In the shadow of the Gilad Shalit prisoner release deal, Rabbi Yossi Elitzur, rav of Yishuv Yitzhar and co-author of Toras HaMelech, calls upon yishuv residents to shoot to kill terrorists that endanger their lives and not to attempt to apprehend them for fear they will ultimately be released from prison.
The rav released his p’sak halacha today, 26 Tishrei as a direct response to the Shalit deal. He explains that the Shalit deal was not the first or the second, but there have been many, adding that following the release of terrorists, they continue efforts to strike, and if they get away with it, nothing is lost. Even if apprehended, he sits in prison for a period of time, and is then released, and that is the cycle.
“Perhaps he succeeds in murdering Jews, maybe even to butcher an entire family. Even if apprehended after the act, he sits for a time with the realization his colleagues are working to kidnap a soldier towards gaining his release. Then, an entire nation gets down on its knees and the murderers are released.
He explains that from a Halachic perspective, there is a question if one may harm a terrorist on the one hand, and “Dina D’Malchusa Dina” on the other, with the latter demanding that law enforcement must deal with terrorists. Even if one believes the care should be left for the professionals, at times they too create a situation that is perilous and they mustn’t be relied upon.
The system has sent a clear message, that there simply is almost no price to pay for striking out at a Jew, so it is unclear if police should be left to deal with this. Therefore the rav feels that if a window of opportunity presents itself, if one can claim self defense, it is better to shoot to kill towards showing Jewish blood is not cheap.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
Good for him!
If Israel is going to continue these trades for terrorists there is no viable option. I am glad someone said it.
This psak may very well be invoked by Palestinians as a violation of EY’s legal obligations under international treaties and its own criminal codeswhich outlaw deadly force when there are non-lethal alternatives.
@#3, every law enforcement is trained to “shoot to kill”.
It would seem logical in view of the massive prisoner exchange release, that terrorists should be killed, but then politics does not follow logic.
he will probably be arrested for the psak he already sat in jail for writing that sefer what can you do he lives in a state that protects the terrorists who murder them
#4, you clearly don’t know anything about Law Enforcement, or their training. They are trained NOT to kill, rather to capture, or injure(at most).
good to hear someone say this!
Here’s the mahalaich…
FIRST you shoot to kill (i.e. chest, head).
THEN you can shoot at the arms or legs.
Then you can say you shot at the arms or legs FIRST, but the enemy kept shooting, so you HAD TO shoot to kill.