Eye for an eye

Gaza residents should be treated the same way Gilad Shalit is being treated

Uri Orbach|Published: 09.05.08 , 14:28

Palestinian students residing in the Gaza Strip have been bitterly complaining as of late that the State of Israel does not allow them to leave the Strip and head for studies abroad, therefore causing them to miss a whole school year.

These miserable students were of course immediately elicited the support of the education fans amongst us. These Israelis, being the righteous souls that they are, somehow fail to understand how it could be that the “People of the Book,” the Jews, are depriving Palestinian students of the possibility to acquire education.

In fact, someone even argued that by preventing them from acquiring education, Israel will be pushing these students into Hamas’ arms – as if before this ban on leaving to study abroad, the students in the Gaza Strip were all members of the Palestinian vegan association.

These students want education? Well, we should give them the opportunity to acquire education just in line with the way they are allowing abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit to acquire education. We should also embark on the release of Palestinian prisoners just in line with the way they have been releasing Shalit.

Freedom of movement?

So they want freedom of movement too? Sure, let’s give them the same freedom of movement Gilad currently enjoys. They want water, fuel, and electricity? Well, Israel should use its power to grant all those basic necessities to the Palestinians living in Gaza in the same way that Gilad Shalit is enjoying all those basic necessities in captivity.

At this time, everything we do should be in line with the principle of eye for an eye. Whatever it is that our own abducted soldier is being given at this time – this is the maximum that we should be granting to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

If Gilad Shalit is being held in a small prison, then the Palestinians shall be held in a large prison. And if Gilad has no idea when or even if he will ever be released, the Palestinians too should have no idea when or if they will ever be liberated.