Of course, there are those who will point to humanitarian abuses by Israel as explanation, if not justification for Hamas’s reign of terror. They will argue that wars of liberation are almost always fought by terrorists who come to seen as freedom fighters. But that is a debate which will not be resolved here.
In any event, those debates are less important than some simple arithmetic connected to Staff Sargent Shalit’s release deal - arithmetic which leads one to believe that rather than this being a moment of possible reconciliation, or at least diminished hostility between two long-time foes, it is a moment when peace is farther away than ever. The arithmetic? 1 = 1,027. One Israeli captive for 1,027 Palestinians.
In Gaza, they are already celebrating the great deal that they have made in forcing Israel to hand over 1,027 Palestinians for a single Israeli. In Gaza, that is seen as a fool’s bargain. In fact, there are those in Israel who make a similar argument, claiming that this trade makes the next kidnapping that much more likely and undermines any notion of justice, by releasing convicted terrorists who have spilled the blood of innocents, and who have vowed to do so again as soon as they are released.
Such arguments by Israelis, especially those who have lost relatives in Hamas attacks, are understandable. They are also wrong. People sworn to your destruction don’t need any further incentives to kill you. And the fighters being returned in exchange for Shalit are a drop in the bucket compared to the thousands of others who are already willing to engage in mass murder, so it hardly seems worth worrying about the impact of their return to the pool of available Hamas personnel.
The justice argument is the one which gnaws most at the hearts and minds of Israelis who oppose this deal..." Full text: One Israeli for 1,027 Palestinians?
Should
terrorists (Ge 16:12) be put to death so that there is no option of their
release in the future? Nu
35:31
The answer is yes. Terrorists (Ge 16:12) should be put to death (Nu 35:31) to
avoid complications and to promote life and general well-being (Jn 10:10). Don't
be surprised if this type of thing comes up again (Re 11:3).