The State of Israel and world Jewry share in the joy of the release of Gilad Shalit. By releasing Shalit, Israel fulfilled its commitment to never abandoning its soldiers and expressed the value of the life of one Jew. Unfortunately, Israel had to pay a very steep price for his release. Please comment on the following:
1) If you were Prime Minister Netanyahu, what would you have done? Why?
2) If Gilad was your brother, what would you have asked the Prime Minister of Israel to do?
3) What lessons do you take home from the Gilad Shalit episode?
if i were prime minister netanyahu i would not have made this deal, because by doing this you are releasing 1,027 people who have murdered so many people. and probably 80% percent of those people will go out and do it again.
ReplyDelete1. If I were Prime Minister Netanyahu, I also would have fought for the release of Gilad Shalit. On one hand, it would be wiser to keep the already arrested terrorists in jail. On the other hand, if Gilad was left in captivity, the terrorists might have killed him. Leaving him to die would also show the terrorists that we do not value the lives of our soldiers enough to work towards their release.
ReplyDelete2. If Gilad Shalit was my brother, I would probably ask Prime Minister Netanyahu to do everything in his power to bring him home. Obviously, I would be filled with emotion because I want my brother back but I don't want to see murderers go free. I do believe that the love for my sibling would prevail.
3. I learn several lessons from the Gilad Shalit episode. First of all, Israeli soldiers should do everything in their power to avoid being captured. If they are captured, the terrorists will use them as "bait" to release the remaining Palestinian prisoners. Secondly, the Palestinians will use the "Jewish spirit" and compassion as a weapon against us. Because we were so vocal about wanting the release of Gilad Shalit, the Arabs were able to raise the price to 1,027 terrorists for 1 innocent soldier.
1. If I was Prime Minister Netanyahu, I honestly have no idea what I would have done. I believe he was put in an extremely difficult situation. I think he did the best he could and he waited as long as he could before agreeing to the trade. I think there is no right answer for this situation and no on can come up with a perfect solution. I trust Netanyahu, he is a very good prime minister and I think he usually make very successful decisions for Israel. I do also believe that G-d is in control, and whatever He wants will ultimately happen whether or not we said yes to the trade. This is what G-d wanted and that is why it happened. He will only do what is best for us. All we can do is pray and hope that we all stay safe and the attacks are over.
ReplyDelete2. If Gilad was my brother, I would have asked the Prime minister to do everything in his power to get him back. I probably would have asked or pressured him to send troops in and fight to get my brother back at whatever cost necessary. I think that as his sister I would want him home safe immediately and there would be a lot of emotions playing into it all, but I would not want others getting killed. Again it is a tough situation with no right answer.
3) I take a few lessons home with me from the whole Gilad episode. First of all I take home that the Israeli government will do everything it can, and work to any end to return one of their soldiers to their home after they have been captured. This whole situation has reinforced the idea that the Arabs do not care about humanity and that they will go to any length to attack the Jews. In addition to those lessons, Gilad Shalit has made me even more put all my trust into Hashem. We might not see the good, and I think that most of us (Jews) still do not see the good in this whole situation but somewhere, somehow G-d did this for our own good. This situation, I think might make some people a little skeptical about going into the Israeli army but also might make people feel more comfortable and proud to be serving in their country's military. I think that maybe sometimes we need to be patient until the right time comes. This situation has taught me that each single person in the Jewish nation means so much to everyone. That once you are born, you are a part of something amazing. Just one person was worth all the fighting, effort, and dedication to return him home. To some people the deal was stupid and a bad trade, but to me it shows how important just one person is in the Jewish community.
1) If I were Prime Minister, I would have tried to show less "desperation" when bargaining. The Palestinians saw that we would do anything for the release of Gilad, so they took advantage of it. Of course, it was very important to get Gilad released, but it is also important to keep the Israeli citizens safe, and releasing over a thousand terrorists isn't the way to do that.
ReplyDelete2) If Gilad were my brother than I wouldn't be thinking about keeping the other Israelis safe. All I would be thinking about is what we can do to get Gilad home. Obviously, as a sibling there would be many emotions and feeling blocking my ability to see what is practical or the true reality of the situation. I would want Gilad home no matter what it took. I would be willing to release as many prisoners as they want to get Gilad back safely while he is alive.
