Today is the 1,324th day of Gilad Shalit’s captivity. In fact, as I write this, it’s been 1,324 days, 14 hours, 19 minutes, and roughly 31 seconds since Shalit walked free. I know this not because of any particular concern on my part, but because everyone in Israel knows this. It’s impossible not to.
Along the side of the Ha’aretz website, there’s a photo of Shalit and a ticker tallying each second of his incarceration. This constant, morbidly fascinating reminder of one young Israeli’s terrible plight tells you all you need to know about today’s Israel – about the checkpoints, the ID cards, the soldiers, the terrorists, and, of course, last year’s Operation Cast Lead.
At this point, I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that Shalit has become more than one man. In this country, he belongs to everyone – he’s their brother, their father, their sister, their friend and neighbor. Shalit is, to all those concerned, anyone and everyone who’s ever served in the IDF.
This is what makes his continued captivity sting so deep on the body politic. Israel has lost one of its own, and is forced to watch helplessly his struggle for survival. For a nation whose very foundations are safety and refuge, Gilad Shalit is a glaring reminder of its failures.
On Friday, I witnessed what has become a weekly ritual outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence in Jerusalem: the 11am protest demanding Shalit’s return. There was a tent – on it, 1321, to signify again the days of captivity – filled with pamphlets and posters and photos of the lost soldier. Outside, there were maybe thirty demonstrators, undeterred by the rain and cool temperatures, vehemently shouting out chants and songs: “free, free, free Gilad Shalit!”
In front of them stood a handful of cameramen and photographers. They paced up and down the street, snapping photos and taking video, presumably as they do every Friday at 11am. And to my own surprise, that is what I found most compelling.
As I’ve said, Gilad Shalit is truly larger than life. And, it’s in my estimation that the media – with help from the government and the military leadership – made him so. By keeping the public eye on the Shalit affair, the media, knowingly or not, have created a political pawn, putting a face on the Israeli fight with Hamas, however misrepresentative that face may be.
And in doing so, they’ve tugged at the heartstrings of every Israeli Jew, filling a large part of the population with grief-filled rage and consequently, aggression instead of, say, a reasoned, more rational response (although, to be reasonable and rational with Hamas may quite well have been impossible). Still and all, I have no doubts that Shalit’s capture and the media’s incessant prodding at Israeli emotions paved the way, at least in part, for the operation in Gaza last January, which certainly broadened the diplomatic chasm between Israelis and Palestinians, while portraying Israel in a largely negative light internationally.
In writing this, I by no means intend to downplay Gilad Shalit’s situation; he’s a victim in every sense of the word, and it truly is terrible what’s been done to him. However, I do not see the need for the continued, around-the-clock national obsession. It attacks reason and rational thinking, bringing out only the worst in people. When passion and revenge outweigh forethought and dialogue, the consequences are dire. Democracy fails, guns fire, and people die.
Gilad Shalit, we want you to be safe – American or Israeli, that sentiment doesn’t change. What we don’t want is you, stranded and alone in Gaza, to be a pawn and impetus for war. Quite frankly, you deserve better.
Sam Melamed is a MASA participant, participating in Career Israel, one of MASA Israel‘s 160 programs.
