The soul is torn when one thinks of those who were kidnapped to Gaza, the heart goes out to their families. Who among us would not give much to help these wretches - ourselves and our flesh. Every effort must be made to forcibly release those held by Hamas, but without repeating the fatal mistakes of the past. Because for decades we have turned the captives and missing into a tool that makes it possible to blackmail us. We surrendered to the enemy and thus caused many more murders and kidnappers. The most serious, as has now been proven, endangered our very existence. Above all, the enemy must not be allowed to use abductees to weaken our spirit, endurance, cohesion and judgment.
Prime Minister Meets with Family Members of Abductees and Missing | GPO
When we thoroughly analyze the behavior that brought about the current disaster, the conduct of the State of Israel, its leaders, commanders and elites, it will be recorded as a pillar in bringing about the disaster. They surrendered to the enemy who held hostages or captives, lost their temper and encouraged them to attack us. The phenomenon is not new, it reached a peak already in 1985 in the so-called Jibril deal, which caused us to release 1,151 terrorists. This was the main reason for the outbreak of the first intifada, about two years later. The Israeli leadership, headed by Shimon Peres, could not withstand the pressure of the families and the lobby that backed them. The results were strategic – many paid with their blood and suffering, we all paid a heavy price.
The trend intensified around the campaign to flee the security zone in Lebanon in May 2000, led by the Four Mothers organization, fueled by radio broadcasters and a particularly effective campaign. The elite that led this journey injected morrow and panic into the system of considerations, unfortunate in itself, of Ehud Barak, the prime minister at the time. For the timing and manner of our flight from Lebanon, we paid double the price. A few months after his escape, Arafat began the Second Intifada, encouraged by our weakness in the north. This escape also established Hezbollah's reputation and caused it to draw dramatic conclusions for the future.
Released in the Shalit deal, photo: AFP
We have been paying for the results of Benjamin Netanyahu's capitulation to the campaign to free Gilad Shalit for 12 years. Dozens of Israelis were murdered as a result of the actions of those released from the deal, even before the bloody Shabbat of Shemini Atzeret. And now, Yahya Sinwar and the monster committee we released for one soldier – 1,027 in number – are the leaders of the most effective murderous attack on the State of Israel ever.
Thus, the damage caused by the repeated surrender to the blackmail of our enemies has caused countless deaths and direct casualties, but even worse, it has undermined the foundations of our living in Israel. It is a surrender that stems from the lack of the backbone of the leadership, but also from the folly and weakness of the elites who have mobilized to subdue the leaders.
Those released in the Shalit deal arrive by bus in Egypt, 2011 // Photo: AP,
The conclusions must be drawn now, even though the heart is boiling and going out to be held by the murderers in Gaza. Every effort must be made to free the abductees, without making a mistake again. Military operations - without borders, but we must not be blackmailed by the enemy and we must not hesitate in eliminating Hamas in any way. Because beyond the heavy price we will pay as part of the blackmail, projecting weakness will weaken us in the future to the point of endangering the existence of the Zionist enterprise.
Family members of the abductees in the Defense Minister's office. "An important meeting" // Photo: Ariel Hermony, Ministry of Defense // Family members of the abductees in the Defense Minister's office. "Important meeting",
The families of the abductees must be embraced and show understanding for every action they take, it is impossible to judge those who hold everything dear to them at stake. But the public and leadership must show composure, restraint and wisdom. The same is true of how the families' pain is covered and made public.
There is a fine line that distinguishes between showing empathy and encouraging national weakness. This line must be guarded against crossing. This is true of our approach, and certainly important in terms of leadership, but it is especially critical when it comes to media coverage. For the first time in decades, it's time to realize where we went wrong and do the opposite.
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