The problem is not antisemitism, it’s Bibi

There’s an annoying meme about the hostages that is going around social media that needs a major correction. It reads:

“Imagine being captive for almost a year in a world that cares more about its captors than you.”

This is wrong.

It’s not the world that doesn’t care about the hostages. In fact, it seems that the world cares deeply. Hostages displays are located all over the world, millions of people and foundations support hostage families, all the major news outlets cover the issue with compassion and regularly interview hostage families, the White House and other government officials regularly hold conversations and meetings with hostage families, hostages families speak all over the world, including at the United Nations and Democratic National Convention, and even A-list celebrities are in on it,  and wear hostage paraphernalia at major events, even at the Oscars.

It’s not true that that the world doesn’t care. And it’s extremely dismissive of all these efforts to suggest it. The world cares.

You know who doesn’t care? The Israeli government.

Imagine being captive for almost a year with a government that cares more about itself than about you.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the one who most emphatically does not care about the hostages. He regularly sabotages the hostage talks and moves the goalposts in order to avoid a deal. His own negotiating team and top brass are the ones who have been saying this for months. The hostage families, along with throngs of Israelis, beg and plead and protest every day for a deal, and Bibi ignores them. He talks about a “long war“, as if to get us ready for a war that will never end. He talks about “sacrifices“, as if preparing us for his plan that the hostages will all die. He talks about “complete victory” before hostages, as if that’s even a thing. As if there is anything more important than bringing home the hostages.

The ministers are the same. Transport Minister Miri Regev, when asked about hostage protests said, “I tune out the noise“. Hostage families’ pain and suffering is “noise”.

Jewish something or other minister Orit Strock treats hostage families with open disdain, referring to hostage deals in the context of “trash”, as if whatever it is that she does exactly is more important than the hostages.

She’s not alone, by the way. Hostage family members are regularly attacked and threatened by pro-Bibi Israelis, and hostage posters are regularly vandalized and taken down, (as I can personally testify happened to me own posters outside my home and on my car.) Not “in the world” but in Israel. Anti-hostage Israelis…

And we can’t forget the racist, violence-loving Kachnik Police Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, whose police officers are often the ones attacking hostage family members, has repeatedly threatened to bring down the government if there is a hostage deal — threats that Bibi routinely caves into because, clearly, Bibi wants to keep his government more than he wants a hostage deal.

(Just yesterday, Ben Gvir did it again, this time with Lebanon. As world leaders announced a truce with Lebanon, Ben Gvir threatened to bring down the government if that happens, and Bibi immediately changed course. Again. Yesterday. Make no mistake: Ben Gvir is controlling all of us.)

Indeed, the cabinet has routinely rejected every hostage deal on the table. Including the one offered the first weeks of the war. They barely even looked at it.

This government prefers endless war to a hostage deal. They seem to think that war is better for their political standing than peace. Fear and instability seem to be the government’s goals. Like, they apparently believe that if they keep us all frantically juggling a zillion threats to our daily existence, we will think less about what a complete and utter disaster this government is.

Plus, chances are that when the war is over (if?), Bibi will have to face the consequences of his actions. Anything to avoid that.

And yet, this lie that it is “the world” that is keeping the hostages in tunnels — rather than the Israeli government — continues to take hold. It aligns with a favorite longstanding Jewish narrative that whatever bad thing is happening to us is because of antisemitism.

But it’s just not true.

The problem here is not antisemitism. The problem is Israeli leadership.

This is very important. Because this false narrative that Israel’s problem today is antisemitism is a deflection tactic that effectively supports Bibi and his corrupt and evil government. The more Jews point fingers to some random and non-existent “the world” that is supposedly blocking hostage return, the more Bibi wins.

The whole antisemitism narrative is Bibi’s favorite talking point, even when it’s not the story. Ultimately the more people blame “the world”, the more power Bibi has. The narrative of “it’s the world’s fault” forcefully undermines the real efforts to bring back the hostages. And also, it’s just a lie.

I would like to ask my fellow Jews of the world to please stop doing this. Stop blaming “the world” or “antisemitism” for the very real sins of the Israeli government, Bibi, and his posse. If you love Israel and care about the future of this country and the hostages in particular, stop turning everything into a story about antisemitism. Not only is it wrong, but it puts the hostages into further danger. It provides pro-Bibi spin, deflects away from hostage families, and extends the life of this awful, soul-destroying government.

If you love Israel, say the truth: The greatest threat to the Jewish people today is Bibi Netanyahu.

Want to chat more about this? Follow my podcast Women Ending War, with my co-host Eva Dalak. Change IS possible. And women are leading the way.