In his new book, ‘The Negotiator,’ Long Island-born Gershon Baskin says the prisoner swap that saved the soldier was worth it

I don’t need Israeli Memorial Day to remember Alex Assaf, the kindest—and tallest—soldier I have ever known

And what they say about Israel

Hundreds of Palestinians clash with IDF around hunger strike

Ahmed Jabari was equivalent to an army chief of staff, abducted Gilad Shalit

A dispatch from the war’s end

Plus Romney joins call for moment of silence at the Olympics

UPDATED: Many conference attendees stand to the left of the official party line; some support the boycott of products made in West Bank settlements

Plus Settlers of Canaan, Myra Kraft honored, and more

Hamas likely uninvolved in ongoing clash; one rocket hits empty school

Two Palestinian prisoners released in the Shalit deal, now home in the West Bank, express no regrets and view prison time as service to their cause

Plus drawing 1,027 Palestinians and one Israeli, and more

New ‘Times Magazine’ story shows how the Shalit deal went down

Egypt captured Israeli-American Ilan Grapel to generate popular support among the volatile anti-Western middle class at home

Plus Kleztky’s killer goes insane route, and more in the news