Schalit, politics, time
Sir, – Shame on Noam Schalit. He managed, with the aid of very adept publicists, to put our whole country in danger – and now he wants to run for public office (“Noam Schalit announces entry into politics with Labor,” January 10).
We all understood his campaign to release killers and would-be-killers. It was to gain the release of his son. But the bill hasn’t been paid yet. When we get the first recidivist terror attack and, God forbid, people are dead, what will he say? Sorry? What other fiasco could he lead the country into should he hold public office?
I say to Schalit: You received Gilad back by placing the whole country in danger. Now stay home. Enjoy your son and have the grace to be quiet. THELMA JACOBSON
Petah Tikva
Sir, – Doesn’t this beat all! Noam Schalit is so used to being in the limelight that now, life is too quiet. He misses the action. He may not be any worse than the Knesset members we have now, but his whole campaign would be on the back of his son, Gilad.
Many of us are still angry about showing Israel’s weak side and releasing 1,000 terrorists. It’s bad enough that Gilad will feel guilty when the first released prisoner kills Jews.
Heaven help us if Noam Schalit succeeds. Hamas will kidnap soldiers right and left because they’ll know they have a friend in the Knesset. LOIS GREEN
Kadima
Sir, – Noam Schalit chose not to relentlessly fight Hamas, the guilty party. He chose not to set up a tent at the Gaza border. He chose not to fight the Red Cross and the UN by setting up a tent in Geneva, where it would have received much media coverage and put pressure on those who were really responsible. Instead, he chose to fight his own government and fellow Israelis.
Schalit pressured our country to release hundreds of killers of Jews. His needs were more important than ours. Is that the kind of person we want in our Knesset? Not in my mind. AVIGDOR BONCHEK
Jerusalem
Sir, – With all due respect to Noam Schalit, I think the Knesset should pass a Noam Schalit Bill that would require him to spend at least one year reacquainting himself with Gilad before being allowed to enter politics. CHAYA HEUMAN Ginot Shomron
Sir, – Jerusalem Post columnist Gershon Baskin deserves our praise for his role in opening up negotiations over Gilad Schalit with Hamas when other tracks failed. Nonetheless, he is wrong when he argues that the deal should have been made much earlier (“Shamgar: Did you ask why it took almost five years?,” Encountering Peace, January 10).
It should never have been made at all.
Much as we all wanted Schalit safely home, the deal was outrageous in its disproportionality, and wholly irresponsible. It was a classic case of democratically elected leaders having their hand forced by an ill-informed public for short-term popularity against the long-term interests of the people as a whole. There is no greater way of incentivizing hostage-taking than the release of 1,027 combatants for one, young, inexperienced draftee.
As one who yearns daily for peace between Palestinians and Israelis, I pray there will be no more disproportionate exchanges. They only beget more blood-letting.
ANDREW M. ROSEMARINE
Salford, UK