Shalit prisoner release a done deal: Hamas promises more kidnappings

From Israel National News:

Hamas Encouraged by Shalit Deal, Promises More Kidnappings

As the second phase of the Shalit deal is implemented, Hamas is already planning the next kidnappings of soldiers.

By Elad Benari 12/19/2011

Now that the second phase of the Shalit deal has been implemented and 550 terrorist prisoners have been released, the Hamas terror group is already planning the next kidnapping.

In a press briefing held on Sunday evening, the spokesman of Hamas’s military wing, Abu Obeida, welcomed the Shalit deal and called it “an achievement of the Palestinian resistance,” according to a Channel 2 News report.

Abu Obeida then added, “Our wish was and still is to empty the prisons of the occupation of all the heroic prisoners. Our success in this historic deal will not cause us to never abandon our sacred duty to the release our warriors from behind bars.”

Channel 2 also quoted a statement issued Sunday by Izz al-Din al-Qassam, Hamas’ military wing, which said, “If we released 20% of our prisoners in exchange for one soldier then such action could be repeated. Hero prisoners, we will continue to work for you, no matter how much we have to pay for it.”...

There's more - here.

No extra commentary needed from me, since my regular readers already know my response to this Hamas obscenity.

Israeli PM Netanyahu: Gilad Shalit is Coming Home

IsraelNationalTV on Oct 11, 2011

From Israel National News:

The Israeli cabinet voted late Tuesday night on the deal to release kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. The vote came following a stormy meeting.

26 ministers supported the deal with only three – Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau, and Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya’alon – voting against the deal.

As part of the deal, Israel will release hundreds of terrorist murderers in the coming days. Hamas has reportedly agreed not to release some arch-terrorists, including Marwan Barghouti; Abdullah Barghouti, serving 67 life sentences; Hassan Salameh, serving 38 life sentences; and Jamal Abu Al-Hijja, serving nine life sentences, all of whom are imprisoned for planning suicide bombings. Also reportedly not included in the deal is the killer of Israeli minister Rechavam Ze'evi, Ahmed Saadat.

Out of 450 prisoners that Israel agreed to release, 96 prisoners will return to their homes in Judea and Samaria and 14 will return to east Jerusalem. As well, 131 prisoners from Gaza will return to their homes, and six adult Israeli Arab prisoners will also return to their homes.

Out of 203 terrorists from Judea and Samaria, 40 terrorists will be taken to countries overseas and the others will be deported to Gaza.

(c) INN

Do I believe this? Not yet. We have been here, done this before. As Jihad Watch reports:

Israel reaches agreement with Hamas to release Gilad Shalit

It isn't over until Shalit is back on Israeli soil. One hopes Israel has stipulated that Hamas hand over Shalit first, and only then will the other prisoners will be exchanged. The Palestinian jihadists, for their part, will certainly try to abduct another Israeli soldier. That was believed to be one of the goals in the Eilat jihadist raid earlier this year. "Shalit deal to include 1,027 security prisoners," from YNet News, October 11:

1,027 Palestinian prisoners will be released in the framework of the prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas that would bring IDF soldier Gilad Shalit home.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday night, Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen said that in the first phase of the swap, Israel will release 450 prisoners. Two months later, Israel will choose an additional 577 prisoners it wants to release.

All Palestinian female prisoners held in Israeli prisons are included in the list of 450 including Amina Mona, a young woman who lured a lovestruck Israeli teenage boy by the name of Ophir Nahum to a Palestinian city over the Internet, only to have him killed by waiting terrorists.

Israel will release 110 prisoners to the West Bank (14 to east Jerusalem) while 131 will return to their homes in the Gaza Strip.

Of the 450 prisoners to be released in the first phase, 280 are serving at least one life sentence.

However, Israel scored a major victory as nearly all top Palestinian terrorists will not be freed in the exchange, including:

Marwan Barghouti who was sentenced to five life sentences for his role in the murders of Israelis during the al-Aksa intifada

Abdullah Barghouti who is serving out 67 consecutive life terms for building the bombs that murdered 66 people

Ahmed Saadat who headed the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and was responsible for the assassination of Israeli minister Rehavam Ze'evi

Hassan Salama, a Hamas leader who was convicted of murdering 67 Israeli citizens

Abbas a-Sayed, mastermind of the Park Hotel suicide bombing in which 30 Israelis were killed on the eve of Passover 2002

Ibrahim Hamed, who was found guilty of involvement in terrorist attacks that led to the death of 82 Israelis

"450 is a large number but 300 are leaving the area to Gaza or overseas," Cohen said.

