Elkin: Danger of return to Israeli prison should cast shadow over all freed terrorists
MKs on the right acclaim arrest of prisoners released in Schalit deal, while Gal-On warns it is political, has nothing to do with captive teens.
By LAHAV HARKOVZe'ev Elkin 370(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)
Right-wing politicians acclaimed the arrest of over 50 prisoners released in the deal to free then-captive soldier Gilad Schalit, as part of steps the government took following the kidnapping of three yeshiva students in Gush Etzion last weekend.Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Ze'ev Elkin (Likud Beytenu) spoke out Wednesday in favor of re-arresting prisoners freed in the Schalit deal."The time has truly come for us to change the rules of the game that Hamas tried to dictate to us," Elkin said. " From now on, every terrorist organization should know that when it tries to kidnap Israelis, it will only put hundreds more terrorists in jail."Elkin plans to push through a bill he proposed for every released prisoner to be considered on parole "so that the danger of returning to Israeli prison always casts a shadow over them."Bayit Yehudi faction chairman Ayelet Shaked said "the equation is starting to change - kidnapping doesn't pay anymore."A large part of those freed in the Schalit deal who were arrested violated the conditions of their pardon, which is why it is canceled and they will return to do their time. This isn't just an administrative attention, it is turning back time," she stated.According to Shaked, this is an important strategic change, in which a new kidnapping erases Hamas' "accomplishments" from the last one."Whoever chooses the path of terror through actions or support should know that he and his family will not be able to sleep in peace until they denounce murder and the villains who lead it," Deputy Education Minister Avi Wortzman said.However, Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On warned that the action is not actually meant to find the captives."This operation is an attempt to get a false victory photo by using forceful steps that do more harm than good, because security forces aren't able to get a victory photo with the captives," Gal-On said."The families' pain and the human solidarity with them is being used cynically to promote goals that have no connection to the kidnapping of the three boys, who should be brought back."
