Gilad Shalit appears healthy in video
Hours ahead of the start of the Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) holiday, the nation of Israel was relieved that footage of captive soldier Gilad Shalit showed him healthy and lucid.
A copy of the video, which was received today in exchange for the release of 20 female Palestinian prisoners, was flown immediately to the Shalit family, who live in the village of Mitzpe Hila, which is northwest of the Sea of Galilee. The family asked to view the video in private and notified the Prime Minister’s office that the video could be made public. (Shalit’s sister, Hadas, did not view the video with her family: She’s currently serving in the IDF and spent today at her base.)
Israeli media report that the footage is about two minutes long and shows a clean-shaven Shalit holding up a Palestinian newspaper dated Sept. 14. Not surprisingly, some world coverage focused on the prisoners being released rather than the fact that this is the credible first signs of life of the soldier received in 2 years.
Meanwhile, Israeli sources caution that the video exchange doesn’t represent a break-through in negotiations for Shalit’s release (he’s been held prisoner by Hamas for three and a half years now): The earliest anyone could expect a deal is mid-2010.
The video is the first time that his family has seen Shalit since he was kidnapped nearly 1,200 days ago. (An audiotape was released in 2007).
Comments (0) »Friday, October 2nd, 2009 at 11:11 AM | Stand For Israel
Israel captures “most wanted terrorist”
One of the men responsible for the horrific 2002 Park Hotel terrorist attack has been arrested:
Comments (0) »A senior Hamas terrorist, involved in planning the 2002 suicide bombing of the Park Hotel in Netanya, was arrested overnight Monday in the West Bank, security officials announced Tuesday.
Muhammad Harwish, head of Hamas’s armed wing in Tulkarm, was apprehended along with his personal aide, Adnan Samara. The two were being interrogated by security forces.
A Duvdevan special forces unit, along with personnel from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and special Border Police forces, arrested the pair after encountering them during a search for weapons in Tzurif, close to Bethlehem.
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 1:34 PM | Stand For Israel
Why does the press give Hamas a pass?
At Sky News, Tim Marshall comments on a story you probably haven’t heard much about, and notes a blatant double standard in the media’s treatment of Israel:
Thirty Palestinians killed. Women and children caught in the crossfire. Missiles fired at a Mosque. Muslim prisoners ‘executed’ in cold blood. A massacre. Media restrictions.
A familiar tale? Indeed. International outrage and demonstrations in the streets of London? Nope.
And why might that be? Why it’s simple. The Palestinians were were killed by Palestinians and, it would appear from the lack of reaction that in those circumstances their lives are cheap, but when they are killed by Israelis it is an outrage.
Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at 2:01 PM | Stand For Israel
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