海角大神

The family of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit prodded Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu to the brink of an historic prisoner exchange with Hamas this week, camping outside his office when they sensed the deal was in danger. Then, with an Israeli counteroffer delivered to the Islamist group鈥檚 leaders in Gaza, they retreated.

For now.

The soft-spoken Shalit family 鈥� led by father Noam 鈥� has become a force to be reckoned with in Israel, politely but firming keeping up pressure for a deal. They have to walk a careful line, keeping their son at the forefront of public consciousness without making him such a prize that Hamas will raise the stakes for his release above what Israel is willing to accept.

鈥淎ll the time, we have to figure out when [pressure] is helping and when it could hurt,鈥� says Shimshon Liebman, a neighbor of the family and director of the family-led campaign to free Shalit. 鈥淎nd we also know that the other side is listening to us. We know that our pressure can cause damage.鈥�

Back in March, during the final days of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert鈥檚 tenure, a several-day protest campaign on Shalit鈥檚 behalf was blamed for reportedly making Hamas more stubborn in its demands.

A 'gentle, but aggressive' family

The family-led campaign to free Shalit, complemented by a grass-roots movement with hundreds of volunteers, has persistently lobbied cabinet ministers, heads of state, and opinionmakers.

At different points since the 2006 kidnapping, they have successfully pressed Israel鈥檚 government to tighten its siege of Gaza and to switch from Egyptian to German mediators.

鈥淭his is not a family. This is a consortium. Noam Shalit can mobilize troops to demonstrate just with the power of his cellphone,鈥� says Ronen Bergman, who authored the forthcoming history of Israel鈥檚 POW negotiations, 鈥淏y Any Means Necessary.鈥� 鈥淭he need to execute the resumption of prisoners is so emotional that it鈥檚 driving this country crazy.鈥�

The Shalit family enjoys a sympathetic image in the local press, which has described them as 鈥渁nti-heroes鈥� 鈥� 鈥渘oble鈥� and 鈥済entle, but aggressive.鈥� In a country where there鈥檚 a compulsory military conscription, most Israelis empathize with the plight of the family. The boy-like image of Sgt. Shalit has become ubiquitous on billboards and bumper stickers.

But sympathy without public pressure on the government for Shalit鈥檚 release won鈥檛 be enough, says Shlomo Goldwasser, whose son Ehud and another soldier were abducted two weeks after Shalit鈥檚 capture.

鈥淭o get something done, you need the public at your side. A family gets lots of sympathy from ministers, but sympathy won鈥檛 move them,鈥� says Mr. Goldwasser, who has aided the Shalit family鈥檚 campaign. 鈥淚f the public is with you then something will happen; if not, you鈥檒l get sympathy and that鈥檚 it.鈥�

Precedent for Shalit swap

After more than a day of nail-biting talks earlier this week about Hamas鈥檚 proposal for a prisoner exchange, Netanyahu sent the group a counteroffer.

The disagreement reportedly centers around the number of freed prisoners who will be expelled from the Palestinian territories 鈥� a condition Israel has placed on their release to mollify bereaved relatives of those killed by Palestinian militants, who remain opposed to freeing such militants for any reason.

Despite Israel鈥檚 all-consuming focus on counterterrorism, there are several precedents for such swaps. The bodies of Goldwasser鈥檚 son Ehud and fellow soldier Eldad Regev were returned to Israel in 2008 in a controversial swap with Hezbollah that freed a Lebanese militant responsible for killing several Israelis.

A recent poll found that 52 percent of Israelis support freeing Shalit at any cost, leaving the country far from united on the best approach to take. Netanyahu鈥檚 closest advisors and ministers are also reportedly divided.

The Shalit family鈥檚 cause is helped by collective guilt over the failure of Israel鈥檚 government to free Maj. Ron Arad, an airforce navigator captured in Lebanon in 1986. Israeli governments initially tried to negotiate his release, but he disappeared before a deal could be reached and is widely believed to be dead.

Public pressure for Shalit鈥檚 release has put Netanyahu, who came into office with a hard-line reputation, in an awkward place.

鈥淗e, who built his public career on 鈥榓 firm stance against terror鈥� must now go back on his principles and free those who were responsible for murdering hundreds of Israelis,鈥� wrote the center-left newspaper Haaretz in an editorial. 鈥淣entanyahu must say, Enough. It鈥檚 time to cut to the chase, and end the suffering of Shalit and his family.鈥