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David Harbater
Author, educator and scholar

Why I decided to join the protests demanding a deal for the hostages

Davidharbater

A little over a month ago I posted an article in which I presented arguments both in favor and against a deal with Hamas, without taking a personal stance on this heart-rending dilemma (https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/grappling-with-heart-rending-dilemmas-then-and-now/). And since I was uncertain about the right course of action in this situation, I did not participate in any of the protests around the country since the outbreak of the war, until yesterday.

So what happened? Since the outbreak of the war, the government has been arguing that only military force can lead to the release of the hostages, an argument that I found, for the most part, compelling. In fact, I believe that the first hostage deal in November was facilitated, to a great extent, by the IDF’s increased military pressure. However, despite the fact that, since then, most of the Hamas battalions have been dismantled and roughly 17,000 Hamas fighters have been killed, there are still over 100 Israelis held hostage and only 8 have been rescued alive via military rescue operations. Furthermore, the military leadership has said repeatedly that it will be impossible to release most of the hostages through such operations and that the only way to secure their release is through a negotiated cease-fire deal.

Thus, for almost two months, there has been a broad consensus among the military leadership that the US-backed cease-fire proposal was adequate and should be accepted by the Israeli government. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Netanyahu insisted on adding elements to the proposal that Israel’s top negotiators said would make the deal impossible to achieve. The Prime Minister continued to hold his ground and he even referred to the negotiators as “soft” and as “pushovers”, and for weeks I thought that, perhaps, he was right. Let us toughen our position now and then if Hamas is ever serious about negotiations we can show some flexibility later.

However, as the days and weeks went by, as the condition of the hostages continued to deteriorate, and as Hamas showed no signs of budging, it became increasingly clear that time was running out. The only way to save the hostages would be to reach a deal with Hamas without further delay. Indeed, this is the warning that Defense Minister Gallant issued at the security cabinet meeting on Thursday night but his warning was summarily dismissed by Netanyahu and the rest of his loyalists. And then, like everyone else, I woke up to the horrific news of the vicious murder of 6 of our hostages just a couple of days ago which shook me to the core and which marked a turning point in my thinking about this issue (and apparently in the thinking of much of the country as well).

Thus, for the first time since the outbreak of the war, I decided to join the protest held yesterday in Jerusalem calling for a deal now. The speeches were mostly given by family members of hostages whose words were not merely spoken but expressed in a loud, shrill, and gut-piercing shout. At times it sounded to me like the shevarim of the shofar reflecting the shever she-ba-lev-the pain and anguish of a broken heart. It was virtually impossible to hear their words and their cries and be unmoved but it was no less impossible to imagine what the country as a whole will look like if a similar fate is to befall the remaining hostages.

So although I am aware that any concessions to a genocidal, terrorist organization could cost us dearly at some point in the future, I am now convinced that without such concessions, as painful as they may be, the fate of the hostages will almost certainly be sealed. And since I do not want to live with the guilt of knowing that I could have done something to prevent their deaths but I did nothing, I will go to as many protests as necessary. And I sincerely hope that many others around the country will do the same.

About the Author
Rabbi Dr. David Harbater's recently published book "In the Beginnings: Discovering the Two Worldviews Hidden within Genesis 1-11" is available on Amazon and at book stores around Israel and the US. He teaches Bible and Jewish thought at Midreshet Torah V'Avodah, at the Amudim Seminary, and at the Women's Beit Midrash of Efrat. Make sure to follow him on Facebook and LinkedIn for more interesting content. https://www.facebook.com/Rabbi.Dr.David.Harbater https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-harbater-07425951/?originalSubdomain=il
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