The capitulation of Netanyahu before Trump reminds me of Golda Meir’s surrender, when before the Yom Kippur War she yielded to American demands not to initiate the war despite receiving the intelligence warning from the Mossad about the surprise attack planned by Egypt and Syria.
American Jewish Secretary of State Henry Kissinger rushed into a series of talks with Golda, demanding and threatening her. In the end, he succeeded in preventing Israel from striking first. The regular army was indeed stationed at its bases on Yom Kippur, but it was promised to the Americans that we would not initiate war.
So, the price was paid by hundreds of soldiers who died in the ground and aerial attacks by Egypt and Syria, which began on the holy day of Yom Kippur. Many of them might have still been with us had we not yielded to the American demand and had we initiated a preemptive strike, as we did in the Six-Day War.
In the end, Golda paid the price, and justifiably so, by losing her position as Israel’s Prime Minister. It did not help that she was called the “Iron Lady,” nor that Kissinger, the Jewish American, was perceived as someone who cared about Israel. She had to leave her position. And despite an attempt to rehabilitate her image with a flattering documentary, the Israeli public, justifiably, views her as having made a tragic mistake, one that is still remembered today.
The response of Netanyahu to Trump’s demands now almost mirrors the failure of the Yom Kippur War.
Netanyahu is not going into this deal now because he suddenly realized the importance of releasing the hostages. He knows that it will come at the price of the murder of many others if indeed hundreds of murderers and terrorists are released, return to the area and become active in terrorism. This move goes against what he wrote in his books about the principles of fighting terrorism. Yielding to terrorism leads to more terrorism, he understands that.
So, what is happening suddenly?
To understand this, we need to look back at the Gilad Shalit deal. Keep in mind that the terrorists released in this exchange went on to become the leaders of Hamas in Gaza and the perpetrators of the October 7th massacre. Preceding this awful mistake, it was the social protest of the Left in Rothschild Tent City that threatened Netanyahu’s rule, and this led to the ill-fated deal. When Shalit’s father was brought to speak at a huge left-wing rally against the “bad economic situation” the Prime Minister’s Office understood that the Shalit release deal would be a way to redirect the protests and divert the left-wing public’s attention away from the media-supported demonstrations that “allegedly” threatened Netanyahu’s government. “Allegedly.” Since then we’ve matured and the public understands that these “protests,” no matter what they are about, are used as a political tool.
Today, Netanyahu, who has matured as well and who fully-well knows that today’s “deal” will lead to the shedding of more Jewish blood, is falling into the same trap because of Trump’s demands. Trump and his advisors also have an agenda. Trump’s demand for a deal is part of a planned diplomatic and media event before he takes office, on his way to winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
You might argue that yielding to the Trump administration has significance in dealing with the Iranian threat. But we cannot ignore the long-term damage this new capitulation will cause, and we must weigh the cost of this deal.
Here is the cost:
In the Muslim world, the deal will be seen as a surrender to terrorism on the part of Israel and the Trump administration. Yes, our soldiers have killed hundreds and thousands of terrorists, but in terrorism, “appearance” matters greatly. The images of the massive release of terrorists and murderers from prison, the celebrations, and the welcoming ceremonies will amplify the sense of victory among terrorist organizations and their supporters. Broadcasts on Arab networks will be another tool in spreading the narrative of victory and will encourage more terrorism.
In the doctrine of terrorism, victory is not necessarily about capturing territory. It is about instilling fear in the enemy. The word “terror,” in English TERROR, encapsulates the method: instilling fear and terror. There is no need for a military victory. The spreading of fear and terror are the components of “victory.”
The images of hundreds of murderers being freed from Israeli prisons will be victory images. They will fit into the victory narrative of ISIS. Despite the losses that ISIS suffered over the years, the Hamas will be seen as victorious. And Western politicians and diplomats will soon visit its leaders. Similarly, images of the release of murderers and terrorists from Israeli prisons will appear as part of the terrorist victory narrative.
What should be done? The responsibility lies with the public to protest persistently. Even if we don’t achieve everything, it will strengthen the government’s resolve in the face of external pressures.
Before the Shalit deal, the Almagor Terror Victims Association led the fight against the deal. We didn’t have the resources available to the supporters of the deal, including considerable foreign funding. Nor did we have media backing. We met personally with Prime Minister Netanyahu and presented our strident opposition to freeing murderers who had killed the children and family members of the terror victims at the meeting. To no avail.
After one of our final protests against the Shalit Exchange, a chief commander in the army thanked me for our struggle, saying the force of our public outcry had reduced both the number of terrorists who were to be set free and would help to keep mass murderers in prison.
“It’s because of the pressure you, the families of terror victims, and the public who fought with you, that Barghouti and his colleagues remain in prison,” a member of the release committee also told us. They explained that Israeli mediators used the echo of our protests when negotiating with the Egyptian and Qatari mediators and terrorist groups. They would tell them, “Just as you have Hamas’s pressure, we have the pressure from terror victim families and the public in Israel, and so we cannot pay every price you demand.”
At the end of one protest, Brigadier General Uzi Yaron approached me, asking me to wait a moment. He came back with a generous personal donation from him and his wife – one of the most important donations we received, especially after the things we heard from the Shamgar Committee members about the importance of our efforts then, and even more so today.
As someone who fought on the frontlines against terrorists in Gaza and Lebanon, I am certain that the prolonged struggle we led was worthwhile. We didn’t succeed in preventing the deal, but we managed to prevent the release of all the terrorists, and preventing the release of Barghouti and others is, for me, a victory. A partial victory, perhaps, but even partial victories have value. That is why there is great importance in protesting the release of terrorists, as the Shamgar Committee told us. And we must go out to the streets!
*Editor’s Note: The views expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Jewish Press.
