Observation: Soldiers know: if captured Israel will trade for them only if
fail to kill them first

Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 16 October 2011

Will the culmination of the Shalit deal serve to instill confidence in IDF
soldiers that the nation will stand behind them in their time of need?

Let’s be blunt about it:

Thanks to the very lopsided prisoner swaps, the IDF policy today is to do
everything possible to kill IDF soldiers who appear to be in the process of
being captured by terrorists.

That’s right. Kill.

A prisoner trade would only take place if the IDF failed to kill the
captured IDF soldiers first.

This is what every IDF soldier knows today when he is ordered to advance and
engage the enemy.

Does this knowledge have a positive or negative impact on the performance of
the IDF in battle?

One thing is certain: knowing that your own comrades will try to kill you
if you get in trouble is a far cry from having confidence that the nation
will stand behind you in your time of need.

The Israeli officials and media talking heads commenting on the Shalit deal
in the coming days should not insult our intelligence by claiming otherwise.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il