Colonel (ret.) Kobi Marom believes the possible release of hundreds of imprisoned terrorists in exchange for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit is likely to lead to a "catastrophe". Israel's leaders, he said, do not have any red lines they won't cross.
The behavior of Israeli leadership in the past three years since Shalit was abducted by a jihadist terror cell in Gaza is 
Prisoners released from Israeli jails in any deal with Hamas will immediately return to their jihad against Israel.
worrisome, according to Marom, who was interviewed by Arutz Sheva on Wednesday. "As a citizen and as an IDF officer who commanded many soldiers in Lebanon, I think that the terms of this deal are completely unreasonable," he said. "The Hamas is determining the price here. The State of Israel has behaved in an extremely inconsistent fashion. At first they said there is no negotiations and then suddenly there is agreement to release hundreds of terrorists."
Col. Marom is convinced that the prisoners released from Israeli jails in any deal with Hamas will immediately return to their jihad against Israel. "We are talking about terrorists who killed dozens of people, and now they will go free and return to terrorist activity. This is encouragement for additional abductions and continuing terror attacks," Marom said.
"We suffer from a serious problem with our determination. This society is not determined, nor is the leadership," the retired colonel said. "Our society is not willing to pay the price [of determination] and our leaders follow along out of a fear of losing popular support."
American GIs Say We've 'Gone Nuts'
Marom said that some of his colleagues in the American army tell him that "we have gone completely nuts - to free hundreds of terrorists for one [soldier]. Everyone says the deal is a bad one, that it will encourage more kidnappings of soldiers in the future. And it also promotes the Palestinian ethos."
Instead of a poorly negotiated deal, Marom believes Israel could obtain Shalit's release in more creative ways. "There were many opportunities to carry out actions that were not taken, such as seriously limiting the rights of Hamas prisoners. Also, during Operation Cast Lead we could have increased the pressure and not conclude the operation in the way that we did. There are mothers on the other side too, after all," he suggested. "Unfortunately, we have an irresolute leadership."
After the prime minister has already agreed in principle to release so many terrorists, Marom does not think he'll be able or willing to reverse that decision. "Currently, it seems to me that there is massive media pressure and I don't see how things can turn around," he said.