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Source: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-864603
All or Nothing: Why Israel Should Avoid Phased Hostage Deals
(Jerusalem Post) Editorial - Israel's stance in negotiations with Hamas that any deal must include the release of all the hostages at once is right strategically, politically, and morally. Up until now, the formula has been phased deals. A few hostages here, a few there, in exchange for temporary truces, prisoner releases, or humanitarian concessions. Each deal left dozens still trapped in Gaza. Each deal left Hamas with more bargaining chips to play and kept Israeli society hostage to Hamas's cynical manipulations. That model must end and shift to an "all or none" approach. Partial deals have only prolonged the nightmare. Every time Israel agreed to a phased release, Hamas pocketed the gains and came back for more. This piecemeal process served Hamas's interests perfectly: keep the world watching, keep the terrorist organization calling the shots. Demanding all the hostages at once denies Hamas that advantage.