The power of phony Hamas hostage deals on the Israeli public

As you drive on Tel Aviv’s main Ayalon Highway, you immediately notice all of the hand-painted signs hanging off of the bridges connecting one side to the other. Among them is one which says, “Stop Torpedoing Hostage Deals.” It’s a message directed at our Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seen to be the greatest impediment in allowing the release of the remaining hostages, both dead and alive, to Israel.

While it may be true that this particular government coalition, comprised of many ultra-religious extremists, are not as anxious to make a deal if it means a complete end to the war and the release of all Palestinian prisoners (their usual demands), it also doesn’t mean that the proposals, which have been offered, are based on reasonable conditions that can be taken seriously.

Nonetheless, hostage families appear, almost daily, on Israeli news channels, making their impassioned case for why any Hamas deal must be accepted, regardless of their demands. As you watch them, crying and filled with anguish, you cannot help but feel for them, because they are fighting for the survival and return of loved ones whom they hope, with every fiber of their being, are still alive, even though no one knows for sure.

In truth, who can fathom the agony which they have been forced to endure over the last ten months, which probably is best expressed by another highway sign that says, “What if it was your son?” 

Having said all of that, Ryan Jones, Editor of Israel Today, wrote what is possibly the most accurate portrayal of the situation, saying, “Hamas, this evening signaled that it is not interested in continuing negotiations with Israel. Hamas says Israel can accept its terms for a deal or there is no deal, period. In the end, it turns out Hamas doesn’t want a deal. That’s what everyone gets for thinking they could trust terrorists. For those naïve enough to think a genuine negotiated deal can be made with Hamas, you must understand something:  Hamas will never return the hostages it is still holding unless it receives EVERYTHING it demands from Israel – meaning the release of every jailed Palestinian terrorist, a full IDF withdrawal from Gaza and continued Hamas rule as well as an immediate move toward Palestinian statehood. The hostages are the only real leverage Hamas has left. It’s naïve to think they’ll all be freed until Hamas gets what it wants. Anything less, and Hamas is finished.” (Israel Today, 8/11/24, Telegram Channel)

Jones’ analysis of the situation couldn’t be more on target as he reveals the psychological game of torture, being played on the Israeli people, with an emphasis on the relatives of those being held captive. Israelis are well-known for their big hearts, and that has been overwhelmingly demonstrated by the tremendous support they have displayed as they faithfully attend weekly protest demonstrations, adding their voices in opposition to the “stubborn” government members who they believe have derailed deal after deal.

But if the truth be known, none of those deals were made in good faith or negotiated towards any compromise. Over the course of the last few months, several proposals have been made, which included the following demands: free movement of Gazans back to the northern Gaza strip, without security checks, Israeli troop withdrawal, the release of all Palestinian security who had been released during the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange but were subsequently re-arrested, the entry of 600 trucks per day, providing intensive and sufficient quantities of humanitarian aid, relief materials and fuel. All that for a 42-day truce period, at which time only 33 Israeli hostages, alive or dead would be released.

In essence, Hamas would be guaranteed the opportunity to regroup, replenish and return to business as usual of planning their next Israeli massacre, in exchange for possibly only returning 33 dead bodies. Great deal for them, not so much for us.

That was their May proposal. Today, some three months later, Hamas is gunning for the identical package. Their present demands include “a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, an exchange of captives, reconstruction of the territory and the lifting of Israel’s blockade of the enclave.” Still being offered, in exchange for all of the above, are 33 hostages over a 42-day period. For our part, we would be responsible to pick up the tab for rebuilding all that was destroyed when Israel was forced to enter Gaza in order to rid the area of bloodthirsty terrorists who were committed to finishing what they started on October 7th.

In fact, to further illustrate just how disingenuous Hamas operatives are, they refer to a proposed ceasefire as “sustainable calm” in order to avoid the iron-clad commitment of laying down their arms. This so-called “counterproposal,” is nothing more than a rinse and repeat cycle of the May offering that went nowhere. So, what has changed? Why would we accept a regurgitated deal which we rejected only a few months ago?

It is because of the immense pressure, intensifying with each day, not only by hostage families, but by the Israeli public who sincerely, but naively, believe that a viable deal is on the table, ready for the taking, “if only our stubborn prime minister and his cabinet members would agree.” Indeed, they may not agree, but if they would, it’s almost a guarantee that Hamas would up the ante, because the name of the game is to squeeze out as much as possible until we’re left with almost nothing.

Defending ourselves comes with the price tag of rebuilding what needed to be destroyed in order to flesh out the terrorists. It is a cruel and cynical exercise, designed to cause capitulation, and that is exactly where we find ourselves at this point in time – ready to capitulate to a barbaric, Satanic group of savages whose subhuman ideology comes from the pit of hell!

Willing to sell out and place ourselves in the same vulnerable position, a majority of Israelis have come to the conclusion that we have no choice but to accept the crumbs being offered in order to return our captive countrymen who have suffered the worst tortures known to man. It is the exact place where Hamas hoped to corner Israel, knowing that the alternative of leaving these men, women and children in the depths of Hades would be unthinkable. It is! No one is disputing that.

However, no one should delude themselves into thinking Hamas is a good-faith partner, honorably advocating on behalf of their people. A snake remains a snake, and they aptly fall into that category. They neither want the best for their people nor anyone else. Their end game remains the same – the destruction of Israel and the goal of world dominance. For anyone to believe otherwise is not only naïve but the definition of folly. 

The only question everyone needs to ask themselves is whether or not we help them achieve their goals by allowing them to have the upper hand in the creation of their phony deals!