Now, the security services oppose the prisoner exchange deal for the release of the soldier Gilad Shalit.⁴¹ And not because the price1,400 in exchange for 1-is exorbitant. On the contrary, for many Israelis it seems quite natural that one Israeli soldier is worth 1,400 "terrorists."⁴² But the security services raise much weightier arguments: if prisoners are released for a "kidnapped" soldier, it will encourage the "terrorists" to capture more soldiers.

At least some of the released prisoners will return to their organizations and activities, and that will result in more bloodshed. Israeli soldiers will be obliged to risk their lives in order to arrest them again.

And there is something else lurking in the background: some of the families of Israelis killed in attacks, who are organized in a very vociferous lobby connected with the extreme right, will raise hell. How could this pitiful government, devoid of any public standing, withstand such pressure?

For each of these arguments, there is a counter-argument.

Not releasing the prisoners leaves the "terrorists" with a permanent motivation to "kidnap" soldiers. After all, nothing else seems to convince us to release prisoners. In these circumstances, such actions will always enjoy huge popularity with the Palestinian public, which includes many thousands of families that are waiting for the return of their loved ones.

From a military point of view, there is another strong argument: "Soldiers are not left in the field." This is held as a sacred maxim, a mainstay of army morale. Every soldier must know that if he or she is captured, the Israeli army will do everything, but everything, to get him free. If this belief is undermined, will soldiers be as ready to take risks in battle?

Furthermore, experience shows that a high proportion of released Palestinian prisoners do not return to the cycle of violence. After years in detention, all they want is to live in peace and devote their time to their children. They exercise a moderating influence on their surroundings.

And as for the thirst for revenge of the families of "terror victims"-woe to a government that gives in to such emotions, which, of course, exist on both sides.

The political argument goes both ways. There is pressure from the "terror victims," but there is even stronger pressure from the family of the captured soldier.

In Judaism, there is a commandment called "ransom of prisoners." It arose from the reality of a persecuted community dispersed across the world. Every Jew is obliged to make any sacrifice and pay any price for the release of another Jew from prison. If Turkish pirates captured a

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