The Forum of Eight senior ministers recently decided that Israel would go to war in retaliation for any future abductions of Israeli soldiers or civilians by terrorists. The group, which includes the prime minister and the defense minister, have unanimously agreed on this policy. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during the closed-door discussion of the forum, "Reality is forcing us to change the rules of the game." The decision was made several weeks after Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was freed in October after five years in Hamas captivity, in exchange for the release of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. The issue of Shalit's abduction and long captivity was a permanent fixture in Israeli discourse until Oct. 18, the day he was released. Defense Minister Ehud Barak was expected to receive a report outlining clear protocols in the event of a kidnapping. The senior political echelon clarified recently that the protocol would be instituted to guide Israelis to abide by what it called a "national moral code," as well as to send a message to the enemy that kidnapping Israelis was not worthwhile. "The era of self-restraint is over," one senior government official said. "Anyone who kidnaps an Israeli will have to pay, possibly with the end of his rule." The Shamgar report, compiled by a commission headed by former Chief Justice Meir Shamgar, aims to set guidelines on negotiations for POWs and captives. Barak appointed the commission in 2008, two years after Shalit was kidnapped, but it was asked to submit its findings only after his release. The commission also comprises former Defense Ministry Director-General Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yaron and renowned professor Asa Kasher, who formulated the IDF's code of ethics. After Shalit's release, the three-member panel interviewed David Meidan, the government-appointed negotiator who helped finalize the Shalit deal, after which it completed its report. The Shalit deal was finalized after Hamas softened its position and agreed to the deportation of most of the 1,000 freed Palestinian prisoners to Gaza and abroad, rather than insisting they return to Judea and Samaria. Netanyahu said that after having completed tasks left to him by the previous administration, and despite, or perhaps because of, Israel's long history of prisoner exchanges, now that the "table is clear" specific guidelines could be set.
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