Redeeming the soldiers: Surrender to terror?
Is the fear of more abductions stronger than the mitzvah to redeem our soldiers? Does one family's concern justify the pain of others? Head of terror victims group vs. bereaved father
| Chaim Avraham |  | Meir Indor | | | | |
On October 7, 2000, five months after the IDF pulled out of south Lebanon, there was a quiet knock on the door. An IDF officer and two soldiers. My wife Edna immediately asked: What's happened to our son Beni?
He wasn't hurt, he wasn't killed – just kidnapped.
On that terrible day, our lives became one long hell – and we knew the results all along.
I hoped with all my heart that my son Beni Avraham and his comrades, Adi Avitan and Omar Sawaed, would be the last to fall in Israel's wars. It didn't happen.
Replay
Today, as Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev are held by terrorist groups, the terrible feelings come rushing back, as if it's all happening again: The fears, helplessness, the pain of not knowing anything about their fates.
For three-and-a-half years Hizbullah refused to provide any information about the soldiers' fates and abused the families letting them come to their own conclusions by providing conflicting information. No humanitarian agencies, world leaders, parliamentarians or ethical leaders were able to bring about a solution to the kidnapped soldiers.
After protracted negotiations with German negotiators and a team headed by Gen. Ilan Biran, the soldiers were released.
Is there another way?
For 18 years we were stuck in the Lebanese quagmire. Lebanon is a conflicted country ruled by rival drug lords in the Bekaa, egged on by Iran and Syria – countries dubbed part of the "axis of evil" for world-wide terror.
For years, the IDF stayed in Lebanon, and soldiers were taken captive as bargaining chips. Their release was always brought about via tough negotiations with terrorist groups, and their release was always in exchange for releasing terrorists.
It is clear to all that releasing terrorists who have committed terrible blows to Israel's deterrent ability. But the difficult question must be asked: Is there any other way to bring our boys home?
Moral responsibility
Lest we forget: The country sent these boys to the front, and it has a moral responsibility to them is the highest value for a society that has been fighting for its life for more than 100 years.
Our soldiers are highly motivated to accomplish their missions, determined to do whatever they are asked. But they must be sure that the public and politicians will stand fully behind them in the even something happens to them. They must know they will be rescued alive.
A society that believes in the justice of its cause, that rests on its values and beliefs, must draw deeply from its well of beliefs, take a deep breath and know that the mitzvah of freeing captives is the highest mitzvah of them all.
Jewish tradition
"There is no mitzvah greater than freeing hostages," writes the 12-century rabbi Maimonides, "for hostages are starving and thirsty and naked and their lives are in danger." Jewish tradition considers a hostage situation as the most serious of all; someone who hesitates even one hour to free a hostage is considered to have spilt his blood.
Money earmarked for charity or building a synagogue may be used to free a hostage. One may even sell a Torah scroll.
For each missing soldier – and these include Zacharia Baumel, Yehuda Katz, Tzvi Feldman, Ron Arad and Guy Haver – there are suffering families who have no idea whatever happened to their – our – children, and who continue to await their speedy return.
Our actions must be studied, careful and measured, so we do not fall into the traps set for us by terrorist groups, so we do not get ourselves into ill-advised positions during negotiations, and don't destroy our deterrent ability.
Still, bringing our boys home is our highest value.
Chaim Avraham is the father of Beni Avraham, an IDF soldier kidnapped and killed by Hizbullah.
The numbers speak for themselves: 80 percent of security prisoners released return to terror activities. 14 suicide attacks have been carried out by terrorists released by Israel.
Two men who murdered a Jewish translator who believed in peace and was working in eastern Jerusalem were released in the 1985 Jibril deal. 1,160 terrorists were released in that deal, including master terrorist Kozo Okamoto.
Joska Grup's mother got her son back, as did four other families of Israeli POWs, after an aggressive media campaign on all channels and at all levels – and hundreds of people paid for it with their lives and health when those terrorists planned the first intifada and formed the foundation of the terrorist organizations that have gained strength since the Oslo accords were signed.
Spider's web
When Nasrallah said Israel was fragile as a spider's web, he meant, amongst other things, that Israel has no judge and no jury. Terrorists are routinely released, and a mother's voice changes the entire national agenda. Is this really in our best interest?
Since Elhanan Tanenbaum was released, kidnappings have increased, and since the bodies of Beni Avraham, Adi Avitan and Omar Sawaed were returned in exchange for terrorists the bodies have become part of Lebanese commerce.
As soon as the exchange with Nasrallah was completed, he started talking about the next kidnapping. The writing was on the wall even before the exchange was carried out, but they told us – injured and bereaved victims of terror – "who can look the parents of kidnapped soldiers in the eyes?"
Look into their eyes
Now the time has come to ask ourselves: And who will look in the eyes of the families of the next kidnapped soldiers? Who will look into the eyes of people walking in the streets, whose names we still do not know, but will be the next targets of kidnappings and terror attacks?
Who will look into the eyes of murder victims when their loved ones' murderers are released en masse, flashing the "v" for victory, smiling and hugging their families, while their loved ones are six feet under?
Seeking justice
Even modern legislators understand that in order to rehabilitate victims, justice must be seen to be done. They have recognized this in the "Terror Victims Law" which grants victims the possibility to testify before the court about sentencing, and to follow the course of action.
It is clear today that part of the emotional rehabilitation for victims is the desire to see the people who hurt them serve their sentences. The Torah, too, provides for allowing families to demand full punishment for those who hurt their loved ones.
The call for justice is found in the book of Numbers: "Don't soak the earth with blood." This means the earth cannot take the spilling of innocent blood, and society must punish offenders. Society cannot tolerate the early release of murderers, even if they are rich enough to pay for the privilege.
Therefore, it is inconceivable that Israeli society would release terrorists on account of the violent actions of other terrorists. Even if they are Arab.
Once upon a time…
Once upon a time, things were different. Prof. Yuval Neeman told me that when he was deputy chief of Israeli intelligence there were Israeli captives in enemy hands. He refused to meet with parents of the hostages in order to not be persuaded by emotions.
It took time, but the hostages were eventually released, without bowing to pressures, and after Israel carried out kidnappings in response.
Another story: In the 13th century, the leader of European Jewry, known as the Maharam of Rottenberg, was kidnapped, and his holders demanded a massive ransom.
The Jewish community raised the money, but the rabbi ordered them not to pay the ransom, knowing the move would encourage further kidnappings. He died in jail, and the story goes that he even ordered the community not to ransom his body.
The rabbi placed a price tag on the mitzvah of redeeming captives and said not to go overboard. It is an ancient Talmudic principle enacted when kidnappings were on the rise.
Now, at a time when parents are sending their children to fight, a fight they could possibly die in or be seriously wounded by terrorists, we would be insane to release even more terrorists.
Who would dare send their children into battle after such a move, when hundreds of additional terrorists captured with great effort are released to save their terrorist organizations?
Brig. Gen. (res.) Meir Indor was wounded in a terror attack and is the head of the Almagor terror victims group
