Love of the Land: Shalit, Pollard and Jewish Leadership

Shalit, Pollard and Jewish Leadership

Manhigut
30 December 09

On the surface, it looks like Netanyahu said no to the Hamas – albeit not explicitly. If that assessment is correct and Netanyahu is not simply employing delaying tactics to avoid releasing a particular terrorist, then we have witnessed a turning point in Israeli mentality. Israel is in the process of shedding the "peace process" mindset that has been forced upon it in the last generation. As long as we are in the midst of a peace process, what is wrong with freeing terrorists so that we may put an end to the suffering of the Shalit family? But if we are not in a peace process, but rather in a sophisticated form of war, then freeing terrorists is illogical.

Netanyahu saw the polls and knows that the general public is in favor of the deal to release a thousand terrorists for Shalit. But he also saw that he will receive no political dividends from the deal. On the contrary – according to the polls, the public's faith in him will actually decrease.

It is like a young child who is pestering his parents to give him a candy that will also give him a stomach ache. If we would take a poll, we would discover that the child is in favor of the candy – but that he is also opposed to the stomach ache. In any event, his thanks to his parents for the candy will quickly be transformed into anger over his stomach ache.

Both Gilad Shalit and Jonathan Pollard can be quickly redeemed without endangering our soldiers. But for that to happen, we need Jewish leadership that will proudly and fearlessly take the simple steps necessary to release our captives.

Until Israel connects to its Jewish values and mentality, we will not be able to release our captives. Click here for Moshe Feiglin's article "Why Isn't Gilad Shalit Home Yet?"

Love of the Land: Shalit, Pollard and Jewish Leadership