The Two Exploitations of Gilad Shalit

Tomorrow, according to The Jewish Week, a flotilla will pass down the Hudson and East rivers, ending at the United Nations. Unlike the ‘Free Gaza’ flotilla that serves as it’s inspiration, it will not be carrying any humanitarian aid, no mid-afternoon nosh for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Rather, this flotilla’s mission is to draw attention to the plight of Israeli soldier Gil Shalit, who has been held prisoner by Hamas since 2006, to teach delegates that Gaza is not “a besieged utopia of wine and roses”.

Meanwhile, a pro-Hamas news outlet reports that Shalit is intently following the World Cup to allegedly take his mind off the fact that the Israeli government has thus far refused to accept Hamas’ offer of a prisoner swap.

Like in soccer, Israel’s supporters and Hamas are embroiled in an aggressive game of kicking Shalit’s plight back and forth, trying to score the most symbolic points. One can’t help but feel for Shalit, as propaganda wars rarely actually care about their human ammunition.

Another Jewish Week writer, Jonathan Mark, contends that Israel’s easing of the blockade was a mistake since they didn’t get Shalit released in return. It is unclear what connection prisoners of war have with withholding toys from all of Gaza’s children, but it does put Jonathan Mark conspicuously in league with the Grinch.

But of course, shifting the attention away from the humanitarian crisis (of which toy shortages are sadly the least of Gaza’s woes) by bringing up Shalit is all part of the game, which is why the reactionary ‘Free Gilad’ flotilla is embarking now, in the aftermath of renewed international interest. The last time I remember hearing so much about Shalit was around the time of the widely condemned 2008 siege. How convenient.