Op-ed: The prime minister realized that public exposure would drag Israel into extreme negotiations accompanied by criticism from the opposition and social groups and pressure to give in to Hamas' insolent demands.

Analysis: While Israel is known for its efforts to rescue citizens in life-threatening situations around the world, it's completely different when people are voluntarily taken captive and a terror organization wants murderers freed in return for their release.

Op-ed: The Mangisto affair must not be turned into an ethnic or strategic issue; it's the story of a weak family with a lost son who crossed the fence into Gaza out of his own free will.