There is general rejoicing in Israel due to a deal to free Gilad Shalit, who have been held captive for more than five by a Hamas-affiliated organizatuion in Gaza. This, however, is a kind of situation when one gets a strange feeling from the fact that some obvious questions are persistently evaded by the news sources, the commentators, and the public:
1. Isn't it a bit early to rejoice before the deal has gone through?
2. Does the government have any information about Shalit's physical condition? The report says that he has been moved to Cairo, but I shiver from the thought that his family and everyone else are assuming that he is alive and well without rally knowing it...
3. I would like to point out something that is commonly overlooked in the debate about exchanging Palestinian held in Israeli jails for kidnapped soldiers. It is commongly stated that such exchanges are motivated by moral and emotional arguments, whereas "logically" Israel endangers its own citizens by releasing the accomplished terrorists, and showing that blackmail works. This "logic" misses the important point: the ability fo Israel to defend itself is determined not only by the number of the enemy fighters, but also, more importantly, by the Israeli soldiers's willingness to fight for their country. Giving the soldiers credible promise that the country will to its utmost effort to protect them is the only way to convince them that this country is worth fighting for.
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