In an announcement Tuesday, the radical but influential leftist group said, “Prime Minister Olmert’s arrogant and aggressive speeches, and his ugly, general threats are endangering the life of the captive soldier.”
Gush Shalom (“Peace Bloc”) called on the Israeli government to open negotiations with the soldier’s captors, explaining, “Ever since states and wars have existed in the world, when a person is taken captive, negotiations are conducted to secure his release.”
The announcement also compared the situation of the kidnapped IDF soldier with the thousands of convicted Arab terrorists from the PA serving time in Israeli jails.
“It is worth remembering that in the Gaza Strip, as in other parts of the Palestinian territories, there are thousands of families waiting for the return of their loved ones from Israeli prisons, in exactly the same way the family of the soldier, Gilad Shalit, is waiting for his peaceful return,” read the announcement.
The organization holds Israel responsible for the escalation of violence that, in its view, brought about the terrorist attack against the Kerem Shalom military outpost outside of Gaza.
Two soldiers were killed and one kidnapped when Arab terrorists from Gaza surprised a tank crew guarding the post. The Arabs reached the post by digging a 600-meter tunnel under the heavily fortified security barrier separating Gaza from the Negev.
Specifically, Gush Shalom accuses Israel of fanning the flames of terror by not releasing convicted Arab terrorists within the framework of last summer’s unilateral Israeli withdrawal (Disengagement) from Gaza and northern Samaria.
“This was a grave error that contributed to the escalation of violence in which we have been caught up," said Gush Shalom.
The organization also supports the Arab demand that Shalit be classified as a prisoner of war, rather than as a kidnapped soldier. The group claims the term “kidnapped soldier” is misleading. According to Gush Shalom’s interpretation, a kidnapped person is a private citizen who was abducted by criminals.
A soldier whom, in their opinion, was captured by fighters on one side of an armed conflict, is for all intents and purposes, a prisoner of war. Gush Shalom’s approach implies that the Arab terrorists fighting Israel are on the same plane as the IDF and other armed forces defending the Jewish state.
Gush Shalom (“Peace Bloc”) called on the Israeli government to open negotiations with the soldier’s captors, explaining, “Ever since states and wars have existed in the world, when a person is taken captive, negotiations are conducted to secure his release.”
The announcement also compared the situation of the kidnapped IDF soldier with the thousands of convicted Arab terrorists from the PA serving time in Israeli jails.
“It is worth remembering that in the Gaza Strip, as in other parts of the Palestinian territories, there are thousands of families waiting for the return of their loved ones from Israeli prisons, in exactly the same way the family of the soldier, Gilad Shalit, is waiting for his peaceful return,” read the announcement.
The organization holds Israel responsible for the escalation of violence that, in its view, brought about the terrorist attack against the Kerem Shalom military outpost outside of Gaza.
Two soldiers were killed and one kidnapped when Arab terrorists from Gaza surprised a tank crew guarding the post. The Arabs reached the post by digging a 600-meter tunnel under the heavily fortified security barrier separating Gaza from the Negev.
Specifically, Gush Shalom accuses Israel of fanning the flames of terror by not releasing convicted Arab terrorists within the framework of last summer’s unilateral Israeli withdrawal (Disengagement) from Gaza and northern Samaria.
“This was a grave error that contributed to the escalation of violence in which we have been caught up," said Gush Shalom.
The organization also supports the Arab demand that Shalit be classified as a prisoner of war, rather than as a kidnapped soldier. The group claims the term “kidnapped soldier” is misleading. According to Gush Shalom’s interpretation, a kidnapped person is a private citizen who was abducted by criminals.
A soldier whom, in their opinion, was captured by fighters on one side of an armed conflict, is for all intents and purposes, a prisoner of war. Gush Shalom’s approach implies that the Arab terrorists fighting Israel are on the same plane as the IDF and other armed forces defending the Jewish state.