Notwithstanding the exuberant joy at the return of the hostages, let us not forget the stunning blow to hundreds of families who lost their loved ones through devastating terrorist attacks and now see how the despicable murderers are going scot-free, celebrating their liberation instead of rotting away in prisons for the rest of their lives.
And this is a steady process in chilling repeated series, when every murderer of Jews, if not eliminated on the spot but captured and imprisoned, simply waits the time when he will be exchanged and freed in some agreement or another. There is no doubt that the knowledge whereby those who sent him on his mission of murder will do all in their power in have him freed as soon as possible is present and waiting. And this only reinforces his motivation.
The Israeli government, throughout its generations, employed different methods. They established committees, prepared drafts and even passed decisions whose final purpose was to limit any future government in making prisoner exchange agreements without number limitations. Past agreements established a price of hundreds of murderers against one captive or soldier, in which case matters were accelerated before a limiting number could be established.
However, as we see, those committees and those decisions were a total waste of time. There is no government which can stand up to heavy public pressure, and there is no court which can force such decisions when the government itself tries to bypass them. The petitions presented to the courts are eventually shunted aside as has happened in the past and in the present. There is no court which will hold up a hostage exchange, no matter at what cost.
Everyone is aware that the previous agreement, that of Shalit, who was released in exchange for over a thousand terrorists, set off a ticking clock of the next hostage in line, when the terrorist gangs already began planning the next kidnapping so as to have more murderers freed. The Security System, in all of its branches, invests tremendous resources to put such murderers behind bars, until that time when they see them emerging with arms upraised in victory.
According to valid facts, 80% of those murderers return to engage in terror until they are arrested once again, and freed in the next agreement.
The clear knowledge of the terrorist organizations which the Israeli government, whatever it be, is prepared to pay a heavy price for the release of its hostages, reinforces the motivation of those selfsame organizations and their people. This is common knowledge to all and these facts must be remembered in the midst of the joyous celebrations of the hostage releases.
Meanwhile, there are enough hostages still being held for the Hamas organization to negotiate for, but when all of them are released, they will begin planning the next kidnapping ch'vsh in order to continue the 'momentum' of the release of those Hamas terrorists still in Israeli prisons at the end of this round.
The Attack on Yeshiva Students
Last Friday, it was urgent for the IDF spokesman to inform the public that Zahal has begun procedures against chareidi young men who have not presented themselves to draft offices according the clause 12 of the Security Service Act. After all of the procedures against those bnei yeshiva have been carried out, in of all necessary steps and stages, and been ignored, they will be considered defectors, and will have to undergo criminal sanctions.
So far very few of the yeshiva students called to serve in the army have answered the call. All leading chareidi rabbonim have said that no chareidi young men should join the army.
'Malbash' is the common term for one eligible and called up for conscription. According to the army spokesman, any yeshiva student is considered a defector, and as such is being threatened with criminal sanctions.
Why was it so urgent to publicize this at the end of last week? Because the agreement with Hamas had already been signed, leaving a great deal of vacant prison cells. The spokesman announced that the army is prepared to enforce the law for all the malbashim who refuse to appear before the draft boards.
Those who toil in Torah with sanctity and purity, who are the stalwarts of the Jewish people throughout the generations, who protect us from all harm, can expect to find themselves as hostages of the government which failed in destroying Hamas and is now attempting to destroy the Torah world. But Hashem is with us and we shall not fear nor tremble from their decrees.
