Tami Arad, the wife of missing Israel Air Force navigator , called on the government Tuesday to release all prisoners as demanded by Hamas in exchange for captive soldier Gilad Shalit.
In an interview with Army Radio, Arad said that Israel should free all 450 jailed Palestinians, those who are believed to be the most serious terrorists, in exchange for Shalit.
"If there was an alternative, Gilad would already have been here today," she said. "There has been enough time to wrangle over the price. Let's assume that three years go by and the price tag drops down to 380 murderers. Will we feel better? Who can guarantee that there will be someone [alive] to bring back?" Arad lashed out at recent comments made by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who remarked that public demonstrations for Shalit's release were harming the negotiations.
"It is the easiest thing to say, 'We're taking care of the matter day and night, so sit quietly. All the fuss just raises the price tag.' The price has remained the same. If the parents felt that there was progress they would not have taken the trouble to go to Jerusalem."
"Nothing moves if people sit quietly at home," Arad said. "Time is critical and we must not dawdle."
Meanwhile, Noam Shalit said on Tuesday that President Shimon Peres understood the urgency of freeing his son from his Hamas captors in Gaza.
"The president understands the need and moral significance of releasing an IDF soldier who has been in captivity for three years, and supports releasing Gilad as soon as possible," Shalit said.
He spoke shortly after meeting Peres at his official residence in Jerusalem.
For his part, Peres told Shalit that, "You express the deepest feeling of the nation, which is for the IDF and the responsibility for the fate of every soldier... My heart is with you, as is the heart of the whole nation."
Earlier Tuesday, Shalit's mother Aviva repeated her vow to continue campaigning for her son's release until he returns home.
"After so many days during which we haven't managed to bring back Gilad, we're sitting here and reminding everyone that he is still in captivity," she told Israel Radio.
Aviva Shalit made the comments from a protest tent she had pitched with her husband across from the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem.
"It is our job to urge and fight until Gilad comes back, to remind in case someone has forgotten," she added. The Shalits erected the tent to apply pressure on Olmert to secure Gilad's release before a change in government.
Well-wishers continued to stream into the protest tent on Tuesday, some of whom were dressed up in costumes for the Jewish holiday of Purim. Among the visitors was the family of IDF soldier Nachshon Wachsman, who was kidnapped by Hamas gunmen and killed during a commando rescue mission.
"We suffered this pain for a week and I can't imagine how for almost three years they have undergone this indescribable suffering," said Esther Wachsman from the tent.
"I want to tell Prime Minister Ehud Olmert from this stage that he has about a week until the end of his tenure - [and] he should leave with at least a 'big bang,' and all that is necessary now is to free a missing Israeli soldier."
The Shalits' visitors on Monday included the daughter and the brother of missing Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad; Karnit Goldwasser, widow of abducted soldier Ehud Goldwasser; Defense Minister Ehud Barak and hundreds of ordinary citizens who stood in line to offer their hands or an embrace.
Aliza Olmert, the prime minister's wife, invited the Shalits to meet with her Tuesday at the Prime Minister's Residence. The couple was also scheduled to meet with President Shimon Peres Tuesday.
Source: Haaretz
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