By Ted Belman
We recently had a discussion on Israpundit in support of capital punishment. It was argued that when you show tolerance for murder by not requiring capital punishment, you are giving a license to murder. You are saying murder is not so bad as to warrant capital punishment.
By the same token Israel gave a license for hostage taking by not taking action to recover Shalit immediately. And I don’t mean military action because Shalit and other Israeli soldiers would most likely die in the rescue attempts.
Israel could have started a relentless campaign of killing Hamas leaders until he was released. It could have refused to continue on the peace process until he was released. It could have shut down the electrical grid functioning in Gaza. It could have retaken the Philadelphi Corridor and put a stop to the operation of the tunnels. And so on. By not doing such things, it made the trade inevitable.
Similarly Israel’s response to the thousands of rockets was woefully inadequate and ensured its continuation. Proportionate force has nothing to do with equal force. It is whatever force is necessary to achieve a military objective, namely stopping the rocket attacks.
Instead Israel’s policy is to show tolerance for kidnappings, rocket attacks and terrorist murderers ensuring their continuation.
This policy must end.
Of course it’s my voice of sanity because your post was after seeing mine. My voice is always one of sanity. I said it made no sense to exchange 1,027 terrorists for one Israeli soldier, because it emboldens the bad guys and makes it a no-brainer for them to do it again.
I have also said that a commando raid should have been launched years ago to release Shalit so that the ratio would be MINUS 50 to 1, and asked “Is the spirit of Entebbe dead?”
Changed perceptions
Once famous for daring military operations,Israel, following the Schalit swap, is seen by some as a country that surrenders to terrorist demands.
🙂 Israel needs a national couch.
He isn’t the only Indian with no clue.
A voice of sanity!! Not yours of course but Ronsky’s.
Ronsky: Shalit should have been declared dead
Former IDF chief rabbi says exchanging captive soldier for terrorists is ‘crazy’, believes only way to obtain release is through military action.
The former IDF Chief Rabbi Brigadier General (Res.) Avichai Ronsky on Tuesday said that Israel should not have strived towards a prisoner swap that included freeing terrorists in exchange for Gilad Shalit. He believes the captive soldier should have been declared a dead soldier that cannot be reclaimed.
Speaking to Ynet, Ronsky claimed that the only right way to release Shalit was through military action and if that was impossible – to sadly accept the fact that the soldier would remain in Hamas captivity though he added it was “tough to say that”.
Rabbi Ronsky explained his position: “You can’t bring an entire country to its knees, that’s just crazy. It’s complete surrender.”
According to Ronsky, the Palestinians’ strength does not lie with a strong army or a magnificent country but mainly in spirit and a move like this is a great motivator to battle against Israel and carry out major terror attacks. “We know who the people being released are”, the rabbi said of the prisoners. Read more
Until Israel becomes the 51st. State of the US, whatever an American president demands has nothing to do with what the Israeli government decides, which is solely responsible for the governance of Israel.
There was no victory objective. The concept of victory as we would I think define it was never in the offing. It was an exercise in domestic PR, and it’s military aim was to stop the attacks with min casualties to IDF. It was stopped because there was no further military objective and because Obama demanded it two days before the inauguration.
I would make a far better Israeli PM than Ted and I’m not even Israeli:-))
For starters, I would have concluded long ago that the Palestinians have no intentions of living in peace with Israel, and want to replace Israel, something no Israeli government has acknowledged publicly.
The acceptance of this fact clears the mind for all kinds of strategies. For example, I would have annexed J&S as well as Gaza in addition to E. Jerusalem. Then I would have deported anyone who belonged to a hostile organization, anyone who would not renounce violence, and anyone who committed violence. That would have made any claim of “illegal settlements” moot.
I would have been on constant hostile offense as a way of life for a country in survival mode. I would have used the charters of the Palestinian organizations to stop anyone – whether at the UN, the US, or internally – from suggesting “talks” and “negotiations” unless these were all publicly revoked and scrapped, on the grounds that any talks in the context of those charters could not be serious.
I would be in an emergency war footing as long as there was hostile intent on the borders, and would warn the enemy that any bomb or rocket attack from outside would be immediately met with carpet bombing of the location, and warned any “civilians” to stay clear of such areas and then followed through until such attacks stopped.
When the enemy has made thair objectives clear – to the extent of putting these in writing – there is no need to pretend that any talks and negotiations are going to bear any fruit.
I second the motion. But, Ted, how would you have dealt with the Gilad Shalit affair after five years of negotiations. I’m not sure if, in this case, you could have effectively asserted those policies.Despite all the negative arguments against the deal, and therefore no deal or no negotiations, what could have been done NOW that would be a “better” outcome for Israel, passively just not to make a deal or,now , after five years, attack relentlessly assuring not only Gilad Shalit’s death but other soldiers and civilians probably too.
It was is and will be the way of work of the unJewish leadership.
NOTHING will change, on the contrary, the government which includes the same elements at the top since decades ago, in intrinsically inimical filth.
One has to understand the EVERYONE in the said governments knew and knows about the existence of thousands of specially trained beasts solely dedicated to attack… JEWS.
The possible solution must include dismantling the presents “combina”, as it is known amongst the still rational Israelis and FREELY elect a new gocernment system and people therein excluidng almost all of the present cadres.
Ted Belman for Israeli Prime Minister!!!
