Hostage Deals In Halacha & Jewish History Part IV: Rav Ovadia & Entebbe

 

Today we know the story of Entebbe as one of the great crowning moments of Israeli history. But before the daring Sayeret Matkal operation, Prime Minister Yitchak Rabin asked then sefardi chief rabbi, Rav Ovadia Yosef to share his opinion about the permissibility of acceding to the hostage takers demands of releasing 40 terrorists in exchange for returning the hostages. Rav Ovadia's response eventually became a 19,000 word monograph and likely the most significant halachic work ever written on hostage deals. Today we look at highlights from this piece and the relevance of his arguments for today 

 

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Given at the Vine Ventures Sarona Unity Center, Feb 11th 2025