Day 352 Of The War: Own Up!

Last night, instead of a demonstration, all the protest movements, together with the family members of the hostages, united in what was termed a rally. However, it still had all the markings of a heated demonstration. The desperate family members and the crowd supporting them had lost all hope that the current government and its corrupt coalition would make a deal to bring the hostages back alive. Referring to the beeper attack on Hezbollah, one demonstrator held a sign saying: “All it took was 64 beepers for total victory.” It was hard not to think that if this weren’t our reality, the sign could be humorous.

Many family members spoke on stage and pleaded for the return of their loved ones, who are also our loved ones. One family member specifically mentioned that all the thousands of people standing together with the families have become their family and their source of support.

Another family member, Udi Goren, the cousin of Tal Chaimi, who was murdered on October 7, spoke in English to convey his message to the world. Udi, who, along with most of the family members, fights to end the war and bring home the hostages, told the Israeli government: You are responsible for the October 7 tragedy; own up. He spoke about the tragedy of the war in Gaza but reminded us that Hamas started the atrocities on October 7, and taking hostages is a crime against humanity. Goren’s ability to see both sides and maintain a humanistic approach is not something we see every day.

This morning, I listened to the Guardian podcast “Today in Focus” from September 20th, which discussed the beeper attack on Hezbollah. The reporter spoke about civilians caught in the middle who were injured or even killed by the explosion of the walkie-talkies that had become deadly weapons. It is indeed a horrible tragedy. Yet Hezbollah and Hamas do not hesitate to use their own innocent civilians as they operate in civilian areas, and they certainly target our civilian population, as Hamas did on October 7 and Hezbollah has been doing for a long time, especially in the last 352 days. Unfortunately, the reporter never mentioned October 7 or the fact that many civilian hostages are still being held captive in Gaza.

We must find a peaceful solution. As Udi Goren said in his conclusion: “From the river to the sea, Israelis and Palestinians should be free.” After the worst year since the Holocaust, there is no other way and Israel needs it more than ever.