Members of Israel's security forces kill terrorists to save lives. But holding on to the bodies of dead terrorists is counterproductive. The government has a confused policy on this matter. The cabinet first decided not to return the bodies of dead terrorists to the Palestinians. Then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon decided that bodies of terrorists from Judea and Samaria would be returned. The responsibility for deciding the fate of bodies of terrorists from east Jerusalem was placed in Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan's hands. In line with the spirit of the cabinet's original decision, Erdan declined to return bodies. Ya'alon conditioned the return of bodies to Judea and Samaria on the Palestinian Authority pledging to bury them at night with no fanfare. Of course, the Palestinians later reneged on this pledge. So Ya'alon has also now stopped the return of bodies, but he is ready to resume returning them if families of dead terrorists promise not to turn funerals into pro-terror rallies. The Shin Bet and Israel Police opposed the return of bodies of Palestinian terrorists, based on the premise that the bodies could be used as a bargaining chip to get Hamas to return to Israel the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, which currently remain in the Gaza Strip. There is a certain logic to this premise. The murderers of the three Israeli teenagers who were kidnapped in Gush Etzion in June 2014 were from Hebron and had been in touch with Hamas operatives in Gaza. But Hamas leaders in Gaza do not really care about the bodies of dead terrorists from Hebron being returned to their families. Cabinet ministers are competing among themselves over who can achieve the most popularity by appearing to be tough. But in reality, Israel has no bargaining chips. Palestinians do not revere burial places like the Jews do. I am not being arrogant -- I am just pointing out a cultural difference. Palestinian mothers feel no less grief than other mothers, but they do not focus their grief on a gravestone. Holding on to the bodies of terrorists could further worsen Israel's relationship with the Palestinian residents of Judea and Samaria. The Palestinians could use this to portray Israel as inhumane. This is a losing battle for Israel. There is no need to hold on to the bodies of dead Palestinian terrorists. Members of Israel's security forces must continue to shoot to kill when confronting terrorists. These confrontations have become a daily occurrence over the past month. The bodies of dead terrorists should be returned as soon as possible after the necessary security and legal procedures are completed. The quicker funerals are held, the less impact they will have on the Palestinian public. This issue is not black and white. There is no clear answer. But the bottom line is this: Terrorists must be shot dead. But once they are dead, our quarrel with them is over.