And they will be given a hero's welcome in Gaza for their acts of murder.

(source)

I will ONLY believe that Gilad is free when I see him in his parents' arms. Not until then.

Pay attention!

Only Israel

From Monkey In the Middle:

Friday, July 16, 2010

Only Israel

A hit on YouTube with over 350,000 views, Yedida Freilich's song "Only Israel" speaks the truth louder than the meager words I can write.

A 22-year-old pianist from the Gush Etzion settlement of Neveh Daniel has become the latest YouTube phenomenon with her pro-Israel hasbara song “Only Israel.”

Yedida Freilich, a composition student at the capital’s Rubin Academy of Music and Dance, wrote the mournful piano ballad along with her father, Gabby, and brother Yuval, following the Gaza flotilla incident last month. In only two weeks, the video has attracted over 350,000 views on YouTube and turned Freilich into a celebrity in nationalist circles.

“The song transpired by chance,” Gabby Freilich told The Jerusalem Post this week from Australia, where he was visiting family. “One of Yedida’s projects in school was to compose a musical piece for a political song. As it happened, the assignment fell on the same week as the flotilla.”

Freilich said he was moved to write down lyrics after seeing the world’s reaction to the IDF raid on the Mavi Marmara, which left nine passengers dead.

The video clip of her moving performance on piano and vocals, with lyrics switching between English and Hebrew, is juxtaposed with images of Kassam rockets, St.-Sgt. Gilad Schalit, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, judge Richard Goldstone and the Mavi Marmara.

The lyrics decry the double standard Freilich says Israel faces when trying to defend itself, and includes couplets such as “Eight thousand rockets is no excuse / suicide bombers, it’s all just a ruse” and a Hebrew chorus of “Darfur is ignored, Russian troops in Chechnya, only Israel has no right to defend itself, because the world cares nothing about Jewish blood.”

“It was obvious to me that this was a hasbara [public diplomacy] song. Our efforts at explaining what happened with the flotilla were so appalling, and this did so well in explaining our positions, I knew it had to go on YouTube,” said Freilich.

He found a professional videographer, Daniel Sass, who volunteered his time, and together they chose the images and produced the clip.

Freilich insisted that the song appear with English, Hebrew and Arabic subtitles.

“I thought that it was important that the Arabs would be able to understand it,” he said.

“I think it’s a powerful song and a great tune. Yedida sings it from the heart. You can tell she’s involved in the lyrics and the performance, because it’s part of her life – her friends and her family are involved.”

Read the full story here.

Only Israel

Pass this on!

"A Cry to the World" for Gilad Shalit [Update]

For four years, Gilad Shalit has been held by Hamas. Despite attempts by the Israeli government to negotitate for his return to his family, Shalit is still being held in an unknown prison. As the dollars from the UN and the US continue to pour into Gaza unimpeded, Hamas ignores all efforts to release Shalit back to Israel. Just last week, his parents began a march to enforce the call to have Gilad returned to them:

Captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit's parents begin march

The parents of Sgt. Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier seized during a cross-border raid by militants from the Gaza Strip, started on a long march from northern Israel on Sunday to mark four years since his capture.

Published: 12:54AM BST 28 Jun 2010

Gilad Shalit's parents on a 12-day march to Jerusalem in an attempt to secure the release of their son Photo: REUTERS

Flanked by hundreds of supporters, they set out on a 12-day march to Jerusalem to press their government to make a deal with Hamas militants to win his freedom.

His parents say they will camp outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence until the government wins the release of their 23-year-old son, who has not been seen in person since he was seized. (More here)

Also see a video on Euronews here.

Today, the Israeli Symphony Orchestra is adding their 'voices' to the effort:

Gilad Shalit Concert - "A Cry to the World"

Date:	Monday, July 5, 2010
Time:	5:30pm - 7:30pm
Location:	Park Eshkol
Street:	near Ofakim and Kibbutz Urim

In view of the stagnation in the 4-year negotiations for the release of Gilad Schalit, who is held in a Hamas Prison in Gaza, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra has joined forces with the Public Headquarters for the Saviour of Gilad in a unique attempt to vocalize the terrible pain of Gilad Shalit's imprisonment and seclusion.

