Gilad Schalit Letter Details His "Intolerable And Inhumane Nightmare"

JERUSALEM — An Israeli soldier seized by Palestinian militants more than three years ago described his captivity as an "intolerable and inhumane nightmare" in a handwritten 2006 letter to his parents made public on Wednesday.

In carefully printed script, Sgt. Gilad Schalit reported deteriorating health and deep depression, and makes an anguished appeal to the Israeli government to release him from his "closed and solitary prison."

Schalit, now 23, wrote the 14-line letter three months after gunmen affiliated with the Gaza Strip's Islamic Hamas rulers captured him in a cross-border raid.

The existence of the letter had been known, but his parents had not published its contents.

It was leaked to the Israeli media ahead of the publication of a new book that purports through militant sources to chronicle his captivity and Israel's unsuccessful efforts to trade him for Palestinian prisoners it holds.

Schalit's captors have not allowed anyone to see him. Three letters and an audio tape relayed to his parents have been the only signs of life from him since he was seized. The most recent was a letter that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter passed to his parents in October 2008.

"My health is deteriorating from day to day, particularly my mental health, and this causes me much depression," Schalit wrote in the newly revealed 2006 letter, which was carried by Israeli media outlets. "I am waiting for this intolerable and inhumane nightmare of mine to end, to be released from this lonely and closed prison."

"I ask of my government ... to do everything it can to win my release as quickly as possible, because everyday that passes hurts me more," he added.

Some of the letter's contents may have been dictated by the militants holding him. Schalit refers to his captors as "mujahedeen," writing the Arabic word for "holy warriors" in Hebrew letters. He also uses the Arabic name for the border crossing where he was captured.

In exchange for Schalit, Hamas officials have demanded that Israel release hundreds of long-serving Palestinian prisoners, including masterminds of attacks that killed Israeli citizens. Israel has so far balked, and three years of negotiations through Egyptian and more recently, German, mediators have failed to wrest a compromise.

Hamas officials had no comment Wednesday on the indirect negotiations.

Comments

[Paul Hackett]

01:06 PM on 09/15/2009

The Palestinians don't have F-16 jet or tanks, or cluster bombs, or white phosphorous, or a modern military that routinely commits war crimes (as the UN and a multitude of organizations have found the IDF to have done).

This soldier was enforcing a brutal and illegal occupation of Palestinian territory. He was taking part in a criminal act and as such I'd prefer to save my sympathy for the THOUSANDS of Palestinians that are being illegally held captive by Israel in its jails, not to mention the entire West Bank which is under illegal occupation.

[CanisLatrans]

01:35 PM on 09/15/2009

Don't get the wrong idea, I think Israel should give up the Territories and evacuate the Settlements. But that said, let's not kid ourselves with the notion that the Palestinians are completely helpless victims in all this. Many civilians, even children are INTENTIONALLY targeted by Palestinian suicide bombers.

This doesn't justify Israeli over-reactions, but blanket excuses for Palesrtinian war crimes is just as wrong as blanket excuses for Israeli ones.

[CanisLatrans]

07:51 PM on 09/10/2009

Hmm, let's see if I understand some folks here... in recent American politics, we have determined that if an American captures a terrorist, it is wrong to torture the terrorist regardless of what crimes he may have committed. Torturing anyone, no matter how vile, is not what civilized societies do.

But, when an Israeli soldier is captured, it's perfectly OK to torture him to madness and death. Because torturing an Israeli will make things so much better for the 10,000 Palestinians that are in jail, you betcha!

No, sir, no double standards or racism here at all, no sirree. Two wrongs make a right every day.

[Wisdo]

08:05 AM on 09/11/2009

where does it say Gilad is being tortured?

[CanisLatrans]

04:35 PM on 09/15/2009

Well, Gilad himself calls it an "inhuman nightmare" so I'm guessing they're not lavishing him with foot-rubs. But the reactions here from many people are "no sympathy at all" and similar exortations, which tells me that it's okay to torture as long as the person being tortured represents a system they don't like.

Which makes me wonder what folks had against Guantanamo. "Inhumane treatment" (torture, harsh interrogation, whatever) is either good for all or bad for all, it cannot be good for some and not for others. I personally think it is bad for all and it should not happen to Palestinians OR Israelis, but otherwise "civilised" folks here seem to think it is fine to take one man and hold him up as a symbol for all they hate and let him suffer mistreatment to.... what? Make themselves feel better? Shoe hoe much they care for the Palestinaisn by mistreating another?

Great.

[MajorKong]

08:02 PM on 09/09/2009

I may have serious issues with Israeli policy - but I wouldn't wish this sort of thing on my worst enemy.

Let the kid go already.

[max08]

10:56 PM on 09/09/2009

And release the 10,000+ Palestinian prisoners that Israel is not only holding, but torturing according to Israeli human rights groups.

