Halpern: Shalit's freedom — at what price?

I'm thinking

By Micah D. Halpern

How far would you go to save your child?

What rules would you break? What deals would you make with the devil?

What happens when the “parent” is a country? What about when the “child” is Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas in June of 2006 while on-duty on the Israeli side of the Gaza border, the soldier who has become the international face of captivity, whose September 14th video, courtesy of his captors, can now be seen on YouTube?

Once again, Israel must make a tremendously emotional, politically charged, and historically laden decision.

The last time Israel was placed in this position was in 2006 when a bundle of terrorists was exchanged for the bodies of three dead, captured Israeli soldiers and one live criminal. The terrorists most notably included Samir Kuntar, captured after brutally murdering nearly an entire family, including a little girl he beat so badly with the butt of his rifle that blood flowed from her ears. 23 new victims of terror have since been linked to the terrorists released in that deal.

The prisoners Hamas is asking for now are terrorists — captured by Israeli soldiers, tried in Israeli courts and convicted by Israeli judges.

For years, the mantra of Israeli governments — left, right and center — has been: we will not negotiate with terrorists, we will not release terrorists with blood on their hands. During those same years Israeli parents have sent their sons and daughters to serve in the Israel Defense Forces secure in the knowledge that their military would never leave a soldier behind, would do everything possible to seek the return of their child, that in the worst case there would always be a grave at which to mourn.

The exceptions to that rule have been few, mostly in cases where the whereabouts of the soldier was not known. The most notable exception is Ron Arad, left behind and captured by the enemy during the tenure of Yitzhak Rabin, as military chief of staff. Ron Arad has become an Israeli icon.

The price that Israel is being asked to pay in order to bring back Gilad Shalit, one son to his parents, in order to return one soldier to his nation, is astronomically high.

Releasing the prisoners on the current Hamas list means releasing murderers directly responsible for the deaths of the sons and daughters, the mothers and fathers, the grandmothers and grandfathers, the teachers and doctors and friends and playmates of other Israelis. It means releasing people responsible for crippling, maiming, paralyzing, scarring, destroying the lives and taking away the livelihoods of other Israelis. It means disregarding acts of heroism performed by member of Israel’s armed forces and the loss of life sustained by the military in tracking and capturing those terrorists. It means reneging on a promise made to all Israelis.

Families of terror victims have begun to express their dissatisfaction with a potential Shalit deal.

A deal means invalidating the judicial process that put those terrorists in prison. This is not parole, it is not early release for good behavior — this is granting them freedom.

Micah D. Halpern is a columnist and a social and political commentator. Read his latest book THUGS. He maintains The Micah Report at www.micahhalpern.com