The Merits, and Costs, of Israel’s Vaccines-for-Hostages Deal https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/israel-zionism/2021/03/the-merits-and-costs-of-israels-vaccines-for-hostages-deal/

March 12, 2021 | Micky Aharonson
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Last month, Jerusalem worked out a deal with Moscow to secure the release of an Israeli citizen who had crossed the border into Syria. In return, Israel released two captured Syrians, and also spent $1 million to secure Russian-made vaccines for Syria. Micky Aharonson evaluates the agreement:

Israelis traditionally support doing whatever necessary to “bring the boys back home,” whether live soldiers or the bodies of warriors held by the enemy. This approach is rooted in Judaism and Israeli national-communal attitudes of mutual responsibility. The . . . deal seems more reasonable than a trade involving the release of numerous Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, as has happened in previous exchanges of this kind.

In the past, thousands of prisoners, including some with blood on their hands, were released in exchange for even a single Israeli hostage. This drew considerable criticism from the Israeli public (which simultaneously celebrated the return of the hostage). In this respect, the deal stresses Russia’s and Syria’s pragmatic approach (which was rewarded), as opposed to the stalemate with Hamas in Gaza. Hamas still presents excessive demands in the spirit of previous agreements mentioned above, yet the Israeli public is less and less willing to accept disproportionate deals.

Russia seems keen to assume the position of an intermediary between Israel and Syria. A Russian TV channel just aired a new documentary apparently showing Eli Cohen, a legendary Israeli spy who was hanged in Syria in 1965 and whose remains are still in Syria. The documentary was shot by the Russian military attaché in Syria at the time. Notably, it was released just days after the deal that brought the Israeli woman back from Syria.

For Israel, the recent deal is the latest example of the strategic and tactical benefits of the continued coordination in the Syrian arena with Russia that demonstrated Moscow’s readiness to act constructively, although not for free. The question that follows—assuming Russia is willing and able to advance the strategic interests of Israel (and its allies in the Middle East) in Syria—is what the cost would be to limit Iranian military expansion and arms smuggling there.

Read more on Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security: https://jiss.org.il/en/aharonson-the-israel-russia-syria-deal/