Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

The Real-Life Drama of an Isrli P.O.W. s Return from Captivity

10/12/2016

Prisoners of War, currently airing on KCET on Mondays at 10:00 p.m., features the story of three Israeli soldiers returning from 17 years of captivity. The inspiration for the emotional plight of these returning soldiers is reflected in the real-life P.O.W.S that endured similar experiences. Below is the story of one such figure, IDF Corporal Gilad Shalit.

If you were in Israel during the years 2006 to 2011, you saw him everywhere, even though he was nowhere to be found: Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Corporal Gilad Shalit, a combat soldier originally from the Israeli town of Nahariya, had been kidnapped by Hamas on June 25, 2006. His image was plastered over billboards and in newspapers across the country -- sometimes with soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, who had been captured by Hezbollah a few weeks after Shalit -- with the imperative to Bring Our Boys Home. Because in Israel every family has someone in the IDF, one son in captivity is everyone's son in captivity; bringing back captured soldiers is a task that brought the nation together for the most part.

In 2009, three years after Shalit had been snatched, his family moved to a protest tent set up in front of the Prime Minister's Jerusalem residence, an attempt to pressure the Israeli government into taking negotiation action on behalf of their missing son. There they took interviews and talked to the many passers-by -- including on one occasion, this writer -- about Gilad, passing out pamphlets, sharing numbers people could call to register their demands that he be redeemed, and urging everyone to not let the government forget him. Their dedication was beyond belief: they lived in the tent, in a fairly busy pedestrian area, for nearly 16 months, until the deal for Gilad's release was reached on October 18, 2011.

Where are you, boy? notes for Shalit in Jerusalem/Adiel lo/C BY-SA 3.0

Orchestrating the release was complicated and lengthy. Because the Israeli government had a policy of not directly negotiating with Hamas, the negotiations were conducted in cooperation with Egypt, a country that could peacefully speak with both parties. Initial deals were opposed by the directors of the Shin Bet and the Mossad, Israel's intelligence agencies. Many on the negotiating team had been involved in Israel's 1976 rescue of hostages at Entebbe airport, where Jonathan Yonatan Netanyahu (brother of the current prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu) had been killed. Ehud Olmert, the Prime Minister for most of Shalit's captivity, considered deals demanding the release of a rogues' gallery of terrorists, but ultimately decided it was too high a ransom for Israel to pay.

When Netanyahu succeeded Olmert as Prime Minister and started negotiations, everyone was surprised: Netanyahu had a long record of opposing terrorist negotiations. He also decided the Egyptians weren't being effective mediators and brought in German intelligence to help. In addition, American peace activist -- and Netanyahu critic -- Gershon Baskin had offered his help and his connection to Ghazi Hamad, Hamas's deputy foreign minister, and, according to an extensive and fascinating New York Times Magazine article about the release recounting all of the above and more, this relationship proved pivotal to the negotiations being ultimately successful.

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSend EmailMoreCommentPin on PinterestShare on LinkedInShare on Google+

--

--

More from Prisoners of War

Why Homeland Fans Should Watch Prisoners of War

Get to Know the Captivating Characters of the Thriller Prisoners of War

Interview: Gideon Raff on the Making of Prisoners of War

Shalit had gone into captivity as little more than a child, with a narrow face and a slight build, and he returned gaunt, hollow, and frail. Physicians indicated that he had shrapnel embedded in his body -- the result of the tank attack during which he was captured -- and that he suffered from malnutrition. On an airport tarmac, Shalit reunited with his father in an emotional embrace, a moment that was captured by cameras and photobombed by a grinning Bibi Netanyahu. This gave rise to a moment of levity in a very serious story: launching a series of Bibibombs memes, in which the Prime Minister's head was inserted into other photographs.

After Shalit returned, he was a hot story, photographed as he went about his life, embracing family and thanking the supporters who had worked for his freedom. Then, he dropped into the shadows, occasionally emerging to visit the set of Homeland -- where he was photographed with Claire Danes -- or to attend sports games. He has since worked as a sports reporter and gotten married, both of which have yielded some additional short-term interest from the media.

But the return wasn't all celebrations and moving forward. After his return, Shalit had questions to answer, specifically from IDF investigators about what happened in his tank during the skirmish. Why had he left his tank when it was operational and could have both protected him and taken out the attacking militants? Why had he abandoned his weapon inside the tank? What did he tell the militants who had interrogated him after he was captured?

