"I am Gilad, Son of Noam."


With these simple words, Gilad Shalit identified himself in a recent audio tape released by his captors. Though he talked about his time in captivity, his wish to be home and other words most likely forced upon him by those who have kept him from his family for just over a year now, Gilad's most important words were the ones he spoke in the first few seconds. They were, I believe, the only ones that were truly his.


These are not merely the words of a soldier held prisoner, a young man kept from his

This is the name of a Jew, the child of my fathers and mothers before me.

family in harsh conditions. These are the simple words of a Jew. This is how we identify ourselves, how we are called to bless the Torah on the Sabbath, how we are called on the day of our wedding, how we name our children, and even how we are buried. This is the name of a Jew, the child of my fathers and mothers for generations before me. All that I am, signals Gilad, is the son of Noam, the son of my people.


Reminiscent of Daniel Pearl's brave words, "I am a Jew," Gilad is telling the world that while the Palestinians may have taken his freedom, they have not taken his identity. It is a lesson worth remembering; one that I fear too many of us have forgotten. While the rest of his words urge Israel to compromise and remember the needs of the Palestinians, with these simple words, Gilad is reminding us of so much more.


"I am Gilad, son of Noam." I remember who I am, and so must you. Gilad was a soldier, he tells us, ordered to protect his country. We cannot know what has been done to him, his condition, or how much longer he will be in captivity. Remember me, Gilad urges us, and so we must. The words urging us to release Palestinian murders were not his, nor were the words that said his government has abandoned him. He knows this is not true, because, as he said so simply, I am the son of Noam Shalit, a son of Israel.


We must not forget that Gilad is reminding us that he is part of the whole, and the whole is suffering from his absence, and from that of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. Everything else that Gilad said in that tape remains suspect. He is, after all, only 20 years old and in the midst of a horrible and inhumane ordeal. He knows that to remain alive, he must say what they want and he will trust us to understand. He is Gilad.


Long ago, Israel set the policy that we would not give in to terrorists, that we would not negotiate and make trades, because that encourages further kidnappings and terror. After making this sensible policy, successive government after government has failed to live up to it. The most noted example, and likely the one that has a direct connection with our current situation, was the Sharon government's absurd deal in which we traded hundreds of terrorists for three dead bodies and a drug dealer. If it had not been so tragic, it would likely become a comedy on how not to conduct negotiations.


One wonders if Hamas didn't learn how to treat the Shalit kidnapping from Hizbullah's treatment of their hostages several years ago. Then, too, the families were tormented with the threat that the soldiers would be killed, hints that they yet lived but were injured and their situations deteriorating. All this to cause more pain to families whose sons had died on the very day they were taken captive.


Perhaps Hizbullah learned their methods from the Ron Arad capture and from the handling of the three soldiers taken prisoner near the Lebanese village of Sultan Yaqub. For decades, they have hinted, suggested, threatened. All to torture and cause unbearable pain.

Hamas has set the equation: the life of one Israeli is worth the lives of over 1,000 Palestinians.



It is time to make them all stop. Let our message be clear, Hamas has set the equation: the life of one Israeli is worth the lives of over 1,000 Palestinians. It is not an equation I would set, not one that I would encourage, but it is they who have announced it, and we who must agree.


Release one Israeli soldier who does not have blood on his hands, who did not kill anyone, or 1,000 Palestinian prisoners will suffer as Gilad is suffering now.


From a position of strength, and only from a position of strength, can Gilad be brought home. Many years ago, there was a news report that the intelligence agencies had determined that a vehicle loaded with explosives had slipped through Gaza and was attempting to make its way to blow up Tel Aviv's famous Azrieli Towers. It would have been Israel's 9/11.


Israeli leaders called their US counterparts. If the Azrieli Towers are blown up, they told them simply and honestly, there will be a war. It was the truth, but more important in the world of diplomacy, it was believed. The US government representatives contacted Arab governments, perhaps the Syrians, perhaps the Egyptians. This time, they told the Arabs, Israel means business and if you don't want a war, stop that vehicle. Needless to say, the Azrieli Towers stand to this day.


Ehud Olmert, call Bush and Brown and Blair. Call Abu Mazen and Abdullah and Mubarak. Return our soldiers now. Release them, or tell the Palestinians to prepare to be treated as a nation at war is to be treated. The son of Noam Shalit must be returned.


Send Gilad home now or 1,000 Palestinian prisoners will never see the light of day. They will be held without any further communication with their families, as Gilad has been. If the prisoners become sick, let them announce to their families that they are ailing, but give them no medical aid. Let no messages of love and support be delivered.


Give them no access to the media, nothing to keep them occupied. Keep them isolated, alone. Perhaps release a videotape in which they describe their pain, their fear, their ailments. Tell the Palestinian leadership: you will not get financial aid, you will not get medical aid for any Palestinian needing medical treatment in Israel, nor will your prisoners be treated in Israeli jails. You will not cross our borders, nor will we supply you with electricity and water. You have declared war against us, you hold our sons and we must respond in kind. If we are at war, let us recognize it, acknowledge it, and win it once and for all. No further aid should be given to any Palestinian organization until the suffering of our own citizens is stopped.

Tell the Palestinians to prepare to be treated as a nation at war is to be treated.



Barbaric? Undemocratic? Perhaps. But we can learn from Hamas how effective these methods have been. Our message must be clear and strong. Release Gilad now. Release Ehud and Eldad now. Give us Ron Arad and Tsvi Feldman, Zachary Baumel, Yehuda Katz and Guy Hever, or give us information on their fate. These men have lost too much of their lives and the agony of the families must end.


"I am Gilad, son of Noam Shalit" was Gilad's message, and our response must be clear. To be kind to your enemy while allowing them to cause further suffering to your own people is not humane; it is not the enlightened way of the West, nor is it the Jewish way. Let us make it clear that we heard the message of Gilad Shalit and trust that he can hear our message back. You are a son of Israel and we will not rest until you are home.