With the current government's term coming to an end, activists have increased the pressure to free kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. At the same time, those who oppose the release of terrorists to gain Shalit's freedom have stepped up their protests as well, calling on the government to free Shalit while keeping terrorist killers in jail.
Jerusalem resident Yaron Toren quietly joined the national debate recently with a petition asking Israelis to agree that if they are kidnapped, their release will not come “at any price.” More than 1,100 people have signed since the petition was posted online almost three weeks ago.
Toren hopes that at least 2,500 people will sign the petition, which states, “If the only way to free me will be through releasing terrorists, I expect the government to consider not only my personal interests, but also the long-term interests of the state.”
The petition also calls on the government to make “every reasonable effort” to win signatories' safe return if they are kidnapped or taken hostage.
The petition states that signatories object to releasing kidnapped Israelis, themselves included, “at any price” due to the dangers inherent in releasing terrorists. “Most terrorists released in these deals return to terrorist activity,” the document states.
"These deals dealt a blow to Israeli morale, and to the families of victims of terrorism in particular... These deals improved terrorists' morale and encouraged them to kidnap more Israelis,” the petition continues.
Call: Remember Jabril and Tannenbaum
As proof of the dangers of terrorist release, the petition mentions the Jabril Agreement and the Tannenbaum Affair.
In the Jabril Agreement, the government headed by Shimon Peres released more than 1,100 terrorist prisoners in exchange for three captive Israelis. The agreement left future Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin and many other future senior terrorists free, while leaving Israelis in captivity.
Israeli businessman Elchanan Tannenbaum, a former IDF colonel, was kidnapped in 2004 while in Lebanon for what he later admitted was a drug deal. Israel traded 435 terrorist prisoners for Tannenbaum and the bodies of three soldiers.
Research conducted during the Oslo War, also known as the Second Intifada, showed that more than 180 Israelis were murdered since the year 2000 by terrorists released in the Jabril and Tannenbaum exchanges.