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a concert conducted by Music Director Zubin Mehta in the afternoon of the 5th of July, 2010 as a tribute to Gilad Shalit and a testament to the pain felt by his family, friends, and all of Israel. The concert will feature selections from the classical repertoire as well as contemporary Israeli songs performed by the IPO, the Jerusalem Academy Choir, and soloists Shlomo Artzi and Daniela Skorka.

The open-air concert will take place in Park Eshkol, a public park near the Gaza-Israel border, with the hope that the Orchestra’s sounds will reach Gilad. The event will be secured and supervised by the I.D.F. and the police.

Transportation to the concert is provided and admission is free. Buses to Kibbutz Kfar Aza will be leaving from:
Tel Aviv - Arlozorov Station, 15:00
Jerusalem - Binyanei HaUma, 15:30
Haifa - Hof HaKarmel Train Station, 13:30
Be'er Sheva - Sports center next to the University, 16:00

The goal of the concert is to convey the cry of pain in any way we can: international media; Maestro Mehta and the Orchestra; speeches; and, of course, a large audience who will come from all over the country to express their empathy and support.

Please join us in making this concert a meaningful and moving Cry to the World.

For more information, please contact the IPO Foundation office at:
Telephone: 03 629 6266
Email: ipofund@netvision.net.

(source: Facebook)

We cannot all be physically in Israel to lend our support, but we can listen online:

Monday, July 5th – Stream the IPO Live from the Israel/Gaza Border
Coverage begins at 10:00 AM EDT / 7:00 AM PDT (5:00 PM Israel time)
Concert starts at 10:30 AM EDT / 7:30 AM PDT (5:30 PM Israel time)
Live online broadcast from the border of the Gaza Strip on reshet.ynet.co.il.

Connect with us online to watch and listen as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra performs a concert, "A Cry to the World", on Monday, July 5th, conducted by Maestro Zubin Mehta, to draw the world's attention to the plight of Sgt. Gilad Shalit. Shalit has been held in captivity, in isolation, for four years by Hamas with no visits permitted from the Red Cross or any other organization. This humanitarian effort is a tribute to Gilad Shalit and a testament to the pain felt by his family, friends, and all of Israel.

More information on that here.

May he come home soon.

UPDATE via BBC

Maestro Zubin Mehta conducted the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

A classical concert in support of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has been held in Sderot on the border with Gaza.

Before the performance, Sgt Shalit's family and supporters visited the site of his capture along the border.

He was seized by Palestinian militants on a raid into Israel in June 2006.

The free concert was attended by thousands of people including a number of Israeli politicians and foreign diplomats.

"It is a gesture for this young man and his family in order to tell the world that four years without a single visit is too long," said the conductor, Zubin Mehta, before the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra played.

"We have an obligation to dream and we want Gilad Shalit, in the first instance, to receive Red Cross visits, and then to be freed as soon as possible."... [emphasis mine]

Read more here.

"For you, Gilad"

A Soldier's Mother has a ticker on her site. It is a daily reminder of how long Gilad Shalit has not been home. Today Gilad has been a prisoner for 1,417 days. That is 1,417 days that Gilad's parents have worried about the fate of their son.

Last week, Gilad's dad Noam released a video, and Israeli Soldier's mum had this to say:

Monday, May 3, 2010

Noam Shalit speaks on Gilad

This YouTube video was posted in honor of Israel's 62nd Independence Day...a day in which Gilad was not free, was not independent. This is a day on which we celebrated, knowing it was a day that Gilad's family continued to suffer.

Please take a moment and listen to Noam...who wonders what Gilad is thinking and feeling as he remains in complete isolation...almost four years into his captivity in Gaza.

"For you Gilad" - his father says...their lives have been dedicated to seeking Gilad's freedom. "We are fighting for his rights according to international law. For us... a night is not a night; a holiday is not a holiday...until he returns home....

Please go over and watch the video here.

Yesterday, Russia weighed in on this situation, which has to be one of every parent's nightmare:

Page last updated at 17:22 GMT, Tuesday, 11 May 2010 18:22 UK

Russian President calls for release of Gilad Shalit

Mr Medvedev is the first Russian head of state to visit Syria in decades

The president of Russia has called for Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held by the Islamist movement Hamas, to be freed "as soon as possible".

President Dmitry Medvedev made the call while meeting Hamas leaders in Damascus, Syria, his spokeswoman said.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal reportedly said they would only consider releasing the soldier when Israel resumed talks to free Palestinian prisoners.

