A moment before Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism, before we honor the memory of our loved ones who sacrificed their lives, we have an obligation to remember and remind others of the soldiers who did not have the privilege of a resting place in Israel. A clear and unequivocal public declaration by all elected officials that they will take immediate action to bring fallen soldiers Lt. Hadar Goldin and Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul back to their land and their families should trump all political disputes and disagreements. We need to stop, once and for all, the ongoing torture of the families whose sons set out on a mission from which they never returned, exemplifying the highest principle of loyalty to and sacrifice for the nation.
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It has been six and a half long years of suffering, in which the Goldin and Shaul families have had no graves to visit, and the families of captives no longer have the strength to fight for the return of their sons. Bringing them home should be the top priority for every party trying to win votes. This is the ABCs of loyalty to our soldiers, who are willing to give up their lives for us.
The back-turning by the authorities reached an apex when Israel sent vaccines over the border without even mentioning that the fallen and captives be traded for them. Was this embarrassing silence designed to exhaust the families, and wear them down? Things are made worse by the Goldin and Shaul families noble stance of not demanding that Israel free terrorists in exchange for their loved ones, but rather that the government impose more stringent prison conditions on terrorists already behind bars as a way of pressuring people with blood on their hands and forcing the heads of the brutal Hamas organization to end the affair.
The dismissiveness toward the holy mission of giving a fallen soldier an honorable Jewish burial reduces the trust IDF soldiers have in their commanders. David Ben-Gurion's words that "Every Jewish mother should know that she has placed her son's fate in the hands of worthy commanders" is now in question, given the silence of politicians who want our votes but do nothing more than utter banal remarks and hand the issue over to a functionary.
We repeat our demand that they fulfill their Jewish and civil obligation. This falls on IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, too, who has a basic obligation to those under his command who set out to defend Israel to demand that every government, before it addresses taxes or acquires planes, solve this distressing matter. To the party leaders: leave your indifference behind and make a humanitarian gesture to Hadar and Oron, and especially to their families.
Hadar had scratched the words "With courage and humility" onto his weapon. We are not seeing either courage or humility, or anyone bowing their head, or any pragmatism that should have been the first result of action by any military or political mechanism.
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