You can't put toothpaste back in the tube, no matter how hard you try. The justly beloved Rabin made a terrible mistake with the Jibril hostage exchange, and the justly despised Bibi exacerbated the situation with the Shalit deal. There is no "THE" solution. Personally I believe that as often as possible all terrorists should be killed in action (I have a flexible definition of "in action"). Those that are small fry can be kept alive for future exchanges. Moreover, the Moslem terrorists should be buried wrapped in pig skin, that punishment was used by the British and it is definitely daunting to all those who think they are going to Paradise and 70 virgins. Most importantly, somehow we have to prevent situations such as the Gaza debacle in which hundreds of Israelis (including Moslems) are kidnapped. Finally, we should give whatever we must, and promise whatever we must, to get our people back, but after the last one is home, .....
Now a response to the comment on Jesus in the editors preamble. Which is another example of The FP's inadequate writing on/understanding of Christianity. They write that Jesus "was impressed by" Lev 19.18 "you shall love your neighbor as yourself". Its vastly more than "impressed". Jesus was stating the greatest commandments in the Tanak: the Shema and "a second is like it" - meaning of equal importance - loving your neighbor. Jesus says that the entire Tanak depends (Greek trans. "depend" for Hebrew "waw", "hangs") on these two summaries of faith: "On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Mt 22.40 ESV). And FYI the same message with roles reversed is in Luke 10 as the setup to the story of the Good Samaritan. These two commandments are foundational in Christian theology, included in traditional prayers of confession ("we have not loved You with our whole hearts and our neighbors as ourselves").
Very fine piece by Rabbi Black. Israel's unfortunate forever war (foisted upon the country by Islamic ideology, and not just from Iran) requires these terrible exchanges. Pray, remain faithful, and fight. May the light of the holiness of God overcome evil all over the world in His time and purpose.
Very difficult situation, without any good answers but possibly with bad or worse ones. Though I understand why Israel is willing to do almost anything to bring all the hostages home, I do wonder at what cost? As a Jewish man, I would not want to be freed if that was very likely to lead to the deaths of hundreds or thousands of my countrymen.
Freeing large quantities of terrorists, who you arrested, tried and convicted for murder, and who are still committed to killing your people for merely existing, seems like something that is very likely to lead to large quantities of civilian casualties in the future.
As the mother of Blaze Bernstein, the 19 year-old Jewish gay Ivy League student bound for medical school who was a victim of extremist ideology in 2018 - I couldn’t help crying as I read about Yoni known for his humor, brilliance and kindness. I am sorry for your loss.
You speak of the moral dilemma – what should we do as lovers of life in the face of this war against a radicalized population bent on death and destruction? You seem resigned to the notion that to maintain the moral high ground we must keep them alive to exchange for hostages in thousand to one ratios. I disagree.
We are not morally bankrupt if we swiftly eliminate extremist enemies who have killed and will kill again. If the Jewish people have any chance of survival - we must Institute a death penalty in Israel. I say this knowing, that the death penalty has its own moral and effectiveness questionability, but one thing that is undeniable – we could eliminate the threat of captured terrorists becoming supercharged in the Israeli prison system and then rewarded upon their release in a prisoner exchange. A perfect example, the exchange that lead to October 7 - orchestrated by a former convicted terrorist - Sinwar. He was not only convicted, but given life-saving heart surgery prior to his release in a prisoner exchange.
Releasing prisoners convicted of committing terrorist attacks is wrong. I am not insensitive to the nuance here. Instead I am sensitive to living in fear, rewarding criminals, supporting a terror regime and the deaths of good people to hate crimes. If prisoner exchange was impossible, there is strong evidence we would save innocent lives. Isn’t that also a moral responsibility?
I can add no wisdom to the essay and commentary already published here, not to mention the countless other discussions since October 2023.
I would simply say, those who commit crimes must be punished. The evil men freed in this deal with the Devil will of course kill again, if they can.
This is why, once all the hostages have been freed or their bodies recovered, it will be time to remove the Gaza and West Bank menace once and for all. A living man can kill, one, tens, hundreds. A dead man can hurt no one. It is that simple.
This is beautifully written and incredibly heartbreaking. “And yet….” Is what we hear again and again. They are monsters, we made a deal with the devil, and yet, and yet… The price of being morally superior may be more than we can bear.
