The Terrorist Who Murdered My Cousin Now Walks Free
Yoni Jesner, left, who a Hamas terrorist murdered in 2002, poses for a photo with his cousin Gideon Black. (via @yonijesnerfoundation/Instagram)
I weep with happiness as the hostages return home. But how can this be the price of their liberation?
Douglas Murray is off this week but we are certain he will agree with us that the essay we are running today in his stead is among the most affecting we have ever published.
It is by Gideon Black, whose cousin’s murderer was among the scores of terrorists released in exchange for the innocent Israelis captured and enslaved by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Bl…
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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.