Sacrificing the Isaacs

Hanging until further notice: Solidarity with the Bibas family. Courtesy of the author.

The news on waking this morning is that Netanyahu, the evening of his return after a week in the US while the hostage crisis festers and skeletal hostages who could have been returned months ago are released— holds a cabinet meeting, only upon the order of the Supreme Court, to discuss establishing a state commission of inquiry into Oct. 7.

Representing the position that the government must, indeed, authorize such a commission after the most horrific (and ongoing) national disaster in Israel’s history, is Attorney General Gali Maharav Biara. She is the long-time target of this government, which directs vicious attacks, vilification, and threats against her for upholding the rule of law, in particular, the transparency of government actions and their accord with law, and checks and balances between the branches of government. But autocracies in the making do not want legally authorized oversight and certainly not investigation of their actions.

Four hours of attacking her – and they then “decide” to postpone the decision about authorizing a State commission of inquiry for three months. Ball back in the Supreme Court’s court, which is then vilified for “activism.”

There is a war on! Netanyahu and acolytes yell at her. There is a ceasefire, she says. And it’s been 16 months. And memories are getting dulled (and evidence, perhaps, concealed or destroyed). There is a reason for prompt investigation.

Ah. But this government, conceived in the original sin of conflict of interest, seeks to resume the fighting. That is the only way the coalition stays in power, this being Smotrich’s condition for remaining in it, and that is the supreme priority.

The government will discuss, maybe, tomorrow? I mean, what’s the rush? — negotiations about phase two of the hostage deal. According to the deal’s agreed terms, those talks were to have begun on day 16 of phase one, which was last week and which did not happen– meaning, Israel is in violation of the deal agreement. Meaning, Hamas is free to disregard the deal, as this government dearly wishes they would, sparing them the trouble.

The hostages are a nuisance.

If that were not already crystal clear, the fact that all of them who have been released emphasize that it is critical, urgent, that the rest get out, now, no delay, makes that unmistakably clear. Still hospitalized or just released, they make videos, pleading. As soon as they are physically able, they will come to the rallies in Tel Aviv and proclaim it. Mothers make videos, pleading for their sons’ lives.

They have no time. There is a tomorrow, of that we can be absolutely sure, for taking on Hamas, the monsters actively rebuilding, as they have been doing despite the unprecedented scale and nature of Israeli military actions in Gaza for the last 16 months. Actions that have not gotten the hostages (but for 8) out, but gotten them killed and on the edge of death from extreme starvation, disease, and torture, while deals have gotten 130 living ones out, as of two days ago.

In the Binding of Isaac, akedat yitshak, Abraham almost sacrifices his own son based on misunderstanding what God wants. Here, now, we have a gang bent on sacrificing the sons (all left alive, we are told, are men), of others, for their own benefit.

Sacrificing all the Isaacs.

Who, what, will stay that hand?