Today, the Israeli government has voted to free Lebanese prisoners, as well as the dead bodies of Lebanese combatants, in exchange for the Israeli soldiers captured on July 12th, 2006, dead or alive.
For those of you that remember, Hizbollah's stated purpose for attacking Israel in 2006 was to gain release for Lebanese prisoners in Israel.
At that time, there was a great patriotic sentiment that swept the country as we went to war. I was among the (unfortunately) minority that did not buy in to the uplifting speeches given by the upper political echelon. Their kavanah for going to war was invalid. It was not to eliminate the enemy, to liberate another section of Eretz Yisrael, or any other valid reason. It was to get back the missing soldiers, but on a grander scale to regain quiet on the northern border; to legitimize unilateral withdrawals (on the order of southern Lebanon and Gaza).
There are 2 parallels in Bamidbar.
The Ma'apilim went to war, as is known, after the punishment for the Sin of the Spies was anounced. They went to war in order to avoid Divine Punishment. They did not go to war because it was Hashem's will, but rather they fought in order to make up for a mistake. Moshe describes the Emori's chasing of the Ma'apilim as "the bees do". Rashi describes there (Dvarim 1:42) that the bees, while definitely cause pain, actually lose more themselves, since they die after attacking.
The other is in this week's Parshah, in the battle that ensued after the death of Aharon. The King of Arad came and fought with Israel, and took a captive (Bamidbar 21:1). Am Yisrael made a neder to utterly destroy the enemy and not touch any of their property, to make it all cherem. Hashem gave Am Yisrael victory.
Unfortunately, the 2nd Lebanon War was akin to the Ma'apilim and not the war with the King of Arad.
May Hashem quickly help us to bring new leadership to power which will do what is proper in His eyes.
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It seems I'm not the only one that thinks this way:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126668
The Prime Minister's Office admits it too:
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