If the hostages are not returned, Gaza becomes 20% smaller. Losing land is the Arab equivalent of losing face. It is a very big deal. Gazans will KNOW they lost the war if land is lost. There is a lot of value in Gazans knowing they lost. 5 wars in, hamas has lost nothing it values. But they would lose land, something they value. They would lose respect in the Islamic world, which they also value -- and need. And the starting point for negotiations becomes land for hostages, not terrorists for hostages.
Idea 2: Bring the death penalty into Israel. I don't much care for it, but the idea of terrorists returning to terrorism is, as the author writes, is excruciating. Do not make that choice available for those with blood on their hands.
Many commenters here seem to lack the basic understanding that the imperative today is to free the hostages. If you refrain from that based on a theoretical future occurrence, then you have another agenda, and freeing the hostages is not it.
I would dedicate resources towards understanding how the governments of Bibi Netanyahu (and others - for sure) developed the concepts and policies that led Israel to this catastrophe in the first place - that is, if we think we are so smart.
Again, failure to do this is a cover for a different agenda that does not place the hostages as the number one priority.
When Trump threatened Hamas I hoped he would also tell them he would go after them. Releasing hundreds or thousands of terrorists makes no sense. When in Viet Nam it was obvious the military was handcuffed and not allowed to win. I think Israel is in a similar situation regarding the hostages.
Maybe this is why the Torah is ultimately at the core of our journey.
"Behold, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil."
Mr. Black, as you have so eloquently expressed: Israel chooses life and Hamas chooses death. The two cannot coexist.
The life of your Friend Yoni Jesner.(His memory IS a Blessing) and the story you tell, will save many Jewish lives, many Israeli lives, many lives of people who cherish life. Yoni's life and your friendship are deeper and more powerful than the Hamas terror regime.
Thank you for writing "The Terrorist Who Murdered My Cousin Now Walks Free".
This murderer is not free; he is a slave of terror a slave of Hamas.
You can't put toothpaste back in the tube, no matter how hard you try. The justly beloved Rabin made a terrible mistake with the Jibril hostage exchange, and the justly despised Bibi exacerbated the situation with the Shalit deal. There is no "THE" solution. Personally I believe that as often as possible all terrorists should be killed in action (I have a flexible definition of "in action"). Those that are small fry can be kept alive for future exchanges. Moreover, the Moslem terrorists should be buried wrapped in pig skin, that punishment was used by the British and it is definitely daunting to all those who think they are going to Paradise and 70 virgins. Most importantly, somehow we have to prevent situations such as the Gaza debacle in which hundreds of Israelis (including Moslems) are kidnapped. Finally, we should give whatever we must, and promise whatever we must, to get our people back, but after the last one is home, .....
Now a response to the comment on Jesus in the editors preamble. Which is another example of The FP's inadequate writing on/understanding of Christianity. They write that Jesus "was impressed by" Lev 19.18 "you shall love your neighbor as yourself". Its vastly more than "impressed". Jesus was stating the greatest commandments in the Tanak: the Shema and "a second is like it" - meaning of equal importance - loving your neighbor. Jesus says that the entire Tanak depends (Greek trans. "depend" for Hebrew "waw", "hangs") on these two summaries of faith: "On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Mt 22.40 ESV). And FYI the same message with roles reversed is in Luke 10 as the setup to the story of the Good Samaritan. These two commandments are foundational in Christian theology, included in traditional prayers of confession ("we have not loved You with our whole hearts and our neighbors as ourselves").
The FP can do better.
Very fine piece by Rabbi Black. Israel's unfortunate forever war (foisted upon the country by Islamic ideology, and not just from Iran) requires these terrible exchanges. Pray, remain faithful, and fight. May the light of the holiness of God overcome evil all over the world in His time and purpose.
Israel must get over the hostage obsession. Hostages are prisoners of war. They get released when the war is over.
Terrible, awful situation. Life deals us bad cards sometimes and that is horrible.
Very difficult situation, without any good answers but possibly with bad or worse ones. Though I understand why Israel is willing to do almost anything to bring all the hostages home, I do wonder at what cost? As a Jewish man, I would not want to be freed if that was very likely to lead to the deaths of hundreds or thousands of my countrymen.
Freeing large quantities of terrorists, who you arrested, tried and convicted for murder, and who are still committed to killing your people for merely existing, seems like something that is very likely to lead to large quantities of civilian casualties in the future.
