The most difficult thing to digest in the public conduct regarding the deal to release the hostages is the ease with which people express strong positions. Because if there is an issue where one needs to turn one's insides before taking a position - it is precisely this issue.
These are real life and death questions and unbearable dilemmas. For the families, the thought of another day of their loved ones in captivity is hell on earth. The entire nation also suffers the pain of the families and the infernal agony of the hostages, who have been languishing in Gaza for more than four hundred and fifty days. And in contrast, the thought of a mass release of terrorists and the barrels of fuel that this release will pour into the fire of terror - is mind-boggling.
In the kidnapping deal, we save lives and arouse immense joy and intense excitement at the sight of the kidnapped returning to the bosom of their families. At the same time, the fate (whether it will be or not) of who knows how many people, old and young, women and children, whose names we still do not know, is being sealed.
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That's the terrible price of this deal.
Admitting a mistake
You don't have to be a prophet of wrath to know that this is the direct result of the deal. This has been the case with all these deals in the past. They redeemed individuals from captivity, and caused the shedding of the blood of many more Jews.
Take, for example, the Jibril deal, forty years ago, in which three IDF soldiers were released in exchange for the release of 1,151 terrorists. Yuval Diskin, later head of the Shin Bet, wrote: "The release of the prisoners in the Jibril deal is the main cause of the changes and processes that led to the first intifada... The mass of prisoners who were released then built a new extremist and activist leadership.".
This is also the conclusion of journalists Ze'ev Schiff and Ehud Ya'ari: "This deal... sent hundreds of trained and knowledgeable activists back into the territories. There is no longer any doubt that those released in that deal played a central role in the intifada." Moshe Arens, who supported the deal at the time, later admitted his mistake: "As soon as it became clear to me that some of those released in the deal were returning to carry out attacks, it was clear to me that the deal was wrong.".
Two ways to stop
There is no need to elaborate on the results of the Shalit deal, which released more than a thousand terrorists, including the most murderous Sinwar. The joy over the release of one soldier was soon drowned in a sea of tears for the many lives that were cut short by the freed men of that unfortunate deal.
And where does this go from here? It is clear that the current release will provide additional motivation to take more hostages, in order to secure the release of more terrorist leaders. Will the strength be found in the future to withstand the pressure from the families and not surrender? It is hard to believe.
There are two ways to stop this bloody cycle: one, to sentence murderous terrorists to death, and then there will be no one to release. The other, to strike the enemy with such severe blows that he will beg to hand over the hostages to us as long as we take our foot off his neck.
All we can do is pray to the Creator of the world that He will give the hearts of decision-makers the strength and determination to do the right things, so that the people of Israel can dwell in their land safely.