After he answered the IDF's questions, it became clear that Shalit's actions had contributed to his own capture, and that the incident had put him into shock, making him unable to act on his own behalf.

A live Israeli soldier who was not fighting back, writer Ben Caspit wrote in the Jerusalem Post, was the prize that Hamas had dreamed of for years, and now here it was in front of them. He called Shalit an introverted young man who is both emotional and fragile and who likely should not have been placed in a tank unit in the first place.

He was ashamed of what he had to tell them, yet he did so with an honesty th
LINK: https://www.kcet.org/shows/prisoners-of-war/the-real-life-drama-of-an-...
See more stories from kcet

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

14/02/2026

Cineverse Acquires TV Monetization Platform IndiCue

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/02/2026

ESPN's Audiences for College Basketball On Track for Major Growth

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/02/2026

TCL Display Technologies Deployed at Winter Olympics

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/02/2026

Boston Conservatory Orchestra Helps Peter and Leonardo Dugan Complete Their Dream Piece

Boston Conservatory Orchestra Helps Peter and Leonardo Dugan Complete Their Dre...

13/02/2026

OBS Accelerates Shift to Cloud

Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) has provided an update on its adoption of the cloud as it continues on its journey to fully migrate to IT-based systems by 2...

13/02/2026

France Tlvisions Launches France 2 UHD with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to Max out AC-4 Experiences for Winter Olympics Fans

France T l visions has successfully launched France 2 UHD featuring Dolby Vision...

13/02/2026

OBS Expands Athlete Moment,' Family Reunions to Capture Human Side of Winter Games

Partnering with Worldwide Olympic Partner TCL, OBS deploys connected Athlete Mom...

13/02/2026

Men's Figure Skating Photo Gallery

The men's figure skating long-form program is tonight, and it promises to be an exciting night for fans in the stands, fans at home, and even the production...

13/02/2026

Entertainment Takes the NBA Court in a Big Way

With new partnership between the league and NBC, workflows distinguish more between live, broadcast sound There'll be a lot new for the 75th NBA All-Star W...

13/02/2026

SVG GameDay, Episode 3: Sean Tabler - Producing Hockey in the City of Angels

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level have one major thing in common: the intensity and attention to detail ramps up dur...

13/02/2026

Teradek Introduces RF-X, Revolutionizing Mission-Critical Signal Redundancy

Teradek announces the launch of RF-X Auto Switcher, a revolutionary appliance designed to deliver flawless, uncompromised signal integrity for the world's m...

13/02/2026

Synamedia & Globecast Selected for FA Cup Cloud Distribution

Globecast and Synamedia announces that Pitch International (Pitch), the leading London-based sports marketing agency, has gone live with cloud-based distributi...

13/02/2026

Ratings Roundup: NBC Sports' Legendary February Hits Record Viewership Levels

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...

13/02/2026

NBC Olympics' Amy Rosenfeld on the Drone Craze, Friends & Family Moments, Stamford's Role for Milano Cortina

Far from the action in the snow and on the ice, the team controls the production...

13/02/2026

2026 Daytona 500: FOX Sports' Mike Davies, George Grill on Working Within an IP-Based Compound, Solving the Ops Puzzle of the Super Bowl of Racing

The Daytona 500 is called The Super Bowl of Racing for a reason. Whether it's the culmination to five days of action on the track, the sheer size and scop...

13/02/2026

OBS Expands AI-Powered Content Workflows

For the Milano Cortina Games, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) is delivering more than 6,500 hours of content, with more than 900 hours of live action, sprea...

13/02/2026

NBC Sports Director Pierre Moossa Previews NBC's First NBA All-Star Production in 24 Years

After 24-year absence, NBC Sports returns to NBA All-Star Weekend with unique ca...

13/02/2026

Film Festival Watch: 18 Sundance Institute-Supported Projects To Watch at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival

By Jessica Herndon We may have just wrapped an unforgettable 2026 Sundance Film...

13/02/2026

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Amanda Kramer, the Writer-Director Behind By Design

By Jessica Herndon One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Fest...

13/02/2026

Women in Podcasting Craft New Connections at Spotify's Galentine's Day Celebration in LA

This Wednesday in Los Angeles, Spotify brought together a group of podcast creat...

