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The Emerging Hostage Deal Is Problematic from a Moral Standpoint

(Jerusalem Post) Efraim Inbar - There is a moral obligation to return hostages. Ransom for hostages is a "great commandment." However, it is not an absolute command. The Mishnah teaches that "we do not redeem captives for more than their worth due to the repair of the world: so that [their captors] do not strive to increase the number of captives" (Tractate Gittin, Mishnah 4:6). The ransom for the hostages should not be excessive: this was also determined by a committee headed by Supreme Court Justice Meir Shamgar. While setting a reasonable price is subject to debate, the principle is correct. The moral calculation must include the fact that releasing an unknown number of terrorists in exchange for some of the hostages poses a tangible danger to Israeli citizens. The more than a thousand released in the Shalit deal - including Sinwar himself - are responsible for the deaths of many Israelis. Is the blood of Israeli citizens who have been or will be killed due to released terrorists considered any less red? The writer is president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security.
2024-08-22 00:00:00
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