Sometimes, you become overwhelmed by the sadness, by the futility of fighting against the wind. Sometimes, you know there is nothing you as a single person can do to change even this small thing. Sometimes, you want to do it all...and know there is nothing that can be done at your level. I am not a leader of a country, not even of my own home. I am not a politician who can sway crowds with a speech or rock countries with my demands.

I am a mother whose heart cries today for another mother. I salute Aviva Shalit, her courage, her strength. I pray for her son every day and today, more than any other. When words fail, perhaps all that is left are pictures. Today it is four years since that horrible day when Palestinians infiltrated into our land, attacked and killed our soldiers, and dragged Gilad off. Four years without a mother's hug, a mother's soothing voice.

Four years. I have watched my son enter the army...grow, develop...and come out safe. All that I ever begged of God during that time. I have seen my second son enter the army and I am watching him grow, praying desperately for his safety. All I can give Gilad today is my prayers for him. Be safe, be healthy, may you know the world over today people are praying for you, sending their love and hope and most of all, may you come home soon. The only thing that has changed since this video was made...is that another year has passed. Another year, without Gilad:

Today's quote from Defense Minister Ehud Barak:

"There are 1.5 million people living in Gaza and only one of them really needs humanitarian aid. Only one of them is locked in a tiny room and never sees the light of day, only one of them is not allowed visits and is in uncertain health – his name is Gilad Shalit, and this month four years will have passed since he was kidnapped.”

--------------

We are a democratic country; so much so, we allow our enemies into our government and from the podium of our parliament, they have the freedom to call for policies that would destroy us.

Our current enemies, those who pose the most immediate threat lie to our north. This is Hizbollah land, where according to their leader Hassan Nasrallah, "We have discovered how to hit the Jews where they are the most vulnerable. The Jews love life, so that is what we shall take away from them. We are going to win, because they love life and we love death."

Our enemies lie to the northeast. This is Syria. My son spent many months on the Golan Heights, including some tense days waiting to see how the Syrians would react after Israel sent planes to destroy a building widely believed to be the beginnings of a nuclear reactor. My son fought near Gaza to help stop the rockets being fired against Israel.

Our enemies lie further to the east. This is Iran, led by a madman who promises that he will do all he can to accomplish in minutes more than what Adolf Hitler accomplished in six years of war. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made it clear in words and actions that he is after a nuclear bomb and that his goal is to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Believe him.

This site archives articles about many issues, including:

• A running "tally" of anti-Semitic attacks worldwide (for 2008, 2007, 2006)
• Articles about aliyah, and Five Reasons to Come to Israel
• Our enemies, in their own words
• Barnard/Columbia's shameful decision to grant tenure to Nadia Abu El-Haj, a "professor" of anthropology who poisons scholarship with in her political agenda
• Life in Sderot
• About the Holocaust
• And much more

An Israeli Soldier's Mother

From the time our children are born, we accept that our identity has changed. We were so many things, and continue to be. But in the moments after we give birth, and in the years that follow, we become something so much more. I have been a mother for more than 20 years, and now, as I see my oldest son enter the army of Israel, I become a soldier's mother. To read my ongoing blog: http://israelisoldiersmother.blogspot.com/.

Blogging not only opens new doors in terms of outreach, it is also quite addictive. Here's another blog I'm running: http://thisisisrael.blogspot.com/ - This is Israel.

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"We have discovered how to hit the Jews where they are the most vulnerable. The Jews love life, so that is what we shall take away from them. We are going to win, because they love life and we love death."

-- Hizbullah General Secretary,  Hassan Nasrallah

Nasrallah is right - we Jews love life and they love death. But he is wrong - it is not what makes us vulnerable, it is what makes us invincible.

We have the choice to be strong...or to bow to our enemies. We must tell the world, we are going to win because we love life, because we love our land, and because we are destined to live in this country, this land, for eternity. The people and the nation of Israel lives!

