The parents of an Israeli anti-terrorist commando killed fighting Hamas write an open letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert urging him not to release jailed terrorists in exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit:
We appreciate the pressure on you to free Gilad Shalit. It must be enormous. But know that there is another side to this issue, as well.
That is the deep feelings of thousands of Israeli family members who paid the ultimate price to the state, who gave up their loved ones in the course of our struggle. To free these Palestinian murderers with so much of our blood on their hands would do more than just insult and demoralize the bereaved families; it would destroy us, and cause us to lose all faith in our country and its leaders.
Everyone — including the Shalit family — agrees that there are prices too high to pay to secure Gilad’s release. Would we give Hamas a nuclear weapon if they asked for one? Would we free Yigal Amir? Would we turn over one of your children — or that of any MK — to be held captive or murdered as the cost of Gilad’s freedom? Setting hundreds of bloodthirsty killers loose on the Israeli public — where they, without a shadow of a doubt, will kill time and time again — is also a price far too high to pay.
I am certain that the Israeli public will support you if you hold firm on what has always been a non-negotiable principle of Israel throughout the years – those who murder Israelis will be held accountable.
