The daughter of two murdered hostages, dual Israeli and American nationals, deplored that the President of the United States, Joe Biden, did not issue a statement similar to that issued last week by President-elect Donald Trump, in which he threatened with a “terrible price to pay” if the hostages in Gaza were not released before he took office on January 20.
“Leaders around the world should have done, as of October 8, 2023, what Trump did in his tweet,” explained Iris, daughter of Gad Haggai and Judy Weinstein, at Times of Israel.
“Our situation would have been very different. Many lives would have been saved – not just those of Israelis or hostages, but also those of Palestinians – if world leaders had taken a stand in favor of the unconditional release of all hostages,” she added after her meeting. with the US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, in Washington, as well as with the families of the seven other dual nationality hostages still held by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.
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Asked if his criticism of world leaders extended to Biden, Weinstein Haggai responded “certainly,” in a rare criticism of the outgoing president, who has repeatedly been praised by the families of American hostages for his efforts to obtain their release.
Although acknowledging Biden’s numerous calls since the start of the conflict, demanding the unconditional release of the hostages, and expressing appreciation for the president’s decision to visit Israel a few days after October 7, she said she expected political leaders ” a request accompanied by an ‘otherwise’,” added Weinstein Haggai. The remains of his parents are still being held in Gaza since their assassination during the Hamas pogrom.
She said she did not expect Hamas to immediately respond to such demands, but said it would send a clear message to the terrorist group that the international community does not accept its version of events and denies it any legitimacy to set conditions in the negotiations or to simply refuse to engage in talks.
“When these Hamas terrorists see that world leaders are not putting pressure on them, the message sent is that they can execute six beautiful young people with impunity, that they can broadcast these propaganda videos without anyone reacting” , regretted Weinstein Haggai.
Although many world leaders have demanded the immediate release of the hostages, these calls have often been linked to demands for a ceasefire in Gaza. An approach that the hostages’ daughter deplores, stressing that they have not adopted such a position for other conflicts.
“My soul suffers seeing what is happening in Gaza. It’s not for nothing that my family lived a kilometer from Gaza. We were the first to advocate peace and a two-state solution, but hostages cannot be used to resolve the crisis in the Middle East,” Weinstein Haggai also explained.
Still, she says it’s “never too late” for world leaders to make a Trump-like statement.
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