Part of this living is remembering what was done in the past so as to prevent it from happening in the future. Several sections on this site are dedicated to this principle. These include:

• Partial Report of Anti-Semitic Attacks by country in 2008 (in progress)
• Partial Report of Anti-Semitic Attacks in 2007 (including summaries)
• Partial Report of Anti-Semitic Attacks in 2006 (including summaries)
• Having A Son in the Army
• About the Holocaust

About Life in Israel

Today, as with most days - Palestinians fired rockets at our cities, probably attempted to infiltrate our cities or smuggle weapons in order to perpetrate attacks against us. Our response must be...even if you succeed today, and sometimes you will...you may hurt us, but you will never defeat us.

Ultimately, Israel is about spirit. Every day in Israel, we are reminded of the things that could only happen here. For a few examples, click here.

Remembering the Lebanon War II

Do you know what a Katyusha rocket sounds like? Click here to see and listen to a katyusha. Some sound bites from this war:

• Dan Gillerman, Israel's representative to the UN, recently said, "When you sleep with a missile, sometimes you don't wake up."
• Lebanese President Emil Lahoud, "I support the Hizbollah because they liberated our land"  and called Hizbollah "a symbol for steadfastness and dignity." See When You Sleep with a Missile.
• Click here for more on...War in the North including a blog from a resident of Karmiel who wrote from her work in a hospital in the north (Resident's Blog) and an article on what the war should be called War of the Captives. Len, a resident of Haifa took pictures of what happened in Haifa during the war. Click here to see a list of the Presentations and download them. (Please be patient, it may take a moment to load, but the images are important and the message one worth the delay).

Remembering Gush Katif and its brave people:

On the right is a picture of a Kassem Rocket fired at Moshe and Rachel Saperstein's home in Neve Dekalim. This was one of more than 6000 rockets and mortars fired by Palestinians hoping to drive the Jews from their homes. In the end, it was not the Palestinians...but Ariel Sharon that accomplished this - to his everlasting shame and guilt.

Click here for a brief tour of what was stolen from the people of Gush Katif, and the people of Israel.

Poland

After a trip to Poland, I began documenting what I'd seen, what I'd learned, and most importantly, what I felt. In the months and years since my trip, I find that once you have been to Poland, you can never quite see the world in the same way again. Here are a few of the articles related to that trip:

• Auschwitz
• Story of the Chelmno Baby
• Treblinka
• Jedwabna

I have begun a section to document my visit  Poland: from a Jewish perspective. I hope to add many more pictures in the coming weeks, and perhaps expand the pages to include other countries as well. Also, please see: www.polandjews.com for more information.

If you have comments about this site, please write to me at .

Western Wall, Jerusalem

Golan Heights, Israel

Judean Desert

Masada

Who links to me?

Background of PaulaSays.com:

I'm hoping that something that seems inherently egotistical can be explained as something else. For quite a few years, friends and relatives have said they enjoy my articles and I should do something about saving them, publishing them to a wider audience, etc.

PaulaSays.com is a step in this direction. Although I hope the site will grow, at this point, it contains articles that I have written (most have been published either in Israeli or US newspapers, or are located in e-magazines and Internet News sites such as IsraelNationalNews.com and IsraelInsider.com.

Other Interests:

WritePoint

Writing articles soothes the soul, but probably not the checkbook. So, some 15+ years ago, I founded WritePoint Ltd. WritePoint is a leading technical writing company in Israel involved in all manner of documentation and training. Several years ago, we opened the Training Center in Jerusalem. WritePoint is based on a simple concept: offer your clients loyalty and quality that stands the test of time - and they will stay with you. Many of our clients have been with us for years, some for more than a decade. We are always interested in working with new companies. WritePoint's website can be viewed at www.writepoint.com.

MarcShoret

MarcShoret is a list of MARCOM professionals in Israel and abroad. Currently there are more than 220 members on the list and the first annual conference is scheduled for November 2 in Binyanei Hauma in Jerusalem. For more information, see: www.marcshoret.com.