What the heck are you talking about? How does Israel “win” when they have GUARANTEED that more Israelis will be abducted and even more will die when these 1,027 pieces of human debris attack Israelis to “save face” as they are already threatening to do? Even if 1% do, that’s a lot of dead Israelis. And for what? ONE soldier’s confinement – who’s life was not even being threatened? How does that make any sense?
What happened to the spirit of Entebbe?
Here is the Indian Ambassador’s idiotic conclusion. He wants Israel to make MORE concessions! What “tarnished image” is he insinuating that Israel has? Is he asking for any concessions from the Palestinians in return? Of course not!
This guy has no clue that the Palestinians have no intentions of living in peace alongside Israel – that they want to replace Israel.
Quote:
The swap whereby Israel agreed to release 1,027 Palestinians for one Israeli in a way repairs Israel’s tarnished image. Arguably, Netanyahu acted under immense pressure from Israel’s isolation in the world community, but he has also hinted now that he can be a serious partner in future negotiations.
However, the euphoria over the Shalit swap cannot last forever. The grim realities will begin to resurface. Netanyahu needs to make some important decisions in immediate terms as to how to garner the current positive outcome so as to perpetuate it.
The lifting of the blockade of Gaza could be one such step. The heart of the matter is that there has been an easing of tensions, but it needs to be followed through.
Unquote.
The policies will not change as long as the unJews control the State.
The Peresites formulated the plans to destroy the Jewish State with the help of proxy Arafat and those murderers released are part of that package. One needs to understand that victory here is predicated upon first and foremost, destroying the internal enemies, be them great showmen or plain cows.
They stopped the Gaza military operation,(Barak), and twarted victory in Lebanon as well as developed the “rubber bullet” and “paint ball gun” as weapons of first choice. That when bombing boulders and empty sheds is not enough of a “message”.
As a start those elements must be brought to understand that the people can also make “HARD DECISIONS”…
You are right. The policy must change. I don’t know whether it’s because Israel shows tolerance as much as it tends to yield to political and international pressure. Wasn’t Cast Lead stopped just before Obama took office. And what were the real reasons for stopping short in the Lebanon war? It wasn’t tolerance otherwise the war would never have started in the first place but it stopped due to pressure. From now on if Israel decides it needs to do something it should make sure it follows through unconditionally until the job is done.
Sad, but true. Many Israelis are undoubtedly going to pay with their lives for Shalit’s freedom:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/8836933/Gilad-Shalit-release-freed-Palestinian-prisoner-vows-to-sacrifice-her-life.html
Quote:
As she returned to her family home in northern Gaza, Wafa al-Bis insisted she would seize any opportunity to mount another suicide mission and encouraged dozens of cheering schoolchildren to follow her example.
Bis was one of hundreds of Palestinian militants freed by Israel on Tuesday in the first phase of a prisoner swap agreed with Hamas, Gaza’s Islamist overlords, to win the freedom of Sgt Maj Shalit after five years in solitary confinement.
Her words will chill critics of the deal who argue that many of the 1,027 Palestinians who are to be released from prison will return to violence once they have been freed. For most Israelis, such fears have been consigned to the future as an anxious nation watched to see how the 25-year-old conscript was faring on his first full day at home in Mitzpe Hila, his home village in the hills above the Sea of Galilee.
Unquote.
recommend reading “Shalit: Israel wins, but it’s only half-time” By M K Bhadrakumar Oct 20, 2011
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MJ20Ak01.html
I have always found the former ambassador from India to offer excellent analysis, although this is the first time he has ventured such outside of Central and South Asia.
Well stated Mr. Belman.
You said, “Instead Israel’s policy is to show tolerance for kidnappings, rocket attacks and terrorist murderers ensuring their continuation.”
Political poetry Mr. Belman. You have in one sentence made the complex simple.
Well done!
YES! ABSOLUTELY!
DO THE STRONG THING! DO NOT FIGHT WAR ON YOUR ENEMY’S TERMS.
NO food, NO water, NO meds, NO money, NO electric grid, NOTHING unless Shalit was returned safe and sound. The Entebbe rescue could never happen now.
For each rocket, ten Fold punishment. But, this will not happen.
Lily
Israelis have done a song and dance for the world’s leaders, ever since independence.
BUT FIRST, A NUMBER
Spot on. Israel could decide that all terror ending with murder would earn capital punishment and all non-terror murder would adhere to European norms of no capital punishment. This way wolf will be full and sheep in one piece.;)
In the past three decades, Israeli officialdom has become accustomed to surrendering to terrorists as the default national policy.
Changing this mindset among won’t be easy.
Israel could have taken the kind of actions the Russians took in Lebanon when their diplomats were kidnapped by Amal terrorists. They kidnapped terrorists and sent body parts back to the Amal headquarters. Contrary to conventional wisdom the Russian diplomats would be killed, they were unconditionally released and no more Russian diplomats were ever kidnapped again.
Israel’s policy of capitulation to Islamic terror guarantees more Jews will die and more Israelis will be kidnapped in the future.
And it should be added, without the death penalty for terrorism, there is every incentive for future Israeli governments to barter sentenced terrorists for Israeli hostages.
Without a change in Israeli policy, the same ignominy is guaranteed to repeat itself a number of years from now.
You have nailed it Ted. Why was Cast Lead discontinued? Why was the second Lebanon war discontinued? Both times Israel was on the verge of Victory.