Exciting Prospect
"I was in Vienna attending the WAN-Ifra conference but when I received the call [from the ministry], I returned to Cairo, and the following day I went straight to Rafah, where the prisoners' exchange would take place".
"What could I ask someone who has just been released? Nothing much really. You want them to describe how they felt at that moment, whether he knew that he would eventually be released, how he was treated by his captors, and what his plans were once he gets home".
"My first thought was that I thought what a terrible ordeal for him and his family that must have been".
"I asked Shalit if he would agree to talk to me. If he had said no, I wouldn't have pressured him but he said he would and asked to keep it short because he wanted to go home. I then noticed that his captors were still in the room. I insisted they left. I wouldn't conduct the interview in their presence. And they did leave".
"During the interview, I noticed how uncomfortable he was, I told the translator I would stop there, as he was exhausted. The interview was aired unedited and you could actually hear me saying that on tape".
Harsh Response
"I am neither brutal nor inhumane. I am a journalist who seeks the truth. So many lives have been lost in this [the Israeli-Palestinian] conflict. So much blood has been shed. But to have lasting peace, we need justice for all. We need a viable Palestinian state living side by side with Israel".