This is a no win situation for Israel. There is no negotiating with the devil. All those released terrorists should be hunted down exterminated.
Great article. V.
These murderers must receive justice. They must be tagged for future elimination.
As the mother of Blaze Bernstein, the 19 year-old Jewish gay Ivy League student bound for medical school who was a victim of extremist ideology in 2018 - I couldn’t help crying as I read about Yoni known for his humor, brilliance and kindness. I am sorry for your loss.
You speak of the moral dilemma – what should we do as lovers of life in the face of this war against a radicalized population bent on death and destruction? You seem resigned to the notion that to maintain the moral high ground we must keep them alive to exchange for hostages in thousand to one ratios. I disagree.
We are not morally bankrupt if we swiftly eliminate extremist enemies who have killed and will kill again. If the Jewish people have any chance of survival - we must Institute a death penalty in Israel. I say this knowing, that the death penalty has its own moral and effectiveness questionability, but one thing that is undeniable – we could eliminate the threat of captured terrorists becoming supercharged in the Israeli prison system and then rewarded upon their release in a prisoner exchange. A perfect example, the exchange that lead to October 7 - orchestrated by a former convicted terrorist - Sinwar. He was not only convicted, but given life-saving heart surgery prior to his release in a prisoner exchange.
Releasing prisoners convicted of committing terrorist attacks is wrong. I am not insensitive to the nuance here. Instead I am sensitive to living in fear, rewarding criminals, supporting a terror regime and the deaths of good people to hate crimes. If prisoner exchange was impossible, there is strong evidence we would save innocent lives. Isn’t that also a moral responsibility?
I can add no wisdom to the essay and commentary already published here, not to mention the countless other discussions since October 2023.
I would simply say, those who commit crimes must be punished. The evil men freed in this deal with the Devil will of course kill again, if they can.
This is why, once all the hostages have been freed or their bodies recovered, it will be time to remove the Gaza and West Bank menace once and for all. A living man can kill, one, tens, hundreds. A dead man can hurt no one. It is that simple.
There is no answer to the existential problem of negotiating with anyone who has as their goal the rendering of the world Judenrein
This is beautifully written and incredibly heartbreaking. “And yet….” Is what we hear again and again. They are monsters, we made a deal with the devil, and yet, and yet… The price of being morally superior may be more than we can bear.
Idea 1: Take land.
If the hostages are not returned, Gaza becomes 20% smaller. Losing land is the Arab equivalent of losing face. It is a very big deal. Gazans will KNOW they lost the war if land is lost. There is a lot of value in Gazans knowing they lost. 5 wars in, hamas has lost nothing it values. But they would lose land, something they value. They would lose respect in the Islamic world, which they also value -- and need. And the starting point for negotiations becomes land for hostages, not terrorists for hostages.
Idea 2: Bring the death penalty into Israel. I don't much care for it, but the idea of terrorists returning to terrorism is, as the author writes, is excruciating. Do not make that choice available for those with blood on their hands.
Many commenters here seem to lack the basic understanding that the imperative today is to free the hostages. If you refrain from that based on a theoretical future occurrence, then you have another agenda, and freeing the hostages is not it.
I would dedicate resources towards understanding how the governments of Bibi Netanyahu (and others - for sure) developed the concepts and policies that led Israel to this catastrophe in the first place - that is, if we think we are so smart.
Again, failure to do this is a cover for a different agenda that does not place the hostages as the number one priority.
When Trump threatened Hamas I hoped he would also tell them he would go after them. Releasing hundreds or thousands of terrorists makes no sense. When in Viet Nam it was obvious the military was handcuffed and not allowed to win. I think Israel is in a similar situation regarding the hostages.
Maybe this is why the Torah is ultimately at the core of our journey.
"Behold, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil."
Mr. Black, as you have so eloquently expressed: Israel chooses life and Hamas chooses death. The two cannot coexist.
The life of your Friend Yoni Jesner.(His memory IS a Blessing) and the story you tell, will save many Jewish lives, many Israeli lives, many lives of people who cherish life. Yoni's life and your friendship are deeper and more powerful than the Hamas terror regime.
Thank you for writing "The Terrorist Who Murdered My Cousin Now Walks Free".
This murderer is not free; he is a slave of terror a slave of Hamas.