To Prime Minister Netanyahu

Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu,

I am writing this letter to you as a citizen of Israel. Just so you see where I am coming from: my oldest son is one year into his army service as a combat soldier. My wife is a therapist whose patients include relatives of victims of October 7. I am a school teacher. One of my former students is currently a hostage in Gaza and other students had family murdered and abducted on October 7. Politically, I do not see myself as “left” or “right” and in fact abhor this terminology and the dichotomy that it represents. I do not see the current crisis as fundamentally political – despite all of the attempts to politicize it – but as an essentially moral dilemma. And I believe that the most moral action that I, personally, can take, under the present circumstances is to address you, Prime Minister Netanyahu, directly, in my attempt to convince you that your moral obligation is to take responsibility and acknowledge the reality of the situation as I believe that the people of Israel know to be true and which, deep down, I believe you know to be true.

Firstly, that means acknowledging that this isn’t about “victory”, or “absolute victory”, the notion of which is patently ridiculous. Even if we were to kill 100,000 Hamas terrorists, destroy every last terror tunnel, and curtail arms trafficking into Gaza completely, would we see Israelis dancing the Hora in the streets? Of course not. We will still be grieving, or rather, we will begin grieving, since grieving is so difficult in the middle of a war. Speaking of which, even after this “absolute victory” is achieved in Gaza, we will still be left with a war on the Northern front. Or perhaps you are imagining that Hezbollah will just pack their suitcases and go home? Perhaps you are counting on this war in the North so that Israel will go from war to war, without pausing to contemplate how we got here – what mistakes and misconceptions, so stubbornly clung to in the face of all evidence to the contrary? The very fact that so many Israelis question your motives is, in and of itself, a big part of the problem – whatever those motives might ultimately be. The conflict of interest screams to the heavens, so even if you are not acting out of political interests, the fact that there are tremendous political implications attached to all of your decisions – you, who are such a political animal, calls your motives into question for a sizeable portion of the adult population of Israel and this perception is literally tearing the country apart, the very country that you profess to love with all your heart and mind.

In your speech during the press conference, you stated that the first condition for victory in this existential war is unity. If we take that at face value, it must be asked what type of unity you are referring to? Is the implication that you expect all of the citizens of Israel – a large percentage of whom question your motives – to set aside their distrust and their concern for the hostages’ lives and trust the judgment of a man – albeit Israel’s most powerful man – who has clearly implied that if push comes to shove, the hostages’ lives are expendable? 

Personally, I would never say that you, Mr. Prime Minister “killed” the hostages. That is clearly a falsehood, for Hamas terrorists killed the hostages. After all, that’s what they do, what they specialize in, after all. Is making a deal with Hamas akin to admitting defeat? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Does it matter? Is this about bragging rights? Israel “lost” the war on October 7 when our citizens were murdered, brutalized, and abducted. Hamas “lost” the war when Israel started bombarding Gaza, destroying tunnels, and decimating terrorist forces. Who is the bigger winner? Who is the bigger loser? Does it matter? Is this more important than restoring what you referred to as the “first condition” for victory?

I am not a military strategist, Mr. Prime Minister and I have no idea how objectively important it is for Israel not to budge an inch from the Philadelphi Corridor for any time period, no matter what. I imagine that much of what you said during the press conference is true, that Hamas hopes and dreams of being able to smuggle large quantities of weapons and ammunition back into Gaza. Regarding the feasibility of such intentions and the ramifications of whatever temporary or permanent Israeli withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor, I can only plead ignorance. Once again, as a clueless civilian, it seems unbelievable that the prime minister seems to be belittling and disparaging the collective opinion of both the army and the entire security establishment, whose leading representative seems to be openly defying your stance and calling for compromises that could lead to the signing of a cease-fire agreement and the return of the hostages.

It seems that the only people who do not support any form of compromise on the issue of the Philadelphi Corridor and wholeheartedly agree with your implicit stance that it is preferable to sacrifice the hostages than evacuate, temporarily or permanently, the Philadelphi Corridor, are those who simply have chosen to disavow any deep spiritual or emotional connection to the hostages and their families. I simply do not believe that it is possible that someone who is deeply empathic regarding the pain and despair of the hostage families can truly say, in their heart of hearts “yes, I truly believe that it is morally correct for Israel to sacrifice these hostages and refuse to consider any compromise on the Philadelphi Corridor, thus depriving Hamas of any sort of propaganda victory, or open door through which they might eventually rearm themselves and carry out another October 7″.

And a few words about October 7: October 7 never should have happened. October 7 was a fiasco, a “fashla”, one of the most grievous miscalculations in modern history, and absolutely the worst miscalculation on the part of Israel. Nothing else comes close – not even Yom Kippur. If we had only been slightly less certain of our conception, slightly more careful in case our conception was incorrect, slightly more flexible and open-minded regarding the evidence in plain sight, slightly more responsive to those who tried to warn us, right up until the very last minute – October 7 would never have happened. I’m not saying that politicians or the defense establishment killed the victims of that terrible day, but I am saying that they could have saved them. Could have saved them, but didn’t. It was a terrible failure: of this there can be no doubt. Obviously, no one in Israel intended for October 7 to take place. Nevertheless, it did take place. What matters now, as you have said, is to restore unity amongst the people of Israel. And to do so, they need to be able to trust their government, to trust their leaders. This trust can only be achieved once the citizens of Israel believe that their leaders are acting with the best interests of the nation in mind, are setting aside political considerations, and refraining from politicizing the debate over the hostages… For this greatly desired sense of national unity to take place, the citizens of Israel must first believe that their leaders are acting morally and in the country’s best interest.

How can it be morally right to talk about “absolute victory” considering the circumstances and the national mood?

How can it be morally right to politicize the hostage rallies, to seek to portray the hostage families and their supporters as political antagonists, rather than concerned citizens?

How can it be morally right to close the door on a cease-fire agreement, which is what you have essentially done by refusing to negotiate on what seems to have become the central impasse to such an agreement?

How can it be morally right to offer, as an alternative to an agreement, continued military operations to rescue hostages, when you know full well that Hamas is committed to executing hostages, rather than allowing Israel’s encroaching military to rescue them?

How can it be morally right to try to marginalize and delegitimize those who disagree with you, especially representatives from the security establishment?

How can it be morally right to continue to sow discord and disunity when you know as well as I do that this discord and disunity weakens Israel in every way – socially, militarily, and economically?

Prime Minister Netanyahu, I implore you, as a concerned citizen of Israel who feels that the future of the country is at stake, to set aside any and all personal considerations and act as though you truly are the generational leader that you claim to be. Now is the time to break from the past, and to make the morally right decision, not that which your inclinations and fears prompt you to make. You may be the only person who can save those hostages, and, by extension, save Israeli society from the precipice on which it is poised. Step outside of yourself, and make the right decision, whatever the personal cost may be to you, however disinclined you are to accept this difficult and distressing reality. I know that it is a lot, but this is what I am asking you to do. Redemption awaits.