A deal with the devil, regardless of its terms, is a disaster for which we will all pay a price with compound interest; everyone knows it. A classic case of a lack of delaying national gratification and a capitulation to short-term emotional hedonism over long-term intellectual values.
There is nothing to blame the government for, not for making the least bad deal that can be made, for the simple reason that the decision is no longer in its hands. From the moment Israeli society was hijacked by the perception that the lives of the hostages are above all else, including the future security of each and every one of us, the die had been cast (and thanks to those with their yellow sentiments who basically collaborated with the abductors); now all that remains is to reduce the damage.
The discussion is what to do with the distress that stabs like a knife in the heart – were all the sacrifices in vain? Or as many fighters put it to me in the past week: "They are spitting in our faces and we will not go to reserve duty next time".
And the answer is as follows:
1. Nothing was in vain! Thanks to the fighting and the enormous sacrifices that were made, our situation today is infinitely better than it was a year and a half ago. Despite the enormous damage that will result from the deal, the stranglehold around the State of Israel has been removed. We will be prepared for the next clash, which will undoubtedly come faster than it seems "thanks to" the deal – in a better way than we were.
2. If we do not continue to fight and defend the State of Israel, who will? We are not Kaplanists who break the rules when they don't like something.
3. The phrase "spitting in our faces" comes from the assumption that we are doing the State a favor and it does not appreciate it. We have to change our mindset: we do not work for anyone – not for the prime minister, not for the chief of staff, not for the Supreme Court justices, not for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum; we only work for the Master of the Universe – and He is showing us the miracles and wonders of a flourishing and rising State, despite the downfalls and setbacks along the way.
We will overcome and grow out of this fall as well, and we pray that the good God atone for His people with as little suffering as possible.
The bad will pass
The good will prevail
With God's help.