Gilad Shalit: ShortFormBlog

14:15 • 6 months ago

A little more context on the Israel/Gaza hostilities…

swagandpassion asks: Thanks SFB…Why did the IDF conduct the air strike?

» SFB says: Some background info: Ahmed Jabari was Hamas’ acting second-in-command at the time of his death, and was rarely seen in public. He was allegedly responsible for organizing the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, as well as the subsequent prisoner exchange for his safe return, and was theoretically being pursued with the same level of fervor that the United States dedicated to tracking Osama bin Laden. After a noted increase in rocket attacks earlier this week, and a rare opportunity to strike at a virtually unguarded Jabari, the Israeli government presumably saw a prime opportunity to strike a major blow to Hamas and took advantage of it. — Scott @ SFB

11:02 • 1 year ago

Tags: new york times ny times magazine israel palestine prisoner swap Gilad Shalit Tim Enthoven from rubenfeld 1028 • Permalink

cheatsheet:

Illustrator Tim Enthoven hand-drew all 1,027 Palestinian captives that were exchanged for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for this week’s cover of The New York Times Magazine.

This is one of the best concepts the NYT Magazine’s used in a long time. That metaphor is so unbelievably effective.

11:10 • 1 year ago

Tags: israel palestine gaza gaza strip gilad shalit welcome home returns from thenoobyorker 641 • Permalink

israelfacts:

Released Palestinian prisoners embrace their families in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011. Hamas agreed to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners, whose arrivals set off ecstatic celebrations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where large crowds and dignitaries greeted them. (AP/Getty Images)

Remember, there were passionate returns on both sides in the Gilad Shalit case, no matter the controversy.

10:15 • 1 year ago

Tags: deals Gilad Shalit israel middle east middle east conflict mideast palestine prisoner exchange 37 • Permalink

I thought that I would find myself in this situation many more years. If they wanted to secure my freedom, they had to pay a price for this.

Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit • Discussing his situation on Egyptian television this morning after getting freed from captivity in the Gaza Strip. Freedom for Shalit, who was there for five years, did cost Israel immensely — they had to release over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners to allow for his freedom. Nearly 500 were freed today. In Palestine, those prisoners were welcomed with cheers by Hamas — while Shalit’s own return was much more subdued, with Israeli officials concerned that freeing so many prisoners at once could cause security issues. source (via • follow)

11:45 • 1 year ago

Israel’s prisoner exchange for Gilad Shalit draws heavy controversy

Tags: deals Gilad Shalit israel middle east middle east conflict mideast palestine prisoner exchange 26 • Permalink

1,000 number of Palestinian prisoners expected to be freed in an exchange with Israel; as you might guess, this is controversial for some
one number of Israeli prisoners expected to be freed in exchange; this one, however, is Gilad Shalit, whose plight is fairly well-known source

» The fight goes to court: While Shalit’s parents fight for his freedom, families of the victims of militants in Israel aren’t exactly quite happy with this situation, and are trying to fight it in court. It’s unlikely the court is willing to fix this, but Israeli leaders are trying to soft-pedal this nonetheless. “I understand the difficulty in accepting that the vile people who committed the heinous crimes against your loved ones will not pay the full price they deserve,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a letter to families affected by the exchange.

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