeting was held Sunday night between Noam Shalit and Maj. Gen. Amos Gilad which lasted two hours. Gilad said he was willing to periodically brief the family. The family claims it did not receive sufficient answers during the meeting.

Tami Arad, wife of MIA Ron Arad joined the Shalit family petition Sunday. In a letter attached to the petition she wrote: “Twenty-two years later, I hear Ron echoing through Gilad’s muted voice. Gilad is begging for his life and your ears seem to be deafened.”