Letters: Israeli-Palestinian prisoner swap

To paraphrase the sages of Judaism: He who saves one life has a duty to repair the world ["Israeli soldier released in prisoner swap," News, Oct. 19].

Israel's decision to release 1,000 Palestinians in exchange for Gilad Schalit, a captured Israeli Defense Forces soldier, is a tribute to the Jewish state's humanitarian ethos. And civilized individuals of all nations rejoiced when this fragile lad was returned to the bosom of his family. Still, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bold stroke in agreeing to the swap must be matched by an equally bold attempt to resurrect the two-state solution.

But to extend the olive branch to the Palestinians, Netanyahu must first renounce some ugly beliefs of his foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, and then unilaterally announce a permanent moratorium on any and all new settlements in east Jerusalem.

Yes, such a move poses enormous security risks for Israel. Yet so does the ticking demographic time bomb that threatens Jerusalem's democratic values, to say nothing of its very soul.

If Netanyahu can rise to the statesmanship of a Rabin, Sadat or Begin and publicly acknowledge the suffering, persecution and dispossession of the Palestinians, also known as the Nakba, he will find a willing partner for peace. The sands of time are running out for these two peoples of the desert.

Rosario A. Iaconis, Mineola
 

Writer Lilli Platt ["Israel's heart-wrenching decision," Opinion, Oct. 21] must think Israel is governed at best by a bunch of jerks or at worst by politicians who place little value on the lives of Israelis and put them at risk by releasing dangerous Palestinian prisoners.

In fact, prisoner releases are carefully compiled and monitored by the Israeli government. The few Palestinians who committed violent crimes and are considered dangerous have already served long sentences in jail for their crimes, and as a condition of their release will be banished from Israel and the occupied territories to other countries.

The overwhelming majority of the men and women released were convicted of much less serious crimes or were never tried for any crimes. They were detained on suspicion of crimes, or as hostages to put pressure on family members to spy for the Israelis.

With this release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, there are still an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails, and many of them have never been brought to trial.

Joseph D. Policano, East Hampton
 

Your article about the so-called prisoner exchange ["Israeli soldier released in prisoner swap"] carried two photos that inverted not only the political realities, but the moral ones as well.

One photo, below the caption "The abducted," shows young Gilad Schalit saluting, in military dress. The other, below the caption "The prisoner," showed a man being hugged by a young woman. The Israeli is depicted at the ready to carry out his orders. The Palestinian is shown in ordinary clothes, smiling in the loving embrace of the young woman; he appears to be a warmhearted family man.

Something is wrong here. Schalit had been kidnapped and was held incommunicado, deprived of sunlight, visitors, medical assistance and all contact with his family or the rest of the outside world for five years. No outside agency was permitted to verify his health or even if he was still alive. Hamas violated virtually every obligation of the Geneva Conventions.

As for the Palestinian, he wore the green headband of Hamas. If he was anything like the rest of the prisoners released that day, he had blood on his hands. Unlike Schalit, he was deprived of no necessaries, spent time outside daily, and was visited by his family and friends. The International Red Cross had no trouble reaching him.

Characterization of the Palestinian as a freed prisoner suggests a crime of no particular egregiousness, while characterization of Schalit as merely abducted, portrays but a minor inconvenience. The captions and juxtaposition of the photos suggest a moral equivalence that does not exist.

Alan B. Katz, Melville

Editor's note: The writer is author of "Fighting Back: Letters From the Diaspora."