Please read this brilliant analysis about the situation in Israel by my friend Daniel Pomerantz.
The bodies of six Israeli and American hostages held by Hamas were retrieved from a 65 foot deep tunnel in the Rafah area of Gaza and returned to Israel on Saturday. This is deeply heartbreaking to the Israeli people and all people of conscience. For months, we’ve seen these hostages on posters in every corner of every city and town. We are all struck to the core as if we knew each hostage personally — as if they were our family. At the same time, a number of parents of the hostages as well as Israeli leaders and civilians are fiercely blaming the Israeli government in general, and Netanyahu in particular, for failing to bring our loved ones home sooner. Hundreds of thousands protested on Sunday evening in locations throughout the country with a particular focus on blaming the government and calling for an immediate ceasefire. Most of Israel’s unionized workers have gone on a symbolic one day strike beginning Monday morning.
It is almost impossible to fully comprehend the grief and anger of the families who have lost loved ones after 11 months of emotional torture. But it is also critical at this tragic moment that we perform a reality check.
They say that the greatest mitz'vah of all is redeeming the captives. That is not so, as the medieval rabbi of Rothenburg demonstrated with his own life. He knew that ransoming him would lead to endless kidnapping of Jews for profit, so he forbade his followers from ransoming him. He died in prison.
Bibi has the fate of the nation on his shoulders, and remembers well the result of the Gilad Shalit deal: the release of Sinwar, who went on to perpetrate the October 7 massacre. If we are serious about "Never again", the hostage families must be politely ignored, and Hamas dismantled. The only acceptable deal involves the release of all Israeli hostages unconditionally.