Why is there such a torrent of sympathy for Shalit when the much-hyped thousand-for-one prisoner swop leaves 8,000 Palestinians still rotting in Israeli jails, having languished in captivity for much longer than our Israeli super hero.

Anyone need to think further on the media control?.

The Human Rights Council Report (A/HRC/WG.6/3/ISR/3) of December 2008 found some unpalatable truths about life in Israel's prisons, probably familiar to most writers on the Middle East.

Life in Israel's prisons for the 8,000 still there based on 'Zionist justice' in “the only democracy in the Middle East” (Netanyahu)

•Use of coercive techniques to extract confessions
•Use of confessional evidence obtained illegally to convict
•Lack of effective mechanisms for investigating complaints of torture
•Arrests and detentions are based on secret evidence to which neither the detainees nor their counsels have access
•Neither the prisoner nor his/her lawyer has the right to see the evidence against them
•Repeated extension of initial detention without evidence to justify it
•Large numbers detained without charges or any trial procedures
•“Administrative’”detention is grounded on “security reasons” and hearings are not open to the public.
•“Administrative” detention is regularly used against Palestinian children
•Seriously bad prison conditions including overcrowding, family visits denied, arbitrary transfers, torture and ill-treatment by Israeli security, soldiers and prison guards, deteriorating health conditions and increasing deaths in custody.
The UN has laid bare the evil of Israel's “snatch squads” that prey on innocent Palestinian men, women, children and students, and the regime’s cynical disregard for their wellbeing while in its clutches. They then lock them up. No trial.

Even when it's a civil matter Palestinians are dealt with by Israeli military courts, which treat Palestinian children as adults– a flagrant violation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. These courts ignore international laws and conventions, so there's simply no legal protection for individuals under Israeli military occupation

Sympathisers from whatever ethnic background, even in Tasmania, should be aware of the above, but have conveniently disregarded it.

Our totally healthy super-hyped Israeli soldier, would also be aware of it as well

I note that no one has actually disputed a single fact in my article. Seeing as some of you are so concerned about the Palestinian prisoners, perhaps you’d care to read about a few of them.

Here is a summary of just five of them:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/8831908/Gilad-Shalit-release-5-most-prominent-Palestinian-prisoners-to-be-freed.html

And here is an article on one of the prisoners who wasn’t a murderer but who is dedicated to becoming one:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/8836933/Gilad-Shalit-release-freed-Palestinian-prisoner-vows-to-sacrifice-her-life.html

One need only compare the prisoners to Shalit to see the different attitudes the Israelis and Palestinians have to human rights. The Palestinian prisoners were healthy and well-fed and had received regular visits from family members. Shalit was clearly in poor health, emaciated, and hadn’t seen a friendly face in five years. The Palestinians were all convicted in courts of law of serious crimes such as murder. Shalit was abducted and held hostage. The Palestinians emerged from captivity vowing murder and revenge. Shalit expressed his hopes for peace. Any intelligent person with an ounce of morality can see the difference.

My ethnicity shouldn’t matter, but seeing as two of you have brought it up, I am not Jewish. I am fifth-generation Australian of mixed ethnicities, though I do believe I may have some Jewish blood somewhere along the line, of which I am not ashamed. My loyalty as a citizen is to Australia, as a writer to the truth. I don’t question anyone’s ethnicity – the fact you deem it relevant shows your true colours.

I have never claimed Israel is perfect – no country is, no person is – but as the Israeli Arab Journalist Khaled Abu Toameh said "Israel is a wonderful place to live and we are happy to be there. Israel is a free and open country. If I were given the choice, I would rather live in Israel as a second class citizen than as a first class citizen in Cairo, Gaza, Amman or Ramallah.”

I have to question the understanding of history as expressed by Lindy in the first comment above. My understanding is that the Jews of Iraq fled that country after a series of bombs were detonated in Baghdad cinemas used primarily by the local Jewish population. And that those bombs were detonated by undercover Zionists to force the local Jews to flee to Israel where more people were needed.
Then Egypt was emptied, as well as the rest of the Maghreb and Yemen.
The Falasha of Ethiopia were air-lifted out.
Is that why Iran is constantly in Israel's cross-hairs? Because they, the Iranian Jews, are the last extant Jewish culture in the world that can challenge the Ashkenazi Jewish interpretation of Jewish history?

This website has 'jumped the shark'.

You deleted those comment's?! And then cite Eatock v Bolt?

It's actually quite funny.

Of course, anyone could get a statement from all the survivors and relatives of the Sabra-Shatila assassinations as well as the families of the multi-thousands of Palestinians killed since then and trot them out for support for Palestine's cause. Let's not even mention Gaza and on, ad nauseum.

One could also spend a month researching the arrogant statements by Israel's Rabbis, relating all people of the world other than Jews as "cattle", and quote extreme right wing University professors wanting to 'nuke' all the cities of the globe, politician like Lieberman, the list which could go on forever.

Sixty years is a long time when your objective is 'Eretz Israel' alone.

The fact of the matter is that based on the well documented Human Rights Report detailed by another writer, the state you support is guilty of inhumanity for over sixty years and has the undisputed dishonour of having committed the worst attrocities for a longer period in any century and then some. Your feted hero, released in good health after just five years, is made of the same stock and has been taught the same teachings. Seeing him as having experienced a life-changing sentence pales by comparison.

Inhumanity is not a admirable quality.

Explain that to the next generation.

Strange world, although the withdrawel of support for Israel has to happen. Anti Semitism will continue to rise but despite Israel suffering horrendously for her sins God will not break covenant. Like all Israel's enemies of the past they may skite about temporary victories however they have not read the end of the book that never lies. The people of Israel will wake up to the fact that they won't be able to rely on America or Britian for much longer. Those nations have been ruined by socialism and immigration. They have Someone on their side who is capable of wiping out all her enemies very easily.