Q&A: Opening the Western Wall Tunnels
Opening the Western Wall Tunnels
Question
Following the opening of the Western Wall Tunnels, 17 soldiers were killed in riots by Arabs. According to professional sources, Benjamin Netanyahu did not consult with anyone before making this move. And it was done mainly (as usual for him) to please his base. On the one hand, looking at it today, this is one of the most visited and important places for Jews, with great historical significance for the Jewish people. On the other hand, 17 soldiers were killed because of it. Do you think it was worth the price?
Answer
The question is framed incorrectly.
The question is whether to surrender to terror threats. Some maintain that one should not, even if there will be a price in human lives (see Maimonides, Laws of the Foundations of the Torah 5:5).
The opinion of the “experts” depends on values, and their policy of restraint is a function of a value-based position, not only of facts and expertise. A prime minister is supposed to make that decision, not the experts.
And from another angle: you cannot know how many victims our ongoing surrender to such threats has cost us. So it is very hard to make calculations like these.
Beyond that, there are values for which people take risks. Like democracy and the rule of law, for example, because of which we do not kill every terrorist and everyone who belongs to a terror organization. That costs us many more human lives.
All this does not mean that in my view Bibi acted correctly. It only means that this criticism is tendentious and superficial, as is common in our parts.