3) There are many lessons to be learned from the trade. First, we see that Israel will do anything to ensure the safety of their people/soldiers. No other country in the world would realease over 1000 prisoners that are capable and have the desire to kill Israelis and Jews for one soldier. Also, the fact that most of the population was in favor of this deal proves how much ther Israelis care about their fellow people. They care more about getting one of their soldeirs back home alivr than they do for their own safety. This trade also proves that the Palestinian community lacks morals, ethics, and will do anything to get rid of the Jews. They found our weakness and took advantage of it. They do not see the value in any individual. They are willing to let their sons die in a suicide bombing as long as other Jews are also killed. Although this trade isn't helpful and could possibly even be detrimental to the Jews, it really makes me proud to be part of this nation. It reminds me that every Jew is worth 1,027 prisoners. According to these numbers an arab is worth .000974 % of a Jew. The Jews are a nation like no other, and this is only proved again and again like we see here.
1) If I were Prime Minister Netanyahu I would not release Gilad for that many terrorists that we held captive. They are capable of capturing and killing more and more people. I know Israel is happy about the release but I think that we should save hundreds of people rather than one
ReplyDelete2) If Gilad was my brother I would definatly tell the Prime Minister to negotiate how ever he can to let Gilad be free.
3) Israel will give anything to get one of their soldiers back from Gaza or any other terrorist organizations. Israel cares about their people because they released 1027 terrorists to get one soldier back and most of Israel was in favor of it.
1. If I was the Prime Minister of Israel, I would be going back and forth. I would trade the terroists for Gilad Shalit because the Israel government compells all Israeli citizens at the age of 18 to take part in the army. If the government makes kids go into the army, then if one is caught they are responsible. The people going into the army arent going in because they want to but because they are forced to. The government should save them because they are responsible for their lives. But on the other case you are letting out a bunch of terroists. These terroists could capture and kill more Israeli citizens. So I would probably not have traded Gilad for the around 1,000 terroists. I would have tried to find another way to save Gilad, but I would take those risks for the other citizens of Israel.
ReplyDelete2. If I was Gilad's sibling, I would probably have asked the government to do whatever they could to save him. I would want anything to happen as long as he was safe. I probably wouldn't be thinking about anyone else's lives at this time.
3. I learned that the Israeli government wants to protect everyone in the Jewish state. I think this is great, but I don't think they reallly thought how many other Jewish people they might be risking for letting the terroists free. But I believe that in their hearts they were trying to do what they thought was right.
1.If I were Prime Minister Netanyahu, i would have not done anything because now if I would ever want more soldiers back the price would basically be every one held captive
ReplyDelete2. if i was Gilad Shalits brother i would want him to be free but i wouldnt put my country in risk for one person even if he was my brother..
3. What you get from this situation is if you work hard enough impossible things can happen . But if i was an arab i would get that israel will do anything just for one soldier so the government is weak. :(
1. If I was Prime Minister of Israel during the time of Gilad Shalit's release, probably it might have stressed me out a little bit, but when i realize how serious and think about it a lot I would realize that he belongs to people, he is a person and we have to care about him the best we can I probably would listen to what everyone else has to say and listen to ideas, come up with some of my own, and tried to get the kidnappers to lower the price a little, but I wouldn't try to go too far down, because if I did they would most likely say no and kill him. i would do this because these people are dangerous and they kill because they think it is good and they do it for fun and they really don't care who they are killing, so I would try to release the least I could.
ReplyDelete2. I don't know exactly what i would do, because I am not in the situation and I wouldn't like to be in the situation, but if I was I would probably ask the Prime Minister to do whatever he could to get my brother back, and for him to be alive.
3. It kind of scares me now, because no one has a full knowing as to what these people released will do, they will most likely go out and just kill as many Jews as they can and that is so scary to know. Also now that the other people know how much Israel will do to get their soldiers back it may become bad on our part. In my other classes we have talked about Gilad Shalit too and in one of them I learned that what we did: everyone posting on Facebook about how much they want him back and making groups for him and changing pictures for him, it is public and anyone can see it so it showed the kidnappers that we will do anything to get a soldier back. I think next time if this happens again we should keep it a little more private and maybe the price won't be so high.
