Despite a petition filed with the High Court of Justice by bereaved parents, the nation’s highest court ruled the government may continue moving forward with talks to formulate a prisoner release deal to bring Gilad Shalit home without disclosing details.

The bereaved parents and the Almagor Terror Victims Association maintain the government is responsible to release names of terrorists slated for release and other pertinent details to permit the nation to make a decision based on factual information, and not based on media reports and unofficial reports.

The court explained the process underway towards bringing Shalit home presents a complicated situation, one that involves the human side, security and defense consideration, and the state’s moral responsibility towards a captive soldier, adding that nonetheless, we mustn’t forget the complex emotional realities surrounding the process and the decision that must ultimately be made.

Interestingly, getting involved in the public effort to halt the release of murderous terrorists are students from a number of IDF preparatory yeshivot and academies, who have released a letter stating that despite the obvious reasons that everything must be done to bring the captive soldier home, this does not include the release of murderous terrorists, rejecting the cynical use of emotions  towards manipulating the hand of decision-makers.

In the meantime, the parents of Gilad Shalit, Noam and Aviva, are continuing their lobbying efforts, meeting with cabinet ministers daily, seeking to lay the groundwork for widespread approval for any deal presented to the cabinet by the prime minister, hopefully in the coming days.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)