On the eve of
Tuesday’s swap for kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit, Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu reached out to the families of terror victims, many of whom
will watch in horror as the murderers of their loved ones are set
free.
“I write to you with a heavy heart,” Netanyahu said in an open
letter to the families of terror victims. “I understand and know your
pain.”
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Netanyahu said, “I know that you have a heavy heart, that your wounds have been
opened anew these past days; that your thoughts are not at
ease.”
Netanyahu said the families “were in my thoughts” during the
painful decision-making process and negotiations for Schalit’s
return.
“The decision regarding the release of Gilad Schalit was among
the most difficult I have made,” he wrote. “It is difficult for me for the same
reasons it is difficult for you.”
He said the consideration that guided
him in striking the deal was the responsibility of the Israeli prime minister to
“bring home every soldier who is sent to protect our citizens.”
“When I
went to fight in the name of the State of Israel, I also always knew that Israel
does not abandon its soldiers or citizens,” Netanyahu said.
He said that
against the strong desire to bring back home a captive soldier, he also took
into consideration the need to reduce the heavy price Israel would have to pay to win Schalit’s release.
“I know the price is
especially heavy for you. I understand the difficulty to countenance that the
evil people who perpetrated the appalling crimes against your loved ones will
not pay the full price that they deserve,” he wrote. “During these moments, I
hope you will find solace that I, and the entire nation of Israel, embrace you
and share in your pain.”
The Almagor Terror Victims Association issued a
scathing response to Netanyahu’s letter, saying the words were empty and not
worth the paper they were written on.
“Mr. Prime Minister, you promised
us that you would meet us and inform us before there was a deal,” the response
read. “You promised a public debate, you promised this would be brought to the
Knesset.”
None of that took place.
The organization called on
Netanyahu not to participate in what it called Tuesday’s
“carnival.”
“This is no national celebration, it is a tragedy,” the
response read. “This is surrender, at least think about the bereaved families
and the injured who are sitting at home, hurting.”