1) If you were Prime Minister Netanyahu, what would you have done? Why?
ReplyDeleteIf I were the Prime Minister, I probably would have made not such a big deal about the trade. I feel like by making such a huge deal, the Palestinians wanted a ridiculous amount of prisoners. I think I would have not made this deal because Gilad Shalit is one person and these prisoners who are released will probably go on and kill more people.
2) If Gilad was your brother, what would you have asked the Prime Minister of Israel to do? If I was Gilads sister, I would have for sure taken a different approach than I said as the Prime Minister. If I was his sister, I would daven, publicize, raise money, and get followers to help free Gilad. I would constantly be on the government to help free my brother. Its more of a emotional connection, opposed to being the Prime Minister. When you are in charge of a country, you are responsible for everyone inside of it. You don’t have time to make personal connections to every single person. But, when you are part of the family, you are able to push the government into maybe getting what you want.
3) What lessons do you take home from the Gilad Shalit episode?
This really shows how amazing the Jewish state of Israel is. They made a promise to never abandon a Jewish soldier in captivity, and they stuck to it. Many soldiers know today that the state is with them and they feel safer. Even though I think they shouldn’t have released so many prisoners, Gilad Shalit is home with his family after many years.
1. As unfortunate as the situation was, I personally do not agree with Netanyahu’s decision to release 1,027 Palestinian prisoners for the release of Gilad Shalit. This agreement was extremely catastrophic to the State of Israel because many of these release prisoners will now go out and kill more people, thereby trading the life of one man, Gilad Shalit, for the lives of all the future victims of these prisoners. Additionally, the unprecedented lopsidedness of the deal has lead many people to call for the kidnappings of more Israeli soldiers so that the same type of “agreement” can be reached. Saudi Arabian Prince Khaled bin Talal has offered a one million dollar reward for the capture of an Israeli soldier to lead to more deals for release of prisoners. When Israel had a no-negotiation policy with terrorists, this would never have happened. All Israel has done by this deal is encourage the kidnappings of other soldiers like Shalit.
ReplyDelete2. If Gilad was my brother, obviously my opinion on the matter would be more bias. I would have petitioned Netanyahu and rallied to call for the release of my brother. The terms of the deal would not have mattered to me as I would have wanted my brother home at all costs.
3. The lesson I take home from this is the value of one man’s life. No other government in the world would have voted to agree to this deal, but the Israeli government is different. When soldiers are sent out to battle, they are promised that no matter what, they will return home. The value of a life is tremendous.The Israeli government is so unique and shows the tremendous caring and acknowledgment towards each and every Jew there.
1. If i was Prime minister of Israel i would have to give a lot of thought to my decision. I probably would have freed the prisoners after thinking about it because i know how drastic the situation was. I probably would have bargained more to let less prisoners free.
ReplyDelete2. If Gilad Shalit was my brother I would have asked the Prime minister to do anything in his power to let my brother go. I would also ask him to make sure that he is safe.
3. I take out many lessons from the Gilad Shalit story. One of them is how much Israel values a life. And how important a person-soldier is to them.
They will also set over a thousand prisoners free to save the life of one soldier.
1) I would not have agreed to releasing all of the terrorists right away. I would need to consult with them, and try to come up with a reason of why releasing all of the terrorists is a good idea. Unlike what we actually did, by releasing the terrorists right when we got the chance of freeing Gilad.
ReplyDelete2) If Gilad was my brother, I would have asked the priminister to do anything/everything he can to get him home safely. I know it sounds kind of self-centered, but he is an innocent person AND a fellow jew and doesn't deserve to be in captivity for 5 years. Even though it is kind of a risk by releasing all the terorrists, Gilad will be safe and Hashem will be on our side.
3) I learned that we didn't have to be so needy of getting Gilad home. The israeli's made it so much of a big deal, that they posted all over the internets, magazinzes, and made commitees for freeking him, saying that we will do ANYTHING to get him back. The just shows the Palestinians that the israel's would agree to anything they say. So, if the Israeli's would do anything, then why not ask for all of our captured terrorists back? Of course they will agree to that. Which we did. The israeli's should have been more aware of the consequences that were coming ahead of them by taking that chance they have to getting Gilad back so fast.
