Gilad Shalit's return to Israel after being held by Hamas for five and a half years is huge news for Israelis and Jews across the world. As a member of the Jewish community, I always found the fixation on Shalit a bit odd. He was prayed for often, almost dutifully, as regularly as "peace in the world" and "souls in purgatory" are prayed for at my family's Catholic dinner table. I suppose it sounds cold to suggest that one Israeli soldier might not be a fair trade for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. Some of these prisoners undoubtedly deserve to be freed, but others have committed serious crimes, including murder and terrorist attacks. Read Der Spiegel's account here.
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