October 13, 2011

One Thousand for One Confirms the Jewish Value of Life

By JanSuzanne Krasner
"If all goes according to plan, Gilad will be returning to Israel in the coming days." These were the words spoken by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu after meeting with his cabinet advisors through the early hours of Wednesday morning, October 12.  But it was only a few days earlier, in public forums and press statements, that Hamas leaders began threatening that more Israeli soldiers were going to be kidnapped. On Monday, October 3, a senior Hamas official warned that Israel's continued refusal to be flexible in its position regarding the Shalit prisoner deal will only fuel Hamas's "need" for the abduction of more Israeli soldiers to be used as bargaining chips.  Hamas lawmaker Ismail al-Ashqar vowed: "More of Shalit's kind are coming," and"efforts to kidnap soldiers will continue until all Palestinian prisoners are freed." Four days later, Ahmed Bahar, a Gaza-based Hamas leader and deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, also called for Palestinian...(Read Full Article)