1) If I were to be in the position to make this decision, then this world would be slowly coming to an end. As such, if I did have to make this decision I would have left him to die. This is because I do not think that one person is cause enough to put an entire country at risk. Think about it this way. Of those 1027 convicted murderers that were released, many of them have ADMITTED that they will immediately return to terrorism and the mission of eradicating the Jews. They will probably go out and kill hundreds more Jews. Imagine how guilty you would feel under the knowledge that it is your fault hundreds more Jews had to die. Also, there is the issue of his being mentally unstable. We are sacrificing hundreds of potentially "normal" people for the sake of someone who may or may not ever be able to return to a normal life. There is also the issue of the terrorists now kidnapping more Israeli soldiers and holding them captive for even more terrorists. There is also the idea that war is a time when people die. Though you may not WANT to die, when going into a war, you have to know (and accept, or the tension might kill you) that you may die. What better way to go then supporting All in all, there are too many risks and not enough good points to make it worth bringing him home.
ReplyDelete2)Once again, because I am not in this position, I cannot make a fair judgement, doubled by the fact that I do not have any siblings. But, I think that I would have realized that my brother was POW, and that these things happen. Yes, I would be sad, and yes I would get everyone I could to pray for him, but I wouldn't make it into an international issue.
3)I think the message we can take home from this whole ordeal is that the Israeli government need to make it clear to people that this kind of issue will not be allowed again, and prevent them from happening by what the US does: refusing to speak with the family, so they can't make an issue. This makes sense. The country has many other things to focus on. They don't have the time and resources to waste on one family who lost a son. We can also learn exactly how close we are to the brink of war. Negotiations like these are a disaster waiting to happen. One wrong move, and it's war time.
Oh, the Gilad Shalit debacle; how much we have been hearing about him these days! Well, we’ve really been discussing him for a while now, but why?
ReplyDelete1. Poor Prime Minister Netanyahu- stuck between a rock and a hard place for a long time. This is one reason why I would not get into politics: there come moments when there’s so much pressure on you to do something and people aren’t thinking rationally, and you somehow have to satisfy them because they’re the majority of your population. What would I have done…? Could he just ignore all the publicity and pressure that the Israelis and Jews all over the world were putting on him to free Gilad? Does his opinion even matter? Would he have been branded heartless if he didn’t free them? (Now, since he did, he is most likely being branded “foolish” by some people.) I cannot truthfully say what I would have done if I were in his position; maybe the pressure would have gotten to me. But right now, as I am typing this, I can tell you what I hope I would have done. I would not have made the deal.
Israel gave back 1027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Gilad Shalit. Hamas selected 479 of those prisoners, and of those 479, 315 were serving life sentences. 579 Israelis were killed by those being released and even more were injured. These prisoners, or “terrorists” (which I am questioning taking out, because the word terrorist can be interpreted in different ways, and people will argue that they’re not really “terrorists. Okay, whatever. Terrorists, prisoners…), were released in exchange for one- just one- Israeli soldier. A soldier who, over the course of five years, people all over the world have grown to know, love, and pray for- but why? Is that wrong? Not necessarily. But is it fair that there has been so much publicity over him? These pleas to the government have been almost purely emotional and irrational.
Additionally, this trade is going to provoke Hamas to capture more Israeli soldiers. According to an AP report, thousands in Gaza chanted, “The people want a new Gilad Shalit.” And what will happen once another soldier is captured? Even with new bills issued, will that stop the soldier’s family from trying to exploit the gullibility of Israel’s civil society to rescue their loved ones- even when this could be dangerous for other families?
2. I have two brothers. I cannot even begin to imagine what I would feel if they were captured by Hamas and living in a hole. It would be horrible. I would probably think that the government should do whatever it could to rescue him. I would do whatever I could to help him. The thought of him suffering would deeply grieve me. But, really, what could I do? I suppose I would have two options: I could give up and think of him as dead or I could pray and do whatever I could to ensure his safe return. How could I be thinking about other people’s family when my own brother was out there slowly being tortured into nothing? I feel like I would just sink closer to my family and friends, though. I mean, other people didn’t really know my brother. It’s nice that they are worried about him, but they don’t actually know him. I would think that it was weird if I knew that people around the world were discussing my brother. I don’t know how much pressure I would put on the government… probably as much as I could, within reason. I know, though, that if they got released for 1027 terrorists they would not be happy, it would just make them depressed. So, even though it would make me sad, I would have to also keep them in mind and not just be selfish.
