I grew up with my mom always telling me that the news was “even more R-rated” than any movie or TV show we desperately begged her to watch. Despite this, and as an involved and world-conscious student, I feel it is my duty to follow up on all current events. War, terrorism, genocide, poverty, disaster and corruption are among the few terrible things that we see, sadly, almost daily. It’s truly exhausting: to sit idly by, watching, as a world that will eventually fall into our hands continues to destroy itself. In this world, I try to grab on to any amazing, heroic story that manages to creep through all the muck; I think that in order to empower and inspire the student population, these stories need to be highlighted, and the parties involved should receive at the very least a gold star for their merits.
On Tuesday, the Israeli government and Hamas, the current leadership in Gaza and internationally recognized terrorist organization sworn to the destruction of the state of Israel, brokered a prisoner exchange. Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was kidnapped on June 25, 2006 in a raid by Hamas militia on Israeli soil and was taken prisoner to be held in an unknown location in the Gaza Strip. In the raid, two soldiers were killed and five were wounded, including Shalit.
Sadly, and despite pressure from Israel’s citizens to bring back one of their own, every attempt to negotiate for his return failed.
Shalit’s family has been living in a tent in front of the Prime Minister’s residence for more than a year, urging the government to do whatever is necessary to bring Shalit, arguing that they will not leave until Shalit is returned. By their tent are thousands of small yellow ribbons (from the song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” by Tony Orlando and Dawn) tied to tree branches, poles and bus stops to show support and solidarity for the Shalit family.
However, the longer his family and Israelis waited for an agreement, the more it seemed as if his fate would actualize similar to the last Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas, Nachshon Wachsman, who was executed during an attempted rescue mission. Or like Goldwasser and Regev, who were kidnapped by Hezbollah and returned in caskets. Nevertheless, Tuesday marked a breakthrough in the deal. The reports reveal an exchange of a thousand prisoners, most of whom are convicted terrorists or killers, for one Israeli soldier.
This breakthrough is truly notable. Not just because what it continues to say about Israel’s commitment to its citizens. Not just for Gilad or his family. This momentous exchange shows the extent to which Israel will go to protect a single life, and that more importantly in an increasingly impatient world, negotiations can work ““ even between sworn enemies.
Noam Taylor
Third-year history student