Techshoret

Techshoret is a list of technical writers in Israel and abroad. Currently, there are more than 1800 list members. More than just a list, Techshoret is a community of people who share the same professional interests, for the most part live in the same country, and are interested in learning and teaching each other.

As list owner and one of the moderators of the list, I have the interesting job of helping list members, processing messages and handling problems and, most of all, seeing that the list runs smoothly and politely. The list also features a resume database for technical writers. The Techshoret website can be viewed at www.techshoret.com.

Okay, now that I have your attention with that horrible title - imagine seeing it plastered to a street sign in Jerusalem, our holy city, the capital of our Jewish nation. That's right...there it was (picture coming soon). So the Haredim (Ultra-Orthodox) protested again today. To emphasize their opinions, they dumped garbage on the streets of Jerusalem and burned those garbage cans again.

I had a meeting near one of these neighborhoods. My first impression as we drove through the streets was of the garbage, strewn on the sides, piled on the sides and even sometimes in the middle. Then I saw the "carcasses" of the garbage cans...all that remains is the twisted metal, the plastic having melted away completely and the garbage left to be scattered. What disrespect, I thought to myself - of our beautiful city, our holy land.

Last week, they had a demonstration. I walked through the crowd on my way to make some purchases. There they stood on the high wall that surrounds the cemetery. There they congregated to watch the huge protest rally...what disrespect, I thought to myself. Of the dead who lie there in eternal rest, here in the holiest of holy cities.

They are saying it isn't about racism, but rather a battle between the arrogance of a judge who dared to declare the law was above man, or at least their rabbis. There are those who say this began as racism and certainly the words of one mother, saying "In any case, we won't agree to unite the (Ashkenazi and Sephardic) classes" implies that it remains an issue of racism.

When the demonstration was over last week, massive crowds drifted away...many taking buses to get home. Buses...of the Zionist state they condemn, on the roads built by the Zionist state. They paid for the buses with the Zionist money and when they got home, as evening arrived, they turned on the lights in their homes - powered by electricity from the Zionist state.

From outside our borders, they send flotillas filled with those who hate this land. But worse, so much worse, are those who dare, in our holy city, to put up a sign that says, "Arabs YES, Zionists, NO!." Not so many years ago, there were Arabs who tried to blow up those very buses they took from the demonstration. I was filled with fury when I saw the sign. I was filled with disgust.

My first thought was to ask Egged to write, "ZIONIST BUS" on all those green buses these people regularly use; to ask the government to write "ZIONIST GARBAGE SERVICE" on the trucks that pick up the refuse in these neighborhoods. As we drove away, my mind was cluttered with all the thoughts of what they take from this land and how little they give back in any concrete sense.

I have used up all the arguments, argued them from all sides. Yes, I believe that our army fights with the weapons we give them...and the prayers we say for them. But who are we kidding? Do you think these people who post signs that say, "Arabs YES, Zionists, NO" are praying for the Zionist army?

I am not foolish enough to believe that all of the Haredim support a sign that would encourage our enemies and show a preference for them over the very government and institutions who provide them with their medical care, support for their schools, transportation, water, electricity and more. And yet, as I stood there staring at that sign, plastered to our city, I saw no Haredi person try to remove it in shame. I saw none come over and say to me, "we don't feel that way; it's wrong that someone put it up there."

And I thought to myself, what disrespect to our people, our land and yes, to the very God they claim to serve. I think in a very real sense, this debate about Emmanual is filled with more wrongs than rights; more exaggeration than fact...even more bluster than real racism. I think the parents were wrong, the school was wrong, the courts were wrong and the parents were wrong again.

