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“The barbarians strongest weapon is to use our values against us”. A key message of Dr Dan Schueftan, director emeritus of the National Security Studies Center at the University of Haifa.
Like as in taking hostages and using civilians as human shields. The barbarians count on our values in treating every civilian life as precious, to hold us back. Which has worked.
This is a tough issue. But if countries face an enemy that takes hostages, and w Ethan make the return of hostages as the single, the highest, the primary aim, you’re in serious trouble. And will have more hostage taking.
We used to know this. America had a strong “we do not negotiate with terrorists” policy. No longer. They readily negotiate with terrorists. As does Israel.
There are a few Israelis, not many but a few, who call for the end of this policy. People like Yishai Fleisher. To return to a policy of not negotiating with terrorists. The response, once hostages are taken, is to consider them casualties of war. Try to liberate them. Try hard. But don’t make it the sole, the primary aim. But that’s a long way from where the government and the people are. Which includes handing back a thousand convicted Palestinian criminals, murderers amongst them, in rerun for one Hamas captured IDF soldier. That’s a kind of suicidal empathy.
As they’re always saying about everything: “wwe must have a conversation about this”. As it stands it’s not even remotely in the agenda.
Save for the Fleishers of the world. And people like professor Schueftan.
Index:
00:00 Israel remains confident despite ongoing challenges and future threats.01:06 The war centers on whether civilized societies can defend against those who exploit human rights norms.03:20 Post-Soviet thinking has led progressives to misunderstand the constraints needed to fight extremists.05:06 Technology now allows smaller groups to challenge powerful nations with advanced weapons.06:58 Gaza’s defense relies on both physical barriers and international support.08:20 Nationalism is crucial for democracy and human rights when not taken to extremes.09:52 Israeli restraint and strong responses contribute to regional stability.12:25 Arab nations see Israel as a strategic ally against shared threats and flawed U.S. policies.14:48 Israel’s actions in Lebanon and Iran expose vulnerabilities and weaken adversaries.16:45 U.S. policies have unintentionally empowered radicals and destabilized regions like the Red Sea
