The Most Important Thing?
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently caused a stir by suggesting that returning the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza was “not the most important thing.” Even if taken a bit out of context, it was an insensitive and cruel thing to say while families are in constant and absolute anguish worrying about the fate of their loved ones.
However, it does beg the question of what IS the most important thing.
Israel faces a nearly impossible dilemma every day balancing between multiple “most important” things.
Ultimately, while there are many priorities, there are two absolute imperatives – one strategic and one moral, and both are essential to our future.
The Strategic Imperative – It is a strategic imperative that Israel destroys Hamas. This does not mean, as some suggest, that Israel must meet the impossible objective to kill every person ever associated with Hamas, or end the idea, quite prevalent in Palestinian society, that Israel and the Jewish people have no right to exist.
It does mean that Hamas cannot rule Gaza and can never again be capable of harming Israel as it did on October 7 or with the rocket barrages of the years preceding. It means Hamas is finished as a political power and terrorist army and that every Hamas leader, and any member who took part in any terrorist activity, must live every minute of the rest of their wretched lives in apprehension that it will be their last, wherever they are in the world.
If Israel does not meet this strategic imperative, there will be a serious question about whether the state can endure. An emboldened Hamas, working around the clock to achieve its goal of repeating October 7 again and again until our extermination is untenable, as is the situation we would face on every border where other Iranian proxies would know we simply don’t have the stomach to do what’s necessary.
Failing to destroy Hamas would mean nobody could live near any border and an already tiny piece of land would shrink to the brink of oblivion.
The Moral Imperative – It is a moral imperative to bring the hostages home. This does not mean, as some suggest, that we fail to reach the moral imperative each day we fail to bring every single hostage home alive. It means that we keep faith with our people by doing everything in our power to bring them home. It means we leave absolutely no stone unturned to find a reasonable way to save every hostage from the hell on Earth they’re enduring.
Failure here might not mean Israel would cease to exist, but it would mean that Israel would no longer be Israel. We would no longer have the moral authority to say we are a safe haven for the Jewish people or that we are the guarantor of Jewish survival and continuity. It would be a terrible, if not fatal, erosion of the Zionist dream.
We could ignore the hostages and go about the business of destroying Hamas. We could rationalize that the 9 million+ citizens of Israel who are not in captivity are the priority. We could do that; it might even make military success easier. But if we did, we would be seeking to save our body at the expense of our soul. We would lose the spirit that makes it worth living in this insane region – the covenant that here we take care of one another, we stand for one another and here we have each other’s backs, come what may. It would be the beginning of the end.
It would also be a strategic error. Even if we destroy Hamas, Israelis will continue to live near hostile borders. Even those of us in the “center” are a short drive from multiple hostile borders. Our sons and daughters fight like the bravest lions in creation to keep us safe. Would they do that if they knew we’d abandon them? Would the women of the IDF, knowing the barbaric horrors of October 7, continue risking their lives to fight for a country that abandons young women just like them to their fate in the Hamas dungeons?
Failing to do all we can to bring the hostages home would mean nobody would be willing to live near any border and an already tiny piece of land would shrink to the brink of oblivion.
So…which is more important?
For the families of the hostages, it is clear. Bring home their loved ones, at every and any cost. That is exactly the correct position for them to take, and the position every caring person would take if faced with the same nightmare.
For others, the fear of what may happen to their families if we don’t prioritize security makes clear that the strategic imperative is paramount. They would likely also argue that the moral imperative to protect the entire nation outweighs the moral imperative to save a relatively small number.
Neither of these positions is right or wrong; both have merit.
If Israel can reach a negotiated solution that returns the hostages, even if it means the goal of destroying Hamas is delayed, we must take it. That would be the most ideal outcome at this point. However, there is a limit. We cannot accept a deal like the Gilad Shalit fiasco where we release a thousand terrorists, many murderers and leaders, for a single hostage. We also cannot accept any deal that would leave Hamas in power to regroup, rearm, repeat their massacres and take more hostages.
If no reasonable deal is ever on the table, we must proceed with dismantling Hamas while doing everything in our power to free the hostages by force. There is no scenario under which we should either abandon efforts to return the hostages or abandon the goal of Hamas’ destruction. Both are essential, and in many ways complimentary. Reducing this to a zero sum of strategy vs. morality is a losing and self-defeating fight amongst ourselves.
We must remain united, and laser focused on the fact that the enemy is Hamas and the broken and immoral society that supports them.
We must meet the moral imperative to remain who we are, but we must meet the strategic imperative to survive.
When faced with a horrible moment where the imperatives are at odds, Israeli leadership must carefully weigh both sides and come to the best possible decision. We should all hope they somehow find the wisdom to decide between the potentially unbearable choices.