Our religion does not preach that our rabbis are infallible or above the law...God's or man's. More, our religion is based on respect - respect of people, respect of property, respect for the dead, and respect for the living. There was no respect last week in the streets of Jerusalem as tens of thousands of protesters caused massive delays, littered the ground, trampled the cemetery walls, and cursed the Zionist hand that helps make their lives tolerable here.

Yes, blessings come from God, but the electricity comes from the Electric Company, the buses come from Egged. The garbage they threw on our city will be picked up by our sanitation workers and those signs of hatred will be scrubbed away.

But the next time a Haredi man comes over with his hand out asking for a donation, I will ask him if he really wants my Zionist money. Perhaps this is still the anger talking. Perhaps tomorrow I will be calmer. For now, I think of the tremendous disrespect I saw today, on the streets of Jerusalem, on the walls, and in their hearts.

A long time ago...perhaps not that LONG ago, but a life time in many ways, I boarded an El Al plane with two little boys. We had packed and shipped the contents of much of our life togehter, first as a young couple, than as parents with three small children. My husband and daughter had already flown to Israel to start our new life; he would start working, she would start learning the language to more easily integrate into the third grade. 
I had Elie, who had just turned six, and Shmulik who was three and a half. I'd made the decision not to toileet train him, afraid that as the plane was taking off, he'd need to use the rest rooms. A few more months wouldn't make the difference, but a 10 hour flight with two small boys was looming. on the aisle with Shmulik next to me; Elie had the window seat.

I was exhausted, nervous, tense, excited, frantic, worried. I was an emotional wreck having been alone with the boys for six weeks already as I packed and longed to join my husband. Shmulik fell asleep even before the plane had finished its climb into the sky and slept for most of the journey. I had worried about how I would handle the boys on the plane...I soon found myself lonely and wishing they were awake to keep me company on the plane.

Today, each summer, hundreds of families each year move to make their homes in Israel. It has become so much more accepted than it was when we came. There was no great ceremony but my husband met me at the airport with flowers and that was all that I ever needed. We went home to a house he had rented, put our children to bed and part time difference, part over-exhaustion, part exhiliration, I stood for hours on the balcony just staring at Israel long after my husband and children had gone to sleep. I've come home, I spoke to the hills. And look what I have brought you. My dream...their reality.

For the first year we were here, Shmulik spoke no Hebrew. Not a word. He went to nursery school (called Gan here) and silently watched. He played with the others. "He understands everything," his teachers were quick to tell me and yet I longed to hear him speak.

Elie and Amira quickly grasped the language. Shmulik remained silent. The second year, he continued in silence and I couldn't stand it. I know he understands, I told the teacher, but I want him to speak. She agreed with me...and each time he pointed, she would look at him and tell him that if he wanted something, he had to tell her. And he did - in whole sentences, in perfect Hebrew. Within a few years, he refused to speak English. "Tell me in English," I would encourage him and he would respond, "never mind."

I gave up on the English. I wasn't going to lose communication with my son over a language issue, I told my husband. And for years, though he understood English, he barely spoke it in our home. We moved to Maale Adumim when he was in 6th grade. He met new friends, great friends and somehow among there were more English speakers and so his English returned. He is fluent in both languages.

Why this journey into the past? Because yesterday was one of those moments when you think not just of the present, but of what came before. Shmulik took part in his Tekes Hashba'a. The Swearing-in Ceremony where he formally received his gun and his rifle. They stood there - strong and proud. They promised to protect the State of Israel; the army promised to watch over them. They made this promise in a place like no other in the world; a place holy to our people, our nation. I watched as my baby stood there proud and tall and all that I have wanted  him to be. This moment was my dream....and it is his reality. The soldiers of March, 2010 - Kfir Brigade:

Turkey’s 9/11 

It is dangerous to be an Israeli in Turkey today. The families of Israeli diplomats have come back to Israel, as a cautionary move against possible violence. The diplomats, so far, have not been recalled. The flotilla fiasco is, according to some in Turkey, their 9/11. Of all the discussions I have heard, all the comments from all sides, this is perhaps the most telling.

