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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.
Which brings me back to the discussion about what to do when the enemy takes hostages. Should you make the return of the hostages your no. 1 war aim, as it's been for Israel? Or should you take the tough but ultimately more effective road of saying -- as we used to in the West -- "We will not negotiate with terrorists."
I completely understand why Israel does what it does. And the anguish of the relatives of hostages. Dr Dan, above, calls these "decisions from Hell". It's the killing of some, to prevent the killing of many, many more. Listen to him discuss the issue of whether the Allies should have bombed the concentration camps in WW2.
But... I've come over to the views of Yishai Fleisher*. Who argues that the hostages must be treated as casualties of war. By all means try to save them. But don't make that the primary war aim and make sure the enemy knows this.
After the short-term pain and anguish of this, and the loss of hostages, the benefits will be no more use of taking hostages by the enemy. For anything other than the near term, for anything other than Suicidal Empathy, the tough way of Yishai, and Dr Dan above, is the best for continued survival of Israel, not under constant threat of attacks by the barbarians, come to take booty, loot and hostages.
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As I rewatch the video above, I think Dr Dan is truly a wise man. Speaks truth bombs, one after another.
Index:
00:00 Current Situation in Gaza
06:00 Moral Dilemmas in Warfare
11:47 The Hostage Crisis and Historical Context
17:55 Cultural and Political Dynamics in the Region
24:07 Israel's Strategic Position and Future Outlook
30:02 The Role of International Relations
36:11 Understanding the Palestinian Perspective
