Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die-Dealing With The Devil Never Ends Well
An Impossible Decision - Who Shall Be At Rest And Who Shall Be Tormented
No one in Israel faced this day, November 22, 2023, without conflicted feelings. An impossible decision had to be made. One that has so many facets, so many impossible choices, so many possibilities of going bad - and only one goal. To try and get at least some of the hostages back home.
It is without doubt a lofty goal. It shows just how precious every single life is to us.
So without quoting newspapers, journalists, politicians, or editorial articles let me just lay out the impossible before us. Then you make your own decision.
FOR:
It may be possible to get some hostages back to Israel. Please pay attention to the choice of words. “may be possible.”
Therefore any possible deal should and must be made.
AGAINST:
In all deals, there has to be an element of trust between the two sides that they will meet their obligations. There is no such trust here for Hamas. There is not a soul in Israel that trusts Hamas. The overall feeling is that Hamas will simply drag this out, in an excruciating manner playing upon the collective psychology of the Israeli people. Once the first four days are up, they will trickle out ever more hostages for more time. This cannot work in Israeli society for too long. It will cause an explosion of might beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
Hamas are worse than Nazis. No matter what the world did after World War II, FDR and Churchill both demanded an “unconditional surrender.” The dropping of the atomic bomb was part of that demand, from which no one backed away.
What Hamas managed to do on October 7, 2023, and took great joy in doing it, has embedded itself so deep in the consciousness of the Jewish people, that it will remain there, like the Holocaust, like the Yom Kippur War, like the destruction of the Temple by the hands of the Romans. This is something that cannot and will never be forgiven. They marked themselves for death. Such people, one does not negotiate with.
We treasure life. But the question must be asked. What does one say to the families of soldiers who were already killed, if the goal of this war, and that goal is completely clear, wiping Hamas off the face of the earth, is not reached?
We are releasing fairly dangerous terrorists from our jails for our hostages. These terrorists are being allowed to go back to their homes in Israel. They will immediately, based upon hard-learned lessons, go back to their terror activities. So here is the really bad question: What will we tell the families of someone who is hurt or killed by a terrorist who was released from jail, in order to get a hostage back? That is life for life. Who makes that judgment on which life is more important?
Another question related to the above. What do we tell the people who survived a terrorist attack and now watch as their attackers go free?
When do we draw the line? When does the playing around with our desire for our hostages, become just too much?
How will ever know that all the hostages were really released? How will we know that a year from now some asshole won’t emerge with a smile on his face and proof he has been holding a hostage for a year?
Part of the deal is that no flights can go over Gaza during this time. No matter what spy satellites and other technology are used, those Hamas left alive, will easily be able to move around and change positions. To rearm. To get their anti-tank weapons and guns.
The world wanted supplies to go into Gaza. They got it. Now the problem is that Hamas is no longer under pressure due to lack of supplies.
The International Red Cross is a useless organization. They are not only useless they are evil. They deserve to get the exact measure we will meet out to Hamas. In all this time, they have not once, NOT ONCE, brought on a simple piece of information on the. hostages, nor visited them. If there is a place such as hell, I hope they all get a front-row seat.
The deal by its very nature smacks of the Nazi practice of “selection,” or “selectzia” as it is known here. Something that was also practiced at Entebbe. Men are not allowed out. Women under the age of fifty are not allowed out. We have no idea if babies will be released with their mothers, or mothers with their babies. Do citizens of other countries get preferential treatment? Even though in public everyone denies this, and we all know that is bullshit.
Does Israel institute the death penalty for those terrorists with blood on their hands for the October 7 attack?
Finally, how do you make a deal with a group that burns bodies, rapes women both alive and dead, shoots children, beheads children, mutilates bodies, bakes children in ovens, rips fetuses out of the bellies of live women, tears off limbs, and then records all this on their own GoPro cameras. How do you make a deal, and then trust such people to live up to their side of the deal?
So there it is. You decide. Israel made its decision, though there is no consensus about this. Even some of those who have family that were kidnapped are against the deal. And many others are for this deal.
You decide.
One thing I am thankful for. I am thankful that I did not have to make such a decision. My thoughts on this deal are my own. But then again, like all others in this country, I am a totally different person today than I was on October 6th.
I can only pray that wisdom is guiding them. Because no matter how great a politician you are, or orator, or soldier, without wisdom with such a decision we are lost.
There is an ancient prayer we recite on the Jewish New Year and Yom Kippur, called “Unetanah Tokeph.” Leonard Cohen used this prayer to write his famous song “Who By Fire?” It deals with the destiny of each individual over the coming year. These are the words from the prayer.
How many shall pass away and how many shall be born,
Who shall live and who shall die,
Who shall reach the end of his days and who shall not,
Who shall perish by water and who by fire,
Who by sword and who by wild beast,
Who by famine and who by thirst,
Who by earthquake and who by plague,
Who by strangulation and who by stoning,
Who shall have rest and who shall wander,
Who shall be at peace and who shall be pursued,
Who shall be at rest and who shall be tormented,
Who shall be exalted and who shall be brought low,
Who shall become rich and who shall be impoverished.
Due to the way the music industry enforces copyrights, it would not be allowed to produce the lyrics of Leonard Cohen’s song here. I will simply quote three lines.
And who by fire, who by water…
who by very slow decay…
and who shall I say is calling?
Who shall I say is calling? Indeed, Who?
However, let us be clear here. No matter how any of this plays out, no matter what tricks Hamas uses to keep the war from starting again, no matter how many times the US and Europe try to give Israel their hypocritical morality speeches—there is no hole deep enough, no tunnel long enough, and no shield strong enough that will save any Hamas members.
Your days are numbered. Your lives are worthless. Scream “Allahu Akbar” all you want, call upon the greatness of God all you desire, and dream of your seventy virgins in heaven—we are coming for you. There will be no pity and no second chances.
This is not a threat. It is a promise that will be fulfilled.
We chose life in the worst dilemma any leader of Israel has had to face.
We chose life, even while our soldiers are being killed.
We chose life because life is precious to us.
We chose life because every single Israeli and Jew weighs upon the consciousness of an entire people.
We chose life because we believe in hope.
We chose life because that is what our people have always chosen, from the moment we left Egypt and went from slaves to free people.
We chose life because that is what we believe in, no matter how difficult the dilemma is.
You have done your best to destroy us, and yet here we still are.
The People of Israel Live.
