Deal that goes to the heart of Israel’s soul

A moment of national catharsis – after a deal that might have seemed unthinkable. The release of Gilad Shalit, the young soldier who has become known as “everyone’s son”, has been universally welcomed across Israel.

But there is also a deep sense of unease about the decision to free so many Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

On first sight, the decision to engage with Hamas looks like an astonishing about-face by the Israeli prime minister, who has built his reputation on his hard line towards terrorist groups. But Binyamin Netanyahyu told his cabinet earlier this week that there might never be a greater opportunity to secure Shalit’s release.

So why this deal, and why now? The answer ranges from the challenges thrown up by the Arab Spring, to the very core of Israel’s soul.

For Binyamin Netanyahu, this has been a pragmatic decision in a nation where efforts to free Shalit had become a rallying cry. The soldier’s parents have been physically encamped outside his residence for the last year. After a summer of popular protests over housing costs and price rises, Mr Netanyahu’s own poll numbers were sinking fast.

Arab Spring

Abroad, the turmoil set off by the Arab Spring has triggered new security fears on Israel’s borders, and new uncertainty over Egypt’s role as key peace-broker in the region.

For Hamas, a set of political imperatives every bit as acute, as Michael Weiss from the Henry Jackson Society think tank, told Channel 4 News. “Hamas has largely lost the plot,” he said, pointing out that their popularity has plummeted in recent months, while Mahmoud Abbas has led rivals Fatah in something of a resurgence, buoyed up by the positive Arab reaction to his bid for Palestinian statehood at the UN.

Hamas has largely lost the plot. Michael Weiss, Henry Jackson Society

Hence their decision to negotiate with the Israeli state, and to secure a deal even at the cost of substantial concessions, including the continued detention of intifada leader Margwan Bharghouti and other key political figures.

Plus, as Michael Weiss points out, Hamas too are caught in the midst of the changes sweeping the Arab world. At the moment, its political leadership is based in Damascus. But that has now been thrown into uncertainty as the popular revolution against President Assad gathers pace. America’s influence over other states, like Qatar, means they are unlikely to provide an alternative base.

Israel’s dilemma

But this is about more than geo-politics. This strikes at something fundamental in the Israeli soul. On the face of it, it seems suprising that so many Israelis have rallied behind the decision to release a thousand Palestinian prisoners, including many convicted of serious acts of terror.

With each swap, they end up finding that terror is worthwhile. Shalom Rahum, victim’s father

That in itself has sparked a major debate over whether this has set a dangerous precedent, and it has deeply upset families of the victims, like Shalom Rahum, whose 16-year-old son was murdered: “These people were sentenced according to the law. With each swap, we end up paying more and more. With each swap, they end up finding that terror is worthwhile.”

The dilemma was neatly summed up by novelist and diplomat Yossi Avni-Levy when he said he opposed the deal, which set too high a price – but could not bring himself to object to it.

The people’s army

And yet – for Israel, which still relies on the concept of a people’s army manned by teenage conscripts, there is one overriding principle: “we do not leave our sons in the field.” Daniel Gordis, writing in Foreign Affairs, says Israeli society has been wracked with guilt over Shalit’s fate for five years, in a nation where it could happen to any family. “To maintain the legitimacy needed to draft its sons into an army that may well be at war for generations, Israel’s govenment needed to show that it remains committed to bringing them home at any cost”.

Michael Weiss agrees: the founding principles of the Israeli state run deep. And, he adds, Mr Netanyahu’s policy of never negotiating with terrorists has been trumped by Jewish cultural tradition. To be more cynical, the images of Shalit embracing his father, as a beaming prime minister looks on, will not do him any political harm either.

Felicity Spector is the chief writer for Channel 4 News. Follow her on Twitter @felicityspector