Op-ed: Alarmingly, over time Israeli leaders have withdrawn from most of our red lines
Yoel Meltzer
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Long before the Shalit deal or immediately following it, Israelshould have declared any of the following: the Israeli military will respond immediately and overwhelmingly to any future kidnapping; Israel will not supply any food, electricity, medical supplies or other essential items to Gaza in the event of a future kidnapping emanating from there; any future prisoner swaps will be on an equal basis – one for one.
The fact that Israel doesn't make such declarations is indicative of a much larger problem plaguing the Jewish state, namely that it has no red lines. For instance, once upon a time Israel's leaders proudly declared that it does not negotiate with terrorists. Yet over the course of years this was modified to "Israel does not release prisoners with blood on their hands." Needless to say, subsequent prisoner swaps proved that this red line was just as hollow as its predecessors.
The problem, however, is not limited to negotiating with kidnappers. For example, in the past, nearly every political and military leader agreed that the Golan Heights was not negotiable because of its strategic importance to Israel. However, the alleged strategic necessity of maintaining the Golan Heights faded away as many of the same leaders began saying that Israel can survive without the Golan. Thus, another purported Israeli red line simply vanished into thin air. Read the rest on: Ynet
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