By
RITA POLIAKOV, Staff Reporter (
CJN)
The kidnapping of Gilad Schalit is not a black and white issue, said Middle East analyst and educator Ari Applbaum, left.
Applbaum spoke earlier this month to a group of young people at the House, a Jewish social and educational centre. He created the lecture about Schalit as part of the educational programming of
the David Project, a non-profit organization that encourages Jewish leadership through educational seminars and workshops, on college campuses and off.
In leading the event, which was organized by the House and the Birthright Israel Alumni Community, Applbaum concentrated on humanizing the sometimes controversial issue of kidnapped Israeli
soldiers.
?I started with saying [Schalit] is a person,? he told The CJN after the talk. ?I wanted to remind them that he's a person. I told a little bit about his life.?
Schalit, a staff sergeant in the Israel Defence Forces, was kidnapped by Palestinian militants near the Gaza Strip on June 25, 2006. He is currently believed to be alive and is being held by
Hamas.
Two other soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, were also kidnapped around the same time. Goldwasser and Regev were held by Hezbollah and killed.
These three abductions led to military actions in Gaza and to the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
?I think that it's such an emotional issue. Israelis have such a complicated relationship with it. It's hard for [people] outside the country to understand,? he said. ?I tried to bring shades of
gray [to the discussion].?
During the lecture, he also discussed the return of Goldwasser's and Regev's bodies, which were swapped for five Hezbollah prisoners in July 2008.
?It was really controversial. Until the last moment, [the army] wasn't sure whether they were alive or dead. Until the last day, Hezbollah dropped hints that they were alive,? he said. ?Many
Israelis said if you're willing to put a price on two question marks, what you're conveying is it doesn't really matter' why keep them alive'?
Applbaum's lecture ended with a discussion about the best course of action to achieve Schalit's release.
He said there are three options when dealing with Schalit: to let the issue go, to stage another military action or to negotiate a swap.
?[The first] is a non-starter in Israel. It's not even weighed as a serious option,? he said, adding that there will most likely be a swap, possibly for some 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
?People say that the IDF is a unique army' one tool in their toolbox is knowing that whatever happens, they'll return home,? Applbaum said. ?Proponents of the deal say that if you lose that
commitment, soldiers will not go into battle prepared.?
While the lecture was meant to inform, Applbaum's main goal was to initiate a discussion with the audience.
?The facts can be researched by anyone in the audience. The answers are out there. The value I brought was in facilitating a discussion where the audience began to understand the complexity [of
the situation],? he said after the lecture.
Brandon Marlon, 30, who was in the audience, agreed. ?It's always best when it's interactive,? he said. ?It's always good to talk about it. I think it's a complex issue. The idea is to rise above
the emotions.?
For Lior Cyngiser, the alumni relationship co-ordinator for the Birthright Israel Alumni Community, the talk was an important one, especially for the event's target audience ? Jews aged 20 to
30.
?I think it's super relevant because the target audience are all connected to Israel' Everyone can relate to the issue. It's important to keep the issue alive,? he said.
