My distressed and hurting brothers, I watched you on Monday in court, standing helpless against the release of 1,027 terrorists, a situation forced upon you by government decree. As someone whose heart is with you, and whose opinion is identical to yours, I implore you to see this issue in its proper context. Noam Shalit is not the bad guy in this tragic affair. He simply wants to prevent his family from becoming another family who lost a loved one in the war on terror, something that you can understand better than the rest of us. He and Aviva - and, of course, Gilad - are the victims of this situation, and are not the ones who created it. For five years, the Shalits felt that the government should be more forceful in bringing about the release of their son. Recently, MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) spoke to Shalit activists in favor of a military operation and against a prisoner exchange deal. The activists reacted angrily and a public storm arose over her words. Noam came to her rescue, saying that although he sides with her view, she offered it a little too late. Basing its opinion on the agreement of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), Israel Defense Forces and the Mossad, the government decided to return Gilad Shalit in a deal that has the backing of 79% of the Israeli public. We should not view this majority lightly, even if we feel that most do not understand the ramifications of their decision. In a democracy, there is only one way to prevent such decisions in the future - to establish a solid majority against them. Those against such deals in the future should work to legislate a law which would prohibit them, and adopt the conclusions of the Shamgar Committee, which significantly curtails the government's activities. The conclusions of the Committee, set up by Defense Minister Ehud Barak to determine government policy toward future issues, should be granted the status of law. I am for this. And we can also propose the now-popular death penalty for terrorists, and put to death the Fogel family murderers retroactively (which I oppose). The solution does not lie with "price tags" carried out by an orphan, whose pain is inestimable, and who cannot simply carry on in life as if nothing happened when those who murdered five members of his family in a single stroke are set free. We need laws with effective punishments, laws that serve justice. There's no reason to postpone action on this matter. If not today, then tomorrow morning. In my opinion, Noam Shalit went to the High Court deliberations on Monday not because he thought he could convince you. Not because he is opposed to your petitions. Perhaps you will even find him supporting some of your public causes. He went to the High Court to extend his hand in friendship, because you are important to him, close to his heart. You have remained dear to him despite the catcalls against him in the courtroom. We can vent our anger on Hamas. We can disagree with the government. But right now, even those wrapped in sorrow should separate their principled positions from their feelings for the Shalits, a family that has known true misery. They too can connect with the Shalit family through respect and understanding. In the final analysis, the two things can be separated, for a single day of deep identification with Gilad. After this day, all struggles are legitimate.
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