The first exchange is complete. Israel swapped 19 female prisoners for a one-minute video of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. The video, shot recently with Shalit holding the September 14 2009 issue of a Palestinian newspaper, shows Shalit in decent health and assuages concerns that the soldier died long ago.
Many analysts and officials contend that this preliminary exchange represents the first step in possibly securing the release of Shalit. Hamas has demanded the release of upwards of 1,000 Palestinian terrorists, a request that Israel repeatedly refused. However, the agreement for the tape’s release and ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Cairo could result in a subsequent compromise that includes Shalit returning to his family. See the video here or here or here .
The video clearly brings at least some happiness to the Israeli public, knowing that Shalit is in decent health and not in a body bag. However, the calculus of exchanging hundreds of terrorists for one soldier has not changed. Israeli officials contend that exchanging more than 1,000 prisoners for Shalit would simply place too big a risk on the State’s security. Many proponents of Shalit’s release advocate that Israel should give up almost anything in exchange for the soldier.
