Weekly Commentary: Will Rewarding Hostage-Taking Cripple IDF in Future Wars?

Weekly Commentary: Will Rewarding Hostage-Taking Cripple IDF in Future Wars?
Dr. Aaron Lerner, 25 April 2024

There is a strong consensus (beyond the echo chamber) that if we fail to
complete our operation in Gaza, both our enemies and regional allies will
see this as a dangerous sign of weakness as we forfeit victory for hostages.

Our enemies will add hostage-taking as an opening gambit of any major
operation against the Jewish State, confident that an echo chamber of
Israeli media, talking heads, and hostage families will cripple a
devastating Israeli response.

Shabak does a great job. But don’t underestimate the ability of Iran and
others to orchestrate a mass kidnapping operation in the heart of Israel
using sleeper cells who were never on our radar.

Our allies in the Gulf and the Saudis will think twice about tying their
fates with a country that forfeits victory for hostages.

Yes, these are harsh words.

But they need to be said.

This isn’t a question of “owing” a victory to our soldiers who were killed
or wounded and their families so that their sacrifices were not in vain.

We have to look to our nation’s very future.

We need to talk about this rationally.

The echo chamber assertion that no country puts its own future over the
lives of civilian hostages is powerful rhetoric.

But the truth is that no country puts the lives of civilian hostages over
the country’s future.

Yes, some deals are possible.

But not at any price.

Let’s be clear about this: the talking heads who claim we can somehow pick
up this war at our convenience on the basis of some future incident are
treating us like children.

Count on Mr. Biden – or more hostage-taking – to stop us.

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IMRA – Independent Media Review and Analysis

Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on Arab-Israeli relations

Website: www.imra.org.il