The government’s decision of 29 June authorizing a prisoner swap with Hizbullah was a decidely controversial matter. Discussions of whether to approve the deal raised a storm of opinions of all types, both in support and in opposition. Below, we’ve included an opinion piece by David Saranga, Consul for Media and Public Affairs in New York from this week’s Jewish Week that explains some of the arguments.

Understanding Israel’s Painful Decision
by David Saranga
Special To The Jewish Week

‘We’re really talking about Udi; he is my husband … someone to whom I said ‘I’ll bring you the moon and do anything for you.’ ”

For many Israelis, this statement by Karnit Goldwasser, the wife of Ehud Goldwasser, captures the popular sentiment. The government’s recent approval of a prisoner exchange with Hezbollah, the Lebanese terrorist group, means the bodies of Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who are presumed dead, will be returned to their homes, families and country. This moment comes at the conclusion of a closely-watched process that drained the emotional reserves of all Israeli citizens, not only the immediate families of the kidnapped soldiers. This painful chapter, with its two years of collective worry and anguish, will now begin to close despite the high price we will pay for Regev’s and Goldwasser’s release.