(Tablet) Yossi Klein Halevi - I opposed the demand that the Israeli government release as many terrorists as it takes to bring Gilad Shalit home. If the deal went through, any potential terrorist would know it was just a matter of time before he'd be freed in the next deal for the next kidnapped Israeli. Even those who supported the campaign to free Gilad Shalit must be sobered by the erosion of Israeli deterrence. The Shalit dilemma set our parental responsibilities against our responsibilities as Israelis - one protective instinct against another. The prime minister's job is to resist emotional pressure and ensure the nation's security; a father's job is to try to save his son, regardless of the consequences. Hamas leaders are boasting of victory. If so, it is a victory of shame. Hamas is celebrating the release of symbols of "resistance," not of human beings. Hamas' victory is an expression of the Arab crisis. The Arab world's challenge is to shift from a culture that sanctifies honor to a culture that sanctifies dignity. Honor is about pride; dignity is about human value. Hamas may have upheld its honor; but Israel affirmed the dignity of a solitary human life.
2011-10-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive