My good friend Avidan Freedman, in his Jerusalem Post article on August 27, challenged Yaakov Katz for misrepresenting the politicization of the hostage issue.
Katz argued that the hostage slogan should always have been “Release Them Now” as opposed to “Bring Them Home Now,” applying pressure to Hamas instead of Israel. Freedman claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the source of the politicization, having done everything to keep his fragile coalition intact at the expense of the hostages.
It may be true that the prime minister has not always prioritized the hostages above other considerations, but I’m not sure it was necessarily the wrong thing to do. While it’s true that the country sits at the precipice of occupying Gaza, the question is, why were these decisions made?
Why did Netanyahu not prioritize the hostages?
Freedman would want you to believe that at each step of the way, Netanyahu acted solely to protect his own political interests. And while this self-interested behavior may be a fair depiction of politicians generally, it may not have been the only factor at play.
One of the fundamental proofs of the prime minister’s culpability, according to his detractors, is the Channel 13 exposé that aired on August 21.
The interview features a former Biden aide detailing the multiple ways the Netanyahu government “torpedoed” different ceasefire agreements. One such example is when his government at first agreed to pull troops from the Philadelphi Corridor, only to later change its position.
At first glance, this may seem like a classic example of Netanyahu kowtowing to his right-wing party members who prioritize defeating Hamas over rescuing the hostages. However, the exposé itself cites Netanyahu’s fears of Hamas rearming or even smuggling the hostages to Egypt.
These were valid concerns considering the massive tunnels that had been discovered on the Egyptian border.
The exposé quoted Yoav Gallant, the former defense minister, as advising the prime minister that the army could feasibly retake the Philadelphi corridor post-ceasefire, implying that Netanyahu was simply being difficult.
But no army operation is simple. To reconquer the region would undoubtedly cost more Israeli lives, just as every hostage deal, which requires releasing dangerous terrorists, carries its own painful price.
WHILE THE Channel 13 story does undermine the argument that Israel has consistently agreed to ceasefires, as Hamas had rejected them, it is also problematic for those wishing to censure Netanyahu.
This anti-Netanyahu movement has existed since the beginning of the war. It did not spontaneously organize on the heels of this new, somewhat damning information. It has been at odds with the prime minister since its inception.
The overlap between those organizing the hostage rallies and those active in the anti-judicial reform movement that preceded them is hard to ignore. While it’s true that Netanyahu has made political calculations, like all politicians do, that doesn’t mean political gain has always been his sole motivating factor.
And to paint the prime minister as either being concerned for his own well-being or the hostages misses the complexity of what Israel faces at this moment. There are so many moving parts to our present reality that keeping them all in the air must be nearly impossible.
Winning the war is a non-negotiable for many Israelis. This is not only because we see a better future when Hamas is no longer in power. It’s also because of the many soldiers we’ve lost along the way.
In an ideal world, everyone would want nothing more than to bring the hostages home, be it through military action or negotiations.
But, from the outset of the war, there were always those who considered it bad policy to let the hostages influence any of the war goals. We feared that taking them into account would lead to failure, ultimately playing into our enemies’ hands.
I pray the day never comes that we have to choose between winning the war or bringing home the remaining hostages. But the fact that Netanyahu has drawn red lines in the negotiations, such as prematurely ending the war while leaving Hamas intact, is not a flaw for many.
It’s exactly what we voted for.
The writer is a rabbi, a wedding officiant, and a mohel who performs britot (ritual circumcisions) and conversions in Israel and worldwide. Based in Efrat, he is the founder of Magen HaBrit, an organization protecting the practice of brit milah and the children who undergo it.