Students at a number of pre-military training academies on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to release hardened Palestinian terrorists in order to secure the release of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

“We believe there is a need to stand steadfastly against the rising outburst of feelings, which is sometimes likely to be a bad advisor,” they wrote in a letter they also sent to Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

“Despite the pain, we believe that a state which loves life must not give in to the worst terrorists and bend its knees before them as a result of the brutal emotional blackmail they are using against us.”

Nonetheless, the students added that they would still enlist in the Israel Defense Forces, irregardless of whether such a deal is carried out.

Meanwhile, the High Court on Tuesday rejected a petition to release information about the developing deal for Shalit, ruling that such a move would run counter to security considerations.

“For the time being it is not for us to interfere in [the] deliberations,” the High Court ruling said. “Moreover, we are convinced that clear security considerations are to be found in the details that are kept confidential.”

Three bereaved parents filed the petition in conjunction with the Almagor Terror Victims Association, arguing that the military censorship over the deal was preventing them appealing against it. The parents said they wanted to know whether those who killed their children would be included in the prisoner swap with Hamas.

Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch, Justice Eliezer Rivlin and Justice Ayala Procaccia wrote that they could not “overlook the difficult and unique nature of such a procedure in which delicate and tough details have yet to be resolved.”

Explaining their decision, the justices wrote: “We were uncomfortable with the use of military censorship, and the privilege to withhold details of the negotiations from the public, an official figure who is an expert on the details of the ‘deal’ spoke before us.”

They said the figure explained the reasons for the heavy censorship for an hour, during which the justices asked him about those details the state refused to disclose for security reasons.

“During this session, we understood the unique nature of this process, which is especially sensitive due to the desire to secure the release of the abducted soldier without endangering him, and in light of the efforts necessary to ensure that ‘price of the deal’ will not substantially and significantly harm national security,” they said.

Report: Israel to Free 17 East Jerusalem Arabs in Shalit Swap

Meanwhile, the London-based Al-Hayyat daily reported on Monday that Israel would free 17 prisoners from East Jerusalem as part of the deal with Hamas.

Ten of those prisoners will be exiled once released, according to the report.

The differences between Israel and Hamas reportedly hinges on 50 prisoners, among a list of 450 names, which Israel refuses to free.

Al-Hayyatreported on Monday that Israel is also not prepared to release five women prisoners who were sentenced to life terms.

Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hamad said on Monday that his organization is working on the assumption that the deal to free Shalit will be carried out within two weeks.

Al-Arabiya television reported that the German intermediary in the case arrived in Gaza on Tuesday to provide Israel’s latest response on the Shalit case.

According to the report, the mediator will meet with Hamas representatives, but will only receive their response following consultations between Hamas leadership in Gaza and Damascus.

Meanwhile, Gilad Shalit’s parents, Noam and Aviva, on Monday continued their round of meetings with cabinet ministers that they had begun last week in an effort to convince them to vote in favor of a deal for their son’s release after three years in Hamas captivity.

Officials at the campaign to free Gilad Shalit continue to maintain their media blackout.