How Much Israel Will Lose By Returning Gilad
Posted: October 16, 2011 | Author: ilanakosky | | Tags: convicted, genva, Gilad Shalit, hamas, israel, prisoner swap, terrorists |2 Comments »
The return of Gilad Shalit in the coming week will undoubtedly bring a tear to the eyes of more than a few Israelis, as well as Jews around the world. After five years of wishing, longing, trying to support the family and lobbying governments around the world, Israel’s most iconic soldier will finally be returned to his own borders, and our work will be complete.
However, despite the moment of joy we will all share in seeing him return home, the news can only be bittersweet at best. Gilad’s safe return comes at an enormous price, and on the scales of loss and gain, it cannot be avoided that Israel are in reality getting a very raw deal.
As cold and uncaring a task as this might seem, it’s worth putting aside the emotional aspect momentarily, to look at a breakdown of what this decision will really cost Israel in consequences:
Gains one life but loses an unknown quantity of potential lives in the future:
Anyone brought up in a Zionist youth movement will at some point have been asked to consider the moral dilemma of a prisoner swap. Can we save one life in the knowledge that it might lead to future deaths? Can we refuse to save one life without certain knowledge that it will lead to future deaths? The question is an impossible one and devoid of any emotional consideration, but statistics and pure precedent teach us that we are likely to make a far greater net loss than gain.
Undermines fundamental principles of the Israeli Defence Force:
The dilemma in fact calls into conflict two founding principle of the IDF, that it will
a) Do everything in its power to bring home every soldier, and
b) Refuse negotiation with any terrorist organisation.
In this case, to save one soldier, not only do we risk the lives of several more who will likely pay the price, but we have also allowed ourselves to deal with a terrorist organisation, which is not only founded on hatred and intolerance of the state of Israel, but which also conducts itself by exploiting the value of human life in achieving its aims.
Provides incentive for further abductions to be used as leverage:
There are currently approximately 7000 convicted criminals being held in Israeli jails, criminals found guilty of plotting or successfully carrying out terrorist attacks and/or murdering Israelis. For Israel to release 1000 prisoners in return for one single soldier will give incentive to repeat the relatively simple operation of abducting six more soldiers to use as bargaining chips. Soldiers will undoubtedly become targets, each with a highly desired price hanging over his head in return for his life.
Equates legitimate, convicted prisoners with the average soldier:
As previously mentioned, the prisoners being released are all tried and convicted criminals, found guilty of the most terrible crimes. Gilad Shalit and the other MIAs we have lost in the past are ordinary soldiers, guilty of nothing but carrying out their duty. Their capture is illegal, contrary to the principles of the Geneva Conventions, and defies basic human rights. To swap one for the other, whether the numbers are equal or vastly outrageous and disproportionate, is to equate them, and this is unacceptable.
With this last point in particular in mind, I would argue that Israel has greatly failed not only Gilad Shalit and his family, but the entire Israeli people and Jewish population worldwide. We have failed the world by not managing to impress upon world leaders the severity of the situation, and the fact that this kind of a deal has been allowed to take place is evidence of that. Furthermore, the world has failed Israel by refusing to take proper action. Expressions of outrage are long overdue; a proper handling would have seen world pressure on Hamas to release Gilad regardless of a deal, as well as a call for humanitarian justice. That this has not been the case, and that this week will see the world standing by as convicted terrorists are allowed to walk free in exchange for a blameless man, is unforgiveable, and should go down in history as a grave miscarriage of justice.