Wall Street Journal OPINION | COMMENTARY
By Michael Segal
Feb. 6, 2024 6:14 pm ET
Israel’s greatest weakness is its willingness do anything to obtain the release of hostages.
Nothing illustrates this better than Israel’s release of 1,027 terrorists and other security prisoners in 2011 in exchange for one hostage, Gilad Shalit. Among those released was Yahya Sinwar, now leader of Hamas in Gaza. Hamas learned that Israeli hostages are hugely valuable and promised a cash bounty for each hostage brought back to Gaza on Oct. 7.
An estimated 80 hostages are alive in Gaza. Some hostage families, prominent Israelis and Western leaders have urged Israel to release its thousands of security prisoners in exchange. Yet the conflict is far from over, and releasing terrorists would lead to more attacks. It would create the impression that Hamas didn’t lose the war and that being captured in the next round is temporary until the next hostage release.
The willingness to pay a high price for captives has deep roots in Jewish tradition. It is discussed in detail in the Talmud, though tempered by the concern that paying too high a price would encourage seizing of more captives. In the Middle Ages, when taking of captives typically involved one-of-a-kind situations, Jewish leaders pushed the cultural imperative even more toward the importance of redeeming captives, with less concern for creating incentives for hostage-taking.
But Jews now have a state, with a longer time horizon and a greater danger that a hostage deal will encourage future hostage-taking. Israel also has an option that wasn’t available to Jews in the Middle Ages: military action. According to news reports, Israel ascertained Mr. Sinwar’s location—in a tunnel under Khan Younis, surrounded by many hostages—though it’s possible he has been moved since.
In the absence of a modest deal similar to the one that resulted in the release of 105 hostages in November, Israel’s best alternative is to go after Mr. Sinwar despite the risk to the hostages, bringing the Gaza war to an end. Hostages would die in the process, though one can imagine clever strategies in which some would survive.
For Israel to negotiate with military action as a credible option, it needs to overcome not only its own cultural attitudes about hostage negotiations, but also an American mindset that seems to have forgotten the importance of winning a war. The U.S. is attacking the rebel Houthis in Yemen but limiting the attacks so as not to topple the Houthis or even endanger their cease-fire with the official government of Yemen. It is a different attitude from that of Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, whose Proclamation No. 1 on entering Germany declared a goal of total victory.
Both Israel and the U.S. need to return to the simple principle that decisive victory is the best way to restore peace.
Dr. Segal is a neurologist and neuroscientist.
Appeared in the February 7, 2024, print edition as 'Overvaluing Hostages Is Israel’s Weakness'
https://www.wsj.com/articles/overvaluing-hostages-is-israels-weakness-gaza-hamas-war-d3818922
Copyright ©2024 Michael Segal
