A gaunt, weary, and beleaguered Gilad Shalit endured an interview on Egyptian TV, by an evidently unmoved journalist, shortly before his release to Israel.
While the interview hasn’t yet been translated into English, the Guardian’s Chris McGreal repeated a translation to a couple of questions Shalit answered which represent close to the opposite of what he actually said, according to the Israeli media who understood the original Hebrew.
McGreal’s 10:58 AM update, on the Guardian’s Live Blog on Shalit’s release, included the following:
McGreal:
He [Shalit] said he had been treated well by Hamas and he said he had been told only a week ago that he was going to be released. He thought this was the last chance for a negotiated release.
However, per Ynet:
At the beginning of the interview, Gilad was asked about his medical condition, to which he replied: “I don’t feel so well from the whole affair.” However, he was translated back into Arabic as saying: “I feel good.”
McGreal:
He was asked whether, now that he was free, he would campaign for the release of remaining Palestinian prisoners. He said it would make him very happy to see all Palestinian prisoners released.
Asked whether he will campaign for the release of the other Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, Shalit said “I would be happy if they are released, on condition that they stop fighting against Israel.”
So, no, contrary to the lies McGreal’s parroted, Shalit suffered immeasurably from his five-year ordeal and is clearly not presently feeling good.
And, contradicting McGreal’s report, even an exhausted Shalit clearly stated that Palestinian prisoners should only be released if they cease engaging in terrorist attacks against Israel.
A lazy reporter who didn’t check his facts? Possibly.
More likely, Gilad Shalit’s actual words were lost within the Guardian’s rigid ideological filter.
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