September 11 was a day in which 50,000 people were attacked, more if you count the Pentagon and still more if you understand it was as much an attack on the United States itself, rather than “only” the World Trade Center. September 11 was a day in which innocence was attacked. Those who care more about making a point than reality, could argue that those in the Pentagon might not have been innocent, but no rational human being can say that those who perished, and those who survived, had done anything to justify what happened.

No, September 11 was about innocent victims and terrorism. How telling that the Turks use and abuse this event for their own political and cynical gains. The flotilla was not about humanitarian aid. No one can seriously believe that when Israel had constantly, even the day before, made public announcements that it was prepared to deliver the cargo to Gaza, once it was checked for security reasons and smuggling of contraband or weaponry.

Seriously, is there anyone in the world who doesn’t know about the hundreds of tunnels we have found and stopped, the endless smuggling of drugs, women, explosives, missiles and more that constantly flows into Gaza? It cannot be. I refuse to believe it.

It is possible people are unaware of the tens of thousands of missiles aimed at Israel – of the damage that has been caused here, the loss of life in Israel? I know the world has not forgotten the Gaza War – they are still looking for ways to condemn Israel. Even Richard Goldstone, the hanging judge of South Africa, admits to the rocket attacks and the damage we have sustained, even Richard Goldstone.

So clearly, Israel was justified in demanding our right to protect our citizens and verify that the cargo was innocent. Turkish citizens and others took to the waters. A naval blockade was legally declared. The flotilla refused to comply. From there, the situation is clear.

Israel attempted to board the ships. In all honesty, though I am not a military person, I can see that the soldiers believed they were dropping down into a ship of activists – the very humanitarian and peace-loving people they claimed they would be. It would be a matter of arrest, transfer, pack up the cargo, deliver it. End of story.

But the people on the ship were not the innocents of 9/11. I don’t remember seeing anyone beating, stabbing, and shoving others from heights. I remember people helping others, crying, hugging, and most of all, running in fear for their lives as the terrorist threat turned into reality.

The flotilla “peace activists” had metal clubs with which they beat soldier after soldier. With the knives on board, vicious, long and sharp weapons of violence, they stabbed one courageously – in the back – and shoved him over the railing to drop 30 feet. Other brave protesters were busy cracking a soldier’s skull, grabbed weapons of others, and opened fire on our soldiers (and likely on their fellow passengers). These were not peace activists, but violent protesters with a cause…and the cause was not humanitarian aid to Gaza.

A full forty minutes passed before the soldiers were given permission to fight back for their lives, to open fire. The videos show this, taken from above and watched by thousands. News reporters heard the soldiers calling, one to the other, “don’t shoot, don’t shoot.” This is what they were trained to do and despite being beaten, they stuck to the training and did not meet deadly force with deadly force for a full 40 minutes.

For me, I am entranced with the concept that this violent act, this battle on the seas, could be compared to a massive terrorist attack against unsuspecting people on their way to work. The protesters were not unarmed as were the people of the World Trade Center; the protesters were not taken unaware. Knives were on board for this purpose (you don’t even cut a thick steak with the knives these protesters wielded).

Unsuspecting? This was at sea, out in the open – the flotilla was approached, warned repeatedly and loudly – yes, there are videos of these warnings (and again the offer to deliver the cargo to Gaza). A helicopter hovered over their heads as they planned their ambush and their victims – yes, their victims – were fed to them one by one as the soldiers dropped to the ships, each taken and viciously beaten. Each soldier was confronted by three or more armed men before he had even landed and the first blows often started while the soldier was still descending. Peace activists? No, not even close. Unsuspecting? Seriously not. Unarmed? Not even close.

I do not  know if the American government of Barack Hussein Obama will take issue with what the Turks are now claiming, the message they are trying to float to the world. I do not know if the world is stupid enough to believe that those aboard were innocent.