3. “The Gilad Shalit episode”- nicely put. This has been quite an episode. I believe that the most positive answer that we can get from this is that there is no question about whether Israel values human life. Israel undoubtedly cares about its people.
ReplyDeleteAside from that, I believe that Israel needs to figure a few things out. How is it running, exactly? Why does Israel agree to negotiate with terrorists?
This whole issue is so complicated! On the other hand, some people will say that it’s not complicated: don’t give away 1027 “prisoners” in exchange for 1 captured soldier. There’s not even a question. I think in the end, it all comes down to people’s gut instincts and feelings
1) If you were Prime Minister Netanyahu, what would you have done? Why?
ReplyDeleteI would not have made the deal because it puts the lives of many Jewish people in jeopardy. I would not have agreed to releasing 1000 Palestinian terrorists for one Jewish person. By doing this, we may loose many more Jews in the future. I would have waited to make a trade because if they have not killed him yet, why just assume if you disagree to the offer, they will kill him right away.
2) If Gilad was your brother, what would you have asked the Prime Minister of Israel to do?
I would ask the Prime minister to accept the deal because he is my brother. However, if I was a part of the government i would not accept the deal because it threatens the life of many innocent civilians.
3) What lessons do you take home from the Gilad Shalit episode?
In the future the Jews should not make such a big edal out of the situation. Since they made a huge deal over him, the Palestinians knew that they would be able to ask for more.
1. If I was Prime Minister Netanyahu, I would have been very torn. I think that he was put in a very hard position and he made the best decision he could. I think that both sides could have negative affects and neither one could create an ideal, perfect situation. I too probably would have decided to trade the terrorists for Gilad because he has an obligation to rescue the soldier.
ReplyDelete2. If Gilad was my brother, I would ask Prime Minister Netanyahu to do anything in his power to get him back.
3. The lesson I take away from this situation is that one Jewish life is so valuable. Hashem clearly chose for Gilad to come home, and perhaps He wanted to display how very important a Jewish life is.
1. If I were Prime Minister Netanyahu, I would have made the deal to get Gilad Shalit back. We have all been praying everyday to get Gilad Shalit back and Hashem answered our prayers and made it possible for us to get him back. Someone working in politics, has to decide between whats better for their country and what is the right thing to do. In this case, Prime Minister Netanyahu did what he knew he should do, which was doing anything he possibly could to get Gilad Shalit back. It was probably a hard decision for him to make but it also says a lot about a country that will give back all of those prisoners for one man.
ReplyDelete2. If Gilad was my brother, there is no doubt in my mind that I would beg him to do anything he possibly do to get my brother back. In my heart, I would probably know that it is an awful deal to give back all those prisoners but I wouldn't let anything stop me from getting my brother back.
3. That Israel truly cares about every single one of its citizens. Even though it would be better for everyone except for Gilad and his family to not accept the deal, we can really learn how we need to do what is right for the time and not worry about what the next day or even century is going to bring.
1) If I were the prime minister of Israel dealing with the Gilad Shalit dilemma, I would not have made the decision to release 1,027 terrorists for one soldier. I personally do no think the deal should have been made. If I was prime minister, I would have seen if I could get a better deal, and if not, I would not have made a deal at all. I understand the importance and value placed on life within Judaism, but I do not think that is a valid argument for the deal to have been made. The deal may have saved one life now, but we have to consider the hundreds of lives that will be lost later on because we released these vicious killers. Sure the release of Gilad may have instilled a temporary sense of hope in the Jewish nation, but that hope and sense of joy will be shattered once the terrorists retaliate and several more Jewish lives are lost. In order to save future lives, if I were in the position to decide the fate of Gilad Shalit, I would not have made the deal unless I could have released a substantially fewer amount of prisoners.
ReplyDelete2) If I were the brother or any relative or close friend of Gilad Shalit, I’m sure my emotions would take over and I would take a completely different position regarding the release of Gilad. My first thoughts would not be about the effects of releasing terrorists; my desire to have Gilad home would be overwhelming and I would do anything to have him back, even at the expense of others. I probably would not be able to rationalize and make a decision based on the welfare of the country because me strong emotions would cloud my mind. The emotional trauma I would have endured since Gilad’s capture would take over. I am sure that if I were personally close to or related to Gilad, I would not think of the consequences of releasing terrorists and I would beg Netanyahu to go to any measures to recover Gilad and send him home.
