Lt. Hadar Goldin — a 23-year-old Givati Brigade fighter was ambushed and killed on Aug. 1, 2014. His body was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. All this took place in the midst of a ceasefire that John Kerry brokered during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.
In light of this Leah Goldin, Hadar’s mother holds Kerry legally and morally responsible for the death of her son, and for the return of his remains for burial in Israel.“Hadar was not a victim of war, but of a ceasefire,” Goldin said.
She is frustrated with Kerry, former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the international community and even the Israeli government. They all have done nothing to apply pressure on the Hamas terrorist organization that rules the Gaza Strip. If they would have done their job and applied pressure the Hamas would have returned her son’s body. The international community should live up to its “self-proclaimed humanitarian mission.”
Netanyahu should have mentioned world responsibility in his U.N. speech when he demanded the return of Hadar’s body. “He didn’t say that Hadar was killed during a ceasefire,” she complained. “He didn’t say it was the world’s responsibility. But it’s their fault,” she said of the UN. “Since they were the ones who made the ceasefire that Hamas violated, they and Kerry.”
Goldin explained why she is after Kerry though he is soon out of office: “He won’t just retire; he will be going around the globe engaging in ‘diplomacy’ and meeting with leaders afterwards, too.”
In a previous interview with The Algemeiner she said: “Until now, Hamas has abducted soldiers and demanded a heavy price from Israel for their release,” she said. But now, “rather than waiting for Hamas to demand a price from Israel, a price from Hamas must be exacted for not returning the bodies.” For example, she said, money for the rehabilitation of Gaza, devastated by retaliatory IDF strikes in response to years of rocket-fire reigning down on Israeli cities, should be made conditional.
During Israel’s negotiation with Turkey for normalization of relations, Goldin was hoping the government would use the deal with Turkey as leverage. Since Turkey supports Hamas, Israel would ask Turkey to make Hamas return the bodies. The negotiations should have included a stipulation for the return of Hadar and Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, another fallen IDF soldier whose body remains in Gaza. When the deal was sealed no clause relating to the young men’s bodies had been included in it. The Goldin and Shaul families and Shaul families were very disappointed.
The Israeli government countless times said they would not give back bodies of terrorists only to give in time after time. On Sunday January 1st , the Cabinet decided not to return the bodies of Hamas terrorists who were killed while carrying out terrorist attacks and that the bodies would instead be buried in a cemetery for enemy dead.
The Goldins wanted to meet Netanyahu and Lieberman after the cabinet meeting but were refused. Mrs. Goldin said: “We had regular meetings with the Prime Minister until about six months ago, until he broke his word. He assured us that our issue is a humanitarian one, and that it would be raised with regard to any agreement for humanitarian aid to Gaza. The return of the soldiers would be a 'precondition.'”
The Goldin and Shaul families both urged Netanyahu in statements that he should follow through on this policy, and not give in like previous times. They also criticized the government for “doing nothing” to secure the return of their sons.
We hope they won’t have to suffer much longer and their loved ones will be brought to an honorable Jewish burial.