The military censor has slammed a gag order on official statements concerning a rumored deal to free up to 1,400 terrorists for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit despite a High Court ruling last month warning against the hasty release of terrorists.
Court President Edna Arbel issued an unprecedented warning writing, “It is difficult to say that 48 hours is enough to seriously examine the list [of terrorists] and bring arguments against it.”
The Court explained last year that it rejected an appeal to stop a release of terrorists as a "goodwill” measure to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas because the government already had prepared the terrorists to leave their prison cells at the same time as the justices were holding a hearing on a petition filed against the move.
However, it appears as if the same chain of events is occuring again. While the gag order prevents Israelis from knowing which terrorists, many of them convicted for murdering Israelis or for planning deadly attacks, are slated to be released, families of the terrorists are already preparing to receive them in a celebration.
Signs that the rumors of a deal for Shalit are more solid than in the past include Egypt’s allowing Hamas officials to visit for negotiation and an agreement by most Gaza terrorists organizations to cease rocket fire on the Western Negev. More than 270 rockets and mortar shells have struck the area since the “ceasefire” that ended the Operation Cast Lead counterterrorist campaign last January.
Families of terror victims who are struggling to prevent the freedom of terrorists are planning to appeal to the High Court to force the government to reveal details on the murderers before the process to free them becomes irreversible.
Yossi Tzur, Yossi Mendelovich and Ron Kerman, whose children were killed in an Arab attack on a bus in Haifa, warned that the "lack of knowledge and lack of time” are impeding their ability to challenge the government’s plans on the basis of endangering public safety.
Israeli mainstream media have long promoted a release of terrorists for Shalit, who was kidnapped more than three years ago. Both the Hebrew-language Haaretz newspaper and Voice of Israel government radio refer to developments as “positive.” In contrast, the Voice of Israel's “It’s All Talk” show hostYaron Dekel said Monday morning that all of the mass media are “conducting a campaign to bring abut Shalit’s release” regardless of the price.