Did Israel ask the relatives of those hundreds of Israelis who were murdered by terrorists about their feelings and opinions pertaining to the release of their relatives’ murderers (“Free at Last, Shalit Returns to Israel,” October 18)?

Hypothetically, suppose there were secret recordings of some of those to be released declaring that as soon as they were released, they would return to their nefarious deeds of murdering more Israelis. If anyone heard such a recording of Palestinian prisoners, would he want this exchange to take place? Based upon other releases in the past, some of those released prisoners did revert to their murderous paths.

Gilad Shalit is worth more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners; however, is Gilad Shalit worth more than the dozens of Israelis who are likely to be murdered by the very Palestinians who are now to be released in exchange for HIM? How would you feel if one of these released prisoners WAS TO subsequently detonate a bomb in a crowded Israeli cafe, and your son were one of the dead?

When the Israelis and the Palestinians begin to live in tranquility with each other like the residents of Switzerland, Luxemburg, Monte Carlo, the Netherlands and Belgium live with their larger neighbors, then Palestinian prisoners can be released.

William K. Langfan

Palm Beach, Fla.

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