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June 30, 2006

Taken Hostage: Why Israel's Attack On Gaza Isn't Enough

In his piece at The New Republic (HT - Israpundit), Yossi Halevi Klein reminds us that nothing unites Israelis in outrage more than the seizure of hostages, and explains why he believes that Olmert has to commit himself to the destruction of the Hamas regime - that sooner or later, Israel will have no choice but to adopt that policy. The only question is whether Olmert will still be prime minister when that happens.

JERUSALEM -- What's the news?" we ask each other, and everyone understands that the question refers to Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas. Though the old socialist Israel is barely a memory, in times of crisis we again become collectivized.

Next week, on July 4, Israel will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Entebbe operation that freed over a hundred Israeli hostages, and little has changed since then in the national ethos of rescue. The last Zionist ideal still shared by most Israelis is the determination to fight back. An Israeli soldier held hostage is a taunt against the Zionist promise of self-defense, an unbearable reminder of Jewish helplessness.

Our obsession with hostages is a tactical weakness but a strategic strength. It allows terrorists a stunning psychological advantage: With a single random kidnapping, they hold an entire society emotionally hostage. Strategically, though, hostage-taking only strengthens Israeli resolve

And resolve is precisely what the public now expects of its government. So far, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has responded well. He began by issuing two policy guidelines in dealing with the hostage crisis. The first is that Israel won't negotiate over Gilad's release and won't exchange prisoners. The second is that Hamas leaders--"political" as well as "military"--will be held personally accountable for the fate of Gilad.

If Olmert's government hopes to retain its credibility among Israelis, it needs to maintain those two principles.

Related: Back To Entebbe - The fear, the flight and the fight of the miraculous hostage rescue as told by those who executed it 30 years ago. It's an anniversary given unexpected resonance by the intense drama that has gripped Israel this week.

Posted by Richard at June 30, 2006 7:43 AM