Gilad Shalit’s release from captivity was delayed so that Egyptian State TV could create some propaganda from the gaunt Israeli soldier who was so weak that he fainted on the helicopter ride to his home in northern Israel later.

The Egyptian TV interview took this fragile young captive and interviewed him for Egyptian TV while he was visibly uncomfortable and struggling to speak in answer to inappropriate questions (such as demanding to know why he only made one video to show his parents that he was still alive).

Guess who was standing behind him while this was going on.

His captivity as a hostage was a war crime and his mental torture by placing him in an uncomfortable forced interview for propaganda purposes with a masked Hamas man standing behind him was part of the war crime.

Elder of Ziyon: One reason Shalit looked so ill at ease in his interview

Israel is outraged at this interview. Journalists have called it “cruel” to put him on the spot when he still in captivity.

They also edited what he had to say. When (outrageously) asked if he would campaign for the release of 4000 prisoners who were “languishing” in Israeli prisons when he returned to Israel, he said he would like to see people go free IF they would stop fighting against Israel.

The Egyptian editors left this part out for broadcasting, of course.

The Israeli authorities were watching this interview on live television and they knew when they heard this remark that he hadn’t lost his faith.

Gilad Shalit was remarkably composed in the interview, all things considered, but the cruelty of this propaganda machine taking hold of him with a masked Hamas man supervising it while he was still in captivity is monstrous.