In an in-depth conversation, the former IDF chief of staff and Israeli defense minister Moshe Yaalon and the American political philosopher Michael Walzer discuss the moral challenges posed by 21st-century warfare. Among other topics, Yaalon emphasizes the importance of Jewish values in maintaining the IDF’s moral integrity, arguing that the “starting point to winning legitimacy . . . is the basic belief in the sanctity of human life. Every soldier must at his core recognize that every human being is created equal, even the enemy.” But this principle must be coupled with an understanding that, in the Talmud’s phrase, “by being merciful to the cruel we might in the end be cruel to the merciful.” (Moderated by Fred Schwab. Audio, 101 minutes. Transcript available at the link below.)

Israel’s goals of freeing the hostages and defeating Hamas (the latter necessary to prevent further hostage taking) are to some extent contradictory, since Yahya Sinwar, the ruler of the Gaza Strip, will only turn over hostages in exchange for concessions. But Jacob Nagel remains convinced that Jerusalem should continue to pursue both goals:

Only consistent military pressure on Hamas can lead to the hostages’ release, either through negotiation or military operation. There’s little chance of reaching a deal with Hamas using current approaches, including the latest Egyptian proposal. Israeli concessions would only encourage further pressure from Hamas.

There is no incentive for Hamas to agree to a deal, especially since it believes it can achieve its full objectives without one. Unfortunately, many contribute to this belief, mainly from outside of Israel, but also from within.

Recent months saw Israel mistakenly refraining from entering Rafah for several reasons. Initially, the main [reason was to try] to negotiate a deal with Hamas. However, as it became clear that Hamas was uninterested, and its only goal was to return to its situation before October 7—where Hamas and its leadership control Gaza, Israeli forces are out, and there are no changes in the borders—the deal didn’t mature.