What a nightmare to watch the injustice of terrorists gaining freedom while the people they murdered lie in their graves. What a perversion that the release of hostages, an otherwise extremely holy act, is used to fuel such evil. The last time Israel gave away so many terrorists to release an Israeli hostage, it included the mastermind of the October 7th massacre. What new risks to the people of Israel has the government of Israel negotiated itself into? If there had been an active death penalty for terrorists with blood on their hands, we would have been celebrating the release of hostages without worrying about the new potential dangers that lay in wait. It's high time for such a law to be legislated by the Knesset. Fourteen years ago I wrote that "When emotions no longer rule policy, lawmakers will face the need to do something to avoid this from ever happening again." and "Repeat after me, 'it is wrong to release unrepentant murders out onto the streets for any reason.'" If there were only pro-terrorism advocates without blood on their hands in Israeli prisons before the Biden hostage exchange occurred, then there would have been less clear and present danger in their being sent back to Gaza to attempt to kill our citizens again. Furthermore, the October 7th massacre revealed a new and deeper-running cruelty on the street among many Gazans, so that the risk of attempted terror from this group of criminals is greater than from any criminal element ever released before. Among the most basic concepts of criminal profiling is to deliberate over recidivistic tendencies. I am unsatisfied that this was sufficiently considered in this case. Now the media quickly misuse heartwarming photos of those hostages being released and only talk about that, so that we can put all this out of our minds long enough to complete this circle of danger!! ...I call this a misappropriation of hasbara for the wrong reasons. These matters have long been known. These dangers have long been preventable. Multiple governmental administrations under different Prime Ministers have not fixed this. This is a systemic problem and must be repaired. It will take public outcry to motivate this change. If your friend, even your very best friend, likes to drive while drunk, do not give him the keys to the car. Especially if he wants to give you a lift. If he is sober at the moment, but has the same philosophy of driving drunk being some kind of a legitimate option, and he also has a bottle of liquor within his reach, you should still not trust him behind the steering wheel. Similarly, we should not put this temptation upon future governments to have to deal with. Once there is no new supply of murderers sitting in jail waiting for the PLO to potentially upgrade their roster, there will be no more kidnappings to fuel their release. This nightmare will be over, permanently. Practically speaking, it's time to admit, the risk of kidnapping is not going to go away unless and until a real peace solution is fully in place. If an Israeli government would consider the legislation suggested here, the following is a vital point: Include a clause that requires swift fulfillment of the order of execution. Closing potential appeal processes within a matter of days or weeks, not months or years, keeps such a law a practical deterrence of hostage takings. Otherwise there would be a fresh supply of terrorists with blood on their hands potentially motivating more kidnappings. If the government will not protect the people (Likud,) and another government elected will not protect the people (Bennett / Lapid,) then it is time to cry out to Heaven for help. The need is urgent. The intent of government of most parties is to not recognize this as an important value. But God is our King, and He can intervene, and will if we but ask Him to. Despite God's plan of freewill for humanity, we may ask him to intervene in such circumstances, to preserve civilization, as it says, "A king's heart is like rivulets of water in the Lord's hand; wherever He wishes, He turns it." (Proverbs 21:1) & "Israel shall be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you shall neither be ashamed nor disgraced to all eternity. For so said the Lord, the Creator of heaven, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, He established it; He did not create it for a waste, He formed it to be inhabited, "I am the Lord and there is no other." (Isaiah 45:17 & 18) Let's encourage the habitation of the land by proving that those who come to the Holy Land can do so through a reassurance of safety, and ensure the long life of those who live there by a reassurance of justice. May the government recognize the need to protect their citizens and act accordingly in an appropriate manner. May it soon by so, by the grace of God. Rabbi Prof. Alan Friedlander - is a former Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Touro College in New York.