Opinion
Don’t envy Netanyahu
Shimon Shiffer
Published: 21.12.09, 16:46
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17 Talkbacks for this article
1. The fact is that Netanyahu cannot make a decision!
David ,   Karmiel, Israel   (12.21.09)
Prime Minister Netanyahu just cannot decide on anything. He fiddled and diddled his way into "usurping" the Premiership of country by promising the earth to his right wing supporters and now, like Avigdor Lieberman, has betrayed them by reneging on the basic that brought him to power. Now he is faced with a life or death situation. We all know, whether we agree with the Shalit family's campaign or not, that if there is no "deal" Gilad, who is a child of Israel,will not survive. This Netanyahu indecisiveness, which had been going on for months. If at the outset he had said to the country we do not deal with terrorists, there would have been heartache and sadness, but we all, even his biggest critics, would have praised him for sticking by his principles. The question now arises what our Prime Minister will do when he will have to send soldiers into the field the next time Hezbollah or Hamas attacks? Will he procrastinate and jeopardize the safety and lives of thousands of will he act? As for his advisers like Reserve Chief of the IDF Lieutenant General (Reserve) Boogie Yaalon, who oppose the "deal", I hope they will agree that every soldier in the IDF must be told: "Get captured, you are on your own - we don't deal with terrorists." Is this what Israel stands for? I don't know, do you? Either way, Bibi, you are the PM. Now act like a leader!
2. It is simple
Ariel Ben Yochanan ,   Kfar Tapuah, Efraim,   (12.21.09)
B"H You can overcomplicate things as much as you like Shiffer, but it doesn't change the substance: 1.) Gentiles kidnapped Jews all along our history. Shalit is not the first and will not be the last one. So, our sages, our Sages, elaborated a halacha on this, a precise way of conduct. The very fact that Netanyahu decided to decide on the issue indicates that he sees himself superior not only to halacha (Jewish Law), but also to the secular Israeli law he promised to uphold. In my dictionary this is called "arrogance" and I don't like it and would have hoped you don't like it either. This is one. 2.) If a "leader" is constantly allows himself to be forced to do things with which he does not agree, as you suggest, well, he is not a leader: he is a follower. In politics leaders lead and followers follow. Prime ministers meant to be leaders and if Netanyahu can not or will not lead to the direction he promised he would once elected, he should resign or, if he doesn't want to resign for whatever reason, he should be forced to. At the end of the day it is as simple as this.
3. Bibi - has proven Time and time he is not fit to be PM
Norman   (12.21.09)
People voted right no for the freeze. People voted right no to get Barak as DM and real decision Maker in this Gov't.
4. A coward dies a thousand times.
(12.21.09)
5. Nobody is telling Shalit we forgot him! Just telling 2 wait
Alan ,   SA   (12.21.09)
Nobody leaves Shalit alone! No Death Sentences bla bla We paid those 20 women as the price for the video . Unlike the Lebanese 2 where we knew nothing--if they were alive or not till we saw the 2 black coffins that morning-WE KNOW SHALIT IS ALIVE .We know Hamas has him in very safe custody .Hamas has him -Hamas must care for him . We tell them that his life is their life. If he is harmed we take out the whole Hamas leadership.I dont think they will like that.They know in time we can do it .The longer this hostage story goes on the longer Gaza suffers. Then continue with pressure . We will see who will cave in first . Releasing those 1000 nor 400 or whatever will only bring another kidnap story . Next time it could be you or your son or even Daughter soldier or civilian .
6. Bibi helped Hamas with Yassin-why not again?
(12.21.09)
7. He's the one who wanted to be a big shot
Robert ,   US   (12.21.09)
not the same thing as a leader
8. While the decision, as underlined by
Robert Haymond ,   Ashdod, Israel   (12.21.09)
the author of this article, is difficult no matter which way Mr. Netanyahu (and his colleagues) go, hard decisions are something which political leaders are expected to undergoe. We, the Israeli public, would much prefer that Israeli be far more proactive: If we can't disinter Gilad Shalit from under the clutches of Hamas in one heroic gesture, why cannot we "kidnap" several Hamas leaders, publicize and parade them around in a challenge to our enemy. The world always respected our chutzpah, not our defensive and appeasement oriented gestures which they have now become to used to. Had we stopped Hamas rockets from the outset, I think we would have been applauded. Were we not only not to give in to terrorism but to challenge it with our own offensive tactics, some of the old respect which Israel garnered would be renewed, not only in the eyes of the international community but, moreover, in our own.
9. Good Post Robert (# 8)
Ginette Golden ,   Toronto, Canada   (12.21.09)
Let's kidnap the whole lot of them (Hamas leaders) but I will go one step further, let's not parade anybody; instead put them incommunicado in a cell each WITHOUT CONTACT TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD for as long as it takes. #5 is also right. Releasing so many terrorists only encourages more kidnappings. It is high time to end the mental anguish of the Shalit family, one way or the other. If they can’t free Gilad by force then take out as many as possible of their so called leaders, kill them on the spot if they fire at the troupes but for the love of G-d, let’s stop the parents’ suffering! Time for Netanyahu to show some real backbone and (try to) be the leader the Israelis elected.
10. Netanyahu is a two time loser..Only now Israel will be lost
Al   (12.21.09)
thanks to the incredibly stupid leadership Israel is sliding into the abyss with nay a word from those who know better. You hate those who give a damn and pander to those who dont. And you still wonder why Jews with money, brains and a Jewish heart would never join you. You are just that dumb. Israeli Jews....The dumbest Jews in the world today.
