Gush Shalom Criticizes The Aggression And Threats Of...Olmert?

Arutz Sheva has an article on Gush Shalom, who--following the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit--is claiming that

"Prime Minister Olmert's arrogant and aggressive speeches, and his ugly, general threats are endangering the life of the captive soldier."

...Ever since states and wars have existed in the world, when a person is taken captive, negotiations are conducted to secure his release."

Not according to everyone.

According to President Bush:

"They will behead people in order to shake our will. These people are ideologues of hatred," Bush told a campaign rally.

"You cannot negotiate with these people," he said. "We will stay on the offensive against them."

In Turkey:

Turkey's defense minister said his government would not negotiate with terrorists in Iraq who are threatening to behead three Turkish hostages.

Of course, not everyone agrees on not negotiating with terrorists. France and Germany took the Gush Shalom option. The obvious counter-argument to negotiating is that if the terrorists receive anything, it will only encourage them to kidnap more hostages.

Whereas the Palestinian terrorists originally demanded the release of all women and children held in Israeli prisons, now Hamas has upped the ante:

Hamas spokesmen threatened even more kidnappings, until all Arab prisoners in Israeli prisons are released.

Actually, Gush Shalom does not see Shalit as 'a person taken hostage', but as a POW--as opposed to a kidnapped soldier. They claim that only a private citizen who was abducted by criminals would qualify as a kidnapped person. Considering the current situation as an actual war allows Gush Shalom to equate Shalit with the convicted Palestinian terrorists:

"It is worth remembering that in the Gaza Strip, as in other parts of the Palestinian territories, there are thousands of families waiting for the return of their loved ones from Israeli prisons, in exactly the same way the family of the soldier, Gilad Shalit, is waiting for his peaceful return," read the announcement. [emphasis added]

The distinction between terrorists whose goal is to kill innocent civilians and soldiers who kill innocent civilians by accident--is apparently lost on Gush Shalom.

Shalit was stationed outside Gaza and was not captured during an actual military operation. According to the All POW-MIA Website, a POW is:

A detained person as defined in Articles 4 and 5 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of August 12, 1949. In particular, one who, while engaged in combat under orders of his government, is captured by the armed forces of the enemy. [emphasis added]

And terrorists are not soldiers--they do not conduct themselves according to all of the laws and customs of war, which require being part of a chain of command, wearing a uniform and bearing arms openly.

They seem to go to a lot of trouble to stretch a point. Just what are they up to?

On their Website, Gush Shalom defines their goals:

The primary aim of Gush Shalom is to influence Israeli public opinion and lead it towards peace and conciliation with the Palestinian people, based on the following principles:

• Putting an end to the occupation,

  - Accepting the right of the Palestinian people to establish an independent and sovereign State of Palestine in all the territories occupied by Israel in 1967,

• Reinstating the pre-1967 "Green Line" as the border between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine (with possible minor exchanges of territories agreed between the parties); the border will be open for the free movement of people and goods, subject to mutual agreement.
  
  
• Establishing Jerusalem as the capital of the two states, with East Jerusalem (including the Haram al-Sharif) serving as the capital of Palestine and West Jerusalem (including the Western Wall) serving as the capital of Israel. The city is to be united on the physical and municipal level, based on mutual agreement.
  
  
• Recognizing in principle the Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees, allowing each refugee to choose freely between compensation and repatriation to Palestine and Israel, and fixing by mutual agreement the number of refugees who will be able to return to Israel in annual quotas, without undermining the foundations of Israel.
  
  
• Safeguarding the security of both Israel and Palestine by mutual agreement and guarantees.
  
  
• Striving for overall peace between Israel and all Arab countries and the creation of a regional union.

Gush Shalom's goals seem to depend an awful lot on reaching "mutual agreement." It's all well and good that they consider themselves a driving force as they "influence Israeli public opinion and lead it towards peace and conciliation with the Palestinian people"--but have they noticed who is behind the wheel on the Palestinian side?

Technorati Tag: Israel and Gush Shalom and Olmert and Gilad Shalit and Palestinians.