KEFAR SHEMARYAHU, Israel: Rabbis, public figures, educators, soldiers and politicians (including some ministers) are all great patriots and saints in their own eyes. These people, along with the members of a very different group - bereaved parents and relatives of terror victims - are the ones who object to the swap deal with Hamas. They keep on declaring that the price is too high and that we must not release terrorists "with blood on their hands . We must keep in mind that objectors to the release of prisoners who spilled blood ignore a fact that apparently has no significance for them, adopting a self-righteous attitude and completely disregarding reality. Many of them treat the Palestinians as though they are not human and as if our own killing and the blood we spilled with our smart weapons apparently do not count. As if their blood is not on our hands. Our hands are always clean, even though plenty of Palestinian blood had been spilled. Since September 2000 and the outbreak of the second Intifada, about 4,800 Palestinians have been killed by our forces, including the elderly, women, children, and innocent civilians - not only "wanted suspects . About 1,000 minors died in our assassinations as well as a total of roughly 2,200 uninvolved civilians. Their blood is as red as ours, and they too were created in God's image like us. We rush to kill but our hands are always "clean , even when we drop a one ton bomb in the heart of a civilian community. The method of assassinations being carried out without evidence and with no trials does not reflect supreme justice, noble morality, or clean hands. Those objecting to the deal for securing the release of the captive soldier are in fact indifferent and are willing to proceed with an act of binding, like Isaac's binding, while refusing to hear the messenger crying out: Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not abandon him. Those who sow terror and fear among us by speaking about the terrorists to be freed should the deal materialize would do well to stop threatening us. Perhaps we should ask ourselves how many of the terrorists who committed the Munich Olympics massacre are still alive? None of us, the people who wish to see Gilad Shalit released soon despite the heavy price, assume that the released prisoners will be walking around us undisturbed and freely. Moreover, the danger of attacks will grow even if no detainees are released. The protest by their parents and the public who supports them will not end. If we do not release them, the danger may grow. Those who speak on behalf of the dead should remember that IDF soldier Gilad Shalit is still alive. We want and have to see him alive and well among us, and soon. We all remember the dead and our heart is pained because of them and their families, but we do not wish to see another victim. So let them not scare us with talk of releasing prisoners with "blood on their hands . We would do well to remember that we have not yet washed our own hands after spilling the blood of the helpless and vulnerable. Isaac emerged from the binding alive. Let's not bind Gilad in the name of the dead and for the sake of revenge. Shulamit Aloni is a veteran Israeli politician and a prominent member of the Israeli peace camp. She founded the Ratz party, was leader of the Meretz party and served as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) with permission from Ynetnews.
