The Hostages and Missing Families Forum's "Bring Them Home" campaign led by Ronen Tzur had a success margin that would delight any of the best tech businesses in Israel.
A recent survey conducted by researcher and political psychologist Nimrod Nir, examined public opinion in Israel regarding the war and the hostages issue starting in October. On October 12, 20% of the Israeli public believed that Israel should make painful concessions to return the hostages. By February 25, it rose to 61% – phenomenal growth in every metric.
The rise did not come only from those who initially defined themselves as undecided, but also through an active decline of opponents to a deal. These are numbers that are the dream come true of any campaigner in such a short time.
On October 19, 44% of Israelis believed that there should be no negotiations with Hamas and only 22% believed that a deal should be made. Within four months, there was a complete reversal. 40% were willing to have a deal even at the cost of releasing prisoners, 20% supported a deal involving reducing the military response, and only 29% of Israelis believed that there should be no negotiations.
Nevertheless, shortly before the last survey, Tzur, found himself vacating his position, after massive pressure from the hostages' families. They claimed that he was promoting himself and harming the campaign. However, despite all these claims, in reality – the campaign worked.
After Tzur's leave, the families of the hostages found themselves in the most difficult situation they could have imagined. They never dreamed of being in public life and certainly not under these circumstances. They were not trained in politics and did not know the tricks or techniques of seasoned politicians like Benjamin Netanyahu.
One of the biggest mistakes of political campaigns is to follow the background noise and echo chamber around the campaign. The digital algorithm only shows the topics you are interested in, everyone around you reads and talks only about that. The ability to build an alternative world around you is natural, but to adopt that world and accept its narrative as truth is the hardest blow a campaign can receive. You always need to step out of the feed, check, and look at the whole picture.
The families did not withstand the pressure. They truly believed that Tzur was harming their struggle because he was too anti-Netanyahu. But the simple truth is that if instead of Tzur, a ChatGPT artificial intelligence robot had managed the campaign – the trumpets and propagandists would have found excellent reasons why the campaign was badly done and why the robot should be removed. That's how the propaganda and noise machine works.
Netanyahu's campaign succeeded, while the families' campaign faded. This new leadership of the forum will certainly ensure a lot of quiet for the families of the hostages from the government. They will no longer be subjected to attacks – a victory. Tzur brought noise and kept the issue on the agenda, and now the families of the hostages have secured quiet for themselves. But the truth is that quiet is the last thing they need in their struggle.
The reason the campaign failed is that the forum told bereaved families, other hostage families, and reservists: "We don't care about you, what you've sacrificed, what you're going through, and the price you'll still have to pay. We're going to burn down your country."
It has nothing to do with Ronen Tzur, Netanyahu, or anyone else. To sabotage a campaign, all you need is a lack of thought and perspective.
