On the second of August, 2014, the anxious family of IDF soldier Hadar Goldin held a press conference outside their Kfar Saba home expressing their hope and prayer that their son was still alive and not killed in action in Operation Protective Edge. However, just a short time after that, the bitter news was delivered to them that, in fact, Hadar was dead.
And from that moment until this day, his body remains in the hands of Hamas terrorists. And since that day, pressure has continued to mount on the Netanyahu government to take action to ensure the return of his body, so that his family may provide him with a proper burial.
But, thus far, this has not happened. Press conferences, protests, emails and other form of social media pressure have all fallen on deaf ears, as Hadar’s body has not yet been returned. The anguish of his family is plainly obvious and understandable. Their dear son’s body—the son who died defending the State of Israel—languishes somewhere, while that very state seems to be abandoning him and is family.
On Thursday, his family issued a statement that, in part, said:
“It’s time for the Israeli government to internalize it has the tools in its hand to exert pressure on Hamas in order to return Oron (Shaul) and Hadar home.”
The family argued that the conditions of the prisoners are too comfortable and privileges should be taken away until information on the slain soldiers is received.
“It is unacceptable that Hamas terrorists sit in Israeli prisons and receive a package of services that includes special food, watching entertainment programs on television, and the possibility of academic studies, while the people of Israel and we the families of Oron and Hadar do not have a sliver of information about their condition,”
Contrast this with what also happened on Thursday this week regarding the body of Muhammad al-Kalouti. He is the terrorist who perpetrated a shooting terrorist attack on a bus in Jerusalem in the Ramot neighborhood in March of 2016. He was killed by security forces while committing the atrocity. Israel held on to his body for many months; that is, until yesterday. His body was handed over to PA authorities for burial and was buried in a small ceremony, heavily guarded by police at the Bab al-Zahra cemetery in Jerusalem, last night.
And this is where the actions of Israel become unacceptable and unconscionable. The pain of the Goldin and Shaul families and the collective pain of all Israelis is completely justified and warrants attention. How can it be that we give the body of a terrorist (as we have already done numerous times) back to their family so that he or she may have a proper burial? How can it be that we permit his family to stand around his open grave and mourn his “martyrdom” stirring up yet more anti-Israel sentiment while Goldin’s body remains in the hands of terrorists? How can it be that we need to be the “good guys” and return these bodies when we have a wonderful “tool” at our disposal?
NO TERRORIST BODY SHOULD BE RETURNED TO THEIR FAMILIES UNTIL WE GET OUR SOLDIERS’ BODIES BACK! What can justify the daily pain of the IDF soldiers’ families as they watch the bodies of those who came to (and often succeeded) murder Jews being returned for burial, while their sons’ bodies lay—lay—where exactly?
We continue to “reward” terrorists with meals, educational degrees, television, movies, family visits and a long list of perks. Seems that until they get “their virgins,” they continue to reap the benefits of murdering Jews in this world, first. Free food, free education, free medical attention, free entertainment; all of which is paid for by our tax money.
We have many tools that can be used to ensure the return of the bodies of our soldiers! Provide terrorists in jail with the minimum amount of needs in terms of food and health. Limit visits to them by family to once a year on the anniversary of their arrest. No education and no entertainment. They can sit and be bored for the next 335 years or so.
And then the most important resource/tool at our disposal: The bodies of terrorists. DO NOT RETURN ANY BODIES TO THE PA/HAMAS UNTIL WE HAVE THE BODIES OF OUR SOLDIERS BACK.
Non-negotiable. No discussions with them until we have OUR soldiers’ bodies back. No “peace” talks; no anything. When you are ready to give us back our boys, let us know and then we can discuss whatever you want after we have them in hand.
Until then, please find something else to do, PA and Hamas. We owe it to the families of our soldiers who fought and died valiantly so that you and I can be safe from terror. What can YOU do? Follow up on the demand of the Goldin family that the Knesset convene a special meeting to discuss this topic. Send a Facebook message to MK’s, to the Prime Minister and any other elected official that you can think of. Let the Goldin and Shaul families know that they are not alone. A number of the family members have a presence on Facebook. Reach out to them and let than know you care.
We, as citizens of Israel cannot stand idly by while these families fight this fight! We cannot lose this “Goldin” opportunity to get back the bodies of OUR soldiers.
After living in Chicago for 50 years, the last 10 of which he served as a shul Rav and teacher in local Orthodox schools, Rav Zev’s family made Aliya to Maale Adumim in July 2009. Currently, he works as a teacher at AMIT Boys in Maale Adumim and teaches many students privately.
