Israel’s hostage deal dilemma
By:  Dr Mojmir Kallus, ICEJ Vice President for International Affairs.

To release, or not to release? That is the question all Israel is asking these days. It concerns the price Israel must pay for the hostage deal, namely releasing hundreds of Palestinian terrorists with blood on their hands, who would interpret it as their victory, ready to continue their bloody rampage.

Many arguments for and against the deal have been raised. It turns out, they echo a debate which has been going on within Jewish communities for centuries. The commandment of redeeming captives has been extensively discussed in halakhic literature, which sadly reflects the prevalence of kidnapping and captivity throughout the long history of the Jewish people.