Sgt Shalit, 23, was captured in a raid into Israel by militants in 2006.

Talks to free the soldier in return for a number of Palestinian prisoners broke down last year.

"The Russian president urged solving the problem of releasing Israeli citizen Gilad Shalit as soon as possible," spokeswoman Natalya Timakova said.

Russia is the only country that has direct dialogue with Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip.

Hamas want hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel, including senior militant leaders that Israel holds responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israeli citizens, to be freed in exchange for Sgt Shalit's release....

There is more here.

I am on the record as saying that not one dime in aid should go to Gaza - Hamas - unless and until Hamas releases Gilad. It really IS that simple - for Gilad.

A Father's Cry To The World

From Monkey in the Middle:

On July 6, 2009 Noam Shalit addressed the members of the United Nation fact-finding commission on Gaza headed by Judge Richard Goldstone. This commission was formed to lay all blame on Israel, not even considering that Hamas should bear blame too.

Noam Shalit is the father of Israeli POW Sgt. Gilad Shalit who has been illegally held in Gaz for 3 years. His words are painful and telling:

From UN Watch
My name is Noam Schalit and I am the father of the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit.

Honorable members of the Mission - I thank you for giving me the opportunity to address you today. I thank you, also, for allowing me to make my testimony public. I know that this Mission is determined to give the victims of the recent conflict in Gaza an opportunity to make their voice heard. So - with your kind permission - I would like to use this distinguished forum - the United Nations - first to address you and then to address the people of Gaza and, in particular, the people holding my son Gilad.

Honorable Members of the Mission, a few weeks ago you were in Gaza. You met the Hamas hierarchy. According to the Ma’an news agency - Mr. Ismail Haniyya welcomed your mission deploring what he viewed as Israel’s grave violations of international law. The same news agency reported that the Mission thanked Mr. Haniyya for his cooperation in facilitating its work. Sirs and Madam, if this cooperation is indeed genuine then the same HAMAS hierarchy should honor your eventual findings - whatever they may be.

And I have no doubt that after you read my written submissions, you will determine that my son’s violent abduction and his continuing detention subject to extortion is, equally, a violation of international law. After you hear the cassette recording of my son’s voice - released on the first anniversary of his capture - you will be shocked by the callous cynicism of his captors and the grief that his words have caused me and my family. These are words that he was forced to read. You will also find, without a doubt, that the refusal to allow him access to the Red Cross, if not a war crime is, at least, a gross act of inhumanity and an aggravating circumstance...

Go and read ALL of this father's plea at Monkey in the Middle here.

And... Israeli Soldier's Mother has a piece up:

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Stupid Decisions and Gilad Pays

I'm not a diplomat and while I can sometimes be diplomatic, other times, I clearly lack the needed finesse to deal with manipulations and negotiations. It's a good thing I'm not part of the Israeli government; I have no patience for hypocrisy.

Go read here.

Let us always remember Gilad and his family.

3 years is too long!

*Cross-posted from Monkey in the Middle*

3 Years Is Too Long!

June 25, 2009 will be the 3rd anniversary of the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit. 3 years of being a POW. Yet in his case the International Red Cross is not allowed to visit, the world's media (excluding the media in Israel) is silent, and the leaders of the world are more concerned with recognizing Hamas (the kidnappers) and not one lone Israeli soldier.

It was Yelena Bonner, the widow of Andrei Sakharov who brought up Gilad's plight to the public forum in a speech given at the Oslo Freedom Forum:

Why doesn’t the fate of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit trouble you in the same way as the fate of the Guantanamo prisoners?

You fought for and won the opportunity for the International Committee of the Red Cross, journalists, and lawyers to visit Guantanamo. You know prison conditions, the prisoners’ everyday routine, their food. You have met with prisoners subjected to torture. The result of your efforts has been a ban on torture and a law to close this prison. President Obama signed it in the first days of his coming to the White House…

But during the two years Shalit has been held by terrorists, the world human rights community has done nothing for his release. Why? He is a wounded soldier, and fully falls under the protection of the Geneva Conventions. The Conventions say clearly that hostage-taking is prohibited, that representatives of the Red Cross must be allowed to see prisoners of war, especially wounded prisoners, and there is much else written in the Geneva Conventions about Shalit’s rights.

