The Gilad Shalit Dilemma
Everyone know that in the Middle East, bargaining is an integral part of the culture.
When at the souk, you must haggle as much as possible since prices are always jacked up, depending on how local the shopkeepers perceive you to be.
This week, the souk mentality extended into the international political arena when Israel and Hamas indirectly negotiated the price of a live Israeli soldier.
Israel thought he was worth 325 of their prisoners, with fewer guys with bloody hands and with more deportations to other countries.
Hamas valued him at 450 of their prisoners, some with blood on the hands, some without blood on the hands, with less deportations.
At the end of the negotiations, the Israelis walked away from the Hamas shop, claiming the price to be too high.
Now Israel is waiting to see if the shopkeeper will come running after them, to see if their initial valuation was inflated, or if they will succumb to internal pressure.
Meanwhile, the Shalit family are devastated, well aware that their chances of a deal are significantly reduced once Benjamin Netanyahu takes over the reins as Prime Minister.
I spent the past week with the family and their supporters camping outside the Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's residence in Jerusalem, and this is the resulting video on Time.com
On Saturday, Day 1000 of Gilad's captivity, the Shalit family is heading back to their home in Mitzpe Hila, in the Galilee.