From the Liveblog of
Monday, June 3, 2024
Ben Gvir moves faction meeting location after hostages’ relatives arrive
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir moved his Otzma Yehudit party’s weekly faction meeting from its regular location after relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza entered the room carrying signs minutes before it was set to begin.
The families came to an agreement with party officials that they could remain if they stayed silent but only minutes later, the MKs suddenly left the room and gathered in a conference room down the hall.
Knesset security prevented the families from entering the new meeting location, prompting angry yelling that could be heard through the door of the conference room.
Speaking with the Times of Israel following the meeting, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu says that the families are “owed a lot” by the state and “we have to bring their children home.”
However, Eliyahu insists that similar protests led to Israel freeing October 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar in 2011 during the Shalit deal and he doesn’t want to be responsible for the passage of an “irresponsible deal” that leads to another massacre several years down the line.
Asked why he declined to allow the relatives into the meeting and switched locations, Ben Gvir tells reporters that he has met with hostage families and will continue to do so but that doing so in front of the cameras constituted “populism.”
The protesters, chanting “Yes to Netanyahu’s deal,” engaged in a sit-in outside the room.
Asked for comment, Gil Dickmann, whose cousin Carmel Gat is held in Gaza, tells The Times of Israel, “When he heard us, the families of the hostages, coming in, he decided to run away. It looks like he’s a coward. Maybe he’s got something to hide.”
Ben Gvir moves location of the meeting so the families can’t be inside. Einav Zangauker, mother of Hamas hostage Matan Zangauker, is outside screaming that he snuck out the back and is scared to face her. Security is keeping them out. Can hear her outside as they set up new room pic.twitter.com/R6HG12MBCQ
— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) June 3, 2024
