Weekly Commentary: Dealing with the reality of Shalit deal and Hannibal
Protocol

Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 19 October 2011

I received a lot of angry mail when I wrote earlier in the week that 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.

Many couldn’t believe that this was indeed the policy of the IDF.

So I put up a video on YouTube of a Battalion 51 commander briefing his
Golani troops on the eve of their entry into Gaza during Operation Cast
Lead.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvlP6yM15ws

"The strategic weapon, the 'Judgment Day Weapon'? that Hamas wants to
acquire, is to capture a soldier. But no soldier in Battalion 51 will be
kidnapped at any price. At any price. Under any condition. Even if it means
that he blows himself with his own grenade together with those trying to
capture him. Also even if it means that now his unit has to fire a barrage
at the car that they are trying to take him away in. There is no situation.
No situation that they will have this weapon.”

This was not some faked video. I copied from a video report broadcast on
Israel Television Channel 2 News 16 October 2011

You can see the full report for yourself:
http://www.mako.co.il/news-military/security/Article-778ae8d014e0331017.htm

Now what does this all mean?

Am I saying that the Hannibal Protocol is wrong?

No. Not under the circumstances.

All I am saying is that we have to address the decisions we make with mature
honesty.

The reason that we trade a thousand terrorists for a single soldier is not
because of our commitment to do everything in our power to get our soldiers
back home alive.

We do it because, as indicated by the polls, we don’t have the stomach to
see soldiers as POWs once we know who they are.

And since a key element of the equation is that this feeling only goes into
play when we see their name, faces, etc., we as a society have a very
different attitude about soldiers being killed before we see their name,
faces, etc.

And that is why we would rather kill a soldier being taken captive then have
him sit somewhere being held by terrorists.

That is where we are.

And we have to deal with it.

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