The fact that representatives of the Quartet conduct negotiations with the people who are holding Shalit in an unknown location, in unknown conditions, vividly demonstrates their scorn of international rights documents and their total legal nihilism. Do human rights activists also fail to recall the fundamental international rights documents?

And yet I still think (and some will find this naive) that the first tiny, but real step toward peace must become the release of Shalit. Release - and not his exchange for 1,000 or 1,500 prisoners who are in Israeli prisons serving court sentences for real crimes.

Returning to my question of why human rights activists are silent, I can find no answer except that Shalit is an Israeli soldier, Shalit is a Jew. So again, it is conscious or unconscious anti-Semitism. Again, it is fascism.

Gilad Shalit is a Jew. That is why the world accepts Hamas' continued captivity of Sgt. Shalit. Dr. Bonner saw the truth, when will the rest of the world see it.

Dhimmi Carter has suggested to President Obama that Hamas be taken off the terror group list. Perhaps President Obama do so when and if Hamas releases Sgt. Shalit first. It would be a gesture on Hamas' part that they are willing to become civilized and follow international law. Until that they must be kept on the terror group list.

Not once during President Obama speech to Muslims that he gave in Egypt did he mention Gilad Shalit. Not once. Isn't it about time that he did.

And isn't it about time you did too. You can. For the next 24 hours go onto Twitter, Facebook and other networking sites and shout out about this injustice. A Soldier's Mother has done just that with:

We MUST get #Gilad to the top on Thursday! Spread it using RT Facebook, LinkedIn – email. Please Thursday remember #Gilad!"

Let us all make Thursday Gilad Shalit Day.

It is time to bring Sgt. Shalit home. Let it be soon!

There are also links to other related stories at Monkey in the Middle here.

America 'Moves Towards Abandonment of Israel'

All the signs are there. The US has signalled a very different relationship with Israel than has been to date. From Monkey in the Middle comes this:

Thursday, March 19, 2009

America 'Moves Towards Abandonment of Israel'

It is very unusual for a former intelligence official to come forward and speak about current American policy. So when one did for Northeast Intelligence Network (NIN) I took notice.

An unnamed former highly-placed U.S.intelligence official has broken silence and says that America may soon be abandoning Israel in favor of the Arabs. “This is just the beginning”, he said, "Israel could be about to lose the support of the United States."

The source made these remarks in an exclusive interview with Douglas J. Hagmann, the director of the Northeast Intelligence Network (NIN), which is comprised of veteran licensed professional investigators, analysts, military affairs specialists and researchers. The group has combined their resources to provide accurate and well-sourced information via their website.

When questioned about the possible abandonment of Israel by America, Hagmann told Yonah, "The Obama administration is no friend to Israel, is no friend to the Jews in America and is no friend to democracy or freedom in America. …Just by his very appointments, we can see him filling positions of power with people who are anti-Semitic, who want to see Israel essentially dissolved as a nation, if not by diplomacy, then certainly by war."...

Go read the rest of this here.

And Monkey in the Middle has another piece up about the petition to Hillary Clinton about Gilad Shalit.:

Friday, March 20, 2009

Gilad Shalit Supporters Wait for Hillary Clinton’s Reply

On March 13, 2009 I asked the following question:

Why are we giving money to terrorists, Secretary Clinton?

A simple question and yet there has been no reply to it.

Now the Sderot Media Center awaits the answers to its questions to Secretary Clinton.

View the video here.

By Anav Silverman

In their final effort to pressure the Olmert government to secure the release of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, the Shalit family have stationed themselves in a protest tent across the Prime Minister’s Residence for more than a week now. Rain or shine, the family gathers together each day as reporters, cameramen and thousands of supporters mill around, amid the sad faces of Gilad‘s parents, Noam and Aviva, and older brother, Yoel.

“We are cautiously waiting to see what will happen,” said Noam Shalit on a rainy Sunday standing outside the tent and speaking with Sderot Media Center and press. The family believes that these last few days are critical during the final attempts to negotiate a release deal with Hamas but continue to remain wary. “I am not at all optimistic. If I were optimistic, I wouldn't be here. I would be at home,” Noam Shalit said.

A sign at the protest tent lists the number of days that Gilad has been held captive by Hamas--this Saturday it will be 1,000 days. Palestinian terrorists captured Gilad at the Erez border crossing almost three years ago, when Hamas won control of the Gaza Strip. He has since been denied Red Cross visitations or communication with his family and the outside world...

Read the rest of this one here.