Failure for the State, Victory for the Society
The inevitable consequence of the state and army's failures on October 7, the hostage deal is a testament to our society's success
Outgoing President Joe Biden has described the hostage deal as a great diplomatic achievement. President-elect Donald Trump has called the deal “epic.” Iran is hailing it as a historic victory over the evil Zionists. In Gaza, Hamas terrorists and their supporters are triumphantly parading and firing their guns in the air. Ironically, the only people not reacting with unbridled joy - the reactions, in fact, are fragmented and often agonized - are we, the Israelis.
For us, the return of the first three hostages is a moment of deep relief for some and for others profound sorrow. Fear will mix with anger, frustration with regret. While Biden and Trump both claim credit, Israeli leaders—political and military—are trying to escape the blame.
Certainly, there is a need to assign blame. The minute that thousands of terrorists broke through our border on October 7, the hostage deal became inevitable. Israel could not at the same time gain total victory over Hamas and secure the hostages’ release. The minute it became clear that increased military pressure on the terrorists would not force them to free the hostages but to shoot them, the deal became inevitable. As long as it holds a single hostage, Hamas knows it will survive. As long as a single hostage remains in Gaza, Israel cannot fully live.
And yet, even when forced to decide between two massive evils, even when grappling with painfully conflicted emotions, Israelis can also claim victory. It is, in fact, the most basic and durable victory of all.
It is the victory of a society that did not collapse when our state failed us—a society which, on the contrary, united and grew stronger. Some 80% of Israelis volunteered to support the war effort, picking fruit, feeding soldiers, housing the displaced. More than 360,000 reservists left their homes, their families, and their lives to go out and fight. Many served hundreds of days and some for the entire length of the war. Thousands were injured and more than 800 soldiers killed, and even those who emerged unscathed physically are likely to suffer trauma. Yet they rarely complained and never stopped fighting. Where else in the free world would this happen?
Who is willing to pick up a gun and fight for Belgium today? For Spain? We are a people who fought not only on one front but on seven, overcoming insurmountable obstacles to achieve one of history’s greatest military successes.
We are a people who stood in the face of a tsunami of hatred, accused of war crimes and genocide, yet never gave in to self-doubt. We know we are innocent of those charges, who we are, and what we are fighting for.
Most importantly, we are a society that never abandoned our fundamental value, which is love of life, the principle that all Israel is responsible for one another. What Hamas sees as a weakness is in reality our greatest strength. The terrorists can claim a tactical victory, but our victory is moral, deep, and long lasting.
The deal is not the result of our failure to destroy Hamas but of our refusal to do so at the expense of the hostages. The return of Romi, Doron, and Emily reminds us of who and what we are and that Israel, notwithstanding the failures of October 7, is very much worth fighting for.
This article is adapted from an earlier version that appeared in Hebrew in Ynet on January 18.
Good Lord! How I value Michael Oren’s profound insights —here and elsewhere.
When faced with the choice between life and death, we choose life.