11. Making MORAL decisions comes with the job.
Bunnie Meyer ,   Los Angeles, CA USA   (12.21.09)
12. #9 Ginette: Your points are valid but ....
David ,   Karmiel, Israel   (12.21.09)
When are you in the "New World" and those in Europe and other civilized countries going to realize that Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Al Qaeda, the Taliban and so many others do not value human fife, theirs or that of others? Their warped version of Islam, some would say not so warped, is that the greatest honor is to die for ones cause and it doesn't matter how many innocent bystanders get killed. Do you really think that "kidnapping" or killing Khaled Mashal or Ishmael Haniya would free Gilad Shalit? They would rejoice in their martyrdom, cut off Gilads head on TV and the world would find another reason to condemn Israel for not showing restraint! The people of Gaza, so pitied by the do-gooders and NGO's of this world live in squalor and misery because of nasty Israel. No one asks the question as to why they do not rise up and throw Haniya, who is Mashal's puppet, out? They live the way they do in order to further their hatred of Israel and the Jewish people and to contribute to the anti-Israel propaganda machine financed by the Arab world who couldn't care a damn about the Palestinians! My words but their actions. Whether we do the deal or not terrorism is going to continue. The question Netanyahu has to answer is whether or not to sacrifice the life of an Israeli soldier so that others can kill instead of those in prison? I do not know the answer but the torture of the Shalit family has to end and while I am against the "deal" logically and as a father of two who served in the IDF my heart says bring back a "live one". We know that the IDF and our Security Forces will do their best to stop terror. More than that we cannot ask.
13. To #5: And if he was your son Alan in SA?
David ,   Karmiel, Israel   (12.21.09)
You say he is alive.Have you seen him since th 14th September, 2009? How would you like to be in the hands of terrorists who would cut off your head and show it to the world without think twice? So Alan, sitting in SA where Israel is not among the favorite nations, please tell us that if we let Gilad die and the Hamas merry men stay in the pokey forever that terrorism and kidnapping will stop. You can't promise us that Alan! Do you think that we in Israel have not thought about it? Any one who thinks that the Arabs will stop hating Israel and stop killing Jews is fool! As an ex-SA to an SA, go and look Gilad's folks in the eye and tell them to wait!
14. Re: 13
David   (12.22.09)
Your remarks were not directed at me, but I cannot help but respond. The fact of the matter is that there is hardly anything that anyone wouldn't want done in order to save his/her child. I believe I speak for everyone, or almost everyone, when I say this. If placed in the same situation, it is hard to imagine, in all honesty, that any of us would deem any price too high-- any burden too unbearable-- for the return of our loved one. Nor, in direct answer to your question, can I imagine that anyone would deem any price too high for his/her own life. I, for one, cannot imagine that, if taken captive, I wouldn't spend every night praying for the government to pay any price for my release. I do not know poor Gilad Schalit's suffering, but I can imagine it, and it is because of that very fact that I rejoiced when I first heard that the Gaza strip was attacked last year, after years of provocation, and then almost immediately felt my joy give way to fear-- fear that the military assault would provoke the captors into taking the life of their hostage. But we cannot afford, as a nation, to be among the hostages. Indeed, all of us are among the targets of the terrorists-- all of us are in the cross-hairs of the murderers that are going to be released (and they will be, if precedent is any guide), and all of us, as a nation, were among the victims of their murderous rampage. We cannot allow ourselves to be held hostage by them when in all truth, it is our nation that holds the monopoly of force. We cannot send the message that, quite simply, the taking of even a single hostage can free any and every murderer-- that fundamentally no conviction will ever be upheld, and that terrorism quite simply is not a crime that we ever intend to punish, with any degree of seriousness. Anyone who suggests otherwise cannot hold any claim whatsoever to being "tough on terrorism." Hardly any act of capitulation could more deeply expose that pretension.
15. We must return to policy of NEVER ransoming captives.
Chaim ,   Israel   (12.22.09)
Until the monstrous evil called Oslo, Israel was governed by sound policies. We didn't ransom captives. We rescued them or made our enemies pay such a fearsome price, it wasn't worth their while to kidnap our people. We didn't talk to or recognize terrorist organizations. We have to get back to the sound policies of our past. They brought us heroic Entebbe. Our present sick policies have us begging at the feet of terrorists. We must go back to the policy of NEVER ransoming captives.
16. David in Karmiel, Post 12 & 13
Ginette Golden ,   Toronto, Canada   (12.22.09)
Ok then if that's the case, I am sure they can kidnap Hanyieh and Marshall and whomever they find in their company and lock them up, I still maintain without any communication with the outside World. Poof! All of a sudden, there are no more Hamas leaders therefore no one to negotiate with and the Gazan will get tired soon enough of the blockade and will (hopefully) serve us Gilad on a silver platter...It's just a matter of looking in the right tunnel. I just want it to end for the sake of Gilad's parents already! This must be the worst torture they are being put through...something has got to give sooner or later. I pray constantly for the Shalit family and for all of Israel. This awfully sad story has turned me into a religious girl and I hope Hashem appreciate my efforts and can hear my voice, amen!
17. He can't even get Pollard back!!!!
Lila ,   Jerusalem, Israel   (12.22.09)
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