By Ira Sharkansky
JERUSALEM — We can’t finish a discussion of commotions surrounding the IDF with yesterday’s column about a Sergeant and a General awaiting judgment.
There is also a multi-pronged public fury surrounding the most recent operation in Gaza, whose second anniversary was recently commemorated at the military cemetery with speeches by the President, the Prime Minister, and the Chief of the General Staff, with interruptions of the Prime Minister by angry parents.
The IDF is arguably the central institution in this society, and–except among the ultra-Orthodox–the most revered.
Last Memorial Day a million Israelis visited military cemeteries. That’s about one-sixth of the Jewish population, and as good a measure as any about how the IDF has touched families. There may be no Jew outside of the ultra-Orthodox community who does not have a relative or friend in those cemeteries.
Currently demands are coming from the families of two soldiers killed in the most recent Gaza operation, whose bodies are being held by Hamas in anticipation of payment, most likely in the release of security prisoners (not necessarily associated with the Gaza operation or even the Gaza population), and other benefits for Gaza. Also in the headlines are a number of families who lost sons in that operation, who feel that it was mismanaged, and are demanding a full scale Commission of Inquiry,of the kind conducted in the past after events thought to be poorly handled. Typically those Commissions are chaired by a present or retired Justice of the Supreme Court, have other distinguished members known to the public, and a staff to help with what are likely to be prolonged hearings and a lengthy report.
Both groups are charging that the Prime Minister and other ranking officials of the government and the IDF are not doing enough, either to arrange the return of the bodies being held, or to admit errors made during the operation.
Considerably lower in public awareness, but occasionally heard, are the families of a Jew of Ethiopian origin and a Bedouin, both of them said to have been disturbed or limited mentally, who wandered into Gaza of their own accord and are being held there.
All this comes against the background of Israel having paid a heavy price for the return of soldiers, the bodies of soldiers, and one former officer who had become a civilian criminal. The price has been the release of disproportionate numbers of security prisoners for one individual or a few bodies, with the price escalating when some of those released violated their commitments to be peaceful and returned to their murderous ways.
Among the routines seen time and again are expressions among government officials as well as the public, “Never again,” i.e., never again will Israel pay a disproportionate price for living or dead soldiers, in the form of individuals who are likely to attack Israeli civilians once they are freed.
However, the slogan of Never again has never survived the next time that a soldier has been captured.
It was heard loudly after Israel paid in the release of terrorists for two bodies in 2008, and a 2004 deal when Israel provided 435 prisoners in exchange for several bodies and a former ranking officer, who had failed in business, sought to recoup his fortunes by obtaining illegal drugs in Lebanon, and was held prisoner. Among the reasons given for obtaining his release was his experience in sensitive matters, and fear that he would reveal secrets if not released.
A while later Gilad Shalit was captured, became the focus of a campaign with articulate parents and professional media consultants. There was governmental resistance to a deal, and it took five years for a combination of escalating public demands, Hezbollah stubbornness in its demands, and ultimately a deal. Shalit’s return cost the release of 1,027 security prisoners. Several of them went bad again, and some of those have been killed or recaptured. Among the demands of Hamas for the release of two bodies from 2014 are the re-release of terrorists from the Shalit exchange..
Shalit’s father misread the support he was provided in the campaign to release his son, and tried to parley his prominence into a political career. He’s not been in the headlines since failing to gain a significant slot in a Labor Party primary.
Gilad has traveled widely and been provided with honorary citizenships of France, Italy, and Miami. He has often been pictured at sporting events, and has begun work as a sports reporter.
In response to the Shalit deal, a Commission report and a measure passed by the Knesset seeks to define reasonable standards for prisoner release, as yet to be tested in the case of a live prisoner.
The IDF trains its soldiers to act aggressively in the case of a colleague being captured. It’s not clear if the intention is to kill the captors even if it likely that the captive will be killed in the process, in order to save the country the agony and price of another Shalit experience.
The demand for a Commission of Inquiry is being promoted by some of the same people demanding Israeli action to obtain the return of the two bodies from the 2014 operation.
Both demands are being resisted by politicians who see their actions in 2014 as being reasonable and responsible. At the same time, those opposing what is demanded have been careful to express their understanding of the families making the demands. The Prime Minister responded to those demanding an inquiry, in part, by citing his own status as grieving a fallen brother.
There’s politics in connection with these demands. Education Minister Naftali Bennett has been critical of the way his colleagues managed the 2014 operation. A Likud minister who was in the government at the time accuses Bennett of “lying” about what transpired in relevant government meetings, but former minister Yair Lapid has sided with Bennett…
The overwhelming majority of Israeli Jews send their sons and daughters to the IDF. Druze and Circassians send their sons, as do many Bedouin and a few other Arabs. Among the most emotional rites of passage for children and parents is putting the kids on the army bus that will take them to basic training. One hopes for the best, but is well aware of the dangers.
In the same spirit, it’s hard not to sympathize with families who want the return of captured soldiers, or a body that they can bury in a military cemetery and visit on Memorial Day and other occasions. Some families are known to visit a military grave daily, long after the tragic event.
Yet there remains the issue of cost. How much should be paid in the release of prisoners for a captured soldier, or the bodies of dead soldiers, if the release is likely to result in the death of more Israeli civilians?
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Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University. He may be contacted via ira.sharkansky@sdjewishworld.com. Comments intended for publication in the space below MUST be accompanied by the letter writer’s first and last name and by his/ her city and state of residence (city and country for those outside the United States.)