3) The Gilad Shalit episode is a perfect example of how strongly Jews value life itself. The fact that we were willing to release such a massive amount of terrorists is a testament to just how much Jewish life is worth. But I also learned just how far Israel is willing to go to save that one Jewish life, and in my opinion, it is too far. The one Jewish life of a soldier is extremely important, but it is not equivalent to or any more important than the hundreds of lives that will be lost later by the released terrorists.
1. If I were Prime Minister Netanyahu, I would have had a very difficult and important decision to make in this stuation. On one hand, Gilad Shalit was being tortured, and it was known for a fact that he was alive. Israel promises that they will get their soldires back home, and it is certainly important to fulfill this promise. HOwever, this will let terrorists think that they can now bargain for live soldiers and get all thier terrorists back. It also shows how much Israel cares about its people. But Israel has let go terrorists that will kill many people, and is one life worth so many? This and multiple other reasons have me decided that I would not have made thie same decision.
ReplyDelete2.If Iwas related to gilad, Iwould have done whatever it takes to release him, no matter what the cost.
3. This shows us just how much Israel values life, and how ethical Israel is
1) If you were Prime Minister Netanyahu, what would you have done? Why?
ReplyDelete2) If Gilad was your brother, what would you have asked the Prime Minister of Israel to do?
3) What lessons do you take home from the Gilad Shalit episode?
1. I don’t really know what I would have done if I was Prime Minister Netanyahu, because there were probably many things that factored in that I have no idea about. I obviously wanted Gilad Shalit to be freed, but I also knew that it would come with a price and a risk. If I was Prime Minister, knowing only what I know, I probably would have gone through with it, but for a lower number of Palestinian prisoners if I could. I know there is a risk that those people might go on to kill more Israelis and that there might be a rise in soldier kidnappings, but there are already people attacking Israel. How much difference will some more terrorists make? If they were minor enough to be able to be locked up, they’re probably just going to get locked up again if they try something else. On the flipside though, getting Gilad Shalit back would raise th morale of the entire country, raise Israel in the eyes of the world, and enforce the promise made to every Israeli soldier that Israel will do all it possibly can to get them back if they were captured. Of course it’s a risk, and of course we don’t want anything bad to happen, but when measuring the pros and cons, it’s not the worst choice that could have been made.
2. If Gilad Shalit was my brother I would definitely ask the Prime Minister to do everything he could and more to get him back home safely. I probably wouldn’t care about what happened to anyone else as long as he got home safe.
3. There are many lessons that can be learned from this episode. We learn how much Israel, and the Jewish people in general value even one human life. We learn how Israel keeps its promises as much as it possibly can. We should have learned that we need to make it clear to all those who would take encouragement from this to capture more soldiers that something like this won’t happen again and that it will not be tolerated. We should also have learned that the more you make a big deal out of something like this, the more people like those that captured and held Gilad Shalit will take advantage by raising the price and/or capturing more soldiers in the hope that we will give up more prisoners for their return as well.
1. If I were Prime Minister Netanyahu, I would fight for the release of Gilad Shalit because there were many people protesting and lining up begging for him to do something to help release Gilad. Not only would I do it because people really wanted it, but i would also do it because he is a human being. Yes, people have been captured before, but we should do anything and everything we can to save each and every Jewish human who is in danger. We should do everything we can to save a Jewish soul.
ReplyDelete2. If Gilad Shalit was my brother I would fight and do EVERYTHING i can to get him back. Its a different situation when it is a relative rather than a fellow Jew. Although fellow Jews mean so much to all of us, it means more when we have a social relationship rather than a spiritual relationship. Of course spiritual relationships are important, but my personal opinion is that a relation has more emotions committed to the relationship.
3. There are different things that can be learned from this event. We learn that the Jewish people are very devoted to each and every fellow Jew, because they went out of their way to save one Jew. We learn to not give up. Even if your in a very horrible situation, you always have to realize that Hashem is there, and so is your family and nation.