Gilad Shalit today retuned home after five years of near isolation in an Hammas prison. Israel has failed to secure his release through all these years.
Hammas declared the day as one of victory. It's act of kidnapping an Israeli soldier in 2006 has finally paid off with the release of 1027 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The release of Gilad Shallit must certainly be welcomed. On his release he looked pale and fragile. He had not seen the sun for five years. Israelis are out in the streets to welcome him back.
The released prisoners are not innocent. They include the perpetrators of bombings and killing. Three of those released were responsible for a 2003 bombing of a scoop bus in Hafa that killed 17 and wounded another 40. Hammas sees them as heroes.
The interesting part of the deal is that Israel must be unique in the way it sees it's citizens. Is there any other country in the world that would agree to such a ransom for one person? Israel values one life more than 1027 prisoners. Hammas also see one Israeli as worth more than a thousand Palestinians. It was not necessary to abduct 1000 Israelis to do the swap. One was enough!
The main risk created by this exchange is that Hammas will now feel more powerful than ever. what will it try next?
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