July 20th, '08
Goldwasser, Regev and the Exchange - Three Reactions

Israel has been thrown into a period of mourning, made more difficult by the confusion: should the government of Israel have agreed to release a live and unrepentant child murderer, together with the bodies a huge number of dead terrorists, on the chance that our captured soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser would be returned alive? If the government had been sure that the two were already dead, would it have made a difference in the deal? And what does it mean for the entire nation of Israel to be kept hanging for two years on a thread of hope, and to have that hope cruelly taken away at the very last minute in front of the television cameras, making this tragedy a very public and painful humiliation?

Here are three op-eds that are worth reading - for the exchange, against it, and another one that takes the long view:

Infamy by Naomi Ragen
When Mistakes are Worth Making by Daniel Gordis
Heroes on the Border by Rabbi Shraga Simmons

On a personal note, while I've gotten used to tamping down my fears about the ever-present threat of terrorism, this episode has racheted up the anxiety level of my children. My 11 year old daughter wants to know whether it's safe to go camping in the north, because Samir Kuntar - the released murderer - is roaming free in Lebanon. "What if he comes for me?" she says.

My 7 year old son's fears focus on our upcoming vacation, which involves an airplane flight. "Are there going to be bad people on the plane?" he asks. "Will there be parachutes?"

I explained that while most people are good, there are some bad people everywhere. That's why we have the police, I continued, and an army.

"And God," he said.

And God.

Back to Diary Menu

  Order Now!