Father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin criticizes Israeli gov't over failed hostage negotiations
Jonathan Polin posted to Facebook on Friday, criticizing the hostage negotiations.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: MARCH 21, 2025 19:22Jon (left) and Rachel (right,) parents of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, holding a sign of their son. Uploaded on 10/6/2024(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Jonathan Polin, father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was murdered in Hamas captivity, posted to Facebook on Friday, criticizing the hostage negotiations and showing his support for Shin Bet head Ronen Bar.
The government voted unanimously to end Bar’s term as Shin Bet chief.
Bar will end his role on April 10 or when a new Shin Bet chief is appointed.
"I hope the true story of the failed negotiations to release the hostages will one day be revealed," he wrote. "I continue to believe that the government never gave a sufficiently broad and serious mandate to the Israeli negotiating team. Some of the Israeli negotiating team pushed hard, but unsuccessfully, for a broader mandate. Thank you, Ronen Bar, for being one of the ones who pushed."
JON POLIN, father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, comforts his wife Rachel, as they speak at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, last week. The challenge remains mobilizing Americans to do something about releasing the hostages, says the writer. (credit: Mike Segar/Reuters)
Polin's previous support for Ronen Bar
Polin has previously shown his support for Ronen Bar in other Facebook posts.
On Monday, Polin wrote, "We have met many people in positions of power in the past 528 terrible days. One of those people who has shown the highest level of personal accountability, integrity, decency, and humanity is Ronen Bar. While admitting his responsibility for the failure of October 7 and saying he will step down, Ronen has been committed to bringing home all hostages, returning the security of the State of Israel, strengthening national unity, and most recently, to establishing a national commission of inquiry that will examine everything and everyone, including himself. There is a nobility in how Ronen Bar has conducted himself in these 528 black days.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin
Hersh was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival near Re'im on October 7 by Hamas terrorists after trying to hide in a bomb shelter. Jonathan and his wife, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, had been fighting for his and all the other hostages' release.
Hersh was found murdered in the tunnels in September along with five other hostages, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Ori Danino.