[LLfrombflo]

06:57 PM on 09/10/2009

Indeed- i can muster almost no empathy for this young man. In contrast to the above post, I could wish this on someone- namely, an Israeli soldier.

They know what their duties are when they are in the army, and those with at least a scrap of morality or compassion refuse to serve. Those who do serve do so knowing well that they will be tasked with oppressive, murderous, sadistic, barbarous actions against defenseless Palestinians in Israel's campaign of gradual ethnic cleansing

Israel routinely kidnaps Palestinians, brings them to massive prison camps in Israel and subjects them to unequivocal torture, on a regular and routine basis. Gilad Shalit now is the proxy for the massive amounts of suffering and death carried out by the IDF, and deserves what he gets.

[arvay]

07:30 AM on 09/10/2009

The entire population of gaza is in a giant prison, a few people there are also depressed.

He's a soldier, carried a gun and was prepared to use it.

He's not a "kid."

[PWM]

01:01 PM on 09/10/2009

What is wrong. The Palestianians who cry about mistreatment lack the humanity to rise above the fray.

[LLfrombflo]

07:00 PM on 09/10/2009

Exactly- they (our media, particularly AIPAC spokesman Wolf Blitzer) love to phrase it as "kidnapped Israeli Gilad Shalit", instead of his actual status as captured enemy soldier.

Ever wonder why Palestine has never been sanctioned by the UN? Because what they do is completely legal resistance against armed aggression and occupation. Except for when they target civilians, and on that the ratio is about 100:1, Israel to Palestine.

[lightningbolt]

02:22 PM on 09/09/2009

This letter was written by Gilad under pressure and with gun to his head. Hamas told him what to say. The only reason Hamas allowed this letter to be released is to push Israeli public opinion in favor of making a very unfair deal with Hamas, in which Gilad would be released in exchange for hundreds of convicted murderers.

[PKatherine]

04:27 PM on 09/09/2009

convicted murderers huh?

like who?

[lightningbolt]

10:29 AM on 09/10/2009

Like Marwan Barghouti for example.

[jordanispalestine]

10:36 AM on 09/10/2009

Marouin Bargoutti, for one..who is in jail for 5 life terms!

[LLfrombflo]

07:03 PM on 09/10/2009

Convicted? Murderers?

Convicted by whom, the IDF soldiers who murder their children, abduct the men and torture them in prison?

How about "people who speak out against Israeli murder and occupation?"

Tell the truth for once.

[EllaLaurent]

01:41 PM on 09/09/2009

Indeed, when I read the article and the contents of his letter, I could not help but to think, 'Welcome to the world of the Gazans.'

In fact, things are so bad for Arab -Israelis within Israel proper that young Arab men are starting to join the IDF just to support their families.

I can only imagine the psychological torment of these Muslim men.

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/docarchive/docarchive_20090904-1030b.mp3

Palestinian men who are taken from their beds at night are kidnapped, young arab men who are held without charge and access to representation are kidnapped.

This Gilat guy is a captured prisoner of war. When Israel honestly attempts to negotiate peace with the Palestinians, they can then make honest peaceful efforts to secure his release.

[lainey]

06:43 PM on 09/09/2009

It is important to take a history lesson before posting on this issue. If one did so, they would see that many negotiations were held and the land that was promised, only to have the Palestinian leadership walk away from it. And remember Gaza, all belongs to the Palestinians. Learn a little. If you did, you would find that the last thing the good people of Palestine need is further promotion of oppression, poverty, and brutality inflicted on them by their leadership of old and new. God help the Palestinians from their leadership and people who defend them. They deserve better.

[Taxi]

02:40 AM on 09/10/2009

They deserve big time reparations from the izzies

That's for damn sure.

[LLfrombflo]

07:07 PM on 09/10/2009

In Clinton's own words, after the Camp David accords, the deal offered to the Palestinians was 'utterly unacceptable.'

And if you're referring to the Taba accords which took place shortly after, it was Israeli PM Ehud Olmert who walked away from the table when an actually acceptable deal was on the horizon.

Maybe YOU should get your history straight.

BTW AIPAC maybe isn't the best source for your 'history."

[max08]

10:58 PM on 09/09/2009

Shalit is in an Egyptian jail now. Google it.

[jamilk99]

10:15 PM on 09/13/2009

lol is everything on google true? You can also find a Kenyan birth certificate for President Obama - it's on google so it must be legit.

[alysheba 3]

12:21 PM on 09/09/2009

And how are Palestinian prisoners treated by the Israelis?

"closed and solitary prison.".....This is the intolerable and inhumane nightmare? Try speaking to prisoners who have been tortured by the US. That is intolerable and inhumane. Being held in a cell by himself does not meet the requirements of inhumane.

[PKatherine]

04:29 PM on 09/09/2009

hey those were just..... enhance interrogation techniques....

or whatever euphemism they use for torture these days.

[11907281]

04:57 PM on 09/09/2009

The so-called righteous (on any side) have no use for equality.