Gilad Shalit returns to Israel as Palestinian prisoner swap begins

The Envoy

Looking pale and gaunt but apparently healthy, Israeli conscript Sgt. Gilad Shalit, 25, was reunited with his family in Israel Tuesday after five years of being held captive by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Under the deal to gain his freedom, Israel simultaneously released 477 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, busing them overnight Tuesday to be reunited with their families in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza. In all, more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails will be released in the coming months as part of the Egyptian-brokered deal.

"Now Gilad has returned home, to his family, his people and his country," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Facebook. "A short time ago, I embraced him as he came off the helicopter and escorted him to his parents, Aviva and Noam, and I said, 'I have brought your son back home.'"

"But this is also a hard day," Netanyahu continued. "I would like to make it clear: We will continue to fight terrorism. Any released terrorist who returns to terrorism — his blood is upon his head."

Polling showed Israelis overwhelmingly approved the prisoner swap--one recent poll by Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahoronot showed 79 percent support--even while some analysts warned the strategic costs were high.

"The mood in Israel was one of elation, with 'welcome home' signs on street corners and morning commuters watching live broadcasts of the swap on cellular telephones," Reuters reported.

The emotional scenes of joyful homecomings were echoed as released Palestinian prisoners arrived in Gaza and the West Bank Tuesday.

But the terms of the release hurt Israel's credibility and its assertion that it does not negotiate with terrorists, some analysts argued.

"The prisoner exchange deal that Israel struck with Hamas last week does not make sense in terms of the country's foreign and defense policy goals," former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas wrote at Foreign Affairs. "A country that has been a victim of terrorism for decades -- and that maintains that nations should never negotiate with terrorist organizations--has done exactly that, exchanging 1,027 convicted terrorists (550 of whom were directly involved in multiple murders) for one soldier, Gilad Shalit."

Other popular Yahoo! News stories:

Want more of our best national security stories? Visit The Envoy or connect with us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.