Family members of hostages demanded Tuesday an immediate meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following his Sunday interview in which he said he is in favor of a “partial deal” when talking about the agreement presented by US President Joe Biden.
The families also demanded that Netanyahu retract his statement that he supports only a “partial deal.”
In the Channel 14 interview, Netanyahu said he was in favor of a “partial deal” that would bring back “some of the hostages.” This interview took place just hours after his meeting with the families of the fallen and murdered hostages, where he said the complete opposite – that he is committed to an inclusive deal in which all 120 hostages are brought back,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
“A ‘partial deal’ is a complete failure to meet the goals of the war – first and foremost of which is bringing all the hostages home. A ‘partial deal’ is the complete abandonment of a big part of the hostages,” it said.
“Netanyahu’s statement made the hostage families furious when he zig-zags with his statements, changing them to suit the audience and the place,” said the forum.
The forum also criticized Netanyahu for what they say is another flip-flop that took place on Monday when he said in the Knesset that he was fully committed to the deal.
“We are committed to the Israeli proposal that President Biden welcomed,” Netanyahu said, publicly taking ownership of the deal for the first time in a public speech to the Knesset, during an attack by the opposition on his leadership skills.
He stressed in the speech that his support of the deal has not changed. But this stance does not contradict the goal of defeating Hamas in Gaza.
Shani Louk's father speaks out
“I think that Netanyahu is not fit to manage this government,” said Nissim Louk, father of Shani Louk, who was murdered on October 7 before her body was held hostage in Gaza until it was returned in an IDF rescue.
“He has made no conclusive decisions,” he added. “He zig-zags between decisions. His decisions are not for the people of Israel, they are for the international community.”
Rachel Goldberg, mother of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, also commented Tuesday on the decision-making of those with the power to impact a hostage deal, at the 21st Herzliya Conference at Reichman University on Tuesday.
“I pray that the decision-makers will immediately decide if they want to be remembered for all time, and judged eternally, based on interests, equities, and politics, or upon having the courage to do righteousness, integrity, justice, and grace,” she said.
Sara Netanyahu also sparked controversy when talking to family members of hostages, Haaretz reported Tuesday. In her meeting with hostage families, she accused military chiefs of attempting to carry out a coup against her husband, they reported.
In the meeting, she reportedly expressed a lack of confidence in IDF senior commanders and claimed that they were interested in carrying out a coup, repeating this statement more than once in the conversation.
Sara Netanyahu’s office responded saying that “the false, trending, and incessant leaks on Mrs. Netanyahu is a heinous injustice.”
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.