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New Schalit Video Aims for the Gut

Hamas’s ploy to re-start talks

by
Marc Tracy
April 26, 2010

The chatter in Israel this morning was no doubt the brief new video released by Hamas in what the Jerusalem Post characterized as “a cynical attempt by Hamas to jump-start the negotiations with Israel over a prisoner swap.” It depicts, in some sort of 3D computer graphics, Noam Schalit trying to get his son back.

While the clip’s most viscerally impactful moment is no doubt its final one, the Post notes that what may resonate most is its accurate depiction of the Israeli government’s repeated promises to get Gilad back. “This movie is a reminder of that promise,” it reports. Is it enough of one, and powerful enough of one to re-start the conversation and to allow the prisoner swap to go through?

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.