The MidEast and the World
How did we get to this point where we are releasing such a great number of criminals for just a handful of hostages? Two words – bad policy! Every government and law enforcement agency in the world knows that you do not bargain for hostages. If you do and the bad guys actually hold up to their end of the deal, then you get a momentary dose of joy. But while you’re celebrating, the terrorists are plotting the next time when they’ll up the ante for a release.
It used to be that Israel was known for not negotiating with terrorists, but that began to change a number of decades ago. In 1968, an El Al plane in Algeria with 48 passengers on board was released in return for 24 terrorists who had no blood on their hands. Forty-one years later, the same price – 24 terrorists – was doled out simply to get video footage of a single kidnapped Israeli soldier. Talk about a horrific inflation!
Giving in once means you’ll be forced to give in again and again at ever-increasing prices. The depths to which we sank was evidenced when Israel was forced in 2011 to turn over 1,027 Palestinian prisoners for the return of a single IDF soldier, Gil Shalit. Don’t get me wrong, I wept when I saw the helicopter flying overhead returning Shalit to our land. I am so grateful to have him and all hostages home. But our short-term gain has caused us long-term pain. In fact, Yahya Sinwar, the late, bloodthirsty leader of Hamas in Gaza, was among whose exchanged for Shalit’s life. For all the strength of our army, the terrorists know our weak spot. They take our people, and we’ll eventually cave.
The most frustrating part about this is that I can see no way out of the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into. At least not with the way our government is now structured. We have a Supreme Court that puts hostages over safety. Worse, they put terrorists over Israel’s safety. Israel’s Supreme Court is filled with liberal left radicals who are self-perpetuating because they have the power to appoint one another. As long as we keep this insane judicial system the way it is, Israel will always be in danger. October 7 will just be the appetizer to what is likely ahead.
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