Courage to tell the truth

Emmanuel Rosen

Relatives of the captives deliberately spent Passover eve near the prime minister’s house. Had a fairy appeared that night by Ehud Olmert’s bed and offered him three wishes, I bet that the first one would be to return the captives back home.


Olmert’s problem is that in reality the contacts to free the captives are not managed by a fairy, but rather, by a tough and cruel witch. And the fact, which is so difficult to admit, is that the prime minister is willing to “do everything” in order to bring the boys back home, on condition that it comes at a bargain price: Without risking lives, without releasing dangerous prisoners, and without public protest. Just like a typical bargaining session between an Israeli backpacker and a sly merchant at a market in India, Olmert is “dying” to buy the goods, but is certainly unwilling to be perceived as a sucker.


This week, an interesting question was raised. If soldiers serving at the front had a sophisticated chip implanted in them that would show their location at any given moment, and we would know, for example, where Gilad Shalit is being held, would the prime minister order a military operation to release him? In my view, the answer is no.


The prime minister would prefer to approve three more strikes in Syria and four more daring assassinations in Damascus before he agrees to risk soldiers for the uncertain possibility that Shalit would be freed.


Thirty two years after the Entebbe Operation, our willingness to “do everything” for our captives is mostly lip service. For 20 years now, we’ve had a different kind of “captive” held at a prison by a friendly country, Jonathan Pollard, and Israel is not willing to jeopardize even one cocktail party with an American president to secure his release.


Appetite for abductions to grow
The question of the captives usually gives rise to a sea of clichés and very little courage to tell the truth. The claim that if we do not pay a heavy price to the abductors they would stop abducting is at best a worn-out cliché. In recent days Hamas attempted at least twice to boost the number of abductees in its hands through Gaza fence operations that senior officials characterized as daring and sophisticated.


Tens of thousands of Israelis gave up on a trip to the Sinai this holiday for fear of abductions. Their sharp senses made them realize what the spinmeisters and cliché lovers know as well: The appetite of terror groups for abductions will only be growing. In the equation of few against many and weak against strong, abductions will always be a winning card for them, whether we pay the price or not.


The abduction scenario frightens Israel’s leadership more than any other scenario. Soldiers who take part in drills that simulate abductions are ordered to shoot in order to kill the abductors – even at the price of tragically hurting the captive.


Therefore, the debate over the question of price tag is hypocritical and cynical. There are two possibilities: Just like soldiers sometimes risk their lives in battle to save a wounded comrade, at times we need to take risks, and possibly even be perceived as suckers and pay an exorbitant price, in the form of dangerous prisoners, in order to secure the release of our captives. Or alternately, we can tell the truth, so all Israeli mothers will know it: Israel prefers its soldiers in any state aside from captivity


One thing is clear though – fairies will not be helping us here.