Gilad Shalit Video

October 3, 2009 · Filed Under Baum's Blog 

You may have heard by now that on Friday, a video of Gilad Shalit was released.  For those who don’t know  (and may be wondering what all of the “free Gilad” messages on Twitter are), Gilad Shalit is the 23 year old Israeli soldier who has been held captive in Gaza for over three years.  This video, filmed on September 14, is the first sign of Gilad still being alive – since he last wrote his parents a letter in June of 2008.  Scroll down to watch it.

In exchange for the video, Israel has released 20 female prisoners.  Unfortunately, Hamas has demanded that 1,000 more Palestinian prisoners be released before they release Shalit.

According to Wikipedia, more than 69% of Israelis favor freeing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners if that means freeing Shalit.  Others, of course, are concerned that this will be a dangerous move for Israel.

It is complicated – and unfortunately, the  negotiations will probably continue to move slowly.  I do not want to get involved in a political debate here, but I do hope that there is a way for Gilad to return safely to his family – without Israel having to release dangerous prisoners who may continue to initiate acts of terrorism against Israelis.

Gilad’s birthday was August 28, and many people supported him on that day – in particular – on Twitter and elsewhere.  Friday, the video was released – and is quite touching.

Today, I heard of the death of a childhood friend who was killed in Afghanistan earlier this week. It is an indescribable tragedy.

So, today with both of these young soldiers in mind – and thinking about all of the others who defend our nations – I hope that peace comes soon and Gilad and all soldiers return home safely.

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