We are all so deeply happy, teary eyed in fact, that our Gilad is home.  Glued to our TVs and watching for the first glimpse of him to see if he was healthy, and then waiting to hear his first words, and then the long awaited reunification with his parents and family made all of Israel cry.  All over Israel, it didn't matter whether you were right or left wing, relgious or secular, we were all one nation yesterday as our Gilad came home!

But at what price?  This has been the only argument.  As one person stated when interviewed on the news, this is not an argument (between the terror victims and their families who are going to court against the deal) between who is right and who is wrong, rather, 'between one people's pain against another's pain'.  I think this was a very wise desscription that softened the uneasy feelings between the two camps at oposition regarding the Shalit deal. 

Saying this, everyone shudders at the thought of a possible next kidnapping of a soldier.  Because the TERRORISTS' formula of 'kidnap a soldier, get a lopsided prisoner-release deal' - works!  They have seen Israel buckle, and they see that their kidnappings work.

Israel TV didn't do too much coverage of the celebrations going on in the Palestinian Authroity and Gaza where their populations were yelling to kidnap more soldiers, and where P.A. Arabs were calling that everyday they should kidnap more soldiers.  The media can be very selective in what they show.

However, we can all feel reassured [sic] that the terrorists that were set free will desist from their evil ways, as they signed this declaration below.   (Text below provided by www.Imra.org.il ).  Past deals and signings have meant nothing.  History has shown us that terrorists return to terror activity. One example - in the deal to release Elchanan Tenenbaum [who was abducted by Hizbullah after entering Lebanon for a drug deal and later freed in return for 435 terrorists –ed.], some of the terrorists returned to terrorism and murdered 26 Jews.  TWENTY SIX JEWS!!!

Text of Prisoner Release Declaration

Update:  17 October 2011:  Raanan Gissin told IMRA today that the
Palestinian prisoners being released today in the Shalit deal are signing
the same standard form as was signed by prisoners released in the past.


Aaron Lerner Date: 6 August 2003

The following is IMRA's translation of the Hebrew version of the declaration
signed by convicted Palestinians released today by Israel. The text was
provided to IMRA by the IDF Spokesperson's Office (the same text was signed
by those who had not been sentenced yet with minor changes)

Declaration and Commitment

I the undersigned (name) (ID)

1. It was brought to my attention that beyond requirements and as a good
will gesture by the Government of Israel, within the framework of its
relations with the Palestinian government and the renewal of the efforts for
peace, the military command decide to ease my sentence, subject to my
signing this declaration and commitment.

2. I hereby declare that I oppose all terror and violent actions and I
hereby commit to desist from all actions against the security of the State
of Israel or the security of the region in general and include in this
terror or violent activities, and support or aid to it, in any way
including:

A. To desist from returning and carrying out a crime of the type of crimes
that I was convicted of as well as any other crime;
B. Not to belong to a terror organization or illegal group of any kind;
C. Not to engage in inciting activities, and included in this incitement to
carry out terror or act illegally against the peace process;
D. Not to be involved and not to support or aid terror activities against
any person and any act of violence or action that may cause the public or
any part of it damage or fear or any other damage;
E. To desist from illegally entering the area of Israel or the Israeli
communities in the areas.

3. I am aware that the remainder of the prison sentence that I was sentenced
by the court in the region is conditional, as of the day of my release, for
the course of three years, and the condition is that I will not carry out a
crime that could hurt the security of the area or the security of the State
of Israel and including that desisting from any act of terror or violence
and support or aid for such activities, in any way, as detained in Paragraph
2.

4. Likewise I am aware that if I violate a condition of the conditions of
the release the court will have the right to activate the remainder of the
sentence that was in effect prior to my release and to decide that I bear
this punishment in addition to any other punishment that is imposed on me.

5. I hereby confirm that the wording of my commitment and declaration was
explained to me in Arabic and that after its significance was made clear to
me I signed the document out of my free will.

Date Signature of the prisoner

Confirmation

I the undersigned Name Rank Personal Number Position

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il