News this week of the IDF rescuing two hostages from Rafah in southern Gaza. The hostages are 60-year-old Fernando Simon Marman and 70-year-old Louis Har. Both men are in relatively good condition. The rescue operation involved police special forces and an IDF tank brigade entering a residential building where the hostages were being held. The hostages were found on the second floor “in the hands of Hamas terrorists.” Hamas militants were stationed in adjacent apartment buildings. The rescue comes at a time of widespread international condemnation of Israel, with US and European allies ramping up the pressure to wind down operations, and a threat from Egypt to withdraw from its peace agreement with Israel if it enters Rafah. The rescue operation came at the reported cost of up to 100 Palestinian lives (not sure how many of those are militants). Tough spot to be in. Rafah was supposed to be a safe zone where many Palestinians from the north of Gaza were told they could flee. What they weren't told is that when they arrived they would be used as human shields and therefore become criminally complicit. Hamas continues to violate international law and use Palestinian civilians as military tools. Is there any question remaining whether the continuation of Israel's military operation to rescue hostages is justified? If 100 Palestinians die for every hostage that is rescued (in this case it was 50), who is responsible for that? With a story like this I ask myself, if my wife and kids were being held hostage and I have to blow up a building to rescue them would I do it? Damn right I would (after warning the residents to get out). And who could blame me? To me it's analagous to a school hostage situation. The rule of thumb is to go in with guns blazing, because every second of hesitation is a second closer to greater catastrophe. Why isn't the world joining in with Israel's effort by coming down as hard as they can on Hamas to surrender and release the hostages? That is the surest way to save Palestinian lives. Every day of hesitation in that effort is a day of more lives lost. Israel's only moral obligation is to spare no cost to get the remaining hostages back (and remember 30 have already died) or force Hamas to give them up as soon as possible. The ball's in Hamas's court. They can decide to end the suffering of 'their people' tomorrow. But they don't, buoyed by the world's condemnation of Israel's rescue operation. It confounds the mind. Until then, we fight for the lives of every hostage.
1 comment:
The outrage of the ongoing hostage crisis is acutely felt in Israel, but the rest of the world could seemingly care less. As you point out in your example of family members being kidnapped and held hostage, it is only when it hits close to home that a nation will stop at nothing to right the wrong and do whatever it takes to bring the hostages home.
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