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Freeing Hostages Should Not Be a Bargaining Tool

(National Post-Canada) Irwin Cotler and Brandon Silver - The rescue and recovery of hostages, versus clemency for convicted mass murderers, rewards terrorist criminality and extortion while incentivizing further acts of terror. The mass murderers being released by Israel to secure the return of innocent civilians taken hostage could be the architects and perpetrators of another atrocity. No country should be put in such a painful and impossible position, and every country should have condemned this dangerous paradigm imposed by terrorists, while simultaneously supporting the agreement. But there are important lessons to be learned. A hostage recovery and ceasefire agreement could have likely been achieved earlier - and many lives saved - and at lower cost with less risks, had the world held Hamas accountable and unequivocally called for the release of the hostages as a standalone humanitarian principle and international legal obligation. The singling out of Israel for selective opprobrium and indictment, coupled with indulgence of Hamas demands, only prolonged the process. In not condemning Hamas's outrageous demands, the international community delayed a ceasefire and thereby contributed to the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis alike. While Canada had initiated criminal investigations for Russian crimes against Ukrainians, ISIS crimes against Yazidis and others, and Canadian victims of terrorism and kidnapping abroad, the government has opted not to pursue justice and accountability for the Jewish Canadian victims of Hamas. Canada's words and deeds inadvertently normalized the largest international hostage-taking in history, thereby undermining the international norms against it and putting all Canadians abroad at risk. Irwin Cotler is a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. Brandon Silver is Director of Policy and Projects at the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights.
2025-01-28 00:00:00
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