A painful, potentially dangerous, but right decision

Together with millions of Israelis I just saw the first video pictures from Egyptian television, showing Gilad Shalit being escorted out of a car, looking pale and slightly in shock but walking and physically in good health. Bradley Burston sums up many of my own feelings right now. There remains a lot to be improved in this country, and many wrongs wait to be righted, but I am still glad, grateful, and proud that I am living on this side of the Green Line and of the Gaza-Israel border, and not on the other side. By the way, last night I saw good old Yossi Sarid on television. He was asked about Binyamin Nethanyahu's decision to sign the deal with hamas, whether it was a brave decision. He said - rightly, in my opinion - that it was the right decision, one that he fully supported, but that a decision by a political leader can hardly be called brave if it is supported by about 80% of the public, 90% of his cabinet, and virtually 100% of the media. For such a decision to qualify as brave the leader should dare to strive against the political stream and face opposition even within his own party when he believes that is the right thing to do for his country. Let's hope that Bibi N. will find that courage one day, soon.

PS: My pride and gratefulness were even stronger when I watched the poor kid being interviewed in a ridiculous, amateuristic, and rather abusive, cruel manner by Egyptian journalists, and when I finally saw him meet with IDF officers. Kol HaKavod leTsahal, as we say here. And thank G'd for Tsahal (the IDF), I would add, as someone who can hardly be labeled as being either militaristic or overly religious.