13/02/2026

Spotify and LoveShackFancy Bring Galentine's Glam to NYC, Featuring Special Performance by Joshua Basset

Yesterday, Spotify and LoveShackFancy hosted a Galentine's and Gents Lunch a...

13/02/2026

L3Harris Successfully Completes First Phase of P25 Transition for Florida SLERS

The upgrade to a Project 25 network provides state agencies communicating on the Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System flexibility to tailor the network to the...

13/02/2026

Riedel Opens Kuala Lumpur Office to Strengthen Global 24...

Riedel Communications has officially opened a new office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, marking a strategic expansion of its global Customer Success and IT software...

13/02/2026

ES Broadcast Hire duo celebrate 10-year anniversary with...

Two of ES Broadcast Hire's longest-serving employees recently celebrated a decade working for the company. Annie Breislin, Operations Manager, and Charles ...

13/02/2026

Disguise Opens Experience Center and Office in Atlanta

Disguise, the award-winning technology company powering global experiences, today unveils a new 8,000-square-foot office and Experience Center in Atlanta, creat...

13/02/2026

Mavis Expands External Camera Support with Accsoon SeeMo...

At BSC Expo 2026, Mavis announced full support for the Accsoon SeeMo series of iOS camera adapters across Mavis Camera and Mavis Monitor apps. This new integrat...

13/02/2026

Butcher Bird Studios Keeps Signals Flowing Seamlessly Acr...

Executing technically ambitious live streams, virtual productions, and immersive media today requires talent, creativity, and the right supporting technology. L...

13/02/2026

LTN makes key appointments and introduces new Technology...

Michal Miskin-Amir, Jonathan Stanton and Bobby Bond to lead technical advances amid surge in demand for LTN's IP video transport services as satellite capac...

13/02/2026

NATO Upgrades Broadcast Studio with Grass Valley Cameras

Grass Valley, the pioneering media and entertainment technology innovator, has won a competitive NATO-wide tender to provide the new camera system for NATO'...

13/02/2026

Digital Azul strengthens remote production strategy with...

Wireless IP intercom underpins agile, multi-location live production workflows Digital Azul, the independent production powerhouse specialising in complex liv...

13/02/2026

Actus Digital Sets a New Standard for QA Monitoring and C...

Actus Digital, a LiveU company, will unveil major new enhancements to its Actus X Intelligent Monitoring Platform at NAB Show (LiveU booth N1740), reinforcing i...

13/02/2026

FA Cup goes IP with Pitch International plus Synamedia an...

Globecast, a worldwide leader in broadcast services, and leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that Pitch International (Pitch), the leadi...

13/02/2026

Rai Selects Imagine Selenio Network Processor for IP Migration

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/02/2026

CIMM Details Research Plans for 2026 and New Board Appointments

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/02/2026

Teradek Unveils RF-A Auto Switcher

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/02/2026

Spectrum Launches 'Invincible Wifi'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/02/2026

Actus Digital to Introduce Actus X Platform Enhancements At NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/02/2026

Sennheiser Wireless Spectera Solution Tackles Super Bowl LX With Ease

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/02/2026

Nate Bargatze to Receive 2026 NAB Television Chairman's Award

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/02/2026

UKTV Highlights Saturday February 14th - Friday February 20th 2026

What can I watch on UKTV this week?What can I stream on U this week? This guide highlights romantic dramas for Valentine's Day, alternative relationship t...

13/02/2026

New RT series tells stranger-than-fiction stories of Irish con artists

New RT series tells stranger-than-fiction stories of Irish con artists Swindlers airs Wednesday 18 February, 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player Swindlers, a...

12/02/2026

Chyron Merges Live Web Content and CG Graphics with PRIME 5.3

Chyron unveils PRIME 5.3, the latest software release of the company's powerful engine for live production graphics. PRIME 5.3 delivers the first official i...

12/02/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Interra Systems' Anupama Anantharaman on Protecting Live Sports Quality Across IP and OTT Workflows

The vendor's VP of Product Management explains how quality assurance, monito...

12/02/2026

LTN Makes Key Appointments and Introduces New Technology Organization

LTN announces the appointment of three experienced executives to lead its new Technology organization: Michal Miskin-Amir as EVP and Head of Technology, Jonatha...

12/02/2026

Riedel Opens Kuala Lumpur Office to Strengthen Global 24/7 Software and IT Support

Riedel Communications has officially opened a new office in Kuala Lumpur, Malays...