SFC Shalit, soon after arriving Kerem Shalom, Israel. Photo: IDF.

On October 18, 2011, Israel succumbed to extortion by Arab Palestinian terrorist leadership in order to gain the freedom of a single Israeli, Gilad Shalit, who had been held captive for more than five years. On that date, hundreds of convicted Arab Palestinian terrorists were released from Israeli prisons, and just a few months later, several hundred more were set free. These convicts weren’t released because they had served their time, and they weren’t released for good behavior or because they were rehabilitated. The extortionists repeatedly violated human rights laws by holding Shalit incommunicado – even the International Red Cross was forbidden from seeing him.

No one who loves Israel wanted Shalit to remain in enemy captivity; everyone rejoiced that he was returned without visible harm. But what about the families of those who were killed, maimed and tortured by some of those now free convicts? How can they bear to know that the ones who destroyed their lives are not only free, but are being celebrated and honored throughout the Arab world because of their heinous acts?

Of the 1027 convicts released in this exchange, 18 have American blood on their hands. Israel gave pardons to each of those terrorists, Israel cannot punish them again for what they already did. But the United States did not grant any pardons and can therefore prosecute those terrorists. The US Anti-Terrorism Act provides for the prosecution in the United States of anyone who has harmed or killed Americans in acts of terrorism abroad. Despite these laws being on the books since the early ’90’s, they have never been used to prosecute even a single Arab terrorist. But now is the time.  These convicts have already been convicted by a western-style judiciary system, they have not repented, and we know where they are. It is time to provide American justice to these American Victims of Arab terrorism.

Contact your representatives in congress and tell them to contact Attorney General Eric Holder either directly or through congressional staffer Aindriu Colgan, 202-225-3711, who is circulating the letter. And if nothing happens, there should be congressional hearings until something does happen. Justice has been denied long enough. Watch the video below to see who has suffered and who is rejoicing. It is now time for us to act.