OPINION:
The Israeli hostage situation was a national vulnerability, an existential weakness and a bitter cultural lesson. The value of a human life is a learned cultural sensibility, and it is not arbitrary.
For Israel, every human life is incalculably precious; even the treatment of human remains is a sacred obligation. For Islam, death in battle against the Judeo-Christian infidel is a sacred honor. The internet is replete with videos of Muslim mothers rejoicing that they are raising their sons to pursue the martyrdom of death.
In 2011, for the return of one hostage soldier, Israel released more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, a quarter of whom were serving life sentences for murderous attacks. That release included Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas planner of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Last week, Israel released about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, 250 of whom were serving life sentences, for the return of 20 live hostages and an unknown number of dead Israeli hostages who were held by Hamas for two years in horrific conditions. These exchanges stand as a terribly bitter lesson, but what can be done about it?
In all wars, prisoners are captured on the field of battle and eventually released or exchanged for those held by the enemy. Hamas has learned from history that hostages can be as effective as bombs and bullets in war, and when enemy combatants and civilians convicted of murder are sentenced to life in prison, they also become reasons for kidnappings.
The pragmatic solution to terrorists’ hostage taking is perhaps too simplistic: Either take no enemy combatants alive and/or create a death penalty. Both solutions, apart from violating the conventions of war, would be antithetical to Israel’s religious belief that every life is priceless. Unlike Hamas, Israel’s core societal morality considers humanitarian concerns. Even if the pragmatic solution were an effective counter to the hostage problem, it would undoubtedly destroy the country’s civil cohesion.
Israel is confronted with a painful question: Can it prevent future kidnappings, military and civilian, without first creating the unbearable cultural and social disorder such changes would require? Will hostage taking become a problem for not only Israel but also the world to consider?
NORTON RUBENSTEIN
Richmond, Virginia
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