A hostage deal might be the most humanitarian, morally necessary thing in the world, but it also may be the most disastrous thing Israel can do.
According to government sources, the deal currently under discussion between Israel and Hamas would see between 500 and 1,000 Palestinian terrorists, 100 of them considered “heavy” terrorists (i.e., bloodthirsty butchers), released from Israeli jails in exchange for 22 living Israeli hostages, mainly women and other civilians, alongside the bodies of another dozen deceased hostages.
The plan also theorizes second and third tranches of terrorist/hostage exchange, but nobody really believes this likely. Too many conditions apply to the supposed next stages, ranging from international supervision of Gaza’s borders (against Hamas wishes) to IDF withdrawals. And nobody in Israel can say for sure that additional hostages are still alive/will still be alive for a second or third stage.
Many Israelis will say that the deal under discussion is sad but necessary: that it is the government’s moral obligation to free as many hostages as possible, as soon as possible, despite the high price. That the suffering of our hostages and their families is intolerable on the personal and national levels. That giving freed hostages one big national hug will be the greatest triumph of all, something so necessary for Israel’s collective spirit and its resilience over the long term.
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Releasing terrorists in exchange for hostages comes at a heavy price - opinion
A hostage deal might be the most humanitarian, morally necessary thing in the world, but it also may be the most disastrous thing Israel can do.
m.jpost.com
