Their hearts are in the right place, but they're not

To start off, this entry may arouse a bit of consternation, but i still want to write it and get it off my chest.

When I studied at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1998, there was a strike of the student union against increased tuition fees. The union barred any student from entering the campus. They used violence, but police rarely stepped in. All overseas students, though, were to be permitted in, as they were not Israeli students or subject to Israeli tuition. Well, somehow, that message from the Student Union president did not trickle down to the minions, as they assaulted overseas students, including me. Nothing serious, just some pushing and shoving.

I went to the student union president and beyond threatening documentation of the incidents with video cameras and submitting the video to both the Israeli police and to the American Embassy, I asked the President: "Why, on G-d's green earth, are you protesting increased tuition by barring students from entering the university??? Why are you protesting in front of your own university, when the Ministry of Education is across town? Why would you not protest there? Why would you not protest in the middle of Jerusalem, where you can gain visibility? Your actions aren't affecting anyone but yourselves!"

The answer I received is an all-too-typical one here, namely "That's the way it is".

Which brings us to 2009. 2006, actually. Hamas launches an attack on soldiers on the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, killing all save one, whom they take back to Gaza. That soldier's name is Gilad Shalit. He has been held there ever since. What his family has gone through is an absolute nightmare.

Now - I have a Gilad Shalit sticker on the wall in my apartment. For a time, I had Bring Gilad Shalit Home as my Facebook status. While working at the JCRC, I worked with lay leaders to galvanize mass petitions and postcards calling on the UN, US, and Congress to do all in their power to bring about the release of Gilad Shalit, and the two captives held by Hezbollah (who were, after a war and years of waiting, returned to Israel in bodybags).

What I cannot get past is the tactic of those here in Jerusalem who are pushing for the release of Gilad Shalit. They are protetsting in front of the Prime Minister's office, and have been there for years. As I am speaking, there are hundreds gathered there, calling for the Israeli Government to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit. Some of the prisoners that Hamas is demanding in exchange are those with 'blood on their hands'. I am not going to get into the issue of whether it is better to release convicted terrorists in exchange for a captured soldier or not...that's a horror that has reared its head here too often. I am a new Israeli citizen, but I have not served in the Israeli armed forces, and so my point of view is not that of a veter

What I will say - why on G-d's green Earth are they protesting in front of the Prime Minister's residence? Logic would dictate the following:

• Hamas has been rearming and resupplying through tunnels dug from the Sinai (Egypt) side of the border. Except for minor and sporadic shows of force, the Egyptian authorities have not acted against Hamas.Egypt has been acting as a negotiator between Israel and Hamas, but has not taken a stance against Hamas' terrorist activities, including the attack in which Shalit was captured.
  
• Therefore, protest and bring all leverage to bear against Egypt!
• There should be regular protests in front of all Egyptian trade offices in Israel.
• There should be regular protests in front of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and on the Israeli-Egyptian border
• There should be calls to stop the thousands of Israeli tourists who vacation in Sinai from doing so.
• There should be regular protests in front of the Ministry of Trade in order to sanction all trade with Egypt.

Perhaps these efforts could bring about some effect. One thing is sure - protesting in front of the Prime Minister's residence is a ridiculously ineffective method to bring about the freedom of Gilad Shalit.