Former senior Mossad official Rami Igra warned Thursday that the promised release of a video of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit will serve Hamas. Igra, who headed the Mossad's MIA department, said Hamas intends to use the video to play on the public's emotions and to frighten Israeli youth. "The real price isn't the female terrorists who will be released tomorrow,” said Igra, referring to the 20 terrorists Israel has agreed to release early in exchange for the video, “but the video of Gilad Shalit itself. Hamas is using the video as a weapon to hurt all of us... and to create public opinion allowing for the release of more terrorists in the future.” Hamas also intends to send a message to Israel's youth and “undermine their sense of security,” he said. If the video is released to the public, it will make youth afraid to enlist in the IDF, fearing that they too could be kidnapped, he explained. "Israel is paying for information – but the information itself serves the enemy,” he concluded. He estimated that in the video Shalit will say that he is sick and call on Israel to do more to secure his release. Igra did not express concern over the release of the 20 terrorists. “The terrorists were going to be released in any case,” he said. Most of the terrorists were sentenced for attempted murder and were scheduled to be released within the next two years. Almagor Sues to Stop Video Swap On Thursday, the Almagor organization for victims of terrorism filed an appeal to the Supreme Court in an effort to stop the terrorists-for-video exchange. The government's agreement to release 20 terrorists for a one-minute video of Shalit “is a new legal and ethical low point and contradicts Israel's national values,” the group argued. "Terrorists are being released wholesale in exchange for a 'sign of life' that is doubtful at best,” Almagor warned. The court denied the petition, saying it should stay out of government decisions as much as posssible.
