Jerusalem – Hundreds of protesters gathered near Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Jerusalem office Sunday morning to express outrage and anguish over his agreement to release 104 Palestinian prisoners as a concession to restart peace negotiations with PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
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The demonstration, arranged by the Almagor Terror Victims Association, and families who have lost loved ones to terrorists, featured haunting black-and-white placards with images of numerous victims killed by the prisoners being released.
Posters with red hand prints – illustrating the blood on the prisoners’ hands – were also prominently displayed by a number of protesters, whose ages ranged from teenagers to octogenarians.
“This is not a political issue for me, it’s a moral one,” said Jeff Daube, director of the Israel office of the Zionist Organization of America, who attended the demonstration.
“With the rate of recidivism being what it is, we are virtually assured that this will cost Jewish lives.”
“If these terrorists don’t return to terrorism itself, they will return to aiding and abetting terrorists,” Daube continued. “Suicide is not part of my daily routine.”
In an open letter released by Netanyahu to the Israeli public Saturday, the prime minister acknowledged that the agreement to release the prisoners “clashed with the principle of justice,” but noted that it was necessary to resume talks and “ensure Israel’s essential national interests.”
“This is an incredibly difficult decision,” the letter stated. “It hurts the bereaved families, it hurts all of the Israeli people, and it hurts me very much. It clashes with the most important principle – the principle of justice.”
Trudy Gefen, of Kiryot Ono, who came to the protest with her husband, said she has long been a staunch Netanyahu loyalist, but described his agreement to release the prisoners as a “betrayal.”
“I’m disgusted that the man I voted for – who said he would never release terrorists – has now done it for the second time,” said Gefen, referring to the 2011 exchange of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners for Gilad Schalit. “I’m fed up! Does he think we’re stupid?”
Gefen went on to quote Thomas Jefferson to summarize her dismal assessment of the situation.
“If the people are afraid of the government, that’s tyranny,” she said. “If the government is afraid of the people, that’s democracy.”
“It appears that Bibi never heard this,” Gefen added. “He’s acting like a dictator.”
Dr. Shlomo Tikochiski, who has a PhD in Jewish history from Hebrew University, said Netanyahu’s concession has taken away Israel’s “self respect.”
“In my opinion, the [most difficult] part of Middle East negotiations is [maintaining] self respect, and today Netanyahu and the government have given it up,” said Tikochiski.
“This is the beginning of negotiations, and Netanyahu is starting from a point of weakness,” he continued. “This is not how to begin a negotiation.”
Nadav Meron, a 23-year-old Likud member, also condemned Netanyahu’s decision.
“I’m here because I think letting terrorists go free is something we should not do,” he said. “It’s giving a present to terrorists.”
Meron added that he dreads the inevitable celebrations and hero’s welcome the released terrorists will receive upon returning home.
“When they get back home [the Palestinians] will have parties to celebrate them,” he said. “How can this be a ‘peace process’ if they celebrate terrorists when they come back home?”
Lizi Haneiri could barely contain her tears as she decried what she described as US pressure and hypocrisy doled out by Secretary of State John Kerry.
“We’re here to tell our prime minister that we voted for you, not Kerry,” said Haneiri.
“And who gave Kerry the right to tell us to release murderers? Would the US release terrorists from Guantanamno [Bay]? Which other country in the world would do such a thing?”
“These terrorists have blood on their hands – the blood of children, women, of innocents!” she continued. “We trusted the prime minister to protect us and now he’s releasing murderers. Who’s going to protect us?”
Meanwhile, the sister of an IDF soldier who was abducted and murdered by terrorists in Netanya in 1984, and requested her name not be published, held up a black-and-white placard baring her brother’s face.
“What can I say? I am shocked,” she said. “I’m very disappointed – especially in Bibi.”
In his letter, Netanyahu emphasized that it was difficult to “go against the public.”
“Sometimes prime ministers are forced to make decisions that go against public opinion – when the issue is important for the country,” he wrote.
Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
I can believe he’s decided to do this, but I’m hurt to the core! I simply want to cry & beg Hashem ad matai?! We are Your people, please remember us!!! We need Moshiach right now not next week, not next month, not next year, but right now!!! How much more do we need to suffer?! How much?! We’ve been abused, used, starved, raped, murdered & everything in between!!! How much more?!
What is the point? Not like it ever amounts to any real progress toward peace…
Despicable. The only way to do away with this sort of “bargaining chip” is to have captured terrorists with Jewish blood on their hands sentenced to death and executed without delay. Besides it being fitting punishment, imprisoning the scum of the earth means housing and feeding them (absurd) before eventually releasing them to kill again.
1-3 join the army, risk your lives then you can give advice on the state’s security
Why is it always we that have to make concessions before sitting down to negotiations (which will inevitably lead nowhere)?
We give, and give, and give, and the other side stands firm and gives nothing. Then the world looks at us like we’re the ones at fault.
Why not ask the Palis to give a little for a change? How about they stop trying to kill us. That would be a concession worth sitting down at the table for.
How about we get a few concessions for a change. You want East Jerusalem, we get the Har Habayis. You want reparations for property allegedly taken from Palis (which was taken from Jews in the first place: look for the cemented-over mezuza recesses in the doorposts), we get compensation for the uncounted millions of dollars worth of property left in the Arab countries by all the Sefardim who arrived in 1949 with the shirts on their backs. You want terrorists released, we want Pollard released, and maybe Sholom Rubashkin too. You guys give a little, why don’t you.
Why are terrorists ever captured alive? They should never make it to trial. It should be Israeli policy that terrorists are wounded during capture; & after questioning (which, of course should be “humanely”) they succumb to their injuries.
Even if not one released terrorist ever kills or abets in another terrorist act (extremely unlikely), how does the release not motivate countless other would be terrorists who may not be suicidal, and now know that no matter what, they will eventually get released to a hero’s welcome by their bloodthirsty brethren?
Does anyone know the opinion of the Rabbonim on this? Is there any consensus? Am I the only one who thinks that this is a really, really dumb idea?? Is it a foregone conclusion that the Cabinet will (or already has) rubber stamped this move?
Only hundreds??!?
That’s not even a blip on the radar
what kind of mashugaas is this , releasing murderers to appease peace , israel should follow USA, supposedly friends with israel but still not releasing pollard even though he spied for a friendly nation and killed noone
This is a real chilul hashem to demonstrate against the jewish government. How about dina demalchise dina
he needs to free up the prisons for all the charedim he is planning to lock up for daring to cling to their values. what a messed up medina!! for shame, forever!!
Reply to 16 if u r talking about rabanim that they know more how about when Satmer goes demostrae than would u say the same thing ? Their rabanim know more?