Your editorial says of the Gilad Shalit exchange deal that “It was a noble, compassionate and tender act; only time will tell if it was the right one” (‘Impossible, Choice,’ Oct. 21). Sadly, experience tells us that we are not likely to have to wait very long to find out that the decision was a terrible mistake.
The Almagor Terrorist Victims Association (ATVA) disclosed in April 2007 that 177 Israelis killed in terror attacks in the previous five years had been killed by terrorists who had been freed from Israeli jails. Former Mossad Chief Meir Dagan has also admitted that the terrorists released in the 2004 Elhanan Tenenbaum prisoner exchange deal went on to cause the death of 231 Israelis.
Going back further, the 1,150 terrorists Israel freed in 1985 in return for three captive soldiers formed the cadre behind the first intifada that commenced in December 1987.
Accordingly, much as we are all heartened for Gilad Shalit and his family, Israel cannot buy the freedom of an innocent citizen at the cost of practically ensuring that many more innocent citizens will be murdered.
National President Zionist Organization of America
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