David yesterday published an opinion piece entitled “Different Perspectives” analyzing the potential prisoner swap deal for Gilad Shalit in the New York Times’ opinion blog “Room for Debate”, alongside Op-Ed articles by Daniel Gordis, Daoud Kuttab, and others.
Different Perspectives
David Makovsky
With the help of German and Egyptian mediation, Israel and Hamas are trying to broker a deal that would end the 3 1/2-year captivity of Gilad Shalit, reportedly in return for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. In Israel, there are four different clusters of policymakers weighing the move. Their interests may vary, even though outwardly they will present a united front.
The first group is the cabinet. These are politicians who have born the brunt of the public campaign urging that anything and everything be done to ensure Sergeant Shalit’s release. This public campaign for one soldier’s release has been huge, which is not surprising in a small country where army service is compulsory and many parents feel that it could have just as easily been their son captured. Thus, these elected politicians will support a deal for Sergeant Shalit, as they tend to be the most sensitive to public opinion and will put a premium on the political windfall that could accrue to them.
To read the whole piece, alongside other commentary on the Shalit prisoner exchange, click here