Already yesterday and today, the contents of most of the ships has been transferred to Gaza – as promised before this whole fiasco, less the knives and other weapons found. A friend suggested that what Israel should have done was send their commandos under the waters to simply pull the “plugs” on the ships, open a hole in the bottoms – and just let them sink.

We would be there to rescue those who wished to be rescued, let others rescue them, or let them drown. Had we done that, ten of our soldiers would not have been wounded, two in critical condition from the brutal attacks. And, had we done that, perhaps so many protesters would not have died and been injured. Of course, Gaza would not have gotten the aid it now has, but then again, that was never the point anyway.

I have now become a proponent of the concept of “retro-active sinking.” Should more flotillas come, and they will – we should sink the ships, simple as that. Those on board can sink or swim, be rescued or drowned. They wanted pictures of violence – they got them. That was expected, acceptable and inevitable.

Calling it Turkey’s 9/11 was not expected, should not be acceptable and though it might have been inevitable, it must be condemned. More than 50,000 innocent, unsuspecting people were attacked in the most brutal terrorist attack this world has seen. To compare that to the pre-planned battle and its consequences on the flotilla is obscene and must not be tolerated. In the strongest terms, Obama and others must demand a full apology and retraction from the Turks. Sadly, the Turks are so busy protesting and attacking all things Israeli and Jewish they can find, they are likely not to hear.

This is about a child in Israel - or perhaps most children in Israel.

My youngest daughter (I've written about here before:<a href="http://israelisoldiersmother.blogspot.com/2007/12/candle-and-wave.html">A Candle and a Wave</a> and <a href="http://israelisoldiersmother.blogspot.com/2009/01/childs-alarm.html">A Child's Alarm</a>) is learning something that I don't know how to translate - basically Medical Care, First Aid, Human Care or something like that - its the rudiments of first aid at a fourth grade level. She has a test today and so spoke of what she knows on the way to school.

"ABC" she said.

"What's that for?" I asked.

"Air waves, Breathing, and Circulation"

"They teach you that in English?" I asked her.

"No, but they tell us ABC because it isn't the same in Hebrew." Okay. It was cute and I went along with it as she spoke and then my mind stopped and I heard not the cute tone of her voice, that I love listening to, but the words. I asked her to explain it again and then asked if this was the teacher's explanation or hers.

"The teacher. He's really funny. He told us 'If a doctor says a patient doesn't have a pulse, but he does, what does that mean?' "

She giggled and then answered, "it means it's a bad doctor."

But it was the analogy that she told me before that stuck with me. This ABC thing is: "It's like a missile hitting a building," she explained. It took me a while to get the image and understand what she was saying...

See, you have a building, she explains. If the missile hits the top of the building, the people can live, but if it hits the bottom, they won't. So, if the person isn't getting air, for example, they will die - check the airways first. If the airways are clear, but the person isn't breathing, you do one thing....I don't remember now. My brain stopped after the explanation of the building and the missile.

It's actually a good description - the concept of prioritizing...but the image remains and the wonder. I can't see any teacher in another country using the same example...and yet it worked. It didn't distress the children. They live with the reality all the time. They understand what happens when a missile hits and the physics of where it hits a building.

That, I guess, is Israel's child and listening to my child give that explanation was enough to make me regret, just a bit, the abnormality of it all. I'm happy she's learning about ABC, even how to do CPR, though I confess that concerned me a bit and yes, she won't forget the prioritization of what to do in first aid. I am thrilled beyond all words that we live in Israel, that our lives and futures are in this beautiful land but I regret...just a bit...that a child could be taught...and can understand based on the imagery of a missile hitting a building.

Israel's child.

This YouTube video was posted in honor of Israel's 62nd Independence Day...a day in which Gilad was not free, was not independent. This is a day on which we celebrated, knowing it was a day that Gilad's family continued to suffer.

Please take a moment and listen to Noam...who wonders what Gilad is thinking and feeling as he remains in complete isolation...almost four years into his captivity in Gaza.

"For you Gilad" - his father says...their lives have been dedicated to seeking Gilad's freedom. "We are fighting for his rights according to international law. For us... a night is not a night; a holiday is not a holiday...until he returns home.

One Thousand...Four Hundred Days

In the last one thousand, four hundred days...

• We sold our house and
• We moved to a new house, that we bought.
• My oldest daughter got engaged and married, celebrated her first, her second, and her third wedding anniversary.
• My oldest son entered the army, finished basic training, advanced training, a commander's course.
• He served in several combat locations and went to war against terrorists who were firing hundreds of rockets into our cities.
• He finished his national service, returned his weapon and uniform and came back home.
• My second son finished high school, did a year and a half of pre-military learning, and just entered the army.
• My third son finished elementary school, entered junior high school and celebrated his bar mitzvah.
• My youngest child left her baby years firmly behind and has watched her sister marry, one brother and then another and another enter the army.
• My husband and I have celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary (our 23rd and 24th and 26th).
• We expanded our business to include new services, new clients, new employees.
• We opened a publishing house and began publishing several books.
• We bought a car, sold a car, bought another car and another.
• Our oldest dog passed away...and we got another.
• We got new chairs for our dining room set.
• We painted our house.
• We celebrated our national holidays, mourned on other days.
• We hiked in the north, traveled far to the south.
• We swam in the Mediterranean Sea , the Sea of Galilee , the Dead Sea , and several rivers and streams.
• My brother came to visit twice, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law came three times.
• Many of my friends married off children, several became grandparents.
• Our oldest adopted son got married and had a baby girl; our younger adopted son joined the army and now serves with our middle son.
• We changed cellular phone carriers...and will likely change again soon.
• My sons have gotten stronger and taller; my parents have gotten just a bit more frail.
• We bought a new oven and a new microwave; a new refrigerator for our offices.
• I got two new laptops; my husband got another; two of my sons as well.
• I wrote over 522 blog posts about being a soldier's mother and...

During that time, Gilad Shalit has been held captive by Hamas . For each of those days, I have told my children that I love them, I've held them, worried over them, cried for them, prayed for them...and in all that time, Aviva Shalit has cried, worried, prayed and loved...but not once has she been able to tell Gilad that she loves him, not once has she held him.

One thousand , four hundred days...beyond an eternity of suffering. It's time for Gilad to come home. It's time for Israel to act in Gilad's interest. If Gilad is denied even the basics of human rights - we have the right to limit what we give to those who hold him.

No Palestinians are owed medical and humanitarian aid from Israel - let their own brothers see to their needs. Let their wounded, their sick and diseased go to Jordan or Egypt.

No Palestinians are owed the opportunity to earn advanced degrees while they sit in jail; they are not owed television, radio and newspapers.

No Palestinians are owed personal visits from their families - they must be allowed visits by the Red Cross to confirm their medical conditions...but we do not owe more than that.

What we must give according to international law, should be given...no more, no less.

For one thousand, four hundred days, Gilad has gotten less. At some point, the shame of what was being done crossed on to our leaders...the shame is now ours if we let this go on any further.

The US wants us to talk to the Palestinians. Netanyahu must answer Obama now - NO. No, we will not talk with people who hold Gilad. No, we will not give you more concessions and bend to your pressure. When did you last do anything, President Obama , for Gilad Shalit ? When did you demand this boy who has grown into a man be given his freedom?

Before you speak to our leaders, President Obama - go to Gaza and speak to Gilad. Tell him that we have not forgotten him...that we will not negotiate...until Gilad comes home.

One thousand , four hundred days.

Enough!

My mind has been filled, like much of the news, with what Anat Kam, the 23-year-old “journalist” did with documents she stole during her army service. I’ve spoken to many people about it, to regular Israelis, to friends, to family, to soldiers